News

Student Volunteering Week took place from the 12-18 February.  

 
Last week one of SBC Training's apprentices volunteered at her local library (Church Stretton Library) to support Student Volunteering Week.  

Hayley Reynolds, Community Library Manager, Emily, Digital Marketing Apprentice, and Gail Jones, Assistant Library Manager

 
Little bit about Church Stretton Library  
Church Stretton Library sits behind the Church of St Lawrence and the market square, the building was built in 1861 and started off as a local school. It became a library to the town in 1968, and still has the Gothic style of the original building, and it also includes the town's tourist information office. 
 
While Emily the Digital Marketing Apprentice was volunteering, she asked the following questions to get an insight about what it is like working in a library and how they have evolved.  
 
Describe to me what it is like working in a library? 
“Church Stretton Library is a warm and welcoming place to work. We get to meet and help a range of people from the local community and further afield. Every day is different”! 
  
How would you promote reading? 
“We promote reading in a range of ways. For young people we run the summer reading challenge. Our Top-Notch section is a great place to find books recommended by Shropshire Libraries. We host many reading groups here at Church Stretton Library”. 
  
What is your favourite book genre, and why? 
“My favourite book genre is science fiction. The issues of our society reflected on a vast stellar scale”. 
  
How has technology impacted libraries today? 
“Our digital system enables people to log in to their borrower account to request, renew and manage their borrowed books. We offer access to digital material such as newspapers, magazines, e-books and audio books, all of which can be accessed from home. Social media enables us to promote the library and engage with the community. Search engines enable people to access information at their finger-tips, however, this does not replace the social aspects of a community hub”.  
  
What advice would you give young people to help them read or get them into reading?  
“Reading opens up worlds! We can read for study, to learn new skills, to broaden our horizons, or simply for pleasure. There is a genre for everyone! Libraries are wonderful places to find what genre suits you. You’re free to explore yourself, following your nose, or talk to friendly staff for recommendations”. 
 
Comment from the library staff, how Emily had impacted the day. 
“At Church Stretton Library there’s always lots to do, so our volunteers are a huge help to us! Emily did a fabulous job helping us with the stocktake of our exhibition. Following this she did ‘shelf checks’ which means that she found books on our shelves which had been requested by borrowers at other libraries in Shropshire. Additionally, she reshelved returned books and prepared resources for our Visitor Information Centre. Without Emily’s help we wouldn’t have been able to achieve all these tasks and are very grateful for her enthusiastic hard work”! 

Comment from Emily the Apprentice. 
“I really enjoyed the opportunity to have the experience working in the library, I have a strong passion for books, so it was nice to support this occasion including one of my interests. I believe it is very important for young people to volunteer and gain work experience outside of education to explore different work environments and interactions with people”.  
 
Comment from Colin Thaw, Managing Director. 
“Recently our marketing apprentice Emily volunteered at her local community library in Church Stretton. SBC Training was delighted to be able to provide Emily with the time to volunteer. As a small independent training provider, not only do we support the principle of volunteering, but the educational benefits and personal growth gained by engaging with new environments and adding value to our communities are unquantifiable. As an organisation we provide all colleagues with an allowance to provide their support to a charitable or local community project. I was personally delighted that Emily chose to support her library as the educational value (not to mention the joy) gained from reading are congruent with what we do as an apprenticeship training organisation”.