Author: Eric Melton

 Good morning.

Last week EFR sent an email to all of our employer groups inviting you and your employees to our free webinar “Coping with COVID-19: Resiliency and Mental Health to be presented this week on Wednesday, April 8^th at 10:00 AM CDT at:

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5896299735182037517

If you have not already done so, please forward this information to all your employees.  If you did provide this information to your employees last week, will you please send them a reminder. 

After registering, each person will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

The 2020 Green Days & Kites on the Green events have been cancelled. There’s some talk of rescheduling a smaller Green Days event for the fall. I’ll keep everyone posted.

I’ve started a private JPL Staff Facebook group for us to keep in touch (about non-work related things) while we’re home. Click the link and request to join. Your posts will only be seen by other JPL staff who are part of the group.

Yesterday, the governor announced an extension of the closure of Iowa’s schools, bars, and restaurants to April 30th.  We will follow suit and announce that the library will be closed until the end of April (it’s possible we’ll be closed longer). All due dates and hold-till dates for available holds have been extended to May 8th.

As of yesterday afternoon, the library’s phones are set to closed. Lori F. recorded a new phone message explaining how to contact us online. Molly and myself will continue to monitor email from patrons and, starting Monday, patrons can reach us 9am-4pm Monday through Friday via a new live chat feature on our website.

There seems to be some disagreement on the number of categories readers ought to be grouped into, but these articles are entertaining. You’ll probably recognize a few patrons and maybe yourself in them.

13 Types Of Readers Everyone Knows, Because We Aren’t All Alike

9 TYPES OF READERS YOU DEFINITELY KNOW

What Kind of Book Reader Are You? A Diagnostics Guide

Seven different types of readers
 

Please take a look at your timesheet in the PDF linked below (they’re in alphabetical order) and let me know if yours needs corrections. Given the circumstances, I’m more concerned that the total number of hours is right and less concerned about getting specific shifts right. Those whose timesheets are not included in the file have already turned their’s in, they’re listed below.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1mjP04yJNBON2UHqTMPY31FgaU3aNR3m2 

Abbi
Andrew
Ann
Beth
Brittany
Dreama
Jessica
Laura A.
Lori F.
Missy
Molly
Sheryl
Stephanie
Sue

As I mentioned in my post Sunday evening, our plan to split staff into two groups may not last the week.

Beginning Saturday, part-time staff should stop reporting to work until contacted to return.

• Pay: You will be paid your regular hours.
• Timesheets: Later this week, I will send you each a timesheet to review prior to turning them in on Monday–I’ll do the same whenever timesheets are due going forward.
• Work: As I’ve mentioned, you are welcome to work from home but are not required to. Megan has some things that can be taken home and worked on and myself or your supervisor can give you things to do. Let us know.

Full-time staff will continue to post on social media and monitor and respond to emails and other communications.

Thank you all for your hard work and flexibility up to this point. I’ll be in touch periodically with updates.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Wipe your work surfaces. Give people space at work.Wash your hands. If you’ve been around someone who has a cough, shortness of breath, or other flu-like symptoms or if you have any flu-like symptoms, stay home.

Shawn is continuing to clean every day after close. Closing staff do not need to set the alarm–he will.

To those of you not working this week (Gerke, Sarah; Gibb-clark, Stephanie; Ramsey, Denise; Swaroop, Deepa; Waugh, Abbi; Barlow, Sue; Mcdonough, Erin A; Rasmussen, Peggy), if you haven’t already, please complete the availability survey. Molly and myself will figure out your timesheets and turn them in a week from today.

Megan has prepared some work-at-home kits for those interested–contact her or I for details. Your supervisor may also be in touch with things you can work on. Otherwise, as you’re home isolating yourselves so you can come back to work healthy, get better at using the software you use at work by attending a Lynda.com course or checkout some of the library-specific online education offerings included below:

ALA Continuing Education 

University of Wisconsin Library CE

Info People Archived Webinars

WebJunction Free Webinars (requires creation of a free account)

State Library of Iowa Webinar Archives

San Jose State iSchool Webcasts

Schedule

I’ve included the schedule for this week below. For those in Group 1, there are no changes from what was already planned and posted to When to Work with the exception of cancelling the all-staff meeting originally scheduled for Thursday morning, cancelling the webinar scheduled for Wednesday, and cancelling training and orientation meetings.

