Author: Elizabeth Stevens

A couple additional details about Adult Summer Reading Mugs:

• When we start to get adult patrons turning in their completed Adult Summer Reading Log, please grab a prize mug for them from the boxes that are underneath the self checkout computer behind circ instead of grabbing mugs from the display. I have additional boxes of mugs in my office and will replenish as needed.
  
• If you, as a staff person, would like to participate in Adult Summer Reading you are welcome to. I would like you to hold off collecting your mug until after Summer Reading culminates (end of July) to make sure we have enough for patrons first.
  Thanks!

2024 Adult Summer Reading Instructions for Staff

1. To sign up for Adult Summer Reading all a patron needs to do is take an Adult Summer Reading Log or download one from the library website under the main Events menu (https://www.cityofjohnston.com/1461/Adult-Summer-Reading). Adult Summer Reading Logs are located at each service desk. Email or slack Beth if your supply is getting low. Extra copies of the logs can be found here: P Drive: Beth Stevens> Adult Summer Reading> 202ASR> Adult Summer Reading Log 2024.pdf
2. The Adult Summer Reading Challenge is a little different than years past. Please take a minute to familiarize yourself with the directions.
   • Here’s how it works: the Challenge runs from May 28 through July 28 and concludes with a Grand Prize Drawing in August. In order to complete the challenge, patrons must finish at least 12 action items from these 4 categories:
     • read or listen to a book of their choice,
     • attend a JPL adult library program,
     • complete a summer reading puzzle, or
     • Dealer’s Choice. The Dealer’s Choice category allows you to do more of any of the first 3 categories.
   • Write the title of the completed item next to the category in which it fits.
   • Answer keys for all Adult Summer Reading Puzzles are at the Reference Desk. If a patron wants to check their own puzzle, they can, but they do not need to turn the puzzle into us. We’ll just take their word for it that it was completed.
   • Adults who complete the Summer Reading Challenge get a JPL swag mug and a chance to enter the Grand Prize Drawing.

1. When a patron turns in their completed Summer Reading Challenge log, please do the following things:
   • Double check that they have completed at least 12 of the categories on the log
   • Cut off the bottom of their log with name and phone number and put it in the Summer Reading Grand Prize Bucket behind the Circulation Desk.
   • Write the patron’s name in the Summer Reading Stat Log.
   • Ask the patron if they would like a cobalt or sky blue swag mug.
   • Congratulate them on completing Adult Summer Reading and give them their mug!
2. If they want to keep going, patrons have the option to complete ONE Bonus Summer Reading Log. The Bonus logs are red versus orange and clipped together in the Adult Summer Reading Holders behind the regular logs.
   • Completed Bonus logs are good for one additional entry into the Grand Prize Drawing that will happen at the beginning of August. Patrons who complete the Bonus log DO NOT get a second mug.
3. The Grand Prize for Adult Summer Reading is a DSM Local Book Store Crawl Gift Card Pack that contains the following items:

• $30 gift cards to Reading in Public, Beaverdale Books, and Storyhouse Bookpub book stores, literary coffee, literary tea, and book coasters.

Adult Summer Reading Display with a swag mug prize is up behind Circ. The paper book background decoration has limited visibility from the check-in desk a little. Remember to ring the doorbell if you need backup at the Circulation Desk.
Thanks!

There are 7 plywood boards outside the cubicle wall of my office for Judy Anderson. She will stop by sometime in the next couple of days to pick the items up. If I’m not here, if someone could just Slack or email me that she grabbed the items, that would be much appreciated.

Thanks! Beth

Hello all,

Thank you for answering the numerous phone calls about Shred Day that is scheduled for tomorrow, April 27th from 9am to noon. A couple details you may be getting asked:

• Shred Day will continue rain or shine unless there is lightning. At that point, it would become a safety issue and Shred Day would be cancelled. From what I can see right now, it does not look like thunderstorms are forcasted until much later in the day.
• The SHRED IT company will be in the JPL parking lot from 9:00am to 12:00pm for on-site document destruction with 3 of their mobile document-shredding vehicles. THE SHRED IT company is  AAA certified by the National Association for Information Destruction.
• Patrons should limit material to be shredded to 3 disposable boxes or containers per household.
• To expedite shredding, traffic will route from Merle Hay around the library onto Morningside Drive and enter the west parking lot by the Simpson Barn.
• Patrons are asked to stay in their  vehicle and a volunteer will collect boxes for on-site document shredding.

