Volunteers

Volunteers are important to providing the South Dakota Braille & Talking Book Library (B&TB) service. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact us at 1-800-423-6665 or e-mail us at talkbkreq@state.sd.us

Volunteer Opportunities

Welcome to what will be a challenging and gratifying experience in volunteering at the South Dakota B&TB. We need your skills, talents, and time to provide our patrons with library service. We hope you will be interested in serving as a volunteer. Your willingness to donate your time and talents in serving the needs of the blind and physically disabled will be appreciated. The following information provides you with a brief introduction to the Library and the services it provides.

Volunteers provide many services in support of the library. These donated hours provide the Library with the capability to provide many more services for the blind and physically handicapped than would otherwise be possible.

The volunteer program includes Book Inspectors who inspect all outgoing books for missing or faulty cassettes; Narrators who read books; Machine Repair volunteers who inspect and repair cassette players, record players and special radio receivers; Machine Cleaners who wash and clean the returned equipment; and Radio Reading Service volunteers who read selected articles from the local newspapers and magazines.

The emphasis in the volunteer program is not only on the services provided but also on volunteer training, interaction, involvement and satisfaction. On behalf of our patrons, we appreciate all the preparation and dedication volunteers will bring to this work, and the donation of the most important gift of all - THEMSELVES!!

GENERAL INFORMATION

The South Dakota B&TB is open weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. You need to be available to volunteer during those hours.

Volunteers who are interested in becoming narrators are required to do a taped audition, which is evaluated by a panel from the Library. Some characteristics of a good narrator are clear enunciation, proper pitch and tonal qualities, and being able to read with enthusiasm and interest. Acceptance as a narrator is dependent upon the evaluation.

A recognition event to honor volunteers is held annually. This is an opportunity for the volunteers to meet one another as well as to recognize the outstanding work accomplished by the volunteers. It is sponsored by the South Dakota B&TB.