by Duda Trickovic, Head Editor, Prince Edward Island

How to get library experience volunteering from your home

Finding that first job in a library can be challenging. I just wanted to mention some of the less conventional ways for getting some a relevant experience.

Thanks to the widespread use of technology, there are ways to get some library experience without leaving your home. You just need a computer with the internet access and a web browser.

One example is volunteering for I NEED A LIBRARY JOB web site as a head editor or an assistant. If you are looking for a job, you spend a lot of time searching for a job anyway. While doing that you can easily add relevant job posting to the web site. Advantage of remote volunteering is that your location is irrelevant, you can do your job regardless of where you live. You can look for opportunities like this in any state/province in North America, or even wider.

On technical terms, software used for web editing is web based. In case of I Need a Library Job web site we use a Word Press. Practical side of web based software is that you can use any computer that is available to you. Your own, or a public computer.

Working as an editor of web page gives you opportunity to practice/learn web editing software as well. Knowing how to maintain and update a web page is one of the regular requirements in many job postings.

Another example is a VIRTUAL REFERENCE. Almost every college and university offers some kind of a virtual reference service. Core hours of the virtual reference service are covered by employees, but hours in the evening/weekend are covered in most cases by volunteers. As a volunteer you are required to cover about 2-3 hours a week. Again, you don’t even have to live in the city/state where university/college is located. If you live in a different time zone, that can even be advantage for you because of the time difference.

As a volunteer for Virtual Reference, you will get a virtual training. Virtual reference is a real time chat with the library users. Apart from chatting, you also have ability to push web pages to library users, and to share your computer screen. Most frequent responses are canned, so you don’t have to type much. There is also a some kind of a back chat software which allows you to communicate with the other people on the same shift. Having a back chat helps you if you have a questions from patrons you can’t find answers for your self.

Nice thing about the virtual reference, you are alone at your home, but you have a support of your colleagues.

I hope this will inspire you to think of other creative ways you can get your library experience.

editor note: email ineedalibraryjob @ gmail dot com for info on volunteering at INALJ (I Need a Library Job)