Hello all,

On June 1, we will be hosting a Perfect Burger cooking class. I wanted to put out a call to see if any staff members who live close by have gas grills and would be willing to loan them for a morning. The class will be taught inside with grill pans if we cannot gather gas grills.
If you have a gas grill and can transport and loan it for a morning, please let me know.

Thank you!

Beth

Please find the message from our Library Board regarding the final interview schedule for Thursday, bios of the three final candidates, and a QR Code for presentation feedback.

Good Morning JPL Staff –

Happy National Library Workers Day!!  We are so grateful that you choose to work at the Johnston Public Library and appreciate all your hard work to make JPL a great asset to our community.

We are looking forward to our Finalists’ Interviews for the Library Director on Thursday, April 11th.  Please find the finalists’ bios attached to this post for your review along with a schedule for the activities that day.  Again, if you are able, any staff can attend the finalists’ presentations in the West Meeting Room (see schedule for times).  I’ve also attached a QR code to the feedback survey you can fill out after seeing the presentations.  Please only fill out the feedback form if you have attended the presentations or interacted with the candidates on that day in your official capacity at the library.

If you have any questions, please reach out!

JPL – Finals Schedule (with Candidate Names)
Finalist Bios – Johnston Library – 2024
QR code for printing – Johnston Public Library – 2024

Hello All,
This Thursday, April 11 is a big day. The 3 final candidates for the Director Position at JPL will be participating in the following activities:

• Q & A session with JPL Department Heads
• Tour of the building
• 15-minute presentations followed by a Q & A in sessions open to the public
• Interviews with the Johnston Library Board

As you know, Molly is one of the final 3 candidates who will be part of this day-long interview process.
While you will see Molly in the building this Thursday, she is not present as a JPL staff member on this day. Please don’t go to her with any questions on Thursday. She is here solely for the interview process.

If you have any questions regarding desk services, technology, library materials, etc. please make the best decision available to you in the moment. As always, our coworkers are our best resources when we need additional information. Beth, Megan and Dreama will be in the building and monitoring Slack during the day.  Peg is the L.I.C. from 8:30-12; Megan is the L.I.C. from 12-5; and I’m the L.I.C. from 5 until close.

Thanks for your cooperation.

As part of National Library Week, we are collecting Food for Fines from Sunday, April 7 through Saturday, April 13, 2024. Donated items (food and personal health items like diapers, feminine hygiene products, paper towels, etc.) will go to the Johnston Partnership to support individuals in our community experiencing food insecurity.

• One donated food or personal health item = $1.00 in fines
• Food items will not be accepted as payment for lost/damaged items or items that have gone to collections

• No maximum payment with food
• No need to count food –take the patron’s word for it

We have free started herb seeds left over from the Homemade-ish: Starter Herb Garden Class. Planters are labeled with contents: basil, cilantro, and parsley. These are free to a good home and patrons can take as many as they want. The soil is dry right now; seeds should be watered once they arrive at their forever home. Thanks!

Hey all,

AARP is asking people to register for the JPL Shred Day on their website. They are gathering statistical data for their own program. Patrons DO NOT need to register to utilize the JPL Shred Day.
Thanks! Ask Beth if you have any questions.

We have new art in the JPL Gallery. As you have time, check out work by Diane Tough. Diane works with watercolor, pastels and acrylics and finds inspiration in nature and everyday life. She uses the interplay of light and shadow and varies the texture and size of brush strokes to foster an impressionistic approach to realism. She says “there is so much beauty in Iowa, the subjects are endless!”
https://www.johnstonlibrary.com/1428/JPL-Art-Gallery

New artwork in the display cases will be installed this Friday, April 5.

A couple upcoming changes to the Libby app. I don’t believe these changes will be incredibly disruptive, but wanted to make you aware of changes.

  *   Libby will prompt users when borrowing, placing a hold, or tagging an item different from their preferred language.

