Author: Molly Guerra

Patrons can apply for a digital library card from our website. The digital card application will typically be processed within 48 hours.

Applicants 14 and older

Residents of Johnston and rural Polk County will be emailed their credentials to log into digital content. They will also be mailed a physical card to use for curbside, browsing, and PC appointments. They will have 90 days after the library fully reopens to provide a photo ID and proof of address if they wish to keep the card active.

Applicants that reside outside Johnston and rural Polk County will be emailed their credentials to log into the website for placing holds for curbside. They will not have access to most digital content. They will be mailed a physical card to use for browsing and PC appointments. They will have 90 days after the library fully reopens to provide a photo ID and proof of address if they wish to keep the card active.

Applicants under 14

Residents of Johnston and rural Polk County will be emailed their credentials to log into digital content. They will also be mailed a physical card with a letter asking a parent or guardian to bring a photo ID and proof of address back to the library before the juvenile will be allowed to use the card to borrow physical materials at a browsing appointment. There will be a blocking note on the account that can be deleted when the parent/guardian provides their photo ID and proof of address. Please add the parent or guardians DL number to the DL number field.

Applicants that reside outside Johnston and rural Polk County will be emailed acknowledging their application was processed. They will not have access to most digital content. They will be mailed a physical card with a letter asking a parent or guardian to bring a photo ID and proof of address back to the library before the juvenile will be allowed to use the card to borrow physical materials at a browsing appointment. There will be a blocking note on the account that can be deleted when the parent/guardian provides their photo ID and proof of address. Please add the parent or guardians DL number to the DL number field.

The staff member doing curbside will be in charge of deciding how inclement weather will impact where we leave the items. For instance, they may choose to use the umbrellas for light rain or snow or to put the items between the front doors for heavier rain or snow.

If inclement weather impacts curbside delivery, the staff member doing curbside will post the change to the #publicservicesdesks channel on slack so we are all aware.

On this rainy day, I just thought I’d throw out one of the many thanks we have been receiving from the community for our service during the pandemic. Don’t let a few negative comments overshadow the depth of gratitude we are receiving from the community. And thanks from me for all your hard work on this rainy day and all the other days.

From a patron picking up at curbside, “Thanks so much for doing this. As a high-risk family, it means so much to have access to the library safely!”

This is a small thing, but I think it will save a lot of time with curbside prep. In addition to printing the next day’s curbside schedule earlier in the day, please reprint it later in the day –  like around 2 pm on Tuesday/Thursday/Friday and around 5 pm on Monday, Wednesday.

When you are working on curbside prep later in the day, please make sure you are working with a new list.

We lend book club sets to borrowers for book clubs outside of the library. Technical Services, Miren, gets the sets prepared, checked out, and in a bag. She also contacts the borrower to arrange a curbside appointment and puts a blocking note on their account.

In case they drop-in for their items without an appointment, the bag is placed behind the Circulation Desk. The books are checked out to the patron and ready to go.

We set up the Book Bike Laptop in the Commons for the staff working curbside to have access to Polaris. It can be shut down each day at the end of curbside.

All the staff working the “bouncer desk” have been explicitly instructed by Megan and Beth to share with browsers to use Self-Check. I think we will continue to have people use the Circ Desk for a variety of reasons. We can certainly give affirmations to browsers for using the self-check kiosks and remind people that there is a new self-check kiosk in the youth services area. If you have specific safety concerns about patron interactions and the Circ Desk, please reach out to me directly.

I have printed instructions for accepting credit card payments over the phone and placed them near the cash register. They can be found here.

James put together a little bit of information about using Slack. Please read it carefully and reach out to me with any questions. If you aren’t using Slack, it will be hard to stay in communication. Please take a few minutes to check Slack and the Intranet at the beginning of each shift and throughout your shift. Please let me know if need help building that time into your schedule.

I’ve updated the opening and closing procedures. Please read these documents before the next time you open or close.

Now that some of the items that were borrowed in March have been past due for more than 30 days, items are moving to a circ status of lost and bills are being mailed.

