Being Used

One of my co-workers throughout the week kept bringing up the fact that his church had volunteered him to drive a bunch of kids in the church van to go see a lighted Christmas village and he didn't seem too happy about it. During one of our breaks he said, “I know why they chose me, it's because I'm single and they won't have to buy another ticket,” to which one of my other co-workers said “They're using you,” then I mumbled “So, it's church.”

If we stop to think about it, if we believe in any cause, secular or not, don't we expect to be used or, at least, shouldn't we? The nature of most good causes do not allow them to fend for themselves, they don't produce the the needed revue to propagate themselves, most are very dependent on volunteers. Yes, if some of them are well put together they can be self-sustaining in terms of resources and finances, but even they require a lot of time and effort; in other words, humanpower.

During my year in AmeriCorps, my group was used and we were sometimes very overworked; if you were to work out how much we got “paid” (in terms of our living stipend), based on the number of hours we worked, it was a few dollars below minimum wage. But it was for the cause of conservation, of fighting fires that could destroy property, of combating chaos in the aftermath of natural disasters. We expected to be used, we volunteered for it.

When you join a church, a group combating cancer, raising awareness of domestic abuse; if you really believe in the cause, expect to be used up, to be called upon, to invest your time and emotions, to try and rally others to your cause. Hopefully, you can also expect to be emotionally rewarded and fulfilled as well.

The church is “using you,” exactly, and I expect to be used.

P.S. My co-worker's mom is one of the chief members in charge of the childrens church, which is the real reason he was probably volunteered for the outing. Also, they paid for his dinner, which he's always a big fan of free food.

Why I Believe Libraries are Vitally Important and Why I Someday Want to Work in One

Part of this was taken from something that was originally meant to be a post and another part was taken from a letter I sent to different libraries I was applying to. I, sadly, was not hired to any of the 10 or 15 positions I applied to. Ah well, someday.

I was at a wedding a couple months ago and it came up that I was applying to different library jobs. We were also talking about audiobooks and e-books which can be borrowed through the library. All of this lead to someone saying that they think libraries (as a physical location with physical books) are going to, perhaps in the not too distant future, go by the wayside and “librarians” will mostly be a much smaller group of people who are essentially tech support people. That conversation caused me to want to share why I think, and very much hope, this won't come to pass or, if it does, that we are going to be missing a lot more than a few paper books.

First, I suppose I have to admit that some of the things I will speak of are ideal situations, in other words, I know not all libraries live up to the virtues which I am going to attribute to them, not all of them are gathering places. I do believe that some libraries are beginning to understand the possibility of the above situation and are trying harder to make use of their building, personnel, and resources. I have to be fair and also say that there are some who have always made use of all of these things.

Communities used to have naturally occurring community gathering places, the barbershop, the drug store with a soda fountain, the local diner, the schoolhouse, or, in those small communities in which there was only a couple churches, it could be the church. These were places where gossip was shared, stories were told, ideas were displayed and, well, people gathered and connected; in short they were places which helped establish a sense of community. I will not go into the factors that caused many of these entities to no longer be in existence, because that is a whole different tangent.

Since I have only had 4 “professional” haircuts (and have had to go home and re-cut it each time), I cannot really speak about current barbershops with much certainty, but I think most do not encourage people to gather for a cup of coffee, do shop talk, and get no haircut. Though most drug stores now have everything from medicine to the latest “as seen on TV gadget,” I'm not sure they would approve of you pulling out their camp chairs and opening a bottle of soda. A few diners are struggling on and those that do still exist, I think are happy when locals linger a bit, but the diners are too few and far between. I think if you were to try and “gather” too often at your schools, you may end up getting arrested and people would question why you're there. And churches, well, churches are still a wonderful gathering spot, but in most towns, even small ones, there's normally many more than two. So the ones who do go to church only see a small portion of their community and a lot of people just don't go anymore. That leaves the local library. I know many of you may not think of it as a local gathering place, but I think it has the potential to be. I think the local library is one of the few community gathering places that a lot of communities have left.

This is why I've decided to work towards my masters in Library Science, why I someday want to work in a library and a public library in particular. Because I think public libraries are important both as a means for the public to access information and also as a community gathering place. I want to strive to keep public libraries culturally relevant in an increasingly digital age. My wish for doing this is because the aforementioned reasons and also the more selfish reason of, I love stories and especially love paper books which can be held. I am not completely old fashioned, I often enjoy digital audiobooks and have read e-books and realize their worth when traveling, but there is something about the feel and smell of a paper book that I particularly love.

