Category: All-Library News

Your pay stub will look different this pay period as the city migrated to a new version of their payroll software. All the same information should be on the paystub though.

I am not sure why we got two pay stubs via email. I will let you know when I learn why.

Thank you.

W-2s are in your mailbox unless we made other arrangements for me to mail them to you.

Due to a software upgrade at the City, payroll emails will now come from a generic no-reply.tylerhost email address instead of sdickson@cityofjohnston.com. You will still login with the last four of your SSN.

Andrew is a cellist in the Des Moines Symphony, and the next concert set is Masterworks 4.  Guest conducting will be Keith Lockhardt, the music director of the Boston Pops.  We will be playing “Surge,” by Wang Lu, the Violin Concerto in G Major by Samuel Barber, and Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra.  Amaryn Olmeda will be the violin soloist, and here is a link to purchase tickets:  https://desmoinesperformingarts.org/events/symphony-discover-innovation/.  Performances take place at the Civic Center of Greater Des Moines on Saturday, February 3rd at 7:30 PM, and Sunday, February 4th at 2:30 PM.

Andrew will also be performing in the symphony’s production of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in late February, and here is a link to purchase tickets for this set:  https://desmoinesperformingarts.org/events/harry-potter-and-the-order-of-the-phoenix/.  Performances take place at the Civic Center on Friday, February 23rd at 7:30 PM, and Saturday, February 24th, at 1:30 PM.

Kanopy is available again. I had to reconnect my JPL library card and pin to my Kanopy username and password. If patrons are still struggling, that’s what i would suggest trying. Ask Beth if you have questions. Thanks!

Kanopy is temporarily unavailable. We’re working on resolving the issue. If you have patrons inquire about the service, please tell them we’re aware of the problem and working on a fix. Take their contact info and tell them we’ll notify them when Kanopy is back in action. Patron contact info can be emailed or slacked to beth. My email is stevens@johnstonlibrary.com.

Thanks!

Tax season is upon us so I wanted to submit a friendly reminder about info and services we offer during this time, as well as info and services we do not offer.

Under the Services Menu at johnstonlibrary.com, we have menu link called Tax Forms. This is the most expedient way to link people to printable forms for Iowa and Federal tax forms. The link also has info about what government offices people need to go to if they want to pick up their tax forms in person.

JPL has received federal 1040 and 1040SR forms plus federal 1040 instruction booklets. The 1040SR stands for senior. It is intended for people 65 or older. Form is basically the same but has larger print and calls out tax benefits for people over age 65.

If individuals are seeking tax forms above and beyond the forms listed above, we will print them for individuals for free. We will not print instruction manuals for free.

The tax link on our website also has information about free tax preparation people can take advantage of if they are interested. AARP offers free tax prep, as well as United Way. Links to those sites with location and date and time info is posted there.

During this time, it’s important to remember that we do not provide tax advice or information to people, in the same way we do not provide medical or legal information to people. Just a friendly reminder that we can connect people to services and organizations that do provide this information, but we are not the information ourselves.

Thank you for all your time and efforts learning about our website and PowerPAC with library users. I am so grateful for your willingness to jump in and answer questions and receive feedback from the public.

Department Heads are gathering input and learning if requests are possible – and then weighing if requests should be implemented based on best practice, staff time available and the number of requests received. We don’t want to change the website daily, but we do want to be responsive. Here is a breakdown of how we would like to gather input on the website and a general timeframe for changes:

Slack channel – Use the Slack channel to report broken links or other things that are clearly not functioning as they should and no patron follow up is needed. You should expect a response to your slack within 24-48 hours. This is not the correct avenue for complaints or grumbles.

Messages to Molly via email or slack – Message Molly directly with patron complaints that require follow up. I will follow up with patrons. Also message me directly with general wish lists, complaints, observations, etc. that don’t require follow-up.  I will make a running list of feedback and that will help department heads prioritize projects.

Keep in mind that we will not plan on making changes – other than fixing broken functions – daily or weekly.

Below is feedback we have received and a response:

Feedback: The new catalog makes me sign in and before I didn’t have to sign in.

Response: The new online catalog will require you to sign in after more than 20 minutes of inactivity. That is to protect privacy and security, and that is not something that we can change.

Feedback: It would be nice if items that were available showed up in a different color than items that were not available.

Response: That is not an option in our new system. Availability shows on the record several times. Please guide patrons where they can see the availability.

Feedback: Patrons miss using the online catalog to browse for materials.

Response: This a function that will not be available exactly the way it was. The online catalog is designed to search using “access points” i.e. title, author, date of publication, subject heading, keyword, etc. There was some “magic” in the old catalog that allowed for a browsing experience that we just won’t be able to replicate. For instance we cannot sort books in the order that they were added to our system. What we can offer are lists of books and carousels or rivers or books that people can scroll through. We are working through some issues to get more of those lists available and easily discoverable to library users.

Feedback: Patrons miss the indicator that showed up on the catalog letting them know if an item was in their reading list or holds queue.

Response: Patrons can access their reading history (if it is turned on) or their holds on the PowerPAC, but it won’t up as they search for materials in the bibliographic record. They will have to cross reference those lists. Again, this is just a little bit of convenience that is no longer available.

Feedback: I am not sure how to request an ILL or Purchase Request. I just see request.

