NORWAY – Norway Memorial Library’s staff is urging people to serve their community next Monday to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

The public is asked to join the nationwide King Day of Service, which has a slogan of “A Day On, Not A Day Off.”

“This is the first time” the library has made the request, said library Director Ann Siekman. “We hope it will become an annual thing.”

The program was initiated by Congress in 1994 to encourage volunteers to serve their community. The program was recently touted by former Gen. Colin Powell. On Friday he urged Americans to take up President-elect Barak Obama’s call to service and to volunteer their time on Jan. 19 through the program.

Siekman said the library staff learned about the nationwide service day through a library service and looked it up online. The information described a grant-funding process for it.

“We don’t need a grant. We can do this. Let’s try it,” was the staff’s response, Siekman said.

The program will involve the Norway Memorial Library staff matching people with work projects at non-profit organizations in downtown Norway. The program is open to students from grades seven through 12 and adults.

The program begins at 12:30 p.m. Jan. 19 with a brief introduction. At 1 p.m., volunteers will be given their assignments and head out to their designated sites for two hours of work. They will return to the library at 4 p.m. for refreshments and reflection.

“We’ll have conversations. How did it go and why were they interested in helping with their community,” Siekman said.

Nonprofit organizations have requested volunteers for tasks such as taking inventory, oiling wooden floors, snow removal, archiving records, assisting in setting up office space, writing thank you notes, cleaning and organizing shelves and baking for a church community lunch.

The library is asking volunteers to help reshuffle old periodicals on its shelves.

Other participating organizations include Christ Episcopal Church, Fare Share Food Co-op, Healthy Oxford Hills, Norway Downtown Association, Norway Historical Society, Oxford Hills Food pantry, Unitarian Universalist Church and the Western Maine Art Group.

Anyone interested in participating should call the library at 743-5309 to sign up. The deadline to register is Thursday, Jan. 15.