Teen Volunteer Opportunities

Mason Public Library invites reliable teens who want to assist with our Summer Reading Program during June, July, and early August who:

• have completed 6th-12th grade and have a Mason Public Library Card,
• can work independently after instruction

  
  to register online then also

• accept an invitation before Training to join our communication group (via Remind.com) Cell phone or email use is required.
• attend a mandatory Training Session: 5/11/24 afternoon or 5/13/24 evening. 
• submit parent-signed volunteer waivers at the training meeting: https://tinyurl.com/mpl-release 
• buy a volunteer shirt at https://www.cincinnatiteamapparel.com/shop/product/mason-public-library-...
• manage their own scheduling using their own account at https://www.signupgenius.com/

Note to parents: This program is designed to develop job, communication, and customer service skills in teens as they provide volunteer service to the library. Parents already have those skills. Please support your teens in scheduling themselves and in communicating with the library. Please do NOT do it for them. Instead, please teach them how to remember when to be ready for each month's scheduling race, how to make sure there are no conflicts on your family calendar with their shifts, how to make sure you are available for transportation, how to use signupgenius, and how to communicate professionally via email or Remind, especially if they are canceling a shift. We understand that middle school volunteers typically require more family support than high school volunteers. Thank you for supporting your teen and for letting them take the lead.

Registration and Training

Get ready to register: Gather your information and check your calendar. Pick your training meeting. Set up your SignUpGenius.com account at https://signupgenius.com. Note your username.
 

• Name
• Mailing address
• Mason Public Library card number (can be a parent's card #)
• SignUpGenius username
• Teen mobile number for receiving scheduling texts via Remind
• Optional parent cell or email if parent is assisting a middle school volunteer
• Which training meeting you will attend (5/11/24 2p.m., 5/11/24 3:30p.m., or 5/13/24 6p.m.)
• Grade you are about to complete
• School in the Fall

1. Registration is completely online and opens April 2, 2024 at 5:00p.m. It remains open until 105 teens sign up then it closes. Sometimes the program fills in minutes. Sometimes it fills in a few days.  Registration is currently closed. There is no waiting list.
   
   IMPORTANT: If you just finished 6th grade, DON’T give us your Mason school email or use it with SignUpGenius or Remind. The school still blocks these until you start 7th grade in August. Use a different email or you won’t receive your reminders. This only applies to graduating Mason Intermediate 6th graders.
    
2. SignupGenius.com: IMPORTANT: Each volunteer needs their own SignUpGenius account. Your name must show so that scheduling works and prints correctly. Please set up a free account before your training meeting using an email that you will actually check during the summer. 
3. Volunteer shirt: Please order your volunteer shirt at https://www.cincinnatiteamapparel.com/shop/product/mason-public-library-...
4. Accept the invitation to join our volunteer Remind group. (You participate via text or email. Parents of teens 13 or younger must also accept an invite. Cell phone or email access is required to participate.)
5. Attend a Training Meeting: You must attend one meeting: 5/11/24 at either 2 or 3:30 p.m. or 5/13/24 6 p.m. Bring a phone or other device,  your parent-signed release form, and a blank service hour form if you are tracking hours for a particular organization. You will practice using our Summer Remind group at that time, practice Online Scheduling with SignUpGenius, discuss Volunteer Expectations and Customer Service, and learn our Shelving rules.
6. Release Form: Print, sign, then turn in your parent-signed release form at the training meeting: Teen Volunteer Release  https://tinyurl.com/mpl-release

What Summer Volunteers do:

• Library Volunteers divide their 2-hour shifts between shelving children’s books and movies, craft prep, helping children with summer reading prizes, and doing other light tasks to free our staff to keep up with the summer crowds. Library volunteer shifts are always located at the Mason Public Library.
• Program Volunteers help us with setup and cleanup, with activities, crafts, playing games with the children, and crowd management. Many shifts will be located not at the library, but at local parks or at the Mason Community Center. Watch the location carefully, because library staff can't provide transportation. Some shifts are shorter or longer than 2 hours.
• Shelving Volunteers help after Summer Reading is over by shelving children’s books and movies and doing other light tasks to free our staff to keep up with the summer crowds.  You won’t be awarding prizes. You might also do a bit of craft prep to help us get ready for fall story times. Shelving Volunteer shifts are always located at the Mason Public Library.