*   Android 7.1.1 will be earliest supported OS for both Libby and Kanopy effective April 15. OS 7.1.0 accounts for 1.5% of all OverDrive users

More detail about these two changes are below:

Based on partner and user feedback, Libby’s latest update introduces a prompt to users when they borrow, place a hold, or add a Notify Me tag to a title in a language different from the one they have set as their app preference.
The goal of this update is to ensure users are interacting with the titles they are most interested in, reducing instances of accidentally borrowing or requesting books in a language they aren’t familiar with. This is especially helpful when a title’s language may not be clear from the cover image.
If the user selects “Yes, I Can Read It” from the prompt, Libby will help them complete the action they were taking. Libby then remembers that the user speaks this language for 90 days. This timer refreshes every time a user borrows, place a holds, or tags a title in that language.
If the user doesn’t want the title in that language, Libby will try to find it in the languages the user speaks based on app preferences and past language confirmation prompts.

After April 15, users with devices running Android OS 7.1.0 or earlier will be required to update their operating system or switch to another supported device to continue using OverDrive services.
Our analytics show that usage on Android OS 7.1.0 and earlier has been declining and accounts for approximately 1.5% of all OverDrive users, with Libby users being the most impacted. Note that Google has also discontinued support for these earlier versions of the Android OS.
User messaging
Starting the week of March 25, impacted Libby users will see a message to update their OS or switch to another supported device to continue using the app.

Handpicked lists (JPL Librarian Curated Lists) (thank you Christine, Lolo, and now Katrina) are back on the website! I will probably continue to refine the page, but it’s published. Check it out under the Browse Menu at www.johnstonlibrary.com. Direct link is here:  https://www.johnstonlibrary.com/1440/Handpicked-Lists

Due to a personal emergency, Part 3 of the Mindfulness Meditation series scheduled for tomorrow February 27th has been cancelled. Participants have been emailed and called and calendars have been updated. If you receive any questions about it, please tell patrons we hope to reschedule the series at a future date.
Thanks!

Shred Day is still a couple months away but we’re already receiving calls. Here’s what you need to know about this event:

What: Free Shred Day
When: Saturday, April 27th from 9:00am to noon
Where: JPL Parking Lot. To expedite shredding, traffic will routed from Merle Hay around the library onto Morningside Drive and cars will enter the west parking lot by the Simpson Barn. We ask patrons to please stay in their vehicles and a volunteer will collect boxes for on-site document shredding.
How Much: Patrons are asked to limit material to be shredded to 3 disposable boxes or containers per household.

There is no registration for this free event. The direct link to our calendar event for Shred Day is here:
https://johnston.librarycalendar.com/event/free-shred-day-6723

Hi All,
Attendee winners from the 2024 Read Local Author Fair have been drawn and notified. The following patrons have JPL Books Bags waiting for them behind the Circulation Desk:

Alyssa Tivold
Blaine Riesberg
Carol Miller
Lucinda Wonderlich-Fuller

The bags are labeled with the winner’s name. When patrons turn up to collect their prize, all you need to do is hand their bag over to them. Nothing to record!

Thanks!

Beth

Quick update about JPL’s Kanopy Streaming Video Service available to JPL residents and our corner of rural Polk County:

We have chosen to evenly distribute our Kanopy budget through a monthly dollar amount. If/when the monthly Kanopy budget for JPL is hit, patrons trying to access this service will get a message that says:
“Kanopy Streaming is currently limited at my Library. You can find out more about that here: https://help.kanopy.com/en-us/4142.htm?Highlight=limit ”

Kanopy “tickets” (i.e. the ability to stream videos) will reset during the next calendar month.

Thanks!

We have new (functional) phone chargers for in-house use. Here are the items you need to know about the new chargers:

• Please continue to check chargers out to users using their library cards.
• The phone chargers now live in their charging dock underneath the Brother printer.
• When someone wants to check out a charger, unplug the cord the charging power bank–the cord stays plugged in to the charging station.
• Press the circle button on the charging bank to power it on. The button will light up when on.
• Grab a cord and connect it to the charging bank before giving it to the patron. The cords are black and white braided cords and have connectors for Apple and Android phones. The cords are in the drawer to the right of the Ref computer labeled “Charging Cords and Headphone Adaptors.”
• When the chargers are returned, check in the charging power bank on Polaris. Plug the cord on the charging station back into the power bank so it can recharge. Put the cord back in the drawer.

Lolo made a cute spicy romance display back in the nonfiction area. She rated the books by spice level.
Lolo is not expecting to get the paper chili peppers back. If patrons hand them back to you during checkout, we will take them back at ref, but it is totally fine for them to go home with patrons.