Friends, Trustees & Volunteers
Friends, Trustees and Volunteers are the powerhouses behind libraries. These groups frequently advocate on behalf of libraries and spend hours raising funds and volunteering their time to help make their local library a success. Find great resources on organizing a Friends group, offering training to trustees, recruiting volunteers, and best practices for working with these groups.
Self-paced courses and webinar recordings on this topic are freely available in the WebJunction Course Catalog.
Photo: Sno-Isle Libraries, CC BY-NC 2.0
Most Recently Added
Resources on Book Challenges and Intellectual Freedom
Publish Date: News / 24 May 2022
Across the United States, there are increased reports of book challenges from community members, which have led to very public and heated discussions. As public library leaders and staff consider how to prepare for similar local challenges, being pro...
Book Challenges and Intellectual Freedom: Proactive Planning for Public Libraries
Publish Date: Webinar / 24 May 2022
This webinar explores ways for libraries to be proactive in developing and sharing policies and procedures around book challenges.
OurStoryBridge: Creating Community Through Stories
Publish Date: Webinar / 17 August 2021
The OurStoryBridge project has released a free toolkit of resources for libraries to create online, three-to five- minute oral histories.
Proactive Advocacy and Communication for Library Trustees and Staff
Publish Date: Webinar / 13 January 2021
This webinar explores communication tools and strategies for boards and library staff to be better prepared for unknown changes.
Small But Mighty Library Management and Innovation
Publish Date: Webinar / 5 November 2018
In this webinar, learn how the Millvale Community Library addresses their community's food desert, uses clean energy, offers a tool-lending library, and more.
Revitalizing Library Volunteer Engagement
Publish Date: Webinar / 18 September 2018
This webinar explores new trends in library volunteerism and presents practical steps to recruit skilled volunteers to help grow your community of library advocates and supporters.
Building a Culture of Learning with Library Boards
Publish Date: Webinar / 24 May 2018
In this webinar, presented in collaboration with the Association for Rural & Small Libraries, find out how to cultivate a culture of learning with your library trustees.
Toward Tech Savvy Trustees
Publish Date: Webinar / 26 January 2017
This webinar, presented in collaboration with the Association for Rural & Small Libraries, explores strategies for building the digital literacy skills of your library trustees.
Engage Your Community when Planning for Change
Publish Date: News / 12 January 2017
Your role in your public library elevates you to a community leader and change agent. No matter your formal title or the size of your library, you have the opportunity to meet and evolve with your communities' changing needs. As a central learning an...
Engaged Planning: Ask What You Can Do For Your Rural Community
Publish Date: Webinar / 1 December 2016
A webinar presented in collaboration with ARSL outlining the steps of an engaged planning process, to align library capabilities with community needs and aspirations.
