Check it Out! Sedona Public Library Autumn 2015 | Page 10

Meet Our Volunteers

G

rowing up in the little town of
Mayville, Wisconsin, Don and
Judy Schwartzmiller met each
other when they were five years old.
They both went away to college at the
University of Wisconsin, got married,
and lived in the Milwaukee area until
relocating to the Twin Cities to work for
3M. When the time came to think about
retirement locations, the couple had an
opportunity to visit Sedona. They pulled
into the parking area at Bell Rock, got
out of their car, and said, “We have to
live here!”
We’re fortunate they chose Sedona,
because Don and Judy have been
generously donating their time as volunteers at the Library since 1998. They
work together in the interlibrary loan
department, sending books on loan
from SPL to libraries all over the country, and processing books that other
libraries lend to Sedona residents.
The Schwartzmillers were recruited
as library volunteers by another longterm volunteer who went to their
church. Driving up to the Library for the
first time, Don and Judy were impressed

by the striking
building and the
statue of Sedona
Schnebly—they
felt right away they
were going to have
a good experience.
Seventeen years later, the Schwartzmillers are still enjoying their volunteer
work. They’ve had fun getting to know
many different volunteers and staff
members at the Library over time, and
each week they are interested to see the
far-reaching places an interlibrary loan
book might come from or be sent to.
When the Schwartzmillers encounter residents who aren’t familiar with
interlibrary loan, the couple inform
them about the service, in addition to
other library offerings such as computer and Internet services. Having
worked behind the scenes for nearly
two decades, they are aware of how involved the Library is in the community
and of the beneficial partnerships the
Library has formed with local nonprofit
groups—one example they point to is
the Veteran’s History Project, an orga-

nization they share a workroom with at
the Library.
Besides helping to make a valuable
service possible at the Library through
their dedicated work, the Schwartzmillers support the Library by participating
in a volunteer grant program sponsored
by their former employer, 3M. After a
retired employee volunteers 30 hours
in a calendar year, 3M provides a grant
of $250 to the organization. The couple
encourage current and prospective
volunteers to find out whether their former employers have a similar program.
Above all, Don and Judy want people to
know that volunteering at the Library
has been a very rewarding experience
for them—an opportunity they hope
others will take advantage of.
Thank you Don and Judy for all that
you do! n

70 Dry Creek Rd, West Sedona
928-204-1765 u GoldensteinArt.com

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