Author: Eric Melton

I’ve completed drafts of everyone’s timesheets. Please follow the link below to verify and, if necessary, make changes to your sheet. Let me know if you have trouble.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1OjjxTs4Z_YEoWQ1bRbdQHPFAP_bqn-xG?usp=sharing

As you know, beginning June 2nd patrons will be able to pickup their holds by appointment (see procedure). They will also be able to pickup print-jobs by appointment (see procedure). The wording on the notices patrons receive by text or email during this time are going to be different than normal. You might get questions. Below, I’ve included the various notices patrons will receive.

Patrons will receive the following message when their holds have been trapped/made available.

Curbside pickup begins June 2nd. Please follow the link below to make an appointment to pickup your holds. If you’ve already made an appointment for a future date, don’t make a new appointment. We’ll bundle your new holds with the others.

https://www.johnstonlibrary.com/holds-pickup/

Patrons will receive the following message when they schedule their holds appointment.

Thank you for making an appointment to pickup your holds. Please arrive as close to your scheduled time as possible. When you arrive, park in the parking lot, then call or text your name to (515) 412-0410. Stay in your car while we bring your items in a bag labelled with your name to a table in front of the library.

Patrons will receive the following message when they schedule their printing pickup appointment.

Thank you for making an appointment to pickup your print job. Please arrive as close to your scheduled time as possible. When you arrive, park in the parking lot, then call or text your name to ‪(515) 412-0410‬. Stay in your car while we bring your document(s) to a table in front of the library.

Patrons with puppets, learning tools, cake pans, and/or launch pads checked out received the following message today:

Our outdoor book returns are open but please hang on to the puppets, learning tools, cake pans, and launch pads that you have checked out until the inside book drop is open. We don’t have a date yet for when that will happen but due dates for those items have been extended to July 1 and will be extended further if needed.

The public restrooms are open for use with the exception of the Youth Services restroom–it needs the door trimmed to fit the new tile. We’re awaiting locks for the stalls which the manufacturer forgot to ship.

• Masks
  • 15 of the 45 masks that have been ordered have arrived. Right now, they’re in a bag on my desk. Feel free to grab one if you’re in the library before I have a chance to distribute them.
  • As Molly stated in a previous post, the rule about masks is that masks are required when “talking with co-workers and while moving around the library. We may remove our face coverings while at our workstation.”
• Returns
  • As you know, we will begin accepting returns on Monday. All book drops will be opened late Sunday night and will remain open 24/7 (I’ll be checking them late each night). We have about 14,000 items waiting to be returned!
• Curbside pickup
  • The next step in our reopening–curbside pickup by appointment–will start June 2nd. The curbside procedure is still being worked out but will involve patrons making appointments online to limit the number of them arriving at any given time.
• Pay
  • As we reopen, some of you may work more hours than normal, others may work fewer hours than normal. If you work more, include those extra hours on your timesheet. If you work fewer, include your regularly scheduled hours (as we’ve been doing).

While we’ve tried to think carefully about procedures related to reopening, reality will no doubt exert itself and force modifications to our plans. If you see something that could be done better or something that’s not working, let us know.

Let me know if you have any questions.

I’ve completed drafts of everyone’s timesheets. Please follow the link below to verify and, if necessary, make changes to your sheet. Let me know if you have trouble.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1p_VHq14leoWFoKCESJ1IJN9baQvxfRss?usp=sharing

I asked in an earlier post to let me know if you DO NOT have a cloth mask. I heard from the staff members listed below that they need masks (they’re on order). If you’re not on the list and you need a mask, please let me know ASAP.

• Brittany
• Lydia
• Andrew
• Laura R.
• Britt
• Sarah G.
• Sue B.
• Gloria

It’s spring which means…it’s evaluation time. Part of the process is the self evaluation. This is your chance to tell your supervisor what you think you did well in the past year, how you’d like to grow going forward, and what could be done to help make your work or your experience at work better. The self evaluation form is linked below. It’s optional for shelvers. Please have it to your supervisor by June, 15th.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1N1MY_0WdfVJ8syr_7vVyrXiRAkLFjArN

Our updated reopening plan is linked below. Phase 4, browsing by appointment, begins Tuesday, July 7th. During phase 4, groups of three or fewer can browse in the library for 30 minutes by appointment.

[NEW] Phase 4.5 will begin Monday July 20th. In phase 4.5, we’ll offer the same services as in phase 4–computer use and browsing by appointment–but will expand our hours to Monday-Thursday 10am – 6pm and Friday-Saturday 10am – 5:30pm. Walk-ins for both browsing and computer use will be allowed if slots are available. Curbside hours will remain the same: Tues. & Thur.: 2pm-6pm; Wed. & Fri.: 10am-2pm; and Sat.: 9am-12pm. 

Beginning 7/20, browsing appointments will spaced every 20 minutes so no more than 8 browsers will be in the building at any time plus no more than 4 computer users. At checkout, patrons will be required to use one of the 2 self-checks that will be available. Visitors under 14 need to be accompanied by an adult. Masks will be required. Disposable masks will be available. Staff can make appointments for patrons–for curbside holds and printing pickup, computer use, and browsing–under the Patron Assistance menu on the intranet.  Let me know if you have any questions.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LDstEh5tOpLJcURsRYWWKKm6FNRjL5dfFk9kzovdKmM/edit

Sorry, I included the wrong text and it’s a pain to prevent email notifications for each update so you’re getting this again.

After the governor’s announcement today about extending closures in Polk County, I wanted to get the information included below out to patrons ASAP. It’s been scheduled to post on Facebook at 7pm. The information about due dates has been emailed to all patrons with items out.

