Dear Volunteer

We hope you have been enjoying the better weather recently which may have involved reading a book or two! 

We also hope you have been able to catch up with our latest news in our customer newsletter.

Further to the update from Chris Broggi last month, she has now commenced her new role and I'm sure you will join me in wishing her all the best.

I have started my new role too and I am really looking forward to being out in libraries across the county in the coming weeks.  I hope to catch up with as many of you as possible either in person or virtually over the coming weeks and months.

In the meantime if you would like to get in touch please do send me an email.

Jo Moeller - Principal Librarian Volunteering

We've really enjoyed seeing lots of digital volunteers at our recent webinars in preparation for the return of face-to-face support. The training within these has included a fascinating Staying Safe Online session, as well as information about how we all fit into the picture of digital inclusion, access and safety.

We are now ready to start welcoming back our much-missed Computer Buddies, starting off at a small number of libraries in September – Bognor, Crawley, East Grinstead, Shoreham, Steyning and Witterings. In October we’ll be branching out to more locations and our Remote Digital Support Service will continue throughout.

We are maintaining COVID safety practices in all of our libraries and will be providing a socially distanced Computer Buddy service to keep our volunteers and customers safe.

We’d love to hear from our other digital volunteers who are ready to return. We’re going to put more training opportunities in the diary and look forward to having you all back in libraries helping customers with their basic digital needs!

As there have been some changes to government guidance regarding self-isolation, we have sought clarification from Human Resources and put their advice into some guidelines for our library service staff and volunteers. We have agreed the following:    

• If any library volunteer or member of their household has symptoms, or tests positive for COVID, then they should not carry out their volunteering duties.
• If a library volunteer is contact traced for possible self-isolation, but they are double vaccinated and obtain a negative PCR test result, they can carry out their volunteering on condition that they have done the following:
  
  • notified their key contact or Library Manager
  • provided evidence of double vaccination
  • provided evidence of a negative PCR test
  • completed a COVID-19 Risk Assessment for Occupational Self-Isolation Exemption.

Otherwise, they must not come into the workplace or visit residents to deliver books.

• If a library volunteer has to self-isolate following a holiday abroad to certain countries they must not carry out their volunteer duties. We ask that you let your key contact or Library Manager know if you are planning foreign travel.
• If a library volunteer is clinically extremely vulnerable then we will continue to use personal risk assessments to maintain safety in the workplace.

It is not appropriate for a library volunteer or member of staff to assess whether a customer is clinically extremely vulnerable. It is therefore down to individual customers to make their own assessment of what they do/do not want to take part in. An example might be Knit & Natter – if there were space for six socially distanced attendees, then the customer would need to assess whether they were willing to attend. The library volunteer or staff member would then have to accept the customer’s decision.

We are looking for more volunteers to join our Volunteer Forum. Is this something you would like to help us with?

What is the West Sussex Library Service Volunteer Forum?

West Sussex Library Service Volunteer Forum is a small group of Library Service Volunteers who have agreed to share their experiences as volunteers in order to ensure that we continue to develop a positive volunteering experience.

The aim of the forum is to:

• discuss topics relating to volunteering for West Sussex Library Service (e.g. training, support and communication) to help improve the overall volunteering experience.
• offer constructive views, opinions and guidance to help inform the development of new volunteering processes and also inform our future decision making with regard to volunteering.

How does the Forum communicate and how often?

Communication and discussion between members of the forum will be as required, primarily on-line by group e-mail. A successful Zoom meeting was held in November 2020 and another is planned for late October 2021.

Discussions can be introduced at any time by a member of the forum and the opinions of individuals members should be respected at all times.

Any Library Service volunteer can join or contribute to the forum and is welcome to attend the next Zoom meeting.

If this is something you would like to be involved with please contact Jo Moeller, Principal Librarian - Volunteering

West Sussex County Council is committed to equality of opportunity, valuing diversity and eliminating unlawful discrimination and the West Sussex Diversity and Inclusion Policy Statement sets out the County Council’s commitment to deliver fair and inclusive services for all West Sussex communities.

We must all ensure that West Sussex County Council meets its obligations under the Equality Act 2010 and all West Sussex Library staff and volunteers should ensure that our library environment is one that respects and includes everyone, regardless of any of the following protected characteristics:

• Age
• Disability
• Gender reassignment
• Marriage and civil partnership
• Pregnancy and maternity
• Race
• Religion or belief
• Sex
• Sexual orientation

In our libraries we welcome all customers and assist them, recognising that each is an individual. Everyone who is part of West Sussex County Council (staff and volunteers) should make sure the equality duty is met in their day-to-day roles.