Response: We are just accepting requests for materials that we do not own. Then library staff are deciding what the best option is to get the patron connected with the materials. It isn’t always an easy choice between ILL and purchasing an item, and the ultimate goal is just to connect the patron with the item. We are going to take all the factors into consideration and decide if an ILL or purchase request is the best route. For instance, we might have seen two ILL requests for an older DVD in the last month. And we can buy it for $5. In that case, we might just go ahead and do a purchase request since the purchase price is less than postage and we have seen a high demand for that item…even if it is older. So there are many factors to consider with ILL vs. purchase requests, and we just wanted to simplify the process since most of the public is not aware of all the factors involved.

Between December 21 and January 18 there were 4,855 logins and 1,601 holds placed on PowerPAC so people are busy using it. Thank you again for all your help with the transition.

The first paystub that went out this morning from the city did not have accurate leave accruals. The city will be sending a second paystub with accurate leave accruals – but we only are getting paid once 😉

We are currently in the process of re-cataloging and relabeling YA Manga and GN (graphic novels). Some of the Manga series are cataloged under the author’s name as well as the title. If you are having problems locating an item, try looking in both places. Please see me or Molly if you have any questions.

Due to the rollout of the new website, we have not yet changed most of the rural Polk County designations in Polaris. The majority of them are currently designated as Polk County (Webster). We are going to begin making those changes now, so you may notice an increase in patrons calling or stopping at a desk to ask why their Libby accounts have stopped working. Please explain the change to them and use the charts at the desks to help them find their new home library. A review of this process can be found on the Intranet. https://intranet.johnstonlibrary.com/?s=Rural+Polk+County

To complicate matters, the Grimes Library is temporarily closed as they transition to their new building, so we will not be changing the statistical class of those in Jefferson Township until they are reopened. For now, those patrons will continue to have access to Libby through JPL. I will post an update when we begin making the Jefferson Township changes, but for now, if someone asks, please explain that we are granting them temporary access through our library until the Grimes Library reopens.

Thank you!

Due to low enrollment and severe weather, the Teen Tutoring Night originally scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 14 has been postponed to Sunday, Jan. 28.

Due to extreme winter weather conditions we have decided to postpone the Ancestry Basics Genealogy Class that was originally scheduled for tomorrow, Saturday, January 13, 2024.

Ancestry Basics at JPL has been rescheduled for Saturday, February 3, 2024 at 10:30am. 
Here is a direct link for the rescheduled JPL Genealogy event: https://johnston.librarycalendar.com/event/ancestry-basics-iowa-genealogical-society-5044.

Patron’s registration for this new date will transfer over from the previous date. Patrons have been notified of this change via email. Patrons have also been told if they are no longer able to attend the class on Sat, Feb 3, to email us at info@johnstonlibrary.org or to call the library.

Thank you in advance for your help editing these event registrations if needed.
Ask Beth if you have questions.

Due to the weather, the library will remain closed all day tomorrow, January 12.

Two staff will be here and the library will be open as a warming center only from 9 am – 530 pm, but all other library services will be unavailable.

I will work with Peg to get timesheets updated tomorrow.

Please stay safe!

Update: Our grand prize winner is out of the country for about a month. I will keep her prize in my office until she’s back stateside.

The Grand Prize Winner for 2023 Ultimate Reading Challenge has been drawn. The winner is Bernita Missal. She has been notified via voicemail that her prize is waiting for her at JPL behind the Circulation Desk. The prize is a DSM Metro Local Bookstore Crawl Gift Card Pack.

When Bernita comes to pick up her prize, I would love to get a picture if she’s up for it. If I’m here when she comes in, please grab me so I can chat with her.

Thank you to all staff for all your help answering questions about the Ultimate Reading Challenge and giving out prizes. Now on to Ultimate Reading Challenge 2024!

Beth

Our All Staff Meeting is scheduled on Sunday, January 28th from 10:45am-12:45pm.

10:45 -11:30am Social time with trivia, party games, & food!

11:30 -12:45 Staff Meeting

If the first session doesn’t sound like your thing – you are not required to attend, but we would love to have you there! Both sessions will be paid.

Please email Molly or Peg to let them know if you will be able to attend on January 28 so they can get When to Work updated.

Hope to see everyone there!

The weather is not working well with our timesheet deadlines this week:

If the blizzard comes in as expected tonight, I will plan on opening the library at 12 pm.

I will let everyone know the plan for tomorrow no later than 7 am.

If you work today and the library opening late tomorrow will impact your timesheet, please prepare two timesheets – one for each scenario.

Again, if we open late tomorrow, those that earn PTO will need to take PTO. It will be unpaid for those that don’t earn PTO.

*I have four hours I am happy to give up on Saturday afternoon if anyone want to do that rather than take PTO*

When the library closes due to an emergency, like inclement weather, library staff that earn PTO are required to use PTO. If you do not earn PTO, it will be unpaid.

In some cases, staff may be able to work with their supervisor to adjust their schedules to make-up some of the hours.

If you do not want to use PTO,  I have four hours I am working on Saturday afternoon that I would be happy to give to someone not wanting to use PTO.

Please reach out to your supervisor if you have any questions or concerns.

I just want to keep you in the loop as to what is going on with low temperatures in the library. We seem to have a few problems happening simultaneously.

Currently I have walked around and moved the thermometer around the library. I am reading between 63 and 68 degrees. We normally are at 70-72 degrees.

Technicians continue to work on the system, and I will continue to follow up with them until we get back into the 70’s.  It sounds like this may be a bit of a process so things may not be at 100 percent for a few days. I would continue to dress in layers.

The minimum temperature for library operations would be less than 60 degrees for more then two hours in a staff or patron occupied space. If you notice temps dropping in your area, please let me know.

Thank you for your patience.

The library will remain closed today, January 9. Stay safe!