——————–Facebook Post——————–

Although we are anxious to reopen, the safety of our patrons and staff is paramount. Today, the Governor extended existing closures in Polk County, including closure of public libraries, to May 15th. Due dates for library materials have been extended to June 1st–please hang on to your checkouts as our book returns are closed. We are planning for a phased reopening of the library based on relaxation of social distancing recommendations. The first phase of the plan includes curbside pickup of library materials; phase two includes limited access to public computers; in phase three the building will be open for limited browsing; and in phase four the library will be fully open with the restarting of in-person library programs and community meetings. We don’t currently have a start date for reopening. Until Iowa ramps-up testing and officials get a more accurate picture of the coarse of Covid-19 in Polk County and across the state, we think it best to avoid announcing a particular timeline that we may not be able to keep. We miss all of our patrons. We look forward to seeing you and will be in touch with updates as we have them.

——————–End Facebook Post——————–

This super-long paragraph makes reference to a plan. Molly, Department Heads, and I put together a draft reopening plan that I’ll clean up tomorrow then share with everyone for input.

-Eric

I’d like to have two or three washable masks for all staff when we reopen. I know some of you already have masks. If you will need masks when you return to work (whenever that is), please let me know.

I’ve completed drafts of everyone’s timesheets. Please follow the link below to verify and, if necessary, make changes to your sheet. Let me know if you have trouble.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ZLkt_hAxWzQOMeRTjRyxfjaTcoPY8xJC?usp=sharing

Molly is currently having internet trouble at home and can’t make the Zoom meeting.

It’s National Library Week and today is Library Workers Day! It’s crazy times and I truly appreciate everyone’s help, insight, and patience throughout these past few weeks. For me, this time being closed has helped me better appreciate how much of my motivation and satisfaction at work comes from the relationships that I have with the people that visit the library and the people I work with. I feel lucky to work with a staff who feel the same. Thank you. I hope to see everyone soon.

I know you’re all wondering when and how we’ll reopen. As you know, the governor has mandated that public libraries remain closed until April 30th. Predictions* suggest that Iowa will not have reached the peak number of daily deaths and infections (the top of the “curve”) until sometime in the first half of May.  We closed the library when Iowa was at the bottom of this curve so its unlikely we’ll reopen at the top of it. Metro-area library directors have discussed coordinating reopening to prevent a run on the first library that reopens. I assume we’ll reopen in much the same way we closed but in reverse: first allowing hold pickups in the entryway and returns to the book drops; then allowing patrons to enter the building; and finally starting up programs and meetings. This picture assumes, however, that the virus will go away all at once in the same way that it came. As this article points out, we may be in for waves of loosening restrictions followed by a re-tightening if we see spikes in new cases.

Full-time staff are continuing the activities outlined in this post. In addition, Megan as signed up for Reader Zone for patrons to participate in summer reading online. You can try it out via the Reader Zone app or website. Use the code dfd10.

I hope everyone is doing well. If you’re so inclined, join the JPL Staff Facebook group.

Take Care,

Eric

*https://covid19.healthdata.org/united-states-of-america/iowa

*https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/04/07/825479416/new-yorks-coronavirus-deaths-may-level-off-soon-when-might-your-state-s-peak#allstates

*https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/iowa-coronavirus-cases.html

In normal times, Food for Fines would start tomorrow. Patrons can still donate items for fines during National Library week. The details posted to Facebook are included below. We’ll talk more about procedure for staff closer to re-opening:

I know that many of you know patrons–from in the library or through home delivery, book clubs, the book bike, etc.–from Martina Place and Bishop Drumm. I’ve included some sad news from the Fire/EMS Chief below. I’ll update everyone as I hear more.

———————–

Mayor, Council and Department Heads.

I have an update on Martina Place and Bishop Drumm in Johnston.

There is an outbreak of COVID-19 in Martina Place that this also affected Bishop Drumm. This is now added to the list of care facilities that the Governor will be reporting on in her updates.

We are taking extra precautions and working with their staff. We will work with them more tomorrow to ensure the safety of their residents and our staff.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks,

Jim Clark

Fire Chief

Johnston-Grimes Metropolitan Fire Department

6373 Merle Hay Rd.

Johnston, IA  50131

Office:  515-251-7690

jclark@cityofjohnston.com

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I hope everyone is doing well. I thought I’d provide a brief update on library business.

Public services staff have been posting to social media and updating our online lists of materials to include more lists of electronic materials which we’ll promote on Facebook and elsewhere. Brittany and Megan have been posting story times, activities, and other programs on Facebook and YouTube. Jessica has started Instagram and Tik-Tok pages for teens where she’s been posting book recommendations, author events, and other fun stuff. Those responsible for physical collections are continuing to order materials with an emphasis on filling gaps in their collections. Dreama and her staff are continuing to report to the library to receive and unpack deliveries, process and catalog materials, and work on other Technical Services projects. Molly is processing all incoming digital card requests from home and also responding to email messages from patrons that come from our website. Several full-time staff are responding to the new live-chat feature on our website which is staffed 9-4 Monday through Friday. I am checking and responding to library voicemail several times each week.

In the past week, I’ve spent about $8,000 on extra copies of high-demand e-books and e-audiobooks to reduce wait times for JPL patrons. I’ll continue to monitor Overdrive hold lists while we’re closed and shift spending from physical to electronic materials to reduce wait-times. 

The restroom remodel is continuing. The tile should be done a week from Monday. The next step will be counter installation, then re-installation of sinks and toilets, and finally installation of the stall partitions. 

Finally, anyone is welcome to visit the library during the day weekdays to stock up on books, movies, or whatever.

Take Care,

Eric

I’ve completed drafts of everyone’s timesheets. Please follow the link below to verify and, if necessary, make changes to your sheet. Let me know if you have trouble.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1P0KsqfKm9m-Uq4DXN4EWu3NFcqfmGUt5?usp=sharing