Day in and day out, volunteers supplement staff, galvanize our mission and vision, lend us their skills, and advocate for us tirelessly. Without a doubt, volunteers stand in line with staff to help you meet your most basic needs: getting the books and resources you need from the library.
Family Volunteer Day
SAT | NOV 17 | 2018
At LPL this fall, you can spend a day with family learning how to be a Book Lugger! Or visit with many local organizations to find out how your family can help at one of the many sites in the community where you can make a difference. Families who volunteer will be entered into a drawing for Disney park tickets.
Lawrence Public Library without its volunteers is akin to KU Basketball without its fans. Volunteers are our local version of TIME 100: The Most Influential People of 2018.
This year, more than 100 volunteers helped us stuff envelopes with seeds for the Seed Library. We turned an auditorium into a seed party. With all hands on deck, there were over 15,000 seed packages prepared and labeled for library patrons to take home for free. From February through April, people were able to take back their volunteer time in one of the best forms possible: the literal seeds of life.
Every month, volunteers crank in hours to help get you the books you need from the holds shelf, receive and process new books, run and coordinate storytime, and so much more. Not to mention the countless hours Friends spend organizing donations and hidden gems in the Friends mini library. We've seen folks come from as far away as Kansas City take time off work and travel to attend our snazzy book sales. All the time and care our volunteers put into those legendary book sales translates into donations so the library can keep growing and innovating.
Along with library patrons, volunteers are the pulse of our heart. They are the unofficial literacy league in town we cannot do without.
Donating your time at LPL not only benefits the library and the community, but it benefits you as well.
- Get firsthand knowledge about what it takes to keep the library wheels turning
- Meet new and interesting locals
- Glean through all the new and incoming materials before they're even available to the public
Once you come join the fold of volunteers, you'll quickly learn why some choose to spend their time with us. Michelle Young, one of longest serving volunteers, has been with LPL close to 14 years and is one of the top people in the Collections Department. Even though she may shy away from all the fanfare, she’s still our “everyday hero” and part of the LPL family for life.
So what are you waiting for? Come join our fantastic cadre of volunteers and become part of the LPL family!
