Volunteer At NYPL

Kinds of Opportunities

SHELF HELP 
Do you love to organize, alphabetize and put things in order? Many locations need assistance with shelving books.

Staten Island: St. George Library Center, Todt Hill-Westerleigh

The Bronx: Castle Hill, Eastchester, High Bridge, Clason's Point, Melrose, Morrisania, and Tremont.

Manhattan: Chatham Square, Countee Cullen, Epiphany, Kips Bay, Harlem, Hamilton Fish, Hamilton Grange, Muhlenberg and New Amsterdam

SELF-CHECK MACHINE ASSISTANTS
Do you like gadgets? Are you comfortable with technology? Many locations would welcome a volunteer for a few hours each week who would teach patrons how to use the self-check machines. Some locations that would welcome this assistance are High Bridge in the Bronx and Fort Washington and  Riverside in Manhattan.

HOMEWORK HELPERS

Some of our locations could use the help of adults or mature teens to act as homework helpers after school on weekdays with younger children. Our 115th Street Library is needing this service.

JOBS, LANGUAGE, LITERACY
At the St. George Library Center on Staten Island adult volunteers with special skills are needed to assist with programs such as job counseling, literacy tutoring and assisting with ESOL conversation classes. We also have two openings for ESOL tutors at SIBL on Tuesday evenings.

Our Centers for Reading and Writing are currently seeking volunteer tutors to teach reading and writing to adults. See below for a flyer with current information.

BOOK SALES
At the St. Agnes Library in Manhattan volunteers are needed to help with setting up for their Book Sale.

COMPUTER HELP
At the Countee Cullen and George Bruce Libraries in Manhattan volunteers are needed to act as computer tutors, assisting patrons.

DO YOU DO WINDOWS?
Volunteers with a creative flair are needed to help "merchandise" the windows of a busy Midtown Manhattan library. If you have ideas, please list "windows" in the subject line when emailing your application.
 

Volunteer Online: Participatory Web Projects

Collaborate with NYPL to build the library of the future! We're exploring new and fun ways of improving access to rare and unique collections online. And we're doing this with the help of volunteers. These are projects you can work on anytime, anywhere with an internet connection. We have two active initiatives now. More are on the way!

What's on the Menu? - Help transcribe our famous restaurant menu collection to make it more searchable.

Map Warper - Help transform historical street maps into an interactive digital atlas.

Getting Involved

Adult volunteers who are interested in teen programming and volunteering with teens should contact the Volunteer Manager at the email address below. Opportunities also exist for student teachers who wish to intern with our children's programs. Daytime availability is necessary.

Check out our quarterly newsletter below exclusively for volunteers for a taste of activities and events related to volunteering at NYPL.

If you are interested in any of the above please fill out an application and mail to: New York Public Library, Volunteer Office, Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, 476 Fifth Avenue, room 67 - VOL, New York, NY 10018 or email to volunteer@nypl.org.

Please do not apply for a library that is not currently listed here. Please do not apply if you are unable to make a once a week commitment for at least six months.

Due to the large number of applications we receive, we are unable to respond to all. If your qualifications match with our current needs, we will contact you.