To use or not to use: information service volunteers

Citation

Evans, G.E. (2010), "To use or not to use: information service volunteers", Library Management, Vol. 31 No. 4/5. https://doi.org/10.1108/lm.2010.01531dab.002

To use or not to use: information service volunteers

Article Type: Case study From: Library Management, Volume 31, Issue 4/5

G. Edward Evans

Peter Jensen posted a volunteer opportunity for a retired archivist on a web site. He did this as a favor for his friend who was a supervisor of a nearby state park.

Los Ossos Historic Park had had a checkered history as had most of the other state parks. Funding, while never actually generous, had been on occasions adequate to have a full staff. For the past six years funding had been cut and staff reductions an inevitable consequence. As Park superintendent, Lisa Collins, had struggled to keep the park safe and as pleasant visitors experience as possible. One of her efforts to improve the Park's programs was to ask visitors to fill out an evaluation form. She'd been rather surprised at the frequency of comments in the open ended area asking for ideas and suggestions for new programs that in one way or another mentioned having more information on the history of the park and the surrounding region.

Lisa knew that over the years the agency had accumulated a variety of reports, books, guides, memorandums, etc related to the Park's history, policies, and other matters as well as many regional environmental studies some Park staff member might find useful to have. She also knew they were scattered through offices and lacked any organization. Thinking her friend Peter might be able to help her out she gave him a call. Peter agreed to come out to the Park to assess the situation and suggest what should be done with the material – anything from getting rid of it to getting it organized and developing a plan to formalize building the collection.

Lisa had been right; things were in a number of locations, from office shelves to storage buildings; however, the bulk of the material was in a large space that had been an automotive service area. When a new service area was built the old space had become something of the Park's closet – if anyone was unsure what to do with something, more often than not it was put in the old garage.

After a few hours of opening dusty cabinets, boxes and drawers, Peter could see there were a variety of items that not only related to the Park but also the surrounding area. Most of the items were originals or one of a just a few copies that might or might not have been preserved elsewhere. He was certain his library, a public library, didn't have any of the material and he was almost certain the closest academic library didn't either. So he recommended that Lisa ask for an archivist position to organize, digitize, and add to the collection as it was an important regional resource.

When he made the suggestion Lisa looked at him for what seemed like a very long time before saying: "Peter, you must be kidding. How many times have I complained to you about the staffing problems out here? If I thought there was a chance in hell of getting another FTE for the Park, I'd surely ask for a ranger or guide, not an archivist!". She went on, "Can you think of anyone in the area who is retired and might volunteer?"

Peter responded after a moment: "I don't know of anyone off hand. We don't have an archive in my place. Perhaps someone at the local historical society might have some ideas about what could be done here. The problem is, I'm almost certain, that they are all volunteers themselves, but you never know. I'll also give Sally Williams a call over at State, I know her library has both an archive and special collections area. And, I will also post something about volunteering on several discussion lists."

The first response that Peter got to the posting came as something of a shock. "What is the state going to do next? Perhaps a bake sale to supplement the budget? Why is it information service is always viewed as a step child – let some volunteer do it?" That response drew some other comments suggesting it was just a matter of limited funding rather than a lack of valuing a service.

After several more exchanges such as – "it harks back to the devaluation of ‘women's’ work;" "Reminds me of a poster I saw many years ago for a play titled Santa Claus Must Be a Woman – Who Else Would Do so Much for so Many for so Little;" "I have noticed the most ardent advocates of volunteers rarely recommend that their own jobs be de-skilled, de-salaried, and staffed by volunteers." The coordinator of the State's volunteer program joined the discussion: "It would be easy for me to use funding as the reason we are seeking greater volunteerism, but it is not. While that may be one reason, it is not the most important. … Each volunteer gets more out of the volunteer relationship than they give … so that all citizens have an opportunity to give back. … Volunteerism is an important way to build the public's trust and support."

The coordinator's statement did not end the debate nor did it address the underlying issues. Two later postings summed up those issues. "I love and respect volunteers, but I think we have to be cautious about using them in anything but supplemental roles" and "We need to consider the big picture and the service we're providing when we rely too heavily on ‘transient’ volunteers to provide the service."

Questions to ponder

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  When, if ever, is it better to provide access to resources with volunteers than to offer no access?

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  What differences do you see between seeking retired professional volunteers and a paid staff member to provide service? Does that in any way "demean" the value of the service?

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  Is it better to use volunteers to organize and help preserve rare or scarce materials or just wait until you are able to secure paid help?

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  Are volunteers really free or are there "strings" attached?

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  Are there other steps Lisa and Peter might take?