Adult Volunteer Opportunities

Our most valued volunteer candidates are those that enjoy interacting with the general public and providing great customer service.

Please choose one or more of the available volunteer opportunities listed below. New opportunities are regularly posted to this page, so please check back if there is not currently an open opportunity that matches your skills and interests.

Don't see a volunteer position for you?

Please contact Volunteer Services Coordinator Paul Lopez at 512-974-7443 or APL.Volunteers@austintexas.gov and tell us what you want to do. We will see if this potential volunteer position supports the Austin Public Library commitment to our community.

Book Donation Program at John Henry Faulk Building

With the closing of Recycled Reads, the Austin Public Library has designated a new location for Austin residents to donate their gently used books and other media to APL. It will now be at the John Henry Faulk building (810 Guadalupe St.), which is also the new site of the Austin History Center. This volunteer role will assist with transferring donated items into the building, sorting through and organizing donated items, and other related tasks around donated items. Additional onsite volunteer responsibilities with APL will be made available in between donations. This role will include some heavy lifting of donated boxes and bags of books.

Current needs:

Thursdays - 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m.
Fridays - 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m.
Saturdays - 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m.

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Branch Circulation

Our circulation volunteers help with all things circulation in our branches. This includes customer service, putting items back on shelves, pulling holds, tidying book shelves, and so much more. This position requires volunteers to push carts up to 75 pounds and to bend, stoop, and stretch with or without reasonable accommodations. The position is best suited for those who love to organize and like to work independently. Shifts are two hours with a minimum three month commitment required.

Current needs:

Menchaca Road Branch | 5500 Menchaca Rd.

Thursdays - 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. or 12:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m.

Milwood Branch | 12500 Amherst Dr.

Mondays - two hour morning shift (pending)
Saturdays - two hour morning or afternoon shift (pending)

Yarborough Branch | 2200 Hancock Dr.

Wednesdays - two hour morning shift (pending)

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Storytime Assistant

Our Storytimes are one of the most popular things the Austin Public Library offers to the public. We are seeking volunteers to help make our Storytimes continue to be a successful part of what we offer to the public. Volunteer duties include set up, customer service, assisting youth librarians, passing out supplemental materials, take down, and other duties as assigned. Please note that the actual Storytime reading/performing is done by the youth librarians.

Current needs:

Twin Oaks Branch | 1800 S. 5th St.

Saturdays - 9:45. a.m.-11:45 a.m.

Yarborough Branch | 2200 Hancock Dr.

Mondays - 9:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

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Seed Collection Assistant

Many of our branches host a Seed Collection. Our Seed Collection is a repository and exchange system for seeds of land race, heirloom, locally adapted and native varieties of fruits and vegetable, and other useful plants in Central Texas. Everyone is welcome to check out seeds from the collection and return seeds from their harvest to keep the collection growing. Some of our Seed Collections are organized, maintained, and managed by volunteers. This is a weekly volunteer position, which includes co-hosting Seed Gatherings at the branch once a month. Knowledge on gardening is a request.

Current needs:

Yarborough Branch | 2200 Hancock Dr.

Saturdays - 12:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m.

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Chess Club

Our very popular Chess Club program is co-facilitated by volunteers. Volunteers for this program assist with set-up and take down, customer service, explaining the rules of chess, creating games by assisting with matching skill levels of program participants, hopping in on chess matches as needed, and other program-related tasks as they arise.

Current needs:

Hampton Branch | 5125 Convict Hill Rd.

2nd Wednesday of the month - 4:45 p.m.-6:15 p.m.

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Board Game Bash at the Library Program Assistant

This volunteer position is a six month commitment to co-facilitating our Board Game Bashat the Library Program. We are looking for volunteers who have experience with many types of board games, including adult games (cooperative, strategy, resource management). Some examples include Ticket to Ride, Tesseract, Harmonies, Forbidden Island, Robo Rally, Azul, Splendor, and Skull. This volunteer role seeks someone with customer service experience, who is comfortable leading attendees in learning to play games and playing with attendees as needed. We are excited to take on a volunteer who is enthusiastic about games!

Current needs:

Spicewood Springs Branch | 8637 Spicewood Springs Rd.

2nd and 4th Mondays of the month - 5:45 p.m.-7:45 p.m. (pending)

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Central Library Programs and Events Volunteer Pool

Our Central Library programming and events team is looking for additions to their Central Library volunteer pool. These volunteers would help out with programming and events at the Central Library that come up about once a month or more. These volunteers are requested to be familiar with the Central Library layout, be prepared to provide excellent customer service, and be flexible to an array of tasks at any given program or event. Volunteers who can walk or take the bus are most preferred to leave plenty of room in our parking lot for event attendees.

Current needs:

Now accepting applications!

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Central Library Children's Room Greeter

The Children's Room at the Central Library is one of the busiest places in all of APL, especially on the weekend. We are seeking highly motivated, go-getter volunteers to assist our Youth Services team to welcome visitors, answer questions, help customers seek youth materials, and other tasks as they arise. This position requires previous experience working with youth.

Current needs:

No opportunities at this time.

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Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Master for Tweens/Teens D&D

Some branches of the Austin Public Library host Dungeons & Dragons programming for tweens and teens. We are looking for adult volunteers who can help be Dungeon Masters for our programming. Volunteers must have experience both playing D&D and being a DM.

Current needs:

No opportunities at this time.

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Felt Storyboard Maker

At the Austin Public Library, some of our Storytime programs include a Felt Storyboard component. These storyboards are handcrafted and are meant to engage our Storytime participants in a different way than "typical" Storytimes. Our volunteer Felt Storyboard Makers follow designs using standard crafting tools and materials to handcraft stories that will then be included with our programming. We are seeking craft-oriented volunteers to put together these Felt Storyboards, that will then be presented by our youth librarians.

Current needs:

No opportunities at this time.

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After School Tween Activity & Crafting Assistance

Our after school programs are offered for free to our tweens and teens. Volunteers primarily assist our after school programs with structured crafting activities and programs. This position requires previous experience working with youth and some general knowledge on various types of crafting.

Current needs:

No opportunities at this time.

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Austin History Center

The Austin History Center (800 Guadalupe St.) is a part of the Austin Public Library system. The History Center recently moved to a new, larger building and they are seeking to expand their volunteer pool to coincide with the grand re-opening. There are several positions available. The History Center will open to the public on October 9, 2025, with new operating hours Thursday, Friday, Saturday from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Current needs:

1st floor Docent:

Our first-floor lobby docents introduce visitors to the AHC and our exhibit. Duties will entail welcoming visitors, giving exhibit tours upon request, answering basic questions about Austin history, and pointing people to nearby historical sites, area attractions, and libraries in the area.

No opportunities at this time.

Austin Files organization and Family Archiving Box construction support for Community Archives Team:

Assist Community Archives work (two hours per week, on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday, every week for 2-3 months, starting October), including organizing Austin Files materials, constructing Family Archiving Boxes for workshop or event preparation. Tasks include: Austin Files organization (print materials, sort articles according to Austin Files Subject, hand write Austin Files Subject number on articles, organize folders and files in the cabinet), Family Archiving Box construction (prepare items that go into Family Archiving Box, sort them in order and place them inside a folder, put folders in Archival Box with a guidebook), and Event Preparation (help inventory and organize supply closet, prepare family outreach items and pack for travel, breakdown after event).

No opportunities at this time.

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