Claudia became a Doorstep Library volunteer after stumbling across a small poster in her local library. A lifelong lover of books, she now shares that love with children and families through online reading sessions, bringing stories to life each week.
Finding Doorstep Library by Chance
I had been thinking for a while that I wanted to do something with kids and reading, and I didn’t know how to find anything. I searched online and couldn’t really find anything local, so I decided to explore in more detail. I was near Fulham Public Library, which is not my closest library, but it’s the nicest and most welcoming. I went in and thought, I’m going to take my time and see if I can find something that talks about reading.
I looked all around and there was a little sign that mentioned Doorstep Library. It talked about it and I thought, That’s it. There we go. I was so excited that you had put up a poster in the library; that old technique worked! I got in touch and everybody was incredibly welcoming. Once I got started, everything was smooth. The self-paced training materials were really helpful. I think the online reading-with-kids option gives flexibility, so if I’m away, I can still do it remotely. You don’t want to let the kids down by missing a week.
A Love of Reading in Childhood
Reading was really important in my life as a kid. My mother was a librarian at my school when I was little; what was great is I would go to the library after school and she wouldn’t be ready to go home yet, so she would pick interesting books for me to read. She found books about famous women – Amelia Earhart, Clara Barton – because she wanted me to see that I could do anything in life. At the time, I just thought they were interesting and fun. My sister and I also read aloud together with our mum. I remember we read Little Women and each took a chapter. I was the littlest, so I always felt a little pressure because I wasn’t as good a reader, but it helped me become a confident public speaker in my career.
I’ve always loved reading. I mostly read murder mysteries, not really for kids! But now I look at children’s books more than I would have before – I even ask friends for ideas for little kids. It makes me realise how important it is for them to have a good story. When I look at the books we have now, I think there has been progress. There are more series about women. I’m always struck by what books the kids select. A lot of them are fantasy books about wizards and magic. I love that because anything that takes kids away from the day-to-day is terrific. It makes them feel like they have power, even magical power, and that they can be anything.
Building Relationships with Families
Interacting with children and families has been easy. When I started, my volunteer partner had read with these families for a long time, so they knew him. I just slotted in. The kids are very sweet. Sometimes they ask about my accent or something in the background. I try to stay focused on reading, but it’s lovely when they share something fun from school. Parents vary: some help get things started, some sit beside the child, and some keep us on schedule when we have three kids.
One of my favourite moments was when a little boy said, “But I like reading it with you,” after I told him he could read his book between sessions. That was a winner. It shows they look forward to engaging in the book with us.
The Best Part of Being a Volunteer
Volunteering makes me happier. After a session, I’m smiling. It’s uplifting. I love the moments when all the kids and their mom come together at the end to wave goodbye, it feels like everyone is happy together.
My favourite thing about being a Doorstep Library volunteer is how easy it is. The dashboard and notes make it simple to jump in and feel prepared. If I forget something, help is just a message away. That makes a big difference because you don’t want to feel lost in front of the kids.
I hope the kids are reading other books in between. I assume they are because often the books sent to them aren’t the ones we read together. That says they must like them and read on their own. I love that they get to build their own little library; it’s something that’s theirs, and that’s really lovely.
