VA Student Sara Mason Rosensteel Gives Ten

My volunteer experiences have been varied over the last year, and that has given me a chance to get a taste of how I truly enjoy spending both my free and professional time time. I’m thrilled to have had the chance to try so many new things. The experiences I’ve gained in tandem with my graduate education and my day job(s) have made me feel well-prepared to face the professional world when I graduate from SLIS in May.

My favorite volunteer experience was in the archives of the Hermitage Foundation Museum and Gardens in Norfolk, Virginia where I spent most Mondays from January to July in 2010. Not only are the house and grounds amazing, but they are filled with a spectacular collection of antiquities, art, a family library and archives that outline the history of the arts community in Norfolk from its very inception. I had the privilege of working in those very archives, uncovering the history of a family, a house and a city. The thrill of the chase – What would I come across next?!? – kept me going, as did the desire to make sure that the archives were organized and properly housed so that they could be accessed and referenced easily by museum staff and patrons performing research. The more I learned about the house, family and art, the more excited and determined I became. There is nothing that matches holding a delicate piece of history in the palm your hand, just as there is nothing quite like coming across that one letter or photo that holds the illusive answer to your reference question. I was sorry to have to give up my volunteer time, but I will be forever grateful for the experience.

- Sara Mason Rosensteel

VA Student Jane Blue Gives Ten

My family and I live in Northern Virginia just outside of Woodbridge.  Since all my boys are now grown and on their own I finally have time to pursue my dreams and one of them is being a small branch librarian or perhaps the librarian in a private school. 

When I first started pursuing my degree program it was highly recommended that I get involved at a local library.  Although I was my church librarian for three years being in the public domain has given me a whole new appreciation for what the volunteers and staff do on a daily basis.  I started at Dale City Neighborhood Library in April of this year and love working with Jerry, Carleen, Linda and Jenny and so many of the wonderful people who work and volunteer there.  Tuesday mornings can be crazy, especially after a holiday weekend and Wednesday afternoons, although a little slower bring fresh faces and High Schoolers who need help that most Mom’s and little ones don’t during the morning hours. 

As a volunteer one of my primary jobs is to check in and check out.  I also shelve as I have time, help patrons with special requests, do a little shelf reading when we aren’t too busy and generally have a great time helping all those who use the wonderful resources available at DCNL.  Since we are a branch of the Chinn Park Regional Library system we get many hold and transfer requests and sometime I get the opportunity to shelve holds or get transfers ready to go.  One of the reasons I chose DCNL rather than one of our larger branches is because as a volunteer at a smaller branch you can learn about most everything the librarians do as opposed to our larger branches where volunteers are only used for specific areas such as check out. Our head librarian, Jenny is willing to teach whatever you want to learn and our branch is small enough I am learning to recognize patrons and their names which give it that true neighborhood feeling!

What a great place to get my feet wet as I begin the adventure that is Library and Information Sciences. 

-Jane Blue

Give Me Ten!

Hello, World! Here we are!

The West Virginia/Virginia (WVVA from this point on) Distance Cohort of the University of South Carolina's School of Library and Information Science is a busy group with an active social life full of family, friends, education, fun and of course VOLUNTEERISM!

This blog is a challenge. While we are all busily working away at completing degrees in various fields of Library and Information Science, we also try to remember that not only our places of business, but libraries, schools, humane societies and all sorts of institutions in our communities need our caring and uncompensated time. The idea is that each of us will give TEN hours of our time each semester to helping those who could use our hands. After you've done your hours (or more!), please e-mail a short blog post about the work you've done and a photo if the institution at which you volunteered gives you permission to do so. Eventually, we'll have a body of work that showcases not only what WVVA students can accomplish, but gives readers a chance to ask for help and suggest service projects. Which means...

You can join us in this venture! If you are a WVVA student, University of South Carolina Faculty or a community member who knows of a great volunteer opportunity in West Virginia or Virginia, please e-mail
WVVAGiveMeTen@gmail.com to help us get the ball rolling.

And now, without further ado, our posts!