Volunteers make a difference

National Volunteer Week is observed annually during the third week of April. Hundreds of volunteers are making a difference in their communities by supporting learning, literacy, and enrichment at Hennepin County Library.

In 2025, more than 400 volunteers supported youth programming alone, serving more than 11,200 hours across Hennepin County.

In addition to youth programming, volunteers also support staff and help the library deliver excellent public service by helping patrons build digital literacy skills, assisting at library programs, organizing and shelving books, and many more supportive tasks.

To our incredible volunteers, thank you!

Homework Help

Homework Help volunteers provided more than 9,100 drop-in tutoring sessions in 2025, helping K-12 students develop the skills they need to graduate and be successful beyond school. Nearly 90% of students served live in households that speak languages other than English and 98% of students reported feeling more confident in their schoolwork due to attending Homework Help at the library.

Let’s Read!

Volunteers also answered the call to inspire elementary students to become lifelong readers, providing 4,230 Let’s Read tutoring sessions in 2025. Let’s Read is Hennepin County Library’s literacy-focused tutoring program for K-5 students, and it offers free in-person reading support for students at 11 library sites. Students and trained volunteer tutors meet weekly to work on grade-level reading skills.

Consider supporting your library’s daily operations, programs, and services by joining Hennepin County Library’s volunteer program. New opportunities are published throughout the year.