Volunteer

Merriam Webster’s Dictionary defines volunteer as:

1. a person who voluntarily undertakes or expresses a willingness to undertake a service: such as:
   • one who enters into military service voluntarily;
   • one who renders a service or takes part in a transaction while having no legal concern or interest;
2. one who receives a conveyance or transfer of property without giving valuable consideration.

Although this is a straightforward and commonly understood definition, it does not reflect the invaluable contribution our volunteers have made, and continue to make, in keeping the North Hatley Library’s doors open, the counter staffed, books shelved, and community members’ needs met. This contribution has been ongoing ever since the library’s founding in 1898.

The volunteers’ generous gift of their time allows the library, a non-profit organization, to alleviate the cost of having to pay extra staff to maintain the library’s operation, and complement’s the paid librarian’s part-time schedule.

Our dedicated volunteers give freely of their time to staff the library and help the librarian keep the more than 18,000 books moving on and off the shelves and into the hands of our community members. The volunteers are from disparate backgrounds, gender, and range in age from 13 to well over 80. They are a great representation of North Hatley and the surrounding area and the spirit that drives the North Hatley Library.