I believe one why to keep physical libraries relevant is through the programs they offer at their building and I would be delighted to be a part of those already established, such as children's story times and book clubs, and maybe help to establish some others. For instance, I know public libraries often feature a little bit of art by local artists, but why not have a rotating selection which features more of it and have a special “gallery opening” in which a percentage of the proceeds goes to benefit the library? Also, I love movies as well as books, so maybe a film club could be established to go along with the book club, featuring movies which have been drawn from books. Then, the following week, the members could discuss the adaptation and just the movie in general.

Around Halloween or periodically throughout the year, have a historical costume party during which people are dressed up either as one of their favorite characters from a story or a favorite author. Depending on how comfortable they are, they could present why they chose who they chose or have cards with information they can hand out to people who ask.

The bookmobile at my local library in TN, which travels around to area schools, caused me to also think that it would be neat to start a lending program with area children's hospitals or children's wards. Also, to have a story time for them there, since they can't come to the library. At one library I applied to, their bookmobile also visited the area senior centers, which is pretty cool.

The next idea is still kind of vague in my head, because I want it to be an area that is aesthetically pleasing, as well as a place to find new books. Wherever I eventually work and get deeply involved, I want to grow a book garden. This would be an area where staff and patrons could put their favorite books so others could find them and there would be a bulletin board or something where people could write about why they placed a particular book in the garden. My desire for this is because people tend to find their niche and genre and then do not really branch out. Until I volunteered in the library, I pretty much went to the adult/young adult fiction but, then as I volunteered and reshelved books and movies, I kept coming across interesting hobbyist books, biographies, and documentaries I otherwise wouldn't have seen. Ideally the book garden would be an area where people could easily be exposed to areas of interest that they didn't know they were interested in.

As I mentioned earlier, I think libraries are important as a means to access information. Well, I think they should be a means to access more than just books and media. I know a lot of libraries have various computer classes but libraries could also make use of their space by having education classes done by local volunteers. Have a hobbyist forum in which people can share why they're passionate about something and what their hobby consists of. You could even involve area schools by doing this in the summer and suggesting teachers have their students chose at least one hobby they have to go and learn about. I believe something like this has the potential to open up “a whole new world” to some people and kids, to expose them to something they could learn to love that they may never have even thought of.

I suppose I will preface this next by saying, I am very much an introvert, I love quiet places. But, saying that, I will say, I think the libraries of today need to get loud and get comfortable. One of the things I loved about my library in Murfreesboro, TN is that the downstairs librarians weren't scared to be loud or have patrons be loud. Upstairs was the reference section where people could go to study and be quiet, but downstairs there was always laughter, visiting, and gossip. If their isn't an upstairs and a downstairs or one section that can be loud and another quiet, maybe even think about having quiet hours and a couple hours set aside during the day for “visit and gossip time.”

I know the “get comfortable” part will be hard for a lot of libraries because space always seems to be an issue, but how hard is it to stick a comfy chair in a few corners or to have a small area that, instead of desks, has a few comfy chairs pushed together? Also, get a few beanbags that can be tossed around the children's area and teen's area. I know funding is an issue, too, well, ask your patrons if they want it and, if they do, ask them to help get it.

Like I said before, offering programs is a great way to keep libraries culturally relevant, but more than that, getting local volunteers involved with these programs is just as important or more so. Have kids volunteer to decorate their areas for each holiday, teens to decorate theirs, and adults to decorate theirs. The more you can get people involved, not only benefiting from but contributing to, the more they will come to view the library as “their” library, the more they will grow to love it and want it to continue.

To wrap things up, recently I've heard from various friends that their stereotype of a librarian is someone who is “mean.” That has not been my personal experience, but maybe it is something to be aware of. Well, until I join your ranks, oh noble librarians, I bid you ado. Keep fighting the good fight and remember that a part of guarding books is to get people to read them and love them.

AmeriCorps: my take on what it is and why you should support it

... regardless of your political leanings.

First I will say, I am somewhat ignorant when it comes to politics, I know enough to know I am not democrat or republican, because both sides support things I do not really support and/or ignore things that I think should not be ignored. I say this as kind a scapegoat, because I do not identify with a particular party, and am a little ignorant when it comes to things political, I am not aware of or do not notice any political issues attached to the thing which is AmeriCorps. From my perspective, because of the wind array of programs and non-profits AmeriCorps is involved in, it transcends party lines. This is not to say certain programs and non-profits which have AmeriCorps volunteers are not political or are not “left” or “right,” some programs are very much those things, but there are “left” programs as well as “right” ones and ones that may identify mostly with republican ideals and those who identify with the ideals of the democrat.

