Naomi Harper , long-term volunteer from the Sandy Springs Regional Library and the Friends of Sandy Springs Library, won the Individual Leadership Award for outstanding leadership and service to a group which utilizes volunteers. Ms. Harper, a nine-year veteran of the library volunteer program, donated over 100 hours to the library last year. She has assisted with voter registration, read shelves, conducted patron surveys, scheduled volunteers and spoken at various community meetings in support of the library. The Library Literacy Tutors won the Group Leadership Award for outstanding volunteer service impacting a significant need at the local or regional level. It is estimated that nearly 22 percent of Fulton County's population age 16 and older is functionally illiterate.
Volunteers also help immigrants who are learning conversational English.
The efforts of these volunteers were aided recently because the Library received a grant from the Carnegie Foundation to enhance its literacy and ESL collection. In addition, the Junior League of Atlanta not only places volunteer tutors at the library, they also donate special books and materials for the tutors and learners in the program. During Hands on Atlanta Day, volunteers contributed 456 hours of service shelf reading, shifting shelves, assembling shelves, sorting books and boxing surplus items, processing videos and cds. These volunteers contributed the equivalent of one full-time staff person working eleven weeks. Photos of Atlanta-Fulton Public Library volunteers have been submitted to be among the 100,000 photos that will make up a picture mural of volunteers in action.