Friends, trustees & volunteers
Friends, Trustees and Volunteers are the powerhouses behind libraries. These groups frequently advocate on behalf of libraries and spend hours raising funds and volunteering their time to help make their local library a success. Find great resources on organizing a Friends group, offering training to trustees, recruiting volunteers, and best practices for working with these groups.
Self-paced courses and webinar recordings on this topic are freely available in the WebJunction Course Catalog.
Photo: Sno-Isle Libraries, CC BY-NC 2.0
Most Recently Added
Friends of the Library: Tools and resources
Publish Date: News / 6 January 2025
A Friends of the Library group can provide great assistance to libraries—often in the form of fundraising, advocacy, or reaching underserved groups. These resources can help you as you think about starting a Friends group, revitalizing one, or boosti...
Resources for trustees and boards
Publish Date: News / 19 November 2024
Serving on a library board is a terrific way to contribute to the library and the community. The role also comes with significant responsibilities, and many board members, also called trustees, will benefit from training. This compilation of resource...
Navigating the library director hiring process: A guide for trustees and boards
Publish Date: Webinar / 16 April 2024
This presentation offers crucial steps for hiring a library director, empowering your board to secure visionary leadership and avoid pitfalls.
New Directions for Library Volunteers
Publish Date: Document / 21 March 2024
Resources and approaches for engaging volunteers in your library.
Libraries Foster Social Connection: Responding to the Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation
Publish Date: Webinar / 4 January 2024
Explore ways to intentionally design for social connection in library services and programs.
Proactive Planning for Library Staff Transitions
Publish Date: Webinar / 19 April 2023
This webinar introduces practical approaches to preserve organizational knowledge, clarify processes for current staff and trustees, and ease the learning curve for new employees.
Resources on Book Challenges and Intellectual Freedom
Publish Date: News / 24 May 2022
Across the United States, there are increased reports of book challenges from community members, which have led to very public and heated discussions. As public library leaders and staff consider how to prepare for similar local challenges, being pro...
Book Challenges and Intellectual Freedom: Proactive Planning for Public Libraries
Publish Date: Webinar / 24 May 2022
This webinar explores ways for libraries to be proactive in developing and sharing policies and procedures around book challenges.
OurStoryBridge: Creating Community Through Stories
Publish Date: Webinar / 17 August 2021
The OurStoryBridge project has released a free toolkit of resources for libraries to create online, three-to five- minute oral histories.
Proactive Advocacy and Communication for Library Trustees and Staff
Publish Date: Webinar / 13 January 2021
This webinar explores communication tools and strategies for boards and library staff to be better prepared for unknown changes.