Alright, enough of political mumblings. My “credentials” as someone whom can speak of AmeriCorps, I was a part of the Emergency Response Team at AmeriCorps Saint Louis for an 11 month term starting in September of 2010. In this program I served over 2000 hours of national service doing conservation work, wildfire fighting, and disaster relief. Since then, I have periodically researched many AmeriCorps programs, because I wanted to serve another year, and have almost served a second term twice. I was unable to serve with both because the non-profits had funding issues which caused them no longer be able to have AmeriCorps volunteers.

People oftentimes most simply explain what AmeriCorps is by saying “It's like a domestic Peace Corps,” and sometimes if I know the people asking are not that interested, I will say this, too. But, honestly, I don't know enough about the Peace Corps to really compare the two. I think the most clear, yet simple, explanation is: AmeriCorps is a program which essentially provides modestly paid internships working with non-profits and public agencies, which, in turn, provides those non-profits and agencies with much needed free or partially free labor. I will go into more detail about what AmeriCorps is about in the following paragraphs and, while doing that, tried to convey why I think AmeriCorps is important to all of us.

This is very much as outsiders view, but from what I have learned from public school teachers and researching various teaching techniques, our public schools are less and less providing opportunities for experiential learning; which is one reason I think AmeriCorps is becoming increasingly important, because many of the programs are essentially one long hands-on learning experience consisting of structured training and direct application of learned skills and ideas. Through the program you choose, you can also gain exposure to a wide variety of fields to see if you are interested in pursuing them as a career, they allow you to make connections in those fields, and gain valuable experience, which can then help you break into the workforce in those areas. The program I was a part of granted me exposure to three career paths I thought I may be interested in pursuing, and allowed me to rule them out for various reasons without first having gone to school for a number of years specifically for those paths, only to find I could not or did not want to pursue them.

For those who are opposed to illegal immigrants receiving so many of the same advantages citizens receive, AmeriCorps will appeal to you in that it requires that you are a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or lawful permanent resident to join. At the same time, for those who love the fact that America is a mixing pot of different nationalities, it also fosters diversity and understanding. The program I was with had a few first generation Americans and people with many different cultural heritages and backgrounds.

I know some people feel that the government gives too many “hand-outs” while others feel our government isn't doing enough to help those in need. This is yet another area where both types should feel they can support AmeriCorps, because though it does provide many goods and services through the programs it is associated with, many programs are also very focused on educating those who are largely dependent. Some programs strive to teach healthy eating (so they better use the food benefits they have) and try to develop and encourage community gardens so people can grow some of their own food. Other programs teach literacy, life skills, and many other things. In other words, though some programs are giving hand-outs, they or others are also striving to give the dependent the skills they need to be less dependent, or at least to be more responsible with that they are receiving.

AmeriCorps is also about developing leaders. I earlier compared service with AmeriCorps to an internship, but do not get the idea that they are just gophers doing mundane tasks. Within my program, at the Joplin, MO tornado we had a couple members who were put in charge with developing a missing persons' database, one put in charge of the volunteer reception center that dealt with thousands of volunteers, another who was largely in charge of coordinating the fieldwork of many of those volunteers, and other members deeply involved with key components of disaster relief. When our crew was on a wildfire in MO or IL, we were treated much the same as the other wildfire fighters and had as much responsibility in controlling the blaze as others. I do have to admit, MO and IL fires are not as intense or vast as Western fires, but we were considered a national resource that could respond to those fires as well, if need be.

The leadership structure in my program was particularly designed to develop leaders; we had groups of 5 or 10 which would go out for a week or two at a time to do conservation work and, once us “first-years” were established, different ones of us were given the responsibility of leading these groups. This gave us the unique opportunity to be lead by some of our teammates and then later lead those same teammates, giving us a chance to see different group dynamics, to learn about ourselves and each other. I learned about myself that I do not really like to be the leader, but I do like to be in an advisory role close to the leader, calling their attention to areas or factors they may not have noticed and helping them to work through problems.

From looking at the position descriptions of other programs and talking to various non-profits about those programs, I know many others, besides the program I was a part of, also have a focus on developing leaders.

Finally, AmeriCorps is about making responsible, service minded, citizens who are involved in the welfare of their community, their environment, and their world. Many AmeriCorps alumni go into public service jobs and continue to volunteer in their communities.

I will finish by saying, it is true I was only a part of one AmeriCorps program, so I am taking liberties talking about the good of the others. I know there is probably waste, that some programs do not use their volunteers well, and that some people who volunteer to do AmeriCorps may not be serious about it and so waste resources. But I will also say, during my time of service, I came in contact with quite a few other AmeriCorps programs and, while some individuals were not hardworking, many of them were. Also, since my term of service, I have researched quite a few non-profits and something I repeatedly come across is that some of their staff inevitably were a part of AmeriCorps in the past.

