Volunteering at the Green Hills Public Library District is a great opportunity to meet friends and to give back to your Library and community. There are several different ways for youth and teens to volunteer at the Library. Pick the one that best suits your schedule.
Individuals interested in volunteering must complete a participation form and be at least 10 years old. Volunteers under 18 years of age must have written permission from a parent or guardian to participate in the volunteer program. Once the participation has been processed and approved, volunteers will receive a welcome email from the Youth Services Librarian Klaudia Gorgon.
Questions can be directed to Youth Services at 708-598-8446 ext. 117 or youthservices@greenhillslibrary.org.
Volunteering Options
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In-Person Volunteering
- In-person volunteering includes a variety of activities such as craft preparation, shelf straightening, shelf reading, and helping keep the Youth Services Department neat.
- Volunteers can sign up for shifts using SignUpGenius.
- Volunteers are limited to signing up for two shifts per month, but may sign up for additional shifts if there are still openings the week of the shift.
- Volunteers must give 24 hours’ notice if they are unable to make their shift. Exceptions will be made for emergencies.
- If a volunteer has two no-call no-shows, they will be removed from the program.
- Final school submission forms must be signed by the Head of Youth Services. Forms may be dropped off during all operational hours and volunteers will be contacted when the signed form is ready to be picked up.
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Monthly Volunteer Programs
- Monthly volunteer programs allow volunteers to sign up to participate in a monthly service project.
- All monthly programs will be published on our event calendar. Programs may not run every single month.
- Final school submission forms must be signed by the Head of Youth Services. Forms may be dropped off during all operational hours and volunteers will be contacted when the signed form is ready to be picked up.
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Virtual Volunteering
Earn volunteer hours from home! Students ages 10-18 can earn virtual service hours from the Library by writing reviews about books, audiobooks, TV series, movies, and video games. Reviews can be sent via email to youthservices@greenhillslibrary.org for approval. Approved reviews will appear in whole or part on the Library’s website, social media, or in promotional resources at the Library.
Criteria
- Reviews must be a minimum of two paragraphs, and a minimum of 250 words.
- 1st paragraph
- Summary
- 2nd paragraph
- What did you like about it? What did you dislike?
- Would you recommend it? Why or why not?
- 1st paragraph
- Reviews must not contain spoilers.
- Reviews must be written in your own words, without the assistance of AI.
- Items do not need to be owned by GHPLD but must be available within SWAN. Please check our online catalog.
- When emailing your review, include your full name and age, and include how you would like your name to appear alongside your review (i.e. first and last name, first name and last initial, first name only, anonymous).
Hours
- 2 hours of volunteer credit will be granted per review.
Final school submission forms must be signed by the Head of Youth Services. Forms may be dropped off during all operational hours and volunteers will be contacted when the signed form is ready to be picked up.
- Reviews must be a minimum of two paragraphs, and a minimum of 250 words.
Featured Review
Book: The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
Reviewed By: Anonymous
The Old Man and the Sea tells the story of Santiago, an old fisherman from Cuba and his struggle to catch a giant marlin. Santiago is considered very unlucky, having not caught a fish for eighty-four days. On the eighty-fifth day, when he finally caught a large marlin, he was determined to bring the fish back to the shore to prove himself. The book follows Santiago’s internal dialogue and the appreciation he gains for the fish.
Critical reception for The Old Man and the Sea has been very positive. Common interpretations are that the book is a story of perseverance or even that Hemingway is retelling the story of Jesus Christ through Santiago. The Old Man and the Sea even won Hemingway the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954. However, this book is exhausting to follow. If you don’t have the time to spend analyzing every line for possible symbolism, this book is about an old man fishing. That’s all that happens. It may be a literary masterpiece, but it’s repetitive, boring, and unenjoyable for the average reader. Any symbolism is very subtle due to Ernest Hemingway’s use of a technique he coined “the iceberg theory,” the idea that underlying themes should not be explicitly discussed in a story. If you’re going to read this book, I would recommend first reading some analyses from critics so you can gain an understanding of the book’s importance. If you’re looking for a book to read leisurely, I would definitely take a pass on this one.
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