Without volunteers, there would be no Friends of Washoe County Library (“Friends”). Through our book sales, memberships, and other fundraisers, our all-volunteer, non-profit organization raises the money that helps fund library programs, the Explorer library community event magazine, staff development, and much more!

Friends volunteers are a highly diverse group. What they share is a love of books and an appreciation of public libraries. Friends volunteers tend to keep volunteering for decades. In fact, many of our volunteers have been serving for more than 15 years—and some for over 20! Our volunteers keep volunteering as they know that their work is important as it helps our libraries grow, supports the employment of library staff throughout Washoe County, and because they enjoy the camaraderie of their fellow volunteers — and readers, of course!

Whether your interests are in book sales or marketing, office assistance, or supporting our Pet Friends; there are lots of opportunities for you to get involved with the Friends. Read below for more information on our Friends Volunteer Subcommittees. Hours and locations vary for each of these volunteer experiences. Please indicate your interests on your volunteer form and be sure to include your availability so that we can find the best way for you to get involved.

Book Sale Preparation

Friends has five book sales annually. In between each sale, volunteers sort, clean, price, and arrange books for the next book sale. These preparations take place Mondays from 12-2 and Tuesdays-Fridays from 10-12 at the Friends book sale location next to the Sierra View Library (in the Reno Town Mall at the corner of S. Virginia and Peckham). All new book sale preparation volunteers also attend a 2-hour training held by the Booksale Volunteer Coordinators.

Book Sale Staffing

Volunteers are also needed to help with customer service and arranging books during our five annual book sales. Our sales run for nine days each from Saturday through the following Sunday from 10 am-4 pm each day. There is also a Member Night the Friday before each sale from 3 pm-6 pm. Book sale shifts are 3 hours each. New Book Sale volunteers are required to attend the training held by the Booksale Volunteer Coordinators.

Membership

As our Friends members continue to grow we need help keeping them organized. Volunteers on this committee assist with the maintenance of our membership lists, follow up with membership renewals, coordinate membership drives, and more.

Communication

We love to keep in touch with our Friends members! Volunteers on this committee participate with things like contributing to our Friends monthly newsletter, responding to member emails, and coordinating direct mail book sale postcard reminders.

Advertising/Marketing

We are always in need of graphic designers, those who love social media, and people who want to work with local media to help get the word out about all the Friends do to support our local libraries. If you have these skills, please let us know. We would be happy to get you involved in a variety of our current or upcoming projects.

Outreach/Special Events

The Friends are always seeking to share what we do with others in the community to help promote our libraries. As such, we participate in a variety of Outreach events including everything from Senior month to Summer Reading Program parties. These volunteers enjoy staffing our Friends tables at events and helping us to create and fulfill outreach opportunities like our new baby library card program with local hospitals, book donations to local elementary schools, the Boys and Girls Club, and more!

Volunteer Coordination

We love to celebrate our volunteers! This subcommittee helps create volunteer recognition and events, supports Friends volunteer recruitment efforts, supports the maintenance and management of volunteer hours, and more!

Pet Friends

Many of our Friends have adorable pets and want them to get involved with their love of reading, and we agree! Our Pet Friends are a vital part of our Washoe County community. These volunteers support our Pet Friends by planning events, doing recruitment, and connecting with one another to help more of our Pets (and their humans) find ways to enjoy pet-focused library events!

Please complete the online form below and one of our Friends members will contact you to learn more about your interests and how we can help you find the best volunteer experience to suit your needs! Because of possible conflicts of interest, book dealers are not accepted as volunteers. Unfortunately, the structure of our organization requires volunteers to go through formal training, so we are unable to offer community service hours on an ad hoc basis.

Thank you for your time and we look forward to volunteering with you!