Keith has been volunteering at the Maxville Library since May 2025 and has one of the most unique volunteer positions throughout the Jacksonville Public Library: teaching origami. Several times a month, customers get to relax and learn how to fold small pieces of paper into simple and more intricate designs. Past designs have included turkeys, swans, Christmas trees, stars, and more. Origami Club attracts patrons of all ages and even has a few devoted fans who attends regularly. Last December, Keith and his wife (and fellow volunteer), Mary, brought holiday cheer to families as Santa and Mrs. Claus.
They read How Does Santa Go Down the Chimney? by Mac Barnett, took photos with the children, and passed out candy canes and bookmarks.
What inspired you to volunteer for the library?
The answer is simple. As a retired art teacher, I love sharing my knowledge with anyone and living so close to Maxville Library, it was a no-brainer.
What is the most rewarding part about volunteering for the library?
The most rewarding part of volunteering at the Maxville Library is meeting new people, adults and children, who want to learn a new skill and are willing to try something new.
What have you learned from volunteering at the library?
The thing I noticed most about volunteering is that you run across people who truly desire to learn something just for the joy of learning.
How did you become interested in origami?
My journey into origami started as a child making all the things that children make out of paper, like airplanes, cootie catchers, fortune tellers and the like. It started becoming an obsession in the 1980’s. The idea of taking something so ordinary and increasing it’s value and/or usefulness simply by folding it, is truly amazing. By taking the principles of Origami, science and medical professions have invented things like expandable vein stents so small that you can insert them into a vein to increase blood flow or an expandable telescope that can be sent out into space to explore the stars. Origami can be done by anyone at some level. Paper folding is everywhere is your home from coffee filters to facial tissues to grocery bags. Truly, origami is increasing [in popularity].