I’ll be in touch soon with next week’s schedule.

Work

If you’re using a PC that’s been used by someone else, please wipe the keyboard, mouse, and work surface with a wipe first. In addition, please keep your distance (at least 6 feet) from other staff while you’re working or talking.

Restroom remodeling will continue this week–the tile guy may need the Commons door unlocked periodically.

Please read this carefully and know that you will be paid for all of your scheduled time:

Starting tomorrow, we will be splitting into two groups: one working for the next two-weeks, the other working the two weeks after that. The groups are listed below. Those of you at home during the first two weeks who would like projects to work on, let me know. Working from home is not required but we’d be happy to prepare some crafts for you to cut out, some online lists to create, some book carts to prepare, or whatever–I’m open to ideas.

The schedule for the next week has been set. Going forward, the priority will be to have 7 or fewer people working at a time (we have a big building–spread out). We’ll try to accommodate your availability but if that means that too many people will be in the building you’ll be asked to stay home.

If your name is not on the list, it’s because I’ve heard you’re taking this time off–if this is incorrect let me know. If you have another job where you’ve been laid off and your continued work at JPL is keeping you from full unemployment benefits, let me know that too.

We all know by now that our work and home lives are unpredictable and may continue to be for the next several weeks or months. This plan may be overtaken by circumstances before the week is out. Thanks for hanging in there.

Group 1 – 2 weeks on 3/21 – 4/5 (2 weeks off 4/6 -4/19)

1. MELTON, ERIC
2. DESKINS, DREAMA
3. SOCKNESS, MEGAN
4. GREFE, MELODEE
5. PONDER, LYDIA
6. AKERS, LAURA
7. HOLM, ANDREW R
8. WALL, CAROLYN
9. ELRICK, LORI A
10. BROWN, RODNEY
11. BREWER, GLORIA
12. RATH, LAURA J

Group 2 – 2 weeks on 4/6 – 4/19 (2 weeks off 3/21 – 4/5)

1. BURK, BRITTANY
2. YOUNG, JESSICA
3. GUERRA, MOLLY
4. STEVENS, ELIZABETH
5. GERKE, SARAH
6. GIBB-CLARK, STEPHANIE
7. RAMSEY, DENISE
8. SWAROOP, DEEPA
9. WAUGH, ABBI
10. BARLOW, SUE
11. MCDONOUGH, ERIN A
12. RASMUSSEN, PEGGY

While we’re closed, Johnston and rural Polk County residents (who don’t already have a library card) can sign up for a digital card to get access to the library’s online resources.

Here’s how it works:

1. Patrons will complete this form (they can find links to the form on our homepage and on our Facebook page).
2. Molly and other circulation staff will create an account for the patron.
3. The patron will receive an email with the text included below.

Thank you for applying for a digital card at Johnston Public Library. Your library card number is BJOH0000xxxxxx and your PIN is xxxxxxxx

Please visit us at www.johnstonlibrary.com to get access to the library’s e-books & e-audiobooks, streaming movies & TV, and other online resources. Staff will be available to help you get started 9am-5pm Monday-Saturday and 1pm-5pm on Sundays. Contact us by phone at 515-278-5233 (select option 3) or via email.

Your card will expire in 90 days. After that, you’ll need to come to the library with a photo ID and proof of your address to get a physical card which will let you borrow books and other materials from the library’s physical collection and will provide continued access to our online resources.

We are happy to offer the digital card during our closure, and we look forward to seeing you when we reopen.

Best Wishes,

Johnston Public Library Staff

The city clerk and city manager visited this morning to share a city-wide HR policy developed as a response to the coronavirus. The complete policy, which will change as situations warrant, is linked below. It says that staff will continue to be paid if city facilities, like the library, should cease all operation and it describes under what coronavirus-related conditions–like high-risk travel, direct exposure, and infection–staff will continue to be paid during their time off.

