Category: All-Library News

Beginning Monday, all study room reservations, meeting room requests and program registrations should be entered into the new calendar.

Each service desk has diagrams explaining the steps for handling rooms and registrations. Peg, Megan and Beth are happy to walk through the steps with you.

We anticipate the first week using the calendar to have some bumps, but not many. Please ask questions and share feedback.

Megan is preparing short videos that staff can watch to learn how to handle requests as well.

Please help me welcome Meredith Ackerman and Dawn Kasotia to the library as library clerks. Both Meredith and Dawn are going to be great additions to the JPL Team.

Please take a moment to welcome them when you have time.

It’s the last pay period of 2022. Thank you for being diligent in getting your time sheets into the green folder each pay period and notifying me of last-minute changes. The number of corrections needed each pay period continues to decrease which makes verifying your hours so much easier.

We have JUST started to advertise one-on-one computer and job help available to patrons at JPL. This new service is called JPL Help Desk and will be available via appointment on Tuesdays from 4-6 and Wednesdays from 10-12. JPL Help Desk will be staffed by some ref staff and is meant to provide a better way of assisting patrons with more lengthy requests than the typical reference desk interaction can accommodate.

Information about the JPL Help Desk is available under the Services menu on our website at: https://www.johnstonlibrary.com/services/help-desk/.

If you have patrons inquire about this service, please send them to the Reference Desk. Ref staff have a series of questions that they will ask to figure out if a Help Desk appointment is the best option or if there is another option that would be a better fit (like a recommendation to an outside service).

Below is info about the Help Desk that details some of the parameters for this service.

Thanks!

Johnston Public Library’s Help Desk program provides training and support for teens and adults as they face new learning, employment, or technology-related challenges. JPL Help Desk staff can provide guidance with tech-related tasks, job search and resume help, and can connect individuals to resources, but cannot provide legal, financial or medical information or fill out forms for individuals. Help Desk appointments are educational in nature and individuals should have a clear goal in mind of what they would like to learn during their session.  Librarians are instructors and cannot troubleshoot or fix malfunctioning software or hardware. Typical uses for a Help Desk appointment include:

• Resume and Cover Letter writing assistance
• Job search assistance
• Troubleshooting basic computer applications
• Assistance searching the internet
• Help downloading library e-Books and other digital resources
• Setting up email or other online accounts
• Google Drive
• Social Media Basics
• Tech Lab Training

For more information or to schedule an appointment, call the Public Services Staff at Johnston Public Library at 515.278.5233 x 3.

Due to the extreme weather forecast, we will be closed tomorrow and Friday (and also Christmas Eve and Christmas Day). Items due during this time have had their due dates changed to Monday. Holds expired during this time have been updated to not expire until after close on Monday.  DART, KCCI, and Polk County Emergency Management have been notified.

Due to the weather, we will not empty the Beaver Creek and Horizon Book Returns this Friday. They will be emptied next on Tuesday, December 27th.

We will backdate items to reflect the last empty of 12/19. Let Molly know if there are any questions or concerns.

Extremely cold temperatures are forecast for Thursday and Friday this week. We will decide by Wednesday at noon whether the library will close those days. If we close Thursday, we will also close Friday. I’ll keep everyone posted.

A note from city hall:

Department Directors:

Please pass this information along to your employees in whatever manner is most efficient in your department.

I wanted to touch base on a few items related to the direct deposit emails.  As most of you may be aware, we’ve had an issue where employees who are using their city email addresses for the direct deposit information aren’t receiving them at the time they’re sent because the emails get “stuck” in the quarantine filter.  These emails are actually generated and sent through Incode, so we’re experimenting with whitelisting the IPs that Incode is using to hopefully resolve that issue.

With that being said, it’s probably a better practice to use your personal email addresses for these types of emails.  This allows you access to the information whether or not you have access to your city email (think after hours, out on leave, passwords expiring, etc.).  To facilitate that change, I have included a change form for employees to use to change to their personal email addresses.  These can be returned to me at crhames@cityofjohnston.com.

