Volunteers in the medical library: issues and suggestions for their use

Abstract

The implementation of the use of volunteers in a medical library poses a unique challenge to the library administrator who must effectively utilize individuals who are often inexperienced with the highly technical informational needs of medical clientele. The benefits and difficulties of volunteer use are discussed along with specific issues that may occur--legal issues, the issue of volunteer use vs. paid employee, and the determination of the value of volunteers. A checklist of suggested uses of volunteers is included as well as an evaluation form that can be used to aid the library administrator and volunteer in evaluating the volunteer's performance and job satisfaction.