Dear Volunteer,

We hope this newsletter finds you well and that you are managing to keep warm!

We also hope that you've had an opportunity to catch up with our news in the latest customer newsletter.

You may have noticed that we've extended the range of merchandise that we sell in our larger libraries to try and catch the Christmas market and add income into our budget. Any help you can give with promoting this offer, whether it's telling friends and family or by purchasing stocking fillers, would be very much appreciated.

There are lots of other really interesting articles too so do take a look if you've not had a an opportunity to do so already.

For the past four years we have been running an adult reading challenge in various districts and boroughs across the county. The challenge has allowed us to engage with many of our customers and led to interesting conversations about books and reading. The aim of the challenge is to read a different book each month based on a theme we have set.  

From January 2023 we will be running the challenge in all West Sussex Libraries. We are aiming for the challenge to go live from 19 December when we will be giving out further information about how to sign up. We will be promoting via our social media and through printed materials in libraries. Each month there will be a poster to display in our libraries highlighting the theme. In January it’s a ‘Book to Make You Feel Good’. We hope that some of our volunteers will take up the challenge too. Happy reading.

Christmas is a time of year when we like to show our appreciation for the support that you provide during the year and to let you know how much you are appreciated.

Many thank you events have been taking place across libraries to show our appreciation.

I would like to add my thanks for all the support and enthusiasm that you have shown during this year to residents and staff - you really do help us make a difference within our local communities.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and I'm looking forward to seeing you in libraries in 2023!

Jo Moeller
Principal Librarian Volunteering

Manual handling is the carrying and moving of any object which includes lifting, putting down, pushing or pulling, using bodily force.

Manual handling-related injury from poor manual handling technique is responsible for approximately one third of all reportable incidents in the workplace. This can result in strain type injuries, torn ligaments, slipped discs and hernias etc.

How to reduce the risk?  

Ideally, you should eliminate the need to carry out any manual handling tasks in the first place but sometimes that is not very realistic to do. The next best thing is to take steps to minimise the risk and consequence by implementing control measures such as training or using equipment (e.g. book trolleys).

As a library volunteer you will be asked to watch a short video on manual handling. This will help you to recognise when a load is too big or too heavy for you to lift safely, show you how to lift safely and tell you about safe weight limits. When lifting, it is important to:

• Have a firm base by placing your feet apart to provide a stable and balanced platform to begin the lift.
• Bend at the knees not at the waist.
• Have your hands about level with your waist when you start the lift.
• Keep your back straight.

It’s also better to lift using your hands in a “palms up” position so it’s not always the best option to use hand holds in boxes to lift. Also your arms are stronger and more effective when the elbows are close to the body.

So remember…

Place your feet correctly, have good posture, get a firm grip, move smoothly and keep the load close to the body to make sure you move and lift safely.

There is also a poster available which shows the proper technique for lifting items at work. Please ask a member of library staff for a copy.