What do I want you to do with this information? I'm not sure. I just want you to have it and, if you ever hear that the program is being done away with, keep in mind that in its 20 years of existence “more than 800,000 AmeriCorps members have contributed more than 1 billion hours in service across America.”* This is service to non-profits, schools, public agencies, community and faith-based groups; this is service to our citizens; this is service to our future.

I will end with the AmeriCorps pledge:

I will get things done for America - to make our people safer, smarter, and healthier.

I will bring Americans together to strengthen our communities.

Faced with apathy, I will take action.

Faced with conflict, I will seek common ground.

Faced with adversity, I will persevere.

I will carry this commitment with me this year and beyond.

I am an AmeriCorps member, and I will get things done.

*Taken from the AmeriCorps website.

How to Correctly Respond to a Disaster

The most important thing is, be flexible and try to be patient. Disasters are, in all senses of the word, chaotic. In disaster relief circles, the first wave of volunteers is sometimes called “the disaster after the disaster” because before they even know where to put all the survivors, before they even have a plan to coordinate all the volunteers, there's thousands of volunteers ready to be put to work. Also, remember the recovery after a disaster can take years and sometimes when the community needs you most is actually a few months or even a year after a disaster, because most other potential volunteers are no longer interested.

Sometimes the best thing to do directly after a disaster is to make contact with an organization already there and figure out their biggest needs (generators, ice, basic first-aid supplies, or sometimes the biggest need is just money). I know it may seem boring or unfulfilling to just raise money, but keep in mind that the church or mosque or whatever probably didn't factor sheltering dozens of survivors or feeding volunteers into their budgets, so money may be the thing they need most. Also, by giving them money, they can then spend it in the local economy, an economy which was very disrupted and lost a lot of money because of the disaster.

Contact and coordinate your efforts with people/organizations already at the scene. It may be that most areas are still locked-down and no one is allowed in, so there's not much volunteers can do. Also, try and figure out if there are age restrictions, if minors need a guardian present or a written consent form from a guardian. Someone who is actually there can also give you the areas where volunteers are needed (doing actual clean-up, donations sorting, data entry, etc) and tell you what type of clothing to wear. Some volunteers who wanted to do clean-up in Joplin came without close-toed shoes and it was too much of a hazard to have them in the field, so they had to volunteer in areas that they didn't really want to. Also in Joplin, we had EMTs, Firefighters, etc. coming to our volunteer center and demanding to be a part of the search and rescue. They are pretty careful who they allow on those teams, so this is something you should try and work out beforehand (for instance, if you're a firefighter, then try to call the local fire department in that area). It is also important to bring your id, certification, license, etc. if you are wanting to volunteer is a specialized capacity.

Make sure to work out beforehand all of your logistics (place to stay, food/water, bedding). As a volunteer you have to keep in mind that, because there was a disaster, most of the local resources are rapidly being exhausted and if you come unprepared and ill-equipped you can actually be more of a burden than a help. I remember a few times when food was supposed to be provided in disaster areas, but tornadoes have a way of making street signs disappear and cause landmarks to not be in their proper place, so meeting points are missed or misunderstood. You will have a better experience as a volunteer if you are thoroughly prepared.

While on the subject of food, if you have a food truck, a huge grill, or another thing of that nature and want to help provide food for volunteers, keep in mind that you will probably have to work things out with the health department. We had many well-meaning individuals who came a long way to Joplin who wished to set up and provide food for survivors and volunteers, only to be shut down by the health department because they weren't where they were supposed to be, didn't ask for permission, etc.

When trying to figure out needs, whether for volunteers or donations, don't solely depend on the media for information, because they often get misinformation (sometimes from well-meaning individuals) and/or do not share the whole story. Or the media makes an announcement for a need and doesn't realize that some company was generous enough to fulfill the whole need, so then there is an excess of that one item. Sometimes the media isn't allowed access to areas where heavily involved individuals are (people who actually know what's going on), so they ask whoever they can talk to, which is sometimes a volunteer who has only been there an hour or survivor who hasn't left the area of the emergency shelter since they got there.

Lastly, and very importantly, try and figure out if the community is keeping track of volunteer hours and equipment used in volunteer efforts. You can normally find this out by contacting someone in city hall, possibly looking on the community's website, or sometimes the media will announce it. If FEMA declares a disaster then the federal government does a cost share (the local government pays a percentage and the federal government pays a percentage) for the disaster recovery. Volunteer hours and equipment used can be given a dollar amount and be counted towards the percentage the local government has to pay. In other words, as well as your volunteering physically helping recover the disaster area, it can help it financially recover as well.

Thank you for your willingness to volunteer and I hope you have a wonderful volunteer experience. Be safe, work hard, maybe have some fun, and create some fulfilling memories. God bless, may he give your hands strength and may he comfort the survivors.