Teens needed to volunteer at the library this summer

BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP — Teenagers are invited to roll up their sleeves and make a difference by volunteering at the Bloomfield Township Public Library this summer.

The library is looking for high school student volunteers ages 14-18 who reside in Bloomfield Township or are enrolled in the Bloomfield Hills School District to lend a hand while school is out.

“We have had teen volunteers before, but, as with a lot of other offerings, it was paused when COVID-19 hit, and now we’re bringing it back,” said Lauren Catoni-Ellis, the assistant department head for the youth service’s department.

Youth Services Librarian Patricia Ballard said it’s a great opportunity for teens to help out the library and their community.

“Students can build their resume for college or job applications and earn community service hours,” she said in a statement.

The teen volunteers will help library staff during youth programs, prep materials for crafts, update displays, make sure assigned areas are shelved correctly and perform many other tasks in two-to-three hour shifts.

“Volunteering at the library is a great way to build different skills. They’ll be building team working skills. They’ll be learning about how the library works, and they’ll be doing something that they can put on their resumes and college applications and it’s a great way for them to give back to the community,” said Assistant Library Director Katherine Bryant.

All interested teen summer volunteers should fill out the volunteer form at btpl.org/youth or at the library’s welcome, adult or youth desks.

“They will hopefully get a love of the library out of it — if they don’t love the library already. They’ll get experience working with kids, experience giving back to the community, and it would qualify for any volunteer requirements they might have for school,” added Catoni-Ellis.

All approved teen volunteers will be required to attend a one-hour orientation 10-11 a.m. Saturday, June 3, where library staff will go over expectations and how to schedule shifts, and answer questions. If a volunteer is unable to attend the orientation or needs to request accessibility accommodations, they should contact the teen volunteer coordinator at askyouth@btpl.org.

For more information, call the library at (248) 642-5800 or visit www.btpl.org.