Fine Print - Summer 2006

Celebrating Library Volunteers
Terry Dawson, Library Director

Our library, like many, is dependent on the efforts of volunteers to keep us going. It’s important that we find ways to thank them often because without them, we’d be diminished in many ways. I am grateful every day for our hard-working, caring and talented staff, but we need our library volunteers!

Many of the volunteers are part of organized efforts. The volunteer Board of Trustees actually has authority over the Library, answering to the community, Mayor and Common Council. The Library Foundation Board does wonderful things in raising funds for an endowment that benefits the Library in many ways, providing many extras. And the Friends of Appleton Library is a large organized effort with over 400 members, some of whom serve on committees, help with programs, run the booksale, and more. Any one of these activities is worthy of a whole longer article. Other volunteers work directly with staff, delivering books to the homebound, shelving books and doing data entry. Altogether there are more than 200 active volunteers.

For several years, we have honored a “Library Volunteer of the Year.” In some ways, it’s a futile exercise to name only one person each year, when so many contribute, but our Volunteer of the Year symbolizes the efforts of many other volunteers. Recognizing a volunteer lets us recognize our whole volunteer program. The names of the volunteers recognized are listed on a plaque hanging in the library.

This year, we chose for the first time to honor two volunteers of the year: Jan Erdman has been an active FOAL member for many years, chairing the Children’s Committee, helping with the Summer Reading Program, delivering Walking Books, helping in Circulation and as a Volunteer Program Assistant. She has run the On the Road program series. A former teacher, Jan brings professionalism and commitment to her library volunteer activities.

For the first time, we also designated a Teen Volunteer of Year. AnnaClaire Sylvester has volunteered for the Summer Reading Program for three years and also shelved materials in the summer. During the school year, AnnaClaire helps with programs and has become a favorite of many children and their parents. She fills in for other volunteers when need arises.

It was a great pleasure to give awards to Jan and AnnaClaire, at the FOAL Annual Meeting, and again in front of the City Council as part of our National Library Week celebration. We also went with them to the Celebrate Our Volunteers Dinner and were proud to let the whole community know what great volunteers we have at our library.

To Jan, AnnaClaire and all those who give us so much of their time, a big and humble thank you! You are all evidence of what a good and caring community we have and you help make this library the best it can be.