If a patron gets a bill for an item(s) and calls you wanting to negotiate the fees before the items have been returned, please encourage them to:

1. Double-check their contact method with the library. Before someone gets a bill in the mail, if they have email or text, they should have received four messages from us. Encourage them to check their SPAM and mark notices@johnstonlibrary.com as safe
2. Return the overdue and/or lost items as quickly as possible. If they are quarantined or can’t make it to the library, pass the call to Molly
3. Wait for the items to make it through the quarantine and check-in process (five to seven days)
4. Check online, call us back or email us at notices@johnstonlibrary.com to make sure everything was returned and verify the overdue fees on their account
5. We are happy to waive fines on a one-time basis if there has been a miscommunication during the pandemic and items have come back.  This would apply to fines assessed after July 1. This applies to fines – not replacement costs, damage costs, or processing fees. For other fee-related questions, please refer to Paying or Waiving Fines or Fees in the All-Desk Documentation or pass the call to circ staff.

*Please don’t encourage patrons to bring back lost books to the Circ Desk and expect them to be processed immediately. Explain that we have a quarantine process and tell them to use the book returns.

*If the item has moved to a circ status of lost and they think they returned it or they seem very concerned/upset in general, please don’t hesitate to send them to Molly for additional assistance.

Johnston Public Library is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Circ Meeting 08/13/2020
Time: Aug 13, 2020 07:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88529218323

Meeting ID: 885 2921 8323
One tap mobile
+13017158592,,88529218323# US (Germantown)
+13126266799,,88529218323# US (Chicago)

Dial by your location
+1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown)
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
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+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
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+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
Meeting ID: 885 2921 8323
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/keFUBaCi3I

https://doodle.com/poll/848hrkd8itrb7vvc

Can you guys do the above doodle poll to let me know when you might like to meet for a quick Zoom meeting this week? It will be paid.

I’d love to have as many of you as possible so I can get as much input about how the reopening is going for Circ. If you can’t come, I’ll try to chat with you soon. I anticipate it will take 30 minutes to an hour.

Thanks!

Creating Appointments for Curbside and Other Library Services

Take a look at the document above and let your supervisor know if you have any questions. I’ve highlighted the purpose statement from the above document:

 We will work as an interdepartmental team to:

• Serve every patron if they make an appointment or walk-up to the library
• Educate library users about our appointment system as the fastest, guaranteed service approach and  walk-in appointments cannot be guaranteed
  • Walk-in patrons may be asked to wait while we gather materials or if we have reached the maximum number of patrons in the building. That is OK.
• Facilitate communication between departments working the desks using Slack

Laura R. got a special think you tucked into a book from a patron while checking in last weekend. I think it applies across the department. Thanks for everything you are doing. It doesn’t go unnoticed.

A few details regarding accepting payment:

• As you may have read in an earlier post, we can accept credit card payment over the phone by manually entering their card information into the machine. We should not write down the number, but enter it directly into the terminal as they read it to us without onlookers.
• I have created an updated Circ Closing Procedure which includes the handling of the money drawer.

Starting yesterday, the library is accepting payment for fines and fees if patrons wish to pay. We accept cash, check, or credit/debit card in person.

A few highlights:

• We can now accept credit card payment over the phone.
• We still are not blocking accounts due to fines or fees over $15.
• Patrons can mail checks.
• The minimum charge at the credit card terminal has been lowered to $1. 
• There is hand sanitizer near the cash register to use after each transaction.
• At this time, there is still no charge for printing.

Anyone trained to use the cash register is welcome to accept payment and clear fees from accounts. Let me know if you have any questions.

Book Quarantine Room: There is an order that we are following with the books. When we don’t follow that order it becomes very unorganized and almost impossible to figure out where we are with check-in. Please do not empty books into the quarantine room until you talk with me. Call or text me at 515-210-4441 if I am not at work and you are not sure where to put your items.

“But I brought that back”: I am telling everyone as they checkout, that there is a seven to ten-day return process. We have adjusted 1st overdue notices to go out at 7 days. I have told people to wait to call us until they receive the 2nd overdue notice at 10 days….we should almost always have it returned by then. If we all follow the process and put things in order in the quarantine room, it will not be hard to check each day and see where we are with processing. That way you can ask the caller which day they returned the items to get a better sense of if you should do a claims returned/escalate an issue to Molly or just ask them to wait a few more days. Their mood and tone can give you a sense of how to handle it as well 😉

Please remember to backdate: Always backdate one more day than the date on the blue tape to account for possible overnight materials. Beaver Creek Book Return items will have a note with the date you should use to backdate which will be about five days more than the date it was returned to the quarantine room.

