Teens! Need Volunteer Hours? Hit the Library!

In-Person Volunteering

Your local library is the heart of your community where librarians strive to provide excellent educational, social, and career-boosting opportunities. Librarians want to do everything they can to help young people in their communities succeed.

Eligibility Requirements

Volunteers must be in grades 9-12. Volunteers may earn service hours for organizations, school requirements, or just for fun. At this time, we are unable to accept court-ordered service hours. Volunteers must live in or attend school within the 46394 zip code (Whiting/Robertsdale).

Expectations

Volunteers will be expected to complete tasks assigned in order to earn credit for their time. During the school year, you will primarily be assisting Ms. Adrienne (Youth Services Librarian) with various tasks. This can consist of program prep, organizing & inventory, helping with programs, etc.  If you are late to assist with a program, we may substitute another volunteer task. Missing a scheduled volunteer time without prior notification will result in your removal from our active volunteer database. This means you will no longer be notified when volunteer opportunities arise.

How to Sign Up for Opportunities

Please fill out THIS FORM for each volunteer. After filling out this form, you will be added to our volunteer database. When volunteer opportunities arise, on or around the 15th of each month, you will receive an email (to the email provided) from Ms. Adrienne (adeluna@whiting.lib.in.us). The email will include a link to a form listing the volunteer opportunities that are available, with descriptions and available time/day. Volunteer opportunities are first-come, first-served, and once the opportunities are filled, the form will close. Because our needs determine the number of volunteer opportunities available, the library may not be able to meet all of the hours you need for any volunteer requirements, but opportunities *should* be available each month.

If you have any questions, please contact Adrienne De Luna, Youth Services Librarian, at adeluna@whiting.lib.in.us

Your Picks: Teen  Book  Edition

Do you like to recommend things to friends? Do you like making videos? If the answer is yes, then we’ve got a service hour opportunity for you.

  • Create a BookTok video for our TikTok account, where you do a book talk of your favorite teen read.
  • Your goal is to try to persuade people to read these books. Tell them a little bit about the story (no
    spoilers) and why it’s such an amazing read. Use your own words. Do not read the summary off the back of
    the book or one you picked up online.
  • For every video you do, you’ll receive one service hour from the library.
  • All submitted videos will be posted on the library’s social media, so by sending them to us you are giving us permission to use your material and
    likeness.
  • Submit your videos by sending us a way to download the video file by either creating a free Dropbox
    account or by using a Google Cloud link. Send us those links by emailing adeluna@whiting.lib.in.us. Be sure you do not have any copyrighted music in your videos. After a video has been submitted and approved to be published, we will be able to sign your service hours form.
  • You can do more than one video, but each book talk submitted must cover a different book.
  • Be sure that you include your name, library card number, grade, and which program you are submitting
    work for with each sent in item.
  • Check out this video review for an example!

Teen Write-Ups

Have you read, watched, or played something amazing lately?

  • Write up a paragraph review (at least 7 sentences) about it and earn service hours.
  • Your goal is to try to persuade people to go check out what you’ve wrote about. Tell them a little bit about the story (no spoilers) and why it’s so amazing. Your paragraph must be written in your own words, aka don’t plagiarize.
  • For every write up you do, you’ll receive one service hour from the library.
  • All write ups must be library appropriate. All submitted write ups will be posted on the library’s website and social media, so by sending them to us you are giving us permission to use your material.
  • Send all write ups to adeluna@whiting.lib.in.us.
  • After a write up has been submitted and approved to be published, we will be able to sign your service hours form.
  • You can do more than one write up, but each paragraph submitted must be about something different.
  • Be sure that you include your name, grade, and what program you are submitting work for with each sent in item.
  • Check out these reviews from Teens!

One Page Zine

Are you creative and want to give back?

  • Make a zine out of one page of paper.
  • To see an example, click here. Instructions on making one page zines are here.
  • There are three choices of topics: 1) a “how to” guide with tips on how to do something — examples are how to be TikTok famous, how to level up in a video game, how to make a DIY scrunchie — it can be anything you want! 2) reviews of books, movies, or TV shows 3) a fun, detailed list of your favorite things.
  • For illustrations, you can choose to draw them or paste things you’ve printed from the internet or cut from magazines. Don’t forget to give your zine a title! You can write your first name or initials on it, but please don’t include your last name (or you can choose to leave your name off completely).
  • Completed zines can be dropped off at the library during walk-in hours (lower level Children’s Desk) or in the library’s book drop — make sure they are in a bag and include your name, email address, and phone number.
  • Copies of the zines will be given out for free to other teens at a later date. Can be done multiple times; 1 service hour for 1 completed zine.

Teen Service Club: Take, Make, and Bring Back ***(These have all been fulfilled)***

Would you like to help support the local animal shelter and earn service hours?

  • Stop by and pick up a Teen Take, Make, and Bring Back at the lower level Children’s Desk, follow the directions at home to create dog tug toys, then return the finished toys in the bag provided.
  • You will earn one service hour for each finished bag you return to the Teen Desk.
  • You can only take one bag at a time and projects must be done outside of the library.