Library Magicians
Library magicians are the volunteers that power the Locke school library, which is entirely run by the PTA. (For years the school didn't have a library!)
Being a library magician means you help foster our students' love of reading, which we've seen firsthand is truly priceless. There's no prior experience required, all we ask is that you volunteer for a regular time slot each week or month so classes can plan to attend during that time.
What Library magicians do
- Help students check out and return books. We already have a system in place that will be easy to step into and follow. Checking out books to students and processing books returned in person or via Bob the Book Monster is the primary responsibility.
- Follow up on delayed returns. Late returns happen and are part of the experience of helping our students learn about personal responsibility. We follow up on late returns with emails to parents and backpacked notes to students to help them remember to look for the books and return them.
- Partner with class teachers to organize library trips. Teachers will generally have a set schedule, but things change and sometimes they'll need to move their visit around. Being flexible to support classes means more opportunities for students to build their love of reading.
- Get to know our students. Introduce yourself to students as they come in, and help them feel welcomed into the library. The library is a special place, and we want all students and teachers to be excited to spend time building their love of reading.
- Help recruit additional volunteers. Because our library is totally PTA-run, if we don't have the volunteers to run it, then it closes. We want the library to be an integral part of the Locke experience, so the more we can strengthen our roster of volunteers, the better off our students will be.
Being a library magician is incredibly rewarding and the timing can be flexible for your schedule. We would love the opportunity to give you a tour and tell you more about it, just email ps185lockelibrary@gmail.com.
WhatsApp group
There is a Whatsapp group for library magicians to help us coordinate our work. To join it, you'll first need to join the overall PTA What'sApp channel, The Locke School PTA.
From there, you will see the option to join multiple groups, including the Library Magicians. (Hint: Look for the picture of Bob the book monster!)
Please review our PTA WhatsApp guidelines when you join, so you'll know how you can help keep all communications positive, courteous, and respectful. (Some conversations are best held a different forum than a group chat.)
How to sign up
- Fill out the Volunteer Interest Form. It takes a couple of minutes and asks whether you're interested in being a Library Magician, what else you might want to help with, and what skills you'd bring. You can also scan the QR codes around the school or stop by our volunteer table at Locke on the Block.
- Come to the first PTA meeting of the year. We'll walk through all the volunteer opportunities, answer questions, and get you connected. This is a great time to meet other Library Magicians and parents who power our PTA.
- Join the WhatsApp group. Join the Library Magicians WhatsApp group, connect with us, and introduce yourself to the group. We'll work with you to find a regular time slot that works for your schedule.
Fill out the Volunteer Interest Form
Deadline: Friday, September 25th
Please sign up by Friday, September 25th. We want to have the bulk of our Library Magicians in place before October, so we can set schedules that work for the volunteers before the year gets busy, and so we can start the students on a regular library schedule as soon as possible.
Returning library magicians: We truly hope you're staying on for another year, and we're glad to have you! If you'd rather step back this year, just let us know by the September 25th deadline — no hard feelings.
Questions? Email us at ps185lockelibrary@gmail.com.
