Volunteer Policy

(Adopted by the Library Board on December 18, 2006; revised October 12, 2009; May 21, 2012; March 18, 2019)

The St. Louis County Library offers the opportunity for members of the community to volunteer service to the Library and become knowledgeable about the Library’s services and needs.  Library volunteers assist the Library staff in their efforts to provide comprehensive services to the community.

A volunteer is anyone who chooses to perform services for the Library without wages, benefits, or compensation (including travel expenses) of any kind, or expectation thereof, and who performs volunteer services at the direction of the Library staff.  A volunteer is not an employee of the Library.  

The Library may use volunteers to assist with routine duties such as assisting at the Summer Reading Club Table, shelving DVDs and other library materials, straightening shelves, displaying books, assisting staff with preparations for programs, dusting shelves, and performing other clerical tasks.  Volunteers will not receive training in the Library’s circulation system nor will they be allowed access to the patron database.

Individuals interested in volunteering at the St. Louis County Library must fill out an application online at the Library’s website at www.slcl.org. Volunteers will be accepted based on their qualifications in relation to the Library’s needs at any given time, and the Library reserves the right not to accept volunteers at its sole discretion. Certain volunteer positions may require a minimum number of hours.

The Library also provides an opportunity for individuals to volunteer to meet a community service work requirement set by an outside agency.  All requests to receive credit toward a community service work requirement   will be considered on a case by case basis, subject to this policy.

The Library does not guarantee the placement of any person seeking to volunteer with the Library.  Volunteers are subject to the same rules of conduct and ethics as Library staff, including but not limited to its policies forbidding harassment, discrimination or workplace violence or threats of violence. Volunteers shall not use their positions for unauthorized personal gain. Individuals volunteering for the Library under the auspices of any other unit or organization (i.e. scouts, churches, community organizations, etc.) may identify themselves with the unit or organization, but may not promote it (other than wearing the uniform of the unit as applicable) while performing volunteer services in the Library.

Volunteers must wear a volunteer badge provided by the Library. Volunteers will not be allowed access to non-public areas of Library facilities when not volunteering. 

A volunteer must be 12 years of age to volunteer service to the Library.  Those under the age of 18 must have written permission from a parent or guardian to perform volunteer services, and such volunteer services shall comply with applicable law.  Volunteers age 18 and older must agree to a criminal background check prior to beginning service.  A criminal background investigation shall be completed on all adult volunteers and updated at reasonable intervals in the sole discretion of the Library. Nothing in this policy or in the volunteer’s service to the Library shall create a contract or employment relationship between the volunteer and the Library.  The volunteer relationship can be terminated at any time, for any reason, by either the Library or the volunteer.  St. Louis County Library does not provide health, worker’s compensation, or any other benefits for volunteers. Volunteers do not accrue, earn, or become entitled by reason of performing volunteer service for the Library to any benefits afforded by the Library to its staff or to any future Library volunteer assignment or employment.