TEEN VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS
What's Teen Advisory Board?
Our Teen Advisory Board (TAB) features a group of awesome teen volunteers who are interested in the inner workings of the library.
At TAB, members share their ideas for new programs/services,
help the Teen Department plan special events, and overall work
to make our library a better place for teens.
TAB meets on the first Wednesday of each month from 3:00pm - 4:30pm in the Community Room. Students in grades 6-12 are welcome to participate! Attendees can earn up to 2.5 community service hours for attending each meeting (1.5 hours for the meeting and 1 extra hour for completing a take-home activity).
Congrats to our 23-24 TAB Officers!
President: Laird M.
Vice President: Uni K.
Secretary: Yusra A.
Treasurer: Maddox F.
Homeschool Rep: Desi C.
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Interested in an officer position? 2024-2025 applications will open
in August 2024.
How do I sign up for a TAB meeting?
Register for each TAB meeting through the library's event calendar. Registration is encouraged, but feel free to bring a friend!
What's Teen Team?
NHML's Teen Team provides sophomores, juniors, and seniors the opportunity to contribute to library-wide projects, facilitate teen programs, and gain leadership experience, in exchange for community service hours.
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Teen Team volunteers will work on a library-related project of interest, or create a unique library program, in addition to helping our Teen Department with general library work. Our goal is to give teens meaningful, resume-building experiences that will benefit them now and in the future.
How much of a time commitment is joining the Teen Team?
Accepted teens are required to attend a brief training session and must commit to one semester-long volunteer period with 1-1.5 hour shifts per week, in-person, at the library. The library's volunteer semesters run from September
to December (fall) and January to April (spring). Teen Team does not run from May through August.
How do I apply for the Teen Team?
Applications are now open for the spring 2024 semester! Please click the link below to access the application.
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What's Teen Tech?
Teen Tech is a summers-only program that runs in conjunction with the North Haven Senior Center.
Students entering grades 9th-12th can sign up to help not-so tech-savvy seniors with their personal devices,
social media accounts, library apps (including Libby and Hoopla), and other tech-related topics.
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Interested teens are required to attend a quick training session at the library before providing tech help at the Senior Center. Summer 2024 training sessions and tech help dates will be available starting May 28th, 2024.
How do I sign up?
Register for a training session through the library's event calendar. If you already attended a training session (and are feeling confident/ready to help), reach out to Emily at etomlin@northhavenlibrary.net to sign up for tech help.
Can I volunteer from home?
Yes! Our virtual volunteer activities provide passive opportunities for 6th-12th grade teens to help the library and earn volunteer hours during the school year. You do not need to be in the library to participate in this program, however, you're absolutely welcome to use library spaces if you choose to do so.
How does this work?
There are 6 virtual volunteer activities you can choose from. With each activity you complete, you will earn 1 hour of community service. You can complete up to 4 different activities per month for a total of 4 hours. This equivalent to volunteering one hour per week in-person at the library!
How do I sign up?
If you haven't earned community service hours with us before, email Emily, our Teen Librarian, at etomlin@northhavenlibrary.net to introduce yourself! You don't need to wait for a response to start completing the activities. We'd just like to have your name and email on file so we can give you the correct service hours.​
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If you have already volunteered at the library and you're sure we have your info, feel free to start submitting virtual volunteer activities via the appropriate links below.
VIRTUAL VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES
Submit a Media Review
Read any fantastic books lately? Watch any super cool shows based on graphic novels? *cough Heartstopper cough*
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If so, we'd love to hear your thoughts!
Fill out this form to submit a media review.
You can review any book, graphic novel, or magazine, plus any tv show/movie that's based on a book. Totally up to you.
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Need a suggestion? Don't hesitate to reach out to our staff. We'd be happy to help you find something to review.
Suggest an Item for our "Library of Things"
Our librarians are working hard to create a "Library of Things!" This means we're adding items other than books and DVDs to our collection.
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Would you want to check out video games from the library? What about sports equipment? Musical instruments? Film-making gear?
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The sky is the limit. Fill out this form to suggest an item you think we should consider adding to our shelves.
Propose a New Program/Event for Teens
Do you have an awesome idea for a library program? Did you attend
a cool event somewhere else that
you think we should host here?
If so, we'd love to know.
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Our Teen Department is always looking for new program or event ideas to offer to our teens.
Fill out this form with as much detail as you can about your program idea. Don't be afraid to get creative!
Review a Library Resource
Did you know that our library has a ton of online resources you can access with just your library card? It's true!
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All of our resources are linked on our website and are free with your library card. Find one of interest, explore it, then use the following form to submit a review.
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Teen Volunteering FAQs
Who can participate in the library's teen volunteer programs?
To participate in our teen volunteer programs, you need to be either a resident of North Haven OR a student at a North Haven Public School. If you meet this criteria, be sure to check each program's grade requirements to see which of our programs you can participate in.
Can I participate in more than one volunteer program?
Absolutely! There is no limit to the number of volunteer programs you can participate in, but remember to check each program's grade requirements to see if you are eligible.
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I need to earn community service hours for school, can I do that at the library?
Of course! If you are a North Haven Public School student or resident of North Haven, you can absolutely volunteer at the library and put those hours toward your school's service requirements.
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Can I volunteer at the library over the summer?
Yes! We'd love teens to volunteer with us over the summer. Check back around May for an updated list of our summer volunteer opportunities and info about how to sign up.
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What is a volunteer semester?
A volunteer semester is what the library calls its volunteer periods. Breaking the year down into semesters helps us keep track of community service hours and which programs we offer. It also helps when scheduling our Teen Team and Teen Tech volunteers.
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The library's volunteer semesters run from September to December (fall), January to April (spring), and May to August (summer).
Did you know?
Established volunteers can request letters of recommendation from our Teen Librarian.
These letters can be attached to college applications and resumes.
Why volunteer at the library?
Exciting change is happening for teens at the North Haven Memorial Library and we'd love for you to be part of it!
As a volunteer, you'll have the opportunity to contribute to our growing Teen Department, our library, and our entire community, all while earning the volunteer hours you may need for school or a different organization.
Questions about volunteering?
For questions regarding our volunteer programs, or to request more information, please contact Emily Tomlin, our Teen Librarian, at etomlin@northhavenlibrary.net,
or call the library at 203.239.5803.