Through partnerships, intentional information gathering and building meaningful opportunities for volunteers, FVRL seeks to position itself as a valued institution at both the individual and community levels. The challenge is to maintain our current services while turning outwards. Ambassadors are uniquely situated to be conduits between communities and the library, helping us to identify needs, trends and local issues. The program adds value to district initiatives that would be costly in terms of staff time.

With specialized training on library policy and governance, Ambassadors increase the library’s capacity for interacting with the public outside of the buildings. This program enables the library to conduct information gathering and promotion at community events throughout our our 4,200 square mile system, expanding opportunities for interaction. Ambassadors are trained to offer support to specific outreach projects. By utilizing volunteers in this fashion, FVRL is able to increase its reach without burdening branch staff.

The program has allowed us to interact meaningfully across multiple communities. Information gathered by the Ambassadors through ASK surveys showed us concerns and helped to identify gaps in our our offerings. This information is being used to inform our current strategic planning efforts. Ambassadors support our "Grow a Reader" early learning initiative, allowing us to expand the program quickly. Providing high level volunteer opportunities allows participants to better their community, our partners and themselves.