And finally, you will notice that the next payroll stub emails will require you to enter the last 4 digits of your social security number to open the email.  (At least that’s how it’s supposed to work!)

Change Form

While we transition to the new calendar from now until January 1, please refer all meeting room inquiries and reservation requests to public services/the reference desk.

As of today, Reference Staff can now make 2023 meeting and study room reservations for patrons. (3 months in advance, as usual).

If you receive a phone call or an in-person request for a meeting or study room reservation for 2023, please direct the inquiry to the reference desk staff. If that person is busy, the call could be directed to Beth, Megan or Peg at their desks.

If none of those options are available, please take the person’s name and phone number and Ref Staff will follow up.

The new calendar will be live Jan 1, 2023.

Thanks!
Beth

Do you have any extra vases that you would love to re-home (donate)?

The JPL Adult Craft class is looking for vases to up-cycle  in our January class. Please bring vases of  any size and type of material ( glass, ceramic, wood,metal, etc.) to the break room by 1/21/23 and place them in the bin marked VASES.

If you have any questions, please ask Lori El or Riddhi. Thank you in advance!

In the past, the library has handed out “Star Cards” and collected gifts in collaboration with the Johnston Partnership and the JCSD to provide Christmas gifts to families in need.

This program has changed since the pandemic. It is now called Johnston Gives 2022, and all donations are monetary. Interested community members should be directed to this website for more information:

https://johnstonpartnership.org/home/johnston-gives-2021/

If you enjoy baking holiday goodies and would like to share some of them with JPL staff, please click on the link below and select a date you’d like to bring in your treats. This is optional, staff are not required to participate.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/185ohy8e_bFeB22kVpEhCevQ7-6x3v9gvYGJ0UDJiMIc/edit?usp=sharing

Madelyn Kendall will be in to pickup a box of books labelled with her name behind the circ. desk. She’s working on a Girl Scout project putting together “Go Bags” for children who are abruptly put into foster care.

It’s time to purchase your tickets for the upcoming New Year’s Eve Pops with the Des Moines Symphony.  Andrew will be playing cello then, and vocalists Capathia Jenkins and Tony DeSare will be joining the orchestra.  Here is a link to purchase tickets:  https://my.desmoinesperformingarts.org/0/6568.  About half of the Civic Center auditorium is available as of 12/1.

Please help yourself to a chocolate mint brownie cookie in the break room.  I made them last night.

Hello!

Below is the link for the discounted tickets for the December games!

https://fevo.me/decwildadv

The games are as followed:

• Saturday December 3^rd:

o   WWE Night

o   Local Concert Series – Jake Kemble

• Sunday December 4^th:

o   Pucks ‘N Paws Day

o   First 400 dogs receive a dog bag dispenser

• Tuesday December 13^th:

o   $2 Hot Dogs and Popcorn

• Friday December 16^th:

o   Teddy Bear Toss

• Saturday December 17^th:

o   Video Game Night

o   Local Concert Series – Saxman Jones and Owens Duo

• Wednesday December 21^st:

o   Winning Wednesday

o   Free Ice Cream Voucher

• Friday December 23^rd:

o   Star Wars Night

• Wednesday December 28^th:

o   Winning Wednesday

o   Free Ice Cream Voucher

• Friday December 30^th:

o   New Year’s Eve Celebration

o   Postgame fireworks

Just like last month there is no promo code needed so feel free to share with employees, clients, friends, family, or anyone you know who would like to come out to a game in December!

Please let me know if you have any questions. Thank you and have a great day!

Phone chargers behind Ref Desk now have barcodes that work in Polaris. Please check out phone chargers to anyone wanting to use one for in-house and check them back in when chargers are returned. Chargers can be checked out to computer only card holders as well. Phone chargers are still just for in-house use.