Volunteer to Build Lubuto Collections in Washington, DC
Lubuto needs volunteers in Washington, DC to select, process and catalog books for the collections that we build on an ongoing basis. Your involvement is critical to our mission, and it is also fun to get together around beautiful children’s books, thinking about how wonderful they will be for the users of Lubuto Libraries. You will meet friends and share Lubuto’s exciting developments.
We meet each Sunday between 3pm and 6pm in the basement of St. Paul's Lutheran Church in NW Washington, approximately one block south of Politics and Prose book store, on the opposite side of Connecticut Avenue:
The entrance to the room where we work on the Lubuto collection is near the corner of 36th and Everett Streets, N.W., on the side of the church facing Connecticut Avenue. We place a sign outside the door to help you find us.
Many people can only come for part of the 3pm-6pm time, which is perfectly fine. There's always plenty to do and we'll be glad to see you there. Lubuto is a great organization, and your contribution as a volunteer will be highly valued. We only ask that you commit to coming on a fairly regular basis once you have learned our cataloging and processing protocols and collection guidelines. We also ask that you come for the first time on the first Sunday of a month, when we will be able to train you in the work that you will do.
We have a Verizon MIFI device that connects up to five laptops/netbooks to the internet when we are at St. Paul's. We use this to access our online catalog, to which we add records during the Sunday volunteer sessions.
If you can bring a WiFi-enabled laptop, please download the software for using the WiFi in advance of coming for the first time. Here is the link for instructions:http://www.vzam.net/download/download.aspx
The wireless number to be entered is 202-579-2068, and the password is 09113446609. (The device is Verizon MIFI2200 B899.)
If you aren't able to complete the download, we'll try it with the device when you arrive at St. Paul's. It takes a while to complete, and no other laptop can connect to the internet during the process, so that's why we request that you download the software in advance.
If you would rather not work on a computer doing classifying and cataloging during the session, there are other tasks to complete. Also, we have two netbooks that can be used by volunteers who do not have a WiFi-enabled laptop to bring.
Please contact us at webmail@lubuto.org if you would like to join us. Thanks for your help in moving Lubuto forward.
The church is set back off of Connecticut Avenue. Please use the side entrance on Everett Street, to the right of the church if you are standing in front of it. You'll see the Lubuto banner on the door.
Google Map of St. Paul's Church
Work with Lubuto Libraries in Zambia through VSO
The relationship between Lubuto Library Project (LLP) and the community-based organizations that host Lubuto Libraries is guided by a Memorandum of Understanding. The libraries are owned and run by the host organization, but after constructing and stocking it, LLP maintains an ongoing relationship with and obligation to the library to train staff, establish standards, procedures and programs, along with major maintenance of the buildings. To meet the ongoing training requirements for Lubuto Library staff and the organizations and communities that host them, our plan includes long-term in-service training by volunteers working in the libraries.
We are currently recruiting a library trainer on a VSO volunteer assignment to work with the first Lubuto Library, located at and hosted by the Fountain of Hope (FoH) drop-in centre for street children in Kamwala, Lusaka. LLP’s Regional Program Director in Zambia will be the volunteer’s local contact from our organization, which will, to the extent possible, provide logistical support such as internet access, and will liaise regularly with the volunteer and guide the work to be carried out.
The position is open to U.S. citizens as well as those of any other country. If you are interested, please contact Maurice Shakwamba, Programme Manager HIV & AIDS, VSO Zambia at maurice.shakwamba@vsoint.org Another posting working with the second Lubuto Library at the Ngwerere School will be coming soon.
Position title: Training Librarian
Duties and responsibilities of the volunteer:
Responsibilities: Volunteer will work with LLP to improve the efficacy of the library, its systems and services and strengthen outreach and the library’s prominence in the community. The primary focus of this work is to train local library staff to effectively carry on all of these activities in the future. Key areas of work include, but are not limited to:
- Developing and implementing children’s and young adult library programming along with LLP’s Regional Program Director and LLP partners.
- Training library staff in Lubuto’s unique library services, organization scheme and management, including developing effective measures of impact and means of collecting and communicating them.
- Working with FoH management, to the extent possible, to develop staffing policies and procedures that will optimize access, use and services of the library, contributing those policies and procedures to a library operational manual and working with library staff to institutionalize procedures.
- Comparing the collection with Lubuto’s online catalog, inventorying current holdings and providing original cataloging as needed. Training library staff to assist in collection management.
- Advising the Lubuto organization on collection development issues and soliciting donations of relevant materials from organizations based in Zambia.
- Teaching library staff, teachers and volunteers how to read aloud to children in ways that promote literacy acquisition. Training teachers and outreach staff of FoH how to best utilize the Lubuto Library in their work with street children and working with outreach staff and LLP partners to encourage street children and youth and other OVC to come to the library, with a particular goal of achieving gender equity in library use and programme participation.
- Time and opportunities permitting, and with logistical support of local Lubuto volunteers: participating in the newly-established Zambian Board on Books for Young People by helping to identify Zambian stories that are out of print that are appropriate to be published as bi-lingual children’s books, and helping increase the understanding of quality literature for children in Zambia (including among ZBBY members).
Professional skills/competencies:
This position requires a volunteer with direct, impact-oriented library or education experience with children or youth, ideally including working with disadvantaged children and teens. The volunteer must understand the sensitivity required in communicating with young people who have experienced severe trauma and deprivation, and previous work experience with children affected by AIDS is desirable. Volunteer must possess a strong desire to promote literacy, reading and self-expression in new and innovative ways. Familiarity with children’s books is a must, and experience in storytelling and read-aloud is important. Computer literacy and ability to master the One Laptop Per Child XO laptop is also needed. It is important that the volunteer recognize the innovative nature of this work and be adaptable to developing targeted systems, programs and services that improve the lives of the vulnerable youth we serve.
Personal Qualities
Maturity and ability to work with disadvantaged children and teenagers. Volunteer must be hard working, service oriented, flexible, and open to diverse experiences.
