Mackelienė Dalia Not only salary that matters: positive outcomes of voluntary work in library for long-term-unemployed persons Poster at BOBCATSSS 2017

1. Not only salary that matters:
positive outcomes of voluntary work in library for
long-term-unemployed persons
Introduction
Since the first research in early 20th century, unemployment has been discussed to
have negative consequences not only directly on financial situation of a person, but also
for person’s health and well-being. The detrimental consequences can be noticed in
psychological (mental health & life satisfaction), physical (self-rated health and illness,
sleeping, appetite, headaches), social (social isolation and fragmentation, aggression
and violence, negative worldviews: mistrust, alienation) and risky health behaviors
(alcohol consumption, smoking, suicide). Consequences of long term unemployment
can lead to a vicious circle (De Witte, 1993) whereas person stops from job seeking
activities because long term unemployment reduces health and well-being and that can
be stopped by adapting to unemployment.
In some socially responsible public organizations voluntary work activities are being
introduced with aim to encourage unemployed people to consider volunteering as a way
of improving their employment prospects while they are looking for work. Some
research state that because of the volunteering activities actual employability grows and
competences related to employment, learning, communication and problem solving, are
being observed to increase (Brozmanova Gregorova, 2014). Yet there is still a lack of
research on subjective positive experience and outcomes that volunteering gives to a
long-term unemployed persons.
Results
Antecedents Experience Consequences
Antecedents:
Could not work full time, but need to do something
Need to get out of home after having 3 children
Need for structured time
Coming back to society after mental illness period
One of social rehabilitation steps
To get practical experience next to theoretical knowledge from the past studies
To learn how specific program works
To have experience (period of real work) for the job interviews
To get familiar with the structure of university library
To meet new people
To do a work that fits personal traits
To get a job in the same library after the voluntary work
To start form something in the “job hunt”
Experience:
Clear instructions added more sense of control and believing in myself The
activities according to possibilities
Good and warm contact with voluntary service mentor
Being near other people
Window to the world
Human understanding and support from mentor
Mental health was getting better as the time passed by (during the voluntary work)
Theoretical and practical knowledge
Got to know structure of the organization
Legal reason to enter the environment of the library as a staff member
Structure of the day
Consequences:
Was invited to work in the library
Had a job proposal to work in other library as an librarian
Perspective for the future
Practical work experience gained
The certificate of work gained
Pleasant to remember the new people
Was welcomed in, got the support
Contact and relationship with new people
Has reached the aim to fill knowledge gap
Information about the university events
Got to know the systems and structure of the Library
Learned how to work with specific assignment
Dalia Mackelienė
Vilnius University Library
Please contact: dalia.mackeliene@mb.vu.lt
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to make content analysis of subjective experiences of
volunteers who have been working in library surroundings and at the moment were
unemployed.
Methodology
Participants: 3 long-term-unemployed female participants (not working
for 3 years or more)
Mid. age: 37 years
Study degree: 2 university degrees in librarianship, 1 university degree
in journalism (more than 10 years ago)
Time spent working as a volunteer: 3 – 12 months (working ~ 20
hours per week)
Procedure:
• Qualitative research was conducted involving personal interviews with
each participant
• Semi-structured interviews were conducted (each length of about 30
minutes)
Main questions for participants:
• Could you please describe your life situation when you started
thinking about the voluntary work?
• Could you name the reasons that moved you to start voluntary work?
• Describe your experience during the voluntary work
• Name the aspects of work that were most important to you.
• What benefits did you get from your work as a volunteer?
Data analysis:
The interviews were recorded and participants’ responses were
categorized using content analysis
Conclusions:
• All three participants of the study name the voluntary work as positive experience
• Antecedents of the voluntary work include: changing the social and physical surroundings,
to do a work that fits personal traits, need for structured time and space, gain practical
knowledge about the work in library, wish to get a permanent job after the voluntary work
• Experience of the voluntary work include: boosting of self esteem via clear work
instructions, support from voluntary work mentor, getting in contact with new people,
structured day, deepening the knowledge of the
• Consequences of the voluntary work include: gaining of specific library-work experience,
getting the wider knowledge about the university and library as an organization, new social
network, future work proposals
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