Prince William Libraries put out call for teen volunteers this summer

Last year, about 400 teenagers contributed roughly 7,000 volunteer hours to the Prince William County Public Library System. The teenagers spent some of those hours helping other teens sign up for the library system’s teen summer reading program.

“We are excited about our summer reading program,” said Belinda Tyson, library volunteer program coordinator. “The summer reading program is a non-competitive program that encourages teens and young adults to continue reading during the summer. Our teen volunteers help by explaining how the program work, assist in registering participants and verifying eligibility regarding incentives.”

Tyson said the teen volunteers help out staff when libraries are crowded and busy during the summer. “There are tens of thousands who come into the library to participate in the program, and the teens assist staff in registering those who are participating in the program. It frees up staff… to do other tasks during the summer months.”

Volunteering at the library also gives teenagers valuable training, Tyson said. “We are looking for teens who are interested in … being a part of the library and having a great summer experience and gaining customer service skills.”

Teenagers who are interested in volunteering must be at least 12 years old to volunteer in the neighborhood libraries and 13 years old to volunteer at the full service libraries, Tyson said.

Applications to volunteer may be picked up at any library branch, Tyson said. Applications are also available online. For more information about Prince William libraries, visit http://www.pwcgov.org/library.