Volunteering can be a really valuable step to take in order to land your first job in the information industry (and it’s great for so many other reasons too). The following post outlines reasons to volunteer, and then it details a list of potential places to volunteer. The list is by no means comprehensive, however it does provide the details of quite a number of places, and some useful links to help you find a volunteer position that’s right for you!

Why should you volunteer?:

1. Experience: This is first, because it’s the most obvious, and probably the most important. While hunting for that first job it’s easy to get caught in the vicious loop of needing experience to get a job, but not having a job to get that experience. Volunteering is a fantastic way out of that cycle. When you volunteer you get experience…so volunteer already! “BUT WHERE?!” you ask , there are lots of opportunities if you know where to look (I’ll address this later)
2. Networking: Volunteering can be an opportunity to network. Networking is important. It’s important for support within the industry, and it’s also important to start building connections within the industry. Networks can be valuable for personal and professional growth.
3. Taste-test: You might know that the information profession is for you, but you might not know what area you’re most suited to. Volunteering can actually give you the opportunity “try before you buy”…you can suss out different types of work without having to commit to them full time. Even if you end up volunteering somewhere you’d rather not work, you’ll probably end up gaining some valuable experience and transferable skills.
4. References: Volunteering can be a great place to gain a fabulous reference for your resume. If you’re an excellent volunteer, you might just find yourself an excellent referee.
5. Have fun: If you volunteer in an area you’re passionate about, chances are you’ll probably end up having a pretty good time of it!
6. Give back: Volunteering is a great way to contribute to the community, get on it!
7. It’s good for you: There are all sorts of studies out there that actually show that volunteering can be beneficial to your health…so what is you waiting for?!

Where should you volunteer?: (please note this is focused on Victoria)

1. 100 Story Building – About: 100 Story Building is a centre for young writers, if you’re particularly interested in Children’s and Youth services you might consider volunteering here. There’s potential to do a wide range of things: running workshops, tutoring kids, editing and general admin.
2. The Australian Centre for Contemporary Art – About: Volunteering with ACCA could be a really great place to gain a range of experience. If you volunteer here you might end up helping with displays and exhibitions, contributing research projects, assisting at events and helping with general admin.
3. The Australian Lesbian and Gay Archives –  About: If you fancy working with archives this might be the place for you. If you volunteer here there are a range of opportunities available to you including indexing and research.
4. Museum Victoria – About: Volunteering with Museum Victoria can provide you with some excellent experience over a wide range of areas. You might be able to be involved in collection curation, special exhibitions, or you might even be able to give tours. Volunteer roles with Museum Victoria are in high demand, so if you’re keen to be one of their volunteers make sure you keep your eye on their website for details regarding volunteer intake.
5. Prahran Mechanics Institute –  About: The Prahran Mechanics Institute library is a small not-for-profit library specialising in the history of Victoria, so if history is your thing this might be the place for you. If you volunteer here you might end up processing books, indexing books, delivering pamphlets or helping with the newsletter.
6. Public Record Office Victoria – About: If you’re looking to work in records and archives then volunteering at PROV is going to look fantastic on your resume. If you volunteer here then you might get the opportunity to help preserve, digitise and transcribe records. PROV do take a limited number of volunteers so keep your eye on the website for information regarding their volunteering information sessions.
7. The Royal Historical Society of Victoria – About: If you’re interested in Victorian history and local history, this could be the ideal volunteer role for you. If you volunteer with the Royal Historical Society of Victoria you might get to participate in collection maintenance, admin, research and preparing exhibitions.
8. The State Library of Victoria –  About: There are a wide range of possibilities when it comes to volunteering at The State Library of Victoria. Some of the things you might end up doing: helping with programs, indexing collections, assisting with exhibitions and leading tours. Volunteering roles at The State Library are often in high demand, so make sure you keep an eye on the website to find out when they’re recruiting.

And Finally…

There are numerous places to volunteer, here are a few things to consider:

1. Local councils: check the website of your local council, you might find just the right volunteer position for you.
2. Local schools: sometimes local schools will use volunteers in their libraries, if you’re interested in school libraries it might be worth making a few calls to some schools in your area to see if they will take you on.
3. Committee: Volunteering on a committee such as the ALIA students and new graduates committee is always a fantastic way to gain some experience.
4. Think outside the box: be creative, think outside the box, for example if you need customer service experience to help you gain that dream library job, think about volunteering at an op shop, you can learn valuable skills volunteering that can transfer to numerous different jobs.