Sophomore Olivia Campbell has been going to Hosmer Library in Hennepin County for her entire life due to its proximity to her house. And now she spends an hour every weekend volunteering at her deemed second home.
Campbell read extremely fast at a young age, going through stacks of books every week. When she was eight, she obtained her first library card. She made many good memories at the library. “I loved walking into the library. My mom and I once bought tote bags, and we drew on them. We would bring them every week and get new books,” Campbell said.
This year, Campbell saw that the library was taking volunteers, and due to her time-served background in volunteering, she signed up for a meeting to get a volunteer job. She now takes one-hour shifts every weekend, checking to see if books have been returned. She moves books that need updating or attention to a back room and maintains circulation. “”
Campbell believes that giving back to the community which provided so much for her is necessary. “The library was really giving to me, and it’s really great to feel like I’m giving back to [the community],” she said.
Since sophomores were required to complete mandatory service hours, Campbell has expressed support. “I think that it’s a great opportunity for people who have never had a volunteering opportunity before to get out and make connections,” she said. For her, volunteering is not new, and at her library job and through her continuous work, her job presented a more profound way to interact with the books she grew up reading.