Although this isn’t spelled out in the document, city administration has agreed to continue to pay part-time staff who are at high-risk of severe illness from contracting the virus, which includes those over 65 and those with pre-existing health conditions, if they have a note from a doctor recommending self-isolation.

As I mentioned, this document is likely to change as things develop. I’ll keep everyone updated as it does.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

http://catalog.johnstonlibrary.com/wordpress-staff/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/HR-Covid-Policy.pdf

A big thank you to all the staff who hustled this week to help patrons check out 4,454 items since Monday (so far)!

While we’re closed and staff are continuing to report to work, our phone lines will be open 9-5 Monday-Saturday and 1-5 Sundays; our phone system’s hours are being modified accordingly.

As I mentioned in a previous post today, department heads will be meeting tomorrow to discuss ideas for how to offer some new services and some of our in-library services in new ways while we’re closed. We’ll be discussing projects staff can work on. Please add your ideas here. We’ll also be discussing how all of this could change at any time. Plans for online programs, curbside pick-up, digital cards, etc. could evaporate on short notice if we get orders that all staff should cease work. Because of this, be careful to temper expectations when talking to patrons about the services we’ll provide while we’re closed (“We’ll continue this service while we can” etc.).

If you have flu-like symptoms or know you’ve been exposed to someone with the virus don’t come to work and don’t worry about missed wages (more to come on that soon).

Lastly, there is a possibility that the library should cease all operations at some point and that staff are told not to report to work. Should this happen, the city is prepared with a plan to compensate employees for missed hours.

Thanks again for everyone’s hard work so far this week. Getting through this is going to take the same kind of grit and flexibility that got us to Wednesday. (Yep, we’re only three days in.)

As we try to continue answering patron phone calls about online resources 9am-5pm M-Sat and 1pm-5pm Sundays,  use the following method to have calls to the PS phone forwarded to your desk, to the YS desk, or wherever:

1. At the PS desk phone, press the button underneath where the screen says “Features”
2. Navigate to “Forward” and press the OK button
3. Highlight “Follow Me To…” (it’s the first on the list so should already be highlighted) and click the OK button
4. Type the extension you’d like to forward the call to
5. Press the button underneath where the screen says “Save”

To stop forwarding, follow steps 1-3 above, press the button under “Clear”, then the button under “Save”

If a YS or PS staff member is not available, forward the PS desk phone to myself (604) or Molly (606).

Although many institutions are announcing 4-6 week closures, we should be planning for the possibility that many places, including the library, will be closed to the public for a much longer period of time–maybe even into summer. Department heads will be meeting tomorrow to discuss ways of continuing to serve the community during this time. We’d love to hear your ideas, no matter how crazy. Please add them to the list linked below:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/10GTc0rAapUdZKkig0H_aFGkV65IgeOmzJyew6rIwfQs/edit?usp=sharing

CITY OFFICES CLOSE IN EFFORT TO PREVENT SPREAD OF COVID-19

In an effort to implement social distancing practices recommended to slow the spread of COVID-19, the City of Johnston offices, including Public Works, City Hall, and Crown Point Community Center, will be closed to the public effective Wednesday, March 18 thru Sunday, April 12. The Johnston Public Library remains open for hold pick-up from 9:00 a.m. thru 8:00 p.m. through Wednesday, March 18. The library will officially close on Thursday, March 19 thru Sunday, April 12. While these facilities are closed to walk in traffic, City services will continue to be provided by City departments with customer service needs being either handled online, via email or by phone.

Returns

Our outdoor book return and the Beaver Creek book return are currently closed. Patrons have been notified. Due dates for all checked out items have been extended to April 16th.

Holds

From now until we close, the pickup date for all available holds will be extended to 4/16.

Due to the overwhelming number of hold requests we’ve received in the past couple of days, we will be suspending hold requests at 5pm today. Patrons can still pick up their holds until 8pm today and 9am to 8pm tomorrow.