Along with helping out the community, volunteering is a great way to make new, wonderful friendships.
Kathleen Nonneman and Linda Whiteley, two volunteers at the Grand Island Public Library, received the 2023 Nebraska Library Association Outstanding Volunteer Award at the NLA Advocacy Day luncheon at the Lincoln Cornhusker Marriott Hotel in Lincoln on March 3.
The Nebraska Library Association is a chapter of the American Library Association. The goal of the NLA is to support and promote all libraries, library media centers and library services in the state.
Nonneman and Whiteley were nominated by the Grand Island Public Library and the Grand Island Public Library Foundation for their volunteer work.
“We have nominated people over the years,” said Celine Swan, director of the Grand Island Public Library. “We always made sure to nominate someone who puts in a lot of time and is very passionate about the library and literacy.”
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According to Kim Mettenbrink, Grand Island Public Library Foundation Coordinator, the duo has been volunteering at the library for a couple years. However, Nonneman and Whiteley haven’t always volunteered together.
Nonneman, a former librarian, started volunteering around 2019 after her sister, Mettenbrink, asked for her help organizing the daily book sale in the library’s foyer. For years, the book sale had been run by three women, but they all ended up leaving for various reasons.
The books used in the sale are ones that have been donated to the library. According to Nonneman, when the library was undergoing renovations, all the donated books were moved into a smaller space and piled up because no one was attending to them.
At first, Mettenbrink tried to organize everything herself, but the work ended up being too much for her.
“I thought, ‘You know, maybe she would help with the booksale,’” said Mettenbrink. “Because I couldn’t do it by myself and I needed someone to organize that and get it going.”
Nonneman agreed to help sort out all the books and organize the book sale.
Mettenbrink helped her sister out in the beginning, but eventually had to stop because she had other duties to do. Afterwards, one volunteer had helped Nonneman out for a little bit before they had gotten sick and could no longer do it. When Mettenbrink was trying to find another replacement, she thought Whiteley would be a good fit.
Whiteley had started volunteering in 2020, as a part of the homebound delivery services.
Mettenbrink knew Whiteley from her volunteer work at the Grand Island Grand Theatre and knew she was also working at the library.
“They just seemed like a good pairing to me,” said Mettenbrink. “They love the library, they love books, they love helping people.”
When Mettenbrink asked if Whiteley would help with the book sale, she agreed to. When they went to meet Nonneman, Mettenbrink said there was an instant connection.
“They just immediately hit it off,” said Mettenbrink. “They just loved working together.”
From that point, Nonneman and Whiteley worked on the library book sales together. Every Monday afternoon, the pair organize all the donated books and replace which ones are on sale.
They also come up with monthly themes and decorations for the book sale. They also organize the “Friends of the Library” book sale, a giant fair where hundreds of books are brought out and sold to the public.
“My favorite thing is seeing the happiness of the patrons,” said Nonneman. “They have always supported the library, so it’s always good to be a part of giving back to the public.”
The pair have enjoyed their time working together. Nonneman thinks the job wouldn’t be as fun without her.
“The best thing about volunteering at the library is being teamed up with Kathleen,” said Whiteley. “We’ve developed a friendship and have had a lot of fun together.”
Library staff members have also commented on Nonneman and Whiteley’s exuberant relationship.
“They get here and the laughter just comes out of that room,” said staff member Susie Cartwright. “Because they enjoy working together so much and they work so well together.”
Nonneman and Whiteley hadn’t known they were nominated for the award and were very surprised. According to Whiteley, they had only learned about receiving the award on the Monday before the NLA luncheon.
“It was a good surprise,” said Whiteley. “It felt nice to be honored in this way.”
Both women felt honored by the Grand Island Public Library and the Grand Island Public Library Foundation for their nomination.
“I felt very grateful,” said Nonneman. “I appreciate that the library noticed how much we enjoy our jobs and make it a special place for our patrons to come to.”