Library Volunteers

“You make a living by what you get, but you make a life by what you give.” Winston Churchill captured the essence of volunteering in this statement over 70 years ago.  Watertown Free Public Library volunteers underscore the truth of this statement every day.

In Fiscal 2011 volunteers in libraries across the Commonwealth enriched library services with 12,500 donated hours per week, reports the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. Watertown Free Public Library volunteers give over 200 hours of their time each week.

At their annual May Volunteer Recognition Night the Library Board of Trustees honored and thanked the 132 volunteers who donated hundreds of hours to the library in the past fiscal year. These volunteers provide literacy tutoring, deliver books to individuals at home, shelve items, work on local history projects, process materials and staff the library bookstore.

There are a number of volunteers who have served 7 to 10 years or more. They include Alicia Guiterrez who has worked over 10 years in local history; Pat Johnson in Project Literacy and Pat Ahern with the Building Fund and book sales. Other long time volunteers are Jerrine Milke in local history, Trudie Nemeth who selects books for homebound patrons and WCI volunteers who deliver them. 

This year there were also five Watertown High Schools students who completed 10-15 hours of community service for graduation requirements.

To all our volunteers....A BIG THANK YOU!