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Teen Volunteers Opportunities – Fall 2026

Review the opportunities below and contact us to let us know what you are interested in. We are so excited to have you on board the Harrison Public Library team and we hope to make this a rewarding, purposeful, and fun volunteer experience.

Commitment

Minimum 20 hours / 20 hours credit (Certificates acknowledging credits earned will be issued at the end of the commitment).

 Eligibility

  1. Teen volunteers must be between the ages of 14 and 18
  2. Teens must fill out an application form
  3. Teens must attend a mandatory one-hour training session

In-Person Working With People Teen Volunteer Opportunities

Halperin Building

Family Craft Program Helpers – 5 credits  for 2 Thursdays a month

Support Emily, our Library Assistant, with a family craft program for children ages 5 to 7 and their siblings. Responsibilities include setting up the room 30 minutes before the program, helping children with cutting, gluing, and other craft activities, and cleaning up afterward. The program takes place every other Thursday. Each session is approximately 90 minutes, for a total of three service hours per month.

Chess/Board Game/3D Printing Helper – 2.5 credits hours per program

Support Kenji, our Library Assistant, with his programs. Responsibilities include setting up the room 30 minutes before each program, assisting children during the program, and cleaning up afterward. Each session is approximately 90 minutes. Two Thursday sessions per month provide a total of three service hours.

Tech Help – 2.5 credits on a weekly

Support Colin, our Technology Librarian, by working one-on-one with adults as they learn to use their devices. Topics may include setting up email, using Microsoft Word or other software, and accessing websites or files. Required training will be provided in September. Volunteers will serve one two-hour session each week.

West Harrison Branch

Developing Library Leaders

The adult librarian at the Harrison Public Library’s West Harrison Branch is looking for Developing Library Leaders to help the library grow as the center of information, discovery, and community in Harrison. 

Teens who would be the best fit for these opportunities might have the following:

If selected, all volunteers’ time at the library will start with a discussion between the adult librarian and the volunteer about the library’s goals and the volunteer’s interests. The volunteer and adult librarian will brainstorm how the volunteer can showcase their interests at the library to help the library meet its goals. Ultimately, under the adult librarian’s supervision, volunteers will have the opportunity to run their own programs and potentially connect with professionals in their areas of interest.

Craft Helper – 2.5 Credits per program

Help Miss Bonnie in the children’s room. This includes crafts, Homework Help, and storytime.

Shelf Organizer

Help to put recently returned materials back in their rightful spot on the shelves and also shelf “reading”, which is checking that every book on the shelf is in the correct spot. The number of service hours is equivalent to hours worked.

Homework Helper – 2.5 Credits per program

Looking to make a difference and help others? Join our High School Homework Helper Volunteers! As a volunteer, you will work with younger students, helping them tackle homework, understand tricky subjects, and build confidence. It is a fun way to share what you know, pick up some tutoring skills, and be a positive role model. Plus, you will be giving back to your community in a big way!

Chess/Board Game/3D Printing Helper – 2.5 credits hours per program

Help Miss Bonnie with programs. This includes setting up the room for a program a half-hour before, helping children and clean-up. Each session would be an hour and a half. Two Saturdays a month would equal 3 service hours.

In-Person Not Working With People Teen Volunteers Opportunities

Halperin Building and West Harrison Branch

Shelf Organizer

Shelf organizers perform shelf-reading, making sure the books are in the proper order by call number. Our children’s room is extremely active, so you can imagine the amount of misplaced books. Though behind the scenes, this job is crucial in making the library run smoothly. The number of service hours is equivalent to hours worked.

Room Organizer

Assist with keeping the room neat. This could mean fixing books that have fallen over, picking crayons up off the floor, throwing out coloring pages once colored. This keeps the room an inviting space for all. The number of service hours is equivalent to hours worked.

Teen Influencers – 5 Credit Hours Per Meeting + 5 Credit Hours Per After-Hours Program

Collaborate with other teens to bring your creative ideas to life! Work with Colin to create some amazing After-hours programs that are only open to peers, 7th-12 grades. You can also tell us what kind of weekly programs, summer programs, and s you would like to see at the library. This is the place to have your voice heard. Some programs we have hosted in the past are Paint n Sip, Karaoke, Book SpeedDating, Spoon Painting, and Chocolate Molds/Bracelet Tales. We are always looking for new and innovative ways to attract teens, and who better to help are teens themselves!

If you attend meetings and set-up/clean-up on the day of the After-Hours program, you will receive 10 service hours a month.

Virtual Teen and Pre-Teens Volunteer Opportunities

Pre-Teens are not official volunteers, but can receive community service hours doing the following.

All new teen/pre-teens  volunteers are required to fill out a volunteer form and come for an interview before participating.

Book Talk – 5 Credit Hours Per Talk

Record a short video where you “book talk” a book you’ve read and would recommend. Tell us the title, author, a short plot summary, and why you liked it. Keep it simple or make use of music, images, and text. The video should be between 1-3 minutes.

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