No matter where Ella Stratton goes, she just wants to help. Even when shopping for her children at T.J.Maxx, she would pick up clothes that had fallen to the floor and rehang them.
“America so help for me . . . I’m thinking, what I can do in America to help America,” Ella said.
Ella is originally from Russia. She came to the U.S. in 2012 when she married her American husband, Robert. She became a U.S. citizen in 2018, and she and Robert are now enjoying their retirement together in Fairhope, Alabama.
In 2021, Ella was taking an English as a Second Language class at the Fairhope campus of the Coastal Alabama Community College. That’s when Lisa Havard came to Ella’s class to talk about volunteering at the Fairhope Public Library (FHPL).
“I just went over there and presented to the class a little about our volunteers and what they do at the library,” said Lisa, who is the library’s Circulation Department Head.
“Several of them were interested in volunteering for me, and Ella was one of them. And she has been one of my volunteers since May of 2021!”
Keeping the Library Neat for Others
I am very happy. I no speak with a lot of people because my grammar no very perfect.I’m very happy. I’m alone, I like it, I’m free. Here, I work for my enjoy.
-Ella Stratton on why she loves volunteering at Fairhope Public Library
Just like Ella would straighten clothes at T.J.Maxx, she finds gratification through keeping the library orderly.
“I check how books stay in alphabet,” Ella said. “When I find mistake, I’m so happy. I’m so satisfied. And I very, very understand why I’m needed here.”
This process is called shelf-reading, and it’s an important task for any library. Library visitors will often pick up books to look through and then put them back in the wrong place.
(Note to readers: If you’ve picked up a library book and decide not to check it out, look around to see if there’s a book cart nearby. Often there will be a sign asking you to return books to these carts instead of reshelving them yourself. Please use these carts! It makes the staff’s jobs easier and helps keep the collection organized.)
This type of mis-shelving happens over and over throughout the day. Volunteers like Ella help keep the library collection in order so people can find the books they’re looking for.
According to Lisa, these volunteers are vital. While the library’s employees carefully shelve the books that people return, a busy library like Fairhope’s “gets messy very quickly.”
In addition to shelf-reading, Ella also dusts shelves and will jump in to help with any project she’s needed for. Ella has even made volunteering a family affair, bringing her 9-year-old granddaughter with her to help her clean.
“She happy to help, because I work here.”
By volunteering at the Fairhope Public Library, Ella is able to give back to the country that has given her a great life, all while doing work she loves—and that doesn’t require flawless English.
“I am very happy. I no speak with a lot of people because my grammar no very perfect. I’m very happy. I’m alone, I like it, I’m free.”
“Here . . . I work for my enjoy,” Ella said.
“My Little Corner of the World”
Being a library volunteer enriches my retirement by involving me in the community, interacting with interesting people, and most of all, giving me a feeling of belonging and purpose . . .. . . it is a real lifeline, as it always has been.
-Maribeth Smith on volunteering at the Fairhope Public Library
Ella is just one example of how library volunteers contribute to their community and find fulfillment through their work. While Ella enjoys working quietly on her own, many others use volunteering as a way to meet people and engage with their neighbors.
“Several of the volunteers have just moved to Fairhope, and they’re looking to get involved in
the community,” Lisa told me.
In Fairhope (and in towns across the country), new residents will visit the local library almost immediately as a way to learn about their new town.
Lisa said it happens “all the time” that new residents will ask about volunteering as a way to meet people. “It’s a very special feeling when people come in and tell us, ‘we just moved here, and this is the first place we’re coming.’”
Senior citizens also make up a lot of the volunteers that Lisa supervises, including local retiree Maribeth Smith. Maribeth volunteers as a shelf-reader in the library’s Large Print section.
“I call (the Large Print section) ‘my little corner of the world,’” said Maribeth, “and take great pride in keeping the books not only in alphabetical order, but neatly lined up,”
Maribeth has loved libraries her whole life, so volunteering at FHPL was a natural fit for her after she retired.
“Being a library volunteer enriches my retirement by involving me in the community, interacting with interesting people, and most of all, giving me a feeling of belonging and purpose…it is a real lifeline, as it always has been.”
A Gateway to the Community
Whether a volunteer is a new resident, a retired senior, a local teen, or anything in between, the Fairhope Public Library quickly becomes their gateway to the community.
Because the volunteers are in the library regularly, they learn about all of the programs that the library offers, including computer classes, craft programs, movie screenings, author talks, local history events, and much more.
That’s certainly the case for Maribeth, who said “Many programs fill (the library’s) calendar with daily activities for all children and adults. As a senior citizen, FHPL offers weekly and monthly events that nurture my ‘perpetual student’ mentality, as it does for many of my peers, as evidenced by their regular, large attendance.”
In addition to staying engaged through events, volunteers also form valuable friendships.
Even though Ella enjoys working in solitude, her friendship with Lisa is very important to her.
“Lisa is a very nice person in my life,” said Ella. “She’s a very, very beautiful woman. It’s a pleasure to work with her.”
Similarly, Lisa sees the volunteers as much more than just some extra hands during the workday. Lisa values them on a personal level and gets to see them blossom through their time at the library.
“They meet other volunteers, they meet other patrons, they meet staff,” Lisa said. “We become good friends. It’s just a very special relationship.”