Alberta Children's Hospital

FCRC Library Cart Position Description

* Thursday afternoon shift* 

Volunteer will be given an orientation package and be given one-to-one mentorship at the beginning of placement.

Volunteer will be given direction/supervision at the beginning of each visit.

Alberta Children's Hospital volunteers extend and enhance the work of the Hospital's paid personnel in meeting the organization's goals for children and their families through all Alberta Children's Hospital endorsed or sponsored programs and services.

The volunteer is considered to be a part of the hospital's team.  Thus, information acquired through the volunteer's participation is considered strictly confidential.

Each volunteer is seen as a representative of the Alberta Children's Hospital.  Interaction with children, parents, and the public should always be polite and professional.

Centre is to increase access to health related and community resource information by:

• Creating a comfortable, friendly location at Alberta Children’s Hospital where families, service providers and community members can receive information and support on child health and well-being, and
• Building connections, in person or through the use of technology, with other related information services across sectors and regions.

The Mission of the Family and Community Resource .The purpose of the Book Cart/Library program is to provide various resources to patients and families in hospital.

• Personal cleanliness and grooming are essential.
• Maturity and reliability combined with the ability to enter a room with warmth, a smile and sensitivity.
• Physical strength is required in pushing a 40 – 50 lbs book cart around the site, in addition to bending and filling book cart with materials and resources.
• Developed communication skills with a love of reading, books and literacy.
• Ability to be creative and work with minimal supervision.
• Punctuality, good attendance, good interpersonal skills, acceptance of direction and supervision, flexibility, initiative.
• Excellent organizational skills.
• Some computer knowledge, or the willingness to learn, is required.
• Completed or working towards education in Library and Information Technology/ Library Science though not required is an asset

With direction from the FCRC Librarian provide reading materials and invitations to patients and families by taking the book cart from room to room.

• Asses and evaluate age appropriate material/reading level when suggesting books from book cart.
• Facilitate positive hospital experiences by providing opportunities for patients and their families to access reading materials and services.
• Be competent in the knowledge of reading materials offered and of additional support services or programs.
• Prepare, organize, shelve and circulate materials in a fashion that makes it easy to suggest or find materials according to age and/or subject matter.
• Ensure that items on shelf in Consumer Health Collection are organized according to call number.
• Ensure “sign out/check in/overdue” procedure is completed and explained to borrowers with some data entry of that information into the library catalogue.
• Retrieve library materials from the patient and family rooms.
• Encourage patients to view the resources available.
• Interact with patients, ages 0-18, in a gentle, caring and appropriate manner, and/or their families.
• Assist with development of the Traveling Tales Book cart/Library program by providing feedback.
• Follow program policies and procedures.
• Check for overdue items and contact library users to facilitate the return or renewal of overdue items.
• Maintain library user registrations.
• Refill information prescriptions on bookshelves.
• Assist with other programs (e.g. Story time, other FCRC staff) as required.