United We Serve

June 22 – Sept 11, 2009

Join the White House, the Corporation for National & Community Service and libraries, non-profits and community groups across the country in United We Serve.

United We Serve is a national effort launched by President Obama to engage more Americans in serving their communities this summer. United We Serve kicks off on June 22 and runs through September 11, which will be marked for the first time as a national day of service and remembrance. The initiative focuses on four key areas: education, health, energy, and the environment; and community renewal. It is being lead by the Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal agency that improves lives and strengthens communities through volunteering and service.

The White House contacted ALA to encourage libraries to get involved.  Libraries are a critical piece of the initiative, as one of the four broad issues it will address is supporting education and literacy for all Americans. Volunteer opportunities can be posted right now on www.serve.gov, and I encourage you to do that as soon as you are able.

For more information, please see the fact sheet from the Corporation for National & Community Service.

Now is the time to get involved.

All libraries and Friends groups that have volunteer opportunities can get involved now.  

• Visit Serve.gov to enter your library’s volunteer opportunities. Serve.gov is a clearinghouse of volunteer opportunities managed by the Corporation for National and Community Service and will allow people in your community who are  interested in volunteering to locate your library’s volunteer opportunities.  
• Use the resources on this page to get information on how to recruit, train and use volunteers in your library.
• Share your experiences with volunteers on the ALA Volunteer Activity Wiki
• Ask your volunteers to share their experiences! 

Their volunteer experience is your advocacy opportunity. 

Being connected to an initiative of this scope has the potential to attract people to the library who aren’t fully familiar with who you are and what you do.  A new volunteer’s experience in your library this summer has the power to help shape how he or she sees the library and its role in the community.  To make the most of this opportunity, consider:

• listing a variety of opportunities on Serve.gov that will appeal to a variety of people in your community. 
• matching a volunteer’s experience to a library activity.
• how you can turn summer volunteers into life-long library advocates.

For ideas and sharing, visit the ALA Volunteer Activity Wiki. 

Resources   

• ALA Professional Tips Wiki on Volunteers
  Offers web and print resources, as well as links to sample volunteer programs
• "Young Adult Volunteering in Public Libraries: Managerial Implications." Library Leadership & Management Summer 2009, v. 23, no. 3, p. 133-139. Bernier, Anthony.
• Ilovelibraries.org
  Award Winning Books- www.ilovelibraries.org/awardwinningbooks
  Recommended Reading- www.ilovelibraries.org/recommendedreading
  Starting a Book Club- www.ilovelibraries.org/startingabookclub
• Summer Library Use Talking Points (PDF)
• The Young Adult Library Services Association's (YALSA) Ultimate Teen Bookshelf highlights must-have teen materials for libraries.
  

News about United We Serve

• ALA Press Release
• AL Inside Scoop- The blog for American Libraries, the magazine of the ALA.  

Questions?
Send an e-mail to library@ala.org.