Two members from the Baojhu Branch of Kaohsiung Public Library’s (KPL) Cultural Volunteer Team for Promoting Reading Habits received bronze awards for the 30^th National Outstanding Cultural Volunteer Individual this year in 2023. The two volunteers, Mai Shu-Cing and Huang Li-Yu were elderly members responsible for storytelling and providing services for readers to promote reading habits among citizens. The Ministry of Culture held the award ceremony today (December 11, 2023) at the Howard Civil Service International House in Taipei, hoping that citizens will continue to exhibit such willingness and spirit to serve others while simultaneously acknowledging and encouraging those who have contributed.

Lin Yi-Cheng, the acting director of Kaohsiung Public Library, revealed that Huang Li-Yu and Mai Shu-Cing have been members of the Cultural Volunteer Team for over a decade. Huang Li-Yu and Mai Shu-Cing are among the volunteers who have used KPL’s advanced training programs well. Furthermore, the two volunteers have successfully transformed their interests and passion into the strength and determination needed to promote reading among citizens. As the role models for all the other volunteers, Huang Li-Yu and Mai Shu-Cing deserve the award they received. Becoming a library volunteer allows one to interact with various readers, see the beauty of cultural arts, learn, and grow. From providing service to readers to holding promotional reading activities, the execution of numerous tasks depends on volunteers' aid. KPL appreciates all volunteers for their passionate and selfless efforts in creating a suitable environment to promote reading habits and culture.

One of the award recipients, Mai Shu-Cing, has been volunteering at KPL for 15 years. She has always held on to her initial motivations for becoming a volunteer. In addition to thanking KPL for providing storytelling training that opened the door to storytelling for her, she promised to be more dedicated to promoting reading activities in the future. As a volunteer at KPL, Mai Shu-Cing would visit different elementary schools early in the morning to share a wide range of stories from other countries with children. She would also participate in picture book storytelling activities in the library. Furthermore, Mai Shu-Cing is also the library's Little Dragonfly Book Club lecturer and has always been diligent in planning classes and designing study notes for young readers using library resources. In her free time, Mai Shu-Cing attends various courses and speeches to enrich herself, share her knowledge with children, and create a suitable reading environment for them.

Director Lai Hsue-Fang of the Baojhu Branch Library remarked that Huang Li-Yu, the other volunteer who received the bronze award, has volunteered at the Baojhu Branch Library for 11 years. At nearly age 80, Huang Li-Yu greets every reader with a warm smile. Since she started volunteering at the Baojhu Branch Library, she has believed that “once a volunteer, always a volunteer.” Huang Li-Yu has continuously strived to improve herself and learn diligently about everything and anything. She went from needing a single clue on operating computers to being able to handle the circulation process at the service counter. In addition, Huang Li-Yu is also an excellent book seeker, finding and reserving books for the Baojhu Branch Library twice a week. Able to single-handedly find 50 to 60 books during her service hours, Huang Li-Yu has successfully found and preserved tens of thousands of books for the Baojhu Branch Library, providing excellent service that fulfills readers' needs.

According to Cheng Mei-Tai, the leader of KPL’s Volunteer Team, the two award recipients have served the Baojhu Branch Library for many years. The awards bestowed upon them have also brought honor to their fellow volunteers. Characterized by its social education-themed collection, the Baojhu Branch Library is committed to creating a friendly environment for readers and volunteers by improving the community and sharing resources. The Baojhu Branch Library is always seeking citizens interested in becoming a KPL volunteer and joining the effort to fulfill these goals. In addition to Mai Shu-Cing and Huang Li-Yu, the Cultural Volunteer Team for Promoting Reading Habits, which received the national award in the past, also attended the award ceremony. The Volunteer Team celebrated with the award recipients and fellow volunteers in Taipei, showcasing the immeasurable strength of service and volunteering spirit.