As March 2019 was coming to a close, a group of Hensley Legal Group employees made their way to the Indianapolis Public Library for a morning of volunteering. Cars rolled up to the Library Services Center under a cloudy sky and women with “HENSLEY LEGAL GROUP” emblazoned on their t-shirts poured out, excited and ready to help.
Chapter One: Boxing Books
The group met with Mike, the coordinator for the Indy Library Store. Mike explained the task for the day: sorting books into boxes for the store’s upcoming April book sale. The book sale, held multiple times throughout the year, funds the Library Foundation, which helps support many of the library’s events and programs.
The group quickly got to work. One person assembled boxes; a few people passed out books; a couple of groups packed the boxes full; and another group disassembled the small boxes the books had come in. One of our team members dutifully moved the heavy boxes of books onto a rolling platform so they could be moved back into storage.
Our employees had a great time sorting through the books. Every once in a while, you’d hear shouts as people came across books they loved from childhood:
“Guys, I found Amelia Bedelia!”
“Oh my gosh, Bridge to Terabithia! That book destroyed me.”
“Aw, I loved the Magic Tree House series!”
Mike was generous enough to let a few of our employees take home some treasured finds. In a matter of hours, all of the books were packed and ready for the book sale.
Chapter Two: Sorting Titles
After a quick coffee and tea break, Mike explained our next task: sorting through books for the library’s online store. The library only sells certain titles on its online store, so it was our group’s job to scan books and see if the library’s computer system deemed the books worthy of their store.
Most of the books didn’t qualify for the store, but every once in a while, you’d hear a littleccching! from one of the computers, indicating that the title could be sold. Our group had fun scanning the books and cheered every time a title was deemed worthy for sale.
The End
Finally, it was time to leave. Mike later reached out to let us know that our group “accomplished THE MOST of any one-time volunteer group.” Our group had a wonderful time volunteering with the Indianapolis Public Library and will hopefully return again soon.
Epilogue: Your Turn
So how can you join us in helping our local library system?
One great way to help is by going to one of the library’s book sales! All proceeds go toward the Library Foundation. You can stock up your own personal library with highly discounted books and know you’re making a difference for your local library. There are sales scheduled throughout the year — if you miss April’s sales, mark your calendar for another round of sales in June!
You can also become a volunteer! The Indianapolis Public Library has opportunities to volunteer not only at the library, but also at special events and the Indy Library Store.
Another easy way to help the library out is to donate your books to the Indy Library Store. You can even donate CDs, DVDs, and vinyl LPs. As long as your donations are gently used — free of mold, dirt, and dust — the library would greatly appreciate them.