The value of volunteering
It’s wonderful to see the success of another Library and Information Week, with library activities, celebrations and events held across the country.
Last Saturday, wearing my ALIA Board “hat”, I headed off to the ALIA SA Quiz Night, a traditional event on the LIW calendar in South Australia. While making my way to the venue on a cold Adelaide night, it struck me that this successful event had been running for 6 years now - how time flies!
I was on the organising committee for the first ALIA SA Quiz Night back in 2005, where some things worked, some things didn’t work, but everyone had a lot of fun! Since then, I’ve been involved every year as a volunteer. I’ve even co-opted my husband…in the past he’s moved tables, arranged balloons, and acted as our official Quiz Master (He’s pretty good, if I do say so myself!) And every year I’ve enjoyed working with a group of passionate, organised and enthusiastic ALIA members who volunteer their time and energy to ensure the event is a success.
Sitting at a Quiz Night table and watching the crowd have fun got me thinking about the value of ALIA’s volunteers, and the contribution they make to the Association. It’s a conversation that I have been having with different people for some time now, and as a dedicated volunteer myself, an issue that is close to my heart. Most recently, we’ve been talking about it on the ALIA Membership and Awards Standing Committee as we work through some of the results and detailed comments from the ALIA Member Survey.
For me, volunteering has always gone hand-in-hand with “being an ALIA member” - in fact it almost seems inseparable. Even now, my role as a Director on the ALIA Board is as a volunteer, with the support and understanding of my employer and my family. Over the years, I have given back to the association by volunteering my energy, skills and personal time…but I have also gained immeasurably in friendships, experience and professional knowledge.
But I can also recognize my experience in some of the comments in the ALIA Member Survey that talk about the problems with volunteering. Being an ALIA volunteer can sometimes lead to “burnout” and disillusionment ; be demanding on time already committed to work and family priorities ; or be seen by other members as exclusive and “cliquey”.
Feedback like this is really useful for an Association that relies so heavily on local volunteers when providing services and events to members. Without the hard work of ALIA volunteers across the country, there would be fewer workshops, seminars, library tours, social events and conferences for ALIA members to enjoy. And importantly, ALIA volunteers have tremendous power to affect local membership and recruitment, as they represent “the ALIA brand” at a grassroots level.
This is why one of the major projects the ALIA Membership and Awards Standing Committee is working on is a Volunteer Review to look at a range of issues around volunteering for our Association. This will include a survey of current ALIA Group officebearers, to be conducted in the next few months.
The outcomes from the Volunteer Review will be used to inform the discussions at this year’s National Advisory Congress (NACs) in September. The NAC topic this year is “Volunteering with ALIA” and we want to hear from members on this issue, especially those of you who have experience as volunteers. Let us know your suggestions, ideas and feedback on how we can effectively encourage, support and reward volunteers in their contribution to the Association. I look forward to the discussion!
Kate Sinclair - ALIA Board of Directors