Friends of the Prescott Public Library Honor Volunteers at Appreciation Luncheon
The Friends of the Prescott Public Library held a Volunteers Appreciation Luncheon at the Hassayampa Inn on Wednesday, December 2, 2015. This annual event is held to thank all of the Library's 155 volunteers who assist with check-in of books, provide program support, shelve collection materials, and manage book sales.
Volunteers with five years of service or more received certificates of appreciation. The longest-serving volunteers at the library have donated their time for 34 years. Each year library employees choose a Volunteer of the Year who exemplifies the spirit of volunteerism. This year's recipient was Sue Crabtree, honored for her years of work with the Teen Advisory Group (TAG).
"In the last five years, Sue has become a second mom to all the TAG members past and present," said Teen Librarian Jennifer Kendall, who nominated Sue and presented her the award. "Her smiles, her wit, her sunshine, her optimism, and her wisdom have kept us all afloat. From setting up haunted houses, to teaching teens how to make homemade scarves, to making frosting for 180 graham cracker houses, Sue is reliable, steadfast, and full of devotion."
"In the past fiscal year, more than 447,000 patrons visited the library, and more than 700,000 items were circulated," said Library Director Roger Saft. "Our library volunteers dedicated 14,864 hours assisting with tasks that range from mending books to assisting patrons with comuter or genealogy questions. If you equate that to a Library Assistant I salary, that would be over $148,000 of free services that our library volunteers provide to the Prescott community every year."
"With the combined effort of City employees and volunteers," Saft added, "the library can effectively operate as an important community asset and provide the quality services and programs patrons request."
The Friends of the Prescott Public Library is a non-profit organization dedicated to support library programs and activities that provide learning opportunities for the community. Individuals interested in volunteering and becoming part of the Prescott Public Library team should call Nicole at 928-777-1504.