Scheduling Volunteer Shifts:

You will need text or email and online access to schedule your shifts. You will schedule yourself online for June, July, and August at 7:45p.m.on these dates: 5/21/24, 6/18/24, and 7/11/24 respectively. We will send the links via Remind at 7:45p.m. EDT.

Scheduling will be online via SignUpGenius and first come, first served. Your link will be sent via Remind. (Remind is a free app that simplifies text and email communication between families and teachers/coaches while providing accountability and keeping cell numbers private.)

• The June signup link will be sent on 5/21/24 at 7:45 p.m.
• The July signup link will be sent on 6/18/24 at 7:45 p.m.
• The August signup link will be sent on 7/16/24 at 7:45 p.m.

Single Shift Scheduling: During the first 24 hours of scheduling each month, a volunteer can schedule themselves only for one single shift during a week. That is to give all the volunteers a chance to reserve a shift. There is no guarantee that the available shifts will fit your personal schedule and transportation. Scheduling is first come, first served. Anyone who reserves more than one shift in a week during that first 24 hours will have the extra shifts deleted. Volunteers are not required to schedule a shift each week.

Mulitishift Scheduling: After 24 hours, multishift scheduling opens. At that point, volunteers are welcome to schedule themselves for any number of additional shifts, first come, first served.

2024 Planning Calendar: Print this and use it to plan your wish list. Cross out shifts where you aren’t available (vacations, no ride to the library, band camp or sports, etc.) Have this with you when registration starts because it moves quickly! [Note: calendar link will be added in Spring 2024

We cannot guarantee that the available shifts will fit your schedule. We cannot guarantee a specific number of hours. If you miss habitually, especially with less than 24 hours notice, you will forfeit all remaining volunteer shifts.

Please contact Ms. Cheryl at Cheryl.Vasan @ masonpl.org with any questions.

All teen Volunteers are required to follow our Employee Dress code (the casual side of "business casual" i.e.medium to longer skirts or pants/jeans without tears, but no leggings, sweats, or shorts) and to wear TAB shirts when volunteering in public events. You can order your shirt online for about $14 here. We wear these shirts when we lead programs or work away from the library. The design doesn’t change year to year, so this is usually a one-time purchase (unless you grow…). In general, if you can wear it to work out, then it's too casual for volunteering at the library. If you are volunteering outdoors in temperatures over 75F, then you can wear longer shorts instead of pants.

Order your TAB shirt (long or short-sleeved, your choice) as soon as you receive your welcome email. It takes a few days to be made and you can't volunteer in a public-facing shift without it. You'll pick it up from Cincinnati Team Apparel, not the library.m  Click or tap here

• ALL TAB Planners will be expected to miss no more than 3 meetings during the school year. We meet first Thursdays 6-7p.m. September – May except as noted on the meeting calendar.
• No late admittance or early dismissal; more than 15 minutes late or missed is a missed meeting. Absences due to school-sponsored events, homework, family vacations, or illness still count as absences.
• ALL TAB Planners are expected to contribute during meetings and to volunteer for committees and programs besides TAB meetings.
• New TAB Planners will be accepted each year in August. Extra applicants will join TAB Auxiliary and participate in volunteering for planning and implementing programs sponsored by TAB. TAB Auxiliary, Homework Helpers, and Summer Volunteers who demonstrate commitment and integrity by volunteering repeatedly and reliably receive priority consideration.
• Current TAB Planners may always choose to change to TAB Auxiliary and not attend TAB meetings every month.
• TAB Planners are expected to join our Remind class in order to receive announcements and to use SignUp Genius to commit to volunteer slots. Members may also use GroupMe to communicate and do their committee work. These are free communication and scheduling tools that connect teachers, students, and parents via email, text, and/or app.
• All Teen Volunteers are expected to be courteous to their fellow volunteers by giving at least 24 hours notice when canceling a volunteer commitment. This allows time for someone else to arrange transportation and fill the spot. Not showing up for a volunteer slot you committed to or canceling at the last minute will harm next year’s volunteer eligibility.
• TAB members must purchase a TAB shirt to wear during public-facing shifts. Our dress code for volunteering at events or where the public can see us is Business Casual. Leggings, sweats, and shorts (among other things) are considered too casual. If you can wear it to work out it, it's definitely too casual!