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.

Cricut Machine Program

At the Austin Public Library, one of our programs that we offer for free to the public is our Cricut Machine Program. It's a free program where attendees can get pointers, tips, guidance, and support on using Cricut machines to create projects on acrylic cups, stickers, and lots of other ways to be creative. We are seeking volunteers who are very familiar and enthusiastic about using Cricut machines to co-facilitate this library program to our customers with a friendly, welcoming, and reassuring approach.

Current needs:

Pleasant Hill Branch | 211 E. William Cannon Dr.

3rd Friday of the month - early afternoon (one hour program between 2:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. TBD)

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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. We ask for a six-month commitment with this volunteer opportunity.

Current needs:

Sundays - 3:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.

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Board Game Programming at the Library Program Assistant

This volunteer position is a six month commitment to co-facilitating our Board Game programming at one of our branches. 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. This position also includes assistance with set up and take down. We are excited to take on a volunteer who is enthusiastic about games!

Current needs:

Twin Oaks Branch | 1800 S. Fifth St.

Last Saturday of the month - 12:30 p.m.-4:30 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. (volunteer 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 various types and age ranges of 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. We do ask for a minimum of a six month commitment with this role. Again, there are several age ranges that our Storytimes serve.

Current needs:

Spicewood Springs Branch | 8637 Spicewood Springs Rd.

Wednesdays - 9:30 a.m.-11:45 a.m.

Twin Oaks Branch | 1800 S. Fifth St.

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

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Library Materials Circulation

Our circulation volunteers are weekly volunteers who 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 full book carts and to bend, stoop, stretch, and be on your feet for long periods of time with or without reasonable accommodations. The position is best suited for those who love to organize, are detail-oriented, and like to work independently. Shifts are two to four hours with a minimum three month commitment requested. Please note that this can be a physically demanding way to volunteer with us.

Current needs:

Central Library | 710 W. Cesar Chavez St. (preference on volunteers interested in library careers)

Tuesdays - any two hour shift between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. (volunteer pending)
Wednesdays - any two hour shift between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.

Howson Branch | 2500 Exposition Blvd.

Mondays - 9:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m. or 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. (volunteer pending)
Tuesdays - 2:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. or 2:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m. (volunteer pending)

Milwood Branch | 12500 Amherst Dr.

Mondays - two hour afternoon shift (volunteer pending)
Thursdays - two hour morning or afternoon shift (volunteer pending)

Twin Oaks Branch | 1800 S. 5th St.

Thursdays - 5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. or 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. (volunteer pending)

Windsor Park Branch | 5833 Westminster Dr.

Thursdays - two hour morning shift

Yarborough Branch | 2200 Hancock Dr.

Fridays position 1 - any two hour shift during open hours (volunteer pending)
Fridays position 2 - any two hour shift during open hours (volunteer pending)

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Crafty Adult Assistant

Some branches of the Austin Public Library host our Crafty Adult programming series for adults. This is a free arts and crafts program for ages 18+. We are seeking adult volunteers who can assist putting on this programming, including explaining the day's craft and steps, customer service, set up, take down, and other tasks. Volunteers must have experience crafting. This positions is a six month commitment request.

Current needs:

Spicewood Springs Branch | 8637 Spicewood Springs Rd.

3rd Thursdays of the month - 1:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.

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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.

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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. (volunteer 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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ESL Talk Time - Assistance with English as a Second Language Program

Talk Time is a program for English conversation practice with other English language learners and English speaking APL volunteers. It is a free program and no sign-up is necessary. The program is open to any adult who speaks some English and wants an informal and safe place to practice with others. We are seeking kind, patient, welcoming, and compassionate volunteers to help co-facilitate our programs.

Current needs:

Spicewood Springs Branch | 8637 Spicewood Springs Rd.

Wednesdays - 12:45 p.m.-2:15 p.m.

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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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