Molds and Learning Tools: We are circulating learning tools and molds/cake pans. We are not circulating puppets. Please let people know that learning tools and molds/cake pans should be brought inside the building, can leave with the greeter at the door, rather than placed in the book returns.

Starting Monday we will be accepting Payments: We will be accepting payments starting Monday. You can accept cash, credit card, or check fines or fees. There will be hand sanitizer by the register to clean your hands after handling the money. We will not be blocked based on fees yet, so this is just for those that wish to pay. We are not using the Foundation cash register at this time, so we will not be selling books from the book sale room. 

Starting this week, a few seasoned volunteers will be returning to the Circ Department.  I won’t schedule more than one volunteer at a time, and drop-in volunteering will no longer be an option. Initially, they will just be shelving. Zoey, Tammy, Jill, and Hunter will be helping. They will be required to wear face masks while in the building. I will try to include them on the daily desk schedule.

Also, for the time being, Youth Services has agreed to help us out, as they have time, with some shelving of Juvenile materials including recently returned Children and Family DVDs.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Since the library will be open for browsing on Saturdays, we will be shifting curbside hours to 10 am – 1 pm starting August 1. This weekend is a little quirky and we will still start at 9 am – through the library won’t be open until 10 am for browsing or computers.

We are making library cards for those with appointments to browse or for walk-in visitors.

Here is a quick overview of what documents and information people need to get a library card:

Standard card –

Those 18 and older need a government-issued photo ID and proof of address (address on the ID will work if it is current)

For those 14-17, if no government-issued photo ID is available, an official document (letter, report card, Infinite Campus) with their name and address can be used.

For those under 14, a government-issued photo ID of a parent/guardian is required and the parent/guardian and child must be present.

For a provisional card (single-use and max of two items):

Those 18 and older need a government-issued photo ID – they do not need proof of address.

For those 14-17, no identification or official document is necessary. They do need to be able to fill out the form completely.

For those under 14, must be able to fill out the form completely. No ID or proof of address is required.

For all the details on making library cards, refer to the cheat cards at the public services desks or the Circulation Policy.

I am adding the jumble of procedures to this folder today. Look here if you have questions about a specific process. If you don’t find what you need, please let me know.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Y-2qrkaBWNg4KD3AvMfqKKd3YxWZXrTXU4Sff2Z2ekE/edit?usp=sharing

I apologize in advance. I feel like this is an information dump. I think I’ve talked to most of you about these things, but I wanted to send it out also in case I missed someone or wasn’t clear:

• Walk-in browsers will be asked if they have a library card at the door. If they do not, they will be asked to make a library card at one of the public services desks. They will need a photo ID and proof of address. We will be making cards for residents of Iowa…not just Johnston and rural Polk County.
• We will not be selling books from the book sale room during browsing. We do not have the Foundation cash register ready.
• We are not advertising this, but we are accepting donations during curbside and browsing hours. The Lions Club is coming to get books next week. Any donations should be placed with the others in the quarantine room. Please wash your hands after accepting donations.
• We will not be accepting fines or fees during browsing because we do not have the cash register out. People are able to borrow regardless of fines and fees. If they absolutely insist on paying…you cannot make change…you can put the money/check with a note on my desk and clear the fine on Polaris. Please do not accept credit card payments 🙂
• Please remember to backdate when you check in an extra day. If the tape says July 4th, backdate to July 3rd since some of that might be from overnight. Also, look for notes indicating that items are from Beaver Creek. If it is from Beaver Creek we will have a special date to use since Beaver Creek is not emptied every day.
• Please remember that we are now adding Open Access materials shipped through AEA in the database on the Intranet and packaging the materials. We are placing them in the TS Bin for AEA. They are on the summer schedule so use the letter routes, please.
• Finally, I will be out of the library starting Friday July 10 – 17. I will be available via phone, email, Slack…whatever. Feel free to reach out.

You guys are pretty amazing with all the changes. Thanks so much!

In the current climate, it simply does not make sense to publish the schedule on When to Work over a month in advance. Starting in August, we will publish the schedule each Thursday for the following week only.

So I will not publish the schedule on July 21st. I will publish the first week of August on July 30th and continue to publish one week each Thursday.

I know that each department will have a general idea of the schedule further out than one week, so please don’t hesitate to reach out to your supervisor if you have questions or would like to request time off.