You might be surprised by the number of volunteers who help our library. There are many tasks associated with keeping a library this size clean, orderly and functioning well. Normally our volunteers are 12 years old and up (and up and up and up!).
Recently, I came to work at 9 a.m. and found 6 little boys working with Larry, one of our facilities guys. They were Tiger Scouts, all 7 years old, and were at the library to volunteer along with their Cub Scout leaders.
First they came to the 3rd floor and were learning how to wipe down the stair steps and the hand rails. I heard one of them say, “Look at how much dirt I got!” to which another one replied, “I got more.”
They are 7!
A little healthy competition helped them do a good job as they tried to get more dirt on their wipes. They also cleaned all 3 flights of the stairway that the staff uses. After, they started wiping down the metal strips by the elevators. I think they would have just kept cleaning if the library wasn’t about to open.
The leaders told them they needed to be quiet in the library and they were. Well, as quiet as a group of 7-year-old boys can be. These little Tiger Scouts were in our library cleaning, they were smiling, they were happy, and they were having a great time. It made my day to see them trying so hard, listening to Larry explain how to do it and watching them work. I never heard a single complaint and not one, “Are we done yet?”
This isn’t the normal age for our volunteers, but rarely do I see a group so happy to be making the library better. They came in early on a Saturday, worked hard and earned their badge – and enjoyed doing it.
My thanks to 6 boys and their leaders who made me smile and made our library look better.
Retired Reference Librarian, Sharon Mikesell