Thank you for your interest in volunteering at Bookmarks!

Bookmarks relies on volunteers for help with events, outreach, and day-to-day operations. We are incredibly grateful to all of our wonderful volunteers who believe in and support our mission. We are currently focused on training volunteers for our Festival of Books and Authors. We will resume general volunteer orientations in October.

Ways to help:

• Author events
• Authors In Schools chaperone
• Bookstore help
• Errands and deliveries
• Festival of Books & Authors
• Office & administrative tasks
• Storytime helper

To watch a short recorded webinar on volunteer information, click here. Use the passcode: 0L6j#Knj

Next Steps

Please fill out the webform if you are interested in volunteering for Bookmarks Festival of Books and Authors.

All interested participants are required to complete an in-person orientation and an online background check prior to volunteering.  

If you are looking to register for an upcoming Festival of Books and Authors training session, click here to go to our online events calendar. 

Following your volunteer training, you will be asked to submit a background check. Please note that minors are unable to volunteer at Bookmarks without an adult guardian present.

If you have any questions contact Lera Shawver at lera@bookmarksnc.org

Bookmarks Volunteer Policy

Bookmarks depends upon the hard work of volunteers.  Volunteers may be adults or children.  Children under the age of 18 can volunteer only with an adult who is also volunteering and who is directly supervising the child volunteer. Volunteering with Bookmarks is conditional upon completion of an online application, receipt of a satisfactory background check, (Background Screening for Volunteers), and the final approval of the Volunteer Coordinator and Executive Director of Bookmarks.  When considering applications for volunteers, Bookmarks will comply with federal and state employment statutes that protect against discrimination based on sex, religion, race, gender identification, age, etc., and criteria will be applied consistently to all applicants. 

A person will be automatically disqualified and prohibited from serving as a volunteer if the person has been found guilty of certain crimes—regardless of the amount of time since the offense was committed. These crimes include sex offenses, felonies and misdemeanors with violence, crimes against children, and repeated crimes over several years. Applications and background checks that note other crimes and skill sets that raise concerns will be considered individually as to their suitability as a volunteer for Bookmarks.  The Executive Director will review the nature of the crime, any extenuating circumstances, and volunteering opportunities available to determine if the applicant is a suitable match for the Bookmarks organization.  Final approval of applications for volunteering rests with the Executive Director and the Board of Directors.

Bookmarks is under no obligation to accept an application for volunteering.  The Executive Director may ask a volunteer to step down from serving if any criminal activity occurs after the application is approved or if the volunteer’s actions interfere with the mission or public face of Bookmarks.