Volunteer Spotlight

Mandarin Library Volunteer Enjoys Connecting Patrons with Books

A photo of a smiling volunteer at Jacksonville Public Library.

Lisa has been volunteering at Mandarin Library for nearly 5 years. In that time, she has contributed over 740 hours, helping with shelving items, locating books for customers, and the radio frequency identification (RFID) tagging project. She enjoyed the RFID project so much, she happily traveled to Main Library to tag books in our non-fiction department when Mandarin completed its collection. Lisa has also been active with the Friends of the Mandarin Library, assisting with their book sales and events.

Teen Volunteer Finds Joy in Making the Argyle Library a Fun Place for Kids

A hand holding 2 books: Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Diary of a Wimpy Kid Hot Mess.

Rashamar started volunteering at Argyle Library in February 2026 and steadily comes in every Monday and Tuesday. He has contributed 70 hours to date. Like many of the teen volunteers, Rashamar spends most of his time shelving materials, straightening the shelves, and helping to prep one of the Children’s Department upcoming craft projects, which usually involves finding a nice quiet out of the way spot and cutting out lots of shapes and other things.

Southeast Library Teen Volunteer Gives Back to the Community That Shaped Her

Photo of smiling teen volunteer at the library.

Jessica is a teen volunteer at Southeast Regional Library. She has been volunteering since the summer of 2024 and has contributed over 50 hours. She has helped out with a variety of tasks including packing donations of books and other items to send to the Friends bookstore, shelving, and pulling items to fulfill customer holds. She has also been an active participant on the Teen Advisory Board and assisted with crafts during our summer kick-off and Halloween parties. In addition, Jessica ensures the materials are in the correct place on the shelves and was one of the many volunteers who helped with adding radio frequency identification tags to the branch's collection.

Beaches Library Volunteer is a Child at Heart

Photo of smiling volunteer at the library.

Wendy became a member of the Friends of the Beaches Branch Library (FOBBL) in 1999 and a library volunteer in 2007. She began as a sorter of our book sale donations, but soon donned many hats. Wendy co-runs three annual FOBBL book sales, keeps the FOBBL honor cart filled, assists at two book clubs, and participates in our programs and special events, such as Comic Fest. She also decorates the library and herself with themed materials, whether it be for a holiday or a youth program. Staff can always count on her weekly snacks and surprise treats for various events as well. Wendy’s tireless efforts are rewarded by the smiles and thanks she receives from staff and patrons.

Bradham & Brooks Library Volunteer Says the Branch Helps People Blossom

Photo of smiling library volunteer.

Kim H is one of Bradham & Brooks Library's newest volunteers, and she is already making a big impact. Since October, she has assisted with a variety of activities, including prepping the crafts for children and adults, engaging with and helping customers with the crafts, decorating the branch for the seasons, and making the buttons that are given out at the Reader's Advisory training. Kim also has taken a special interest in the teen hygiene cart and donated several travel size items, which made a big difference!

Former Employee Continues Helping Customers as a Pablo Creek Library Volunteer

Photo of volunteer Kim

Kim is one of the secret weapons here at Pablo Creek Library. Not only has she been a dedicated volunteer since September 2023 with nearly 100 hours, before deciding to become a volunteer, she actually worked at the branch before retiring. Because of that wealth of knowledge, she is well versed in all things library, mostly helping out the clerical staff with countless projects such as shelving, shelf reading to make sure everything is where it is supposed to be, and boxing up the endless amounts of donations that arrive daily. She removes worn out and outdated items from the collection and sends them off to the Friends of the Library bookstore. She also assisted with the radio frequency identification (RFID) project last year and has helped overhaul how the CD’s and DVD’s are organized. Whenever Kim is here, she brings infectious joy to the staff and goes above and beyond to make sure the branch runs smoothly.

Not All Heroes Wear Capes at Main Library

Photo of volunteer Mary

Mary is one of the unsung heroes at Main Library. Since October 2023, she has quietly contributed over 500 hours behind the scenes in Learning Services, helping both the youth and adult programming teams. She has done it all: prepping crafts, organizing supplies, taking inventory, entering surveys, and much more. In addition, she is a critical member of the Jax Stacks team, distributing prizes and compiling data for the year-end report.

Volunteer Finds Community at Brentwood Library

Photo of volunteer Diana

Diana started volunteering at the Library in late March 2024 and has contributed nearly 110 hours. She volunteers regularly at the Brentwood Library, assisting with the displays, shelving, and shelf reading. In addition, she is an integral member of the adult programming team, helping with multiple Lit Chats, Writer's Labs, and Author Talks at multiple branches. If that wasn’t enough, she enthusiastically volunteers at Library special events, such as Jax Book Fest and Preschool Palooza, and at community events with the Bookmobile. Her infectious smile and personality brighten everyone's days. In her spare time, Diana is a member of the US Navy, stationed at Naval Station Mayport.

Pages

Get a Library Card

Jacksonville Public Library card

Read Jax logo