Applications Open!
Are you passionate about social change? Help make activism smarter and stronger by volunteering with the Commons Social Change Library. You’ll help put skills and knowledge in the hands of people working on all sorts of social and environmental issues.
As a Commons Library volunteer you will become familiar with hundreds of educational resources. You’ll deepen your knowledge about many approaches to social change including campaigning, organising, digital tools, communications and media, creative actions, working in groups, wellbeing and much more.
There are two roles you can play:
- Commons Outreach Volunteer – increasing awareness and use of the Commons Library
- Commons Support Volunteer – strengthening the Commons Library through ‘behind-the-scenes’ support
To apply for the Commons Library Volunteer Program please submit your application through the online form by midday on Monday, 22 February 2021.
Commons Outreach Volunteers
Contributions you can make in this role:
- Increasing awareness and use of the Commons Library through your networks and communities
- Participating in social media groups and other online conversations about social change
- Participating in events (online and offline where possible)
- Referring people to relevant Commons Library resources
- Identifying needs and informing the librarians
- Researching and sourcing resources
- Writing, editing and collating resources
Skills and experience relevant to this role:
- Interest and engagement in social change
- Familiarity with social media platforms and regular use of them
- Clear communication and friendly attitude
- Interest in learning about social change and information management
- Desirable: Past involvement in training or other skills development of campaigners, organisers, activists and/or volunteers
This role is supervised by Holly Hammond, Director of the Commons Social Change Library.
View the Commons Outreach Volunteer Position Description.
Commons Support Volunteers
Contributions you can make in this role:
- Assist with categorisation and curation on the Commons Library
- Monitor performance and accessibility of the Commons website and identify required updates and improvements
- Research and source resources
- Write, edit and collate resources
- Various tasks subject to needs and your skills/interests, such as: proof-reading articles, transcribing audio, editing videos, reviewing books, developing social media content
Skills and experience relevant to this role:
- Knowledge of information management systems
- Experience with tasks such as administration, categorisation, proof-reading and archiving
- Highly organised with attention to detail
- Interest in learning about social change and information management
- Desirable: Interest and engagement in social change
This role is supervised by Antje Dun, Librarian at the Commons Social Change Library.
View the Commons Library Support Volunteer Position Description.
Conditions
We encourage volunteers to contribute 2-5 hours per week, to be completed on times and days that suit the volunteer’s availability. The program runs for an initial six-months with the potential to extend on mutual agreement of the volunteer and the Commons Social Change Library.
Volunteers will receive mentoring, training and support from Commons Library staff. A program of monthly training sessions covering relevant skills will be provided. Volunteers will also have the opportunity to attend external events and networking sessions.
Please note that if you are not available for the full program we will also consider volunteers for short defined projects. We can work with you to define the scope of your involvement.
Apply Now
To apply for the Commons Library Volunteer Program please submit your application through the online form by midday on Monday, 22 February 2021.
Applications should include:
- Responses to the application questions
- Your current CV/resume or LinkedIn profile
- The name and contact details of a referee
The Commons is an equal opportunity employer. We aim to overcome barriers to access including those related to ability, education levels, language, income, racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia and any other oppression or systemic disadvantage.
We encourage people from around Australia to volunteer; the Commons is a digital library and volunteering will take place remotely. Different ages, experience levels and working styles are welcome. We welcome your different talents and what you can contribute.
Further information
Find out more about the Commons Library through our About page, Newsletter archive and by browsing the topics and collections. For accessibility enquiries or any further information please contact the Commons Librarians.