Author: Eric Melton
Old Intranet
If you need access to the old intranet while the new one gets up to speed visit the link below.
Ice Rink
The ice rink will be installed this week or early next week between the library and the Simpson house/Johnston Historical Society. The rink will not have a cooling mechanism so the condition of the ice will be dependent on the temperature.
New Intranet
Rather than continue to delay the launch of the new intranet and have the news there get more out of date, I’ve decided to make the switch now. Your links to the old intranet should now redirect to the new one. As I mentioned, the new intranet is accessible from anywhere but you’ll need to login if you’re outside the library. I’m still in the process of getting things organized including the navigation, some of which has moved to the header on the top of the page. If you have suggestions on navigation or anything else as I continue to work on it please let me know.
Concrete
Due to the cold temps, the concrete work is being postponed until the spring.
Overdrive Hold Redelivery
Hold Redelivery
Coming Soon!(OverDrive blog post – Dec. 4, 2019) The struggle is real. I’m a fast reader, but not fast enough to get through all of my books, including the one I was in the middle of when all of my holds came in. Then some books come in when I have zero time to spare to read or am just not in the mood for, like a horror novel in the middle of summer. Shortly after I started working here, I learned OverDrive has a feature that allows me to suspend a hold and keep my place in line until I’m ready, but honestly, sometimes I forget to suspend a hold (or all of my holds) and am inundated with all of these books. Sure, I could just wistfully return them without reading them, but what if it’s a book I spent months waiting for and don’t want to have to go back to the bottom of the wait list? Understanding these challenges, we’re excited to introduce a new feature to delight more readers while also helping your wait lists move more efficiently. This new feature, called hold redelivery, will soon replace auto-checkout. WHAT IS HOLD REDELIVERY?Hold redelivery will allow users to suspend a hold even after it’s made available to them while maintaining their place on the wait list. By enabling users to pass books they don’t have time to read on to the next person in line, hold redelivery will help your library connect more readers to the right book, at the right time. HOW WILL IT WORK?Libby notifications (coming soon) will alert users when their holds become available. We’ll also add a “Notifications” section to your OverDrive website and the OverDrive app. After receiving notification that a hold is available, users can:
If the user takes no action, their hold will automatically be suspended one time for seven days. If no action is taken a second time, the hold will be canceled automatically. With the removal of auto-checkout, you may see a slight decrease in circulations. We expect this to level off over time as users adjust to the new functionality. Hthroughout OverDrive Marketplace. Suspended holds are excluded from holds ratio calculations, and you can choose whether they’re included in Holds Manager plans.
Hold Redelivery will be coming in early 2020 and we’ll follow up in the new year once we have confirmation of timing. In the meantime, you’re encouraged to reach out to your Account Manager with any questions. |
Gingerbread House Prizes
Winners of this year’s gingerbread house competition have been notified. The prizes are on the ledge behind the circulation desk.
New Year’s Eve Pops
Don’t forget to purchase your tickets for this year’s New Year’s Eve pops on NYE at 8 PM at the Civic Center! Cirque at the Symphony is this year’s program, and here is the link with information: https://dmsymphony.org/concerts-events/cirque-at-the-symphony/.
Gingerbread Judging
I will judge the gingerbread houses on Tuesday. The winners will be notified by the end of the day.
Test PS News
It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout. The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using ‘Content here, content here’, making it look like readable English. Many desktop publishing packages and web page editors now use Lorem Ipsum as their default model text, and a search for ‘lorem ipsum’ will uncover many web sites still in their infancy. Various versions have evolved over the years, sometimes by accident, sometimes on purpose (injected humour and the like).
Art Drop-Off
Deb Beenken will be in this week or next to drop off her artwork. When she comes up to the circ desk please let her use the grey cart to carry her artwork. It can go in my office.
Trainings introduced at today’s staff meeting
At this morning’s staff meeting, I introduced a list of skills that I think all JPL staff who work at a public desk should have. The list includes things like making and renewing library cards, running the cash register, and printing, faxing, and scanning (see the complete list via the link below). Myself and other department heads are currently gathering relevant documentation. We’ll then work with PS, YS, and circulation staff to schedule the trainings. The process will take some time. The goal is to help staff provide better service by increasing their knowledge of other departments’ more routine tasks. Once trained, the expectation is that staff, if available, can step-in to help another department when they need it. If there’s a line at the circulation desk, for example, PS staff can help checkout and will be able to handle the issues that commonly popup during that process–expired accounts, overdue fees, etc. If PS staff are helping a patron on a computer, circulation staff will be trained to help a patron release a print job. This does not mean that staff will be abandoning their desks for long periods of time to work at another desk. It does mean that if another department calls for help (with something you’ve been trained to do) and you’re not busy assisting other patrons then you’ll be expected to pitch in and then go back to your regular work.
Please let me know if you have any questions or if you think of things that should be added to the list.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1g7ucseDxBaHdhJsVwCKRnjhL9LLJPecDyXSE_AHjptQ/edit?usp=sharing
Email about new intranet site
You each should receive an email about your account for the new intranet. You don’t need to do anything at this point. I’ll keep everyone posted on the progress.
Ice Rink Update
The Parks Department plans to install the ice rink near the library the first week of December. The sign shown below will be installed near the rink.
Anyone have an extra 11/17 Sunday Register?
Hello — I’m wondering if anyone might have an extra copy of the Des Moines Register from Sunday November 17th. Probably kind of a long shot, but I think Aidan was in the sports section and we missed it! The library’s copy already had the article torn out of it – I didn’t do it. 🙂
Thanks,
Denise
Amy Grant and the symphony
I would like to let you know that I am playing in the Amy Grant concert with the symphony on Sunday December 8th at 7 PM at Wells Fargo Arena. I don’t know if tickets are still available, but this is something the symphony doesn’t do every year.
New Year’s Eve pops on December 31st at 8 PM at the Civic Center.
Patron Dania Abdulrahman has been found
Beth posted that Dania Abdulrahman was missing – according to KCCI, she has been found safe.
Dania Abdulrahman
Hey All,
Our former regular patron, Dania Abdulrahman is currently a missing person. She doesn’t live in Johnston anymore–she and her family have moved to West Des Moines, but should we see her in the library, please contact the West Des Moines Police Department.
Info here: https://www.kcci
.com/article/west-des-moines-police-search-for-missing-13-year-old/29814762