Category: All-Library News

Deepa is leaving us at the end of June to relocate to Texas where Prithvi will be attending college. We will all miss the many talents she brings to JPL, her humor, and, of course, her wonderful cakes and Indian food.

The zoo is requiring its patrons to reserve time-slots for their visit. This setup isn’t possible with our current ticketing software and, with everything else going on, we are not going to try to work with the zoo to make timed reservations for library patrons. I’ve asked that the zoo be temporarily removed from our list of Adventure Passes.

Library board meeting documents from the past two months are available via Google Drive (follow the link below). Once I’m moved back into my office, I’ll move them to their normal home which is linked under Staff Resources on the intranet.

https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1HX4Mprov1Eb7P5w0akNlPaIUTKHSe8Ho

Jessica, Beth, and I hosted a Summer Reading Overview via Zoom last night. If you missed it and would like more information about Summer Reading here is the recorded Zoom meeting:

Please feel free to reach out to any of us if you have any questions!

I’ve completed drafts of everyone’s timesheets. Please follow the link below to verify and, if necessary, make changes to your sheet. Let me know if you have trouble.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1OjjxTs4Z_YEoWQ1bRbdQHPFAP_bqn-xG?usp=sharing

As you know, beginning June 2nd patrons will be able to pickup their holds by appointment (see procedure). They will also be able to pickup print-jobs by appointment (see procedure). The wording on the notices patrons receive by text or email during this time are going to be different than normal. You might get questions. Below, I’ve included the various notices patrons will receive.

Patrons will receive the following message when their holds have been trapped/made available.

Curbside pickup begins June 2nd. Please follow the link below to make an appointment to pickup your holds. If you’ve already made an appointment for a future date, don’t make a new appointment. We’ll bundle your new holds with the others.

https://www.johnstonlibrary.com/holds-pickup/

Patrons will receive the following message when they schedule their holds appointment.

Thank you for making an appointment to pickup your holds. Please arrive as close to your scheduled time as possible. When you arrive, park in the parking lot, then call or text your name to (515) 412-0410. Stay in your car while we bring your items in a bag labelled with your name to a table in front of the library.

Patrons will receive the following message when they schedule their printing pickup appointment.

Thank you for making an appointment to pickup your print job. Please arrive as close to your scheduled time as possible. When you arrive, park in the parking lot, then call or text your name to ‪(515) 412-0410‬. Stay in your car while we bring your document(s) to a table in front of the library.

This is your friendly reminder that Beth, Jessica, and Megan will be hosting a Summer Reading overview to talk about how Summer Reading is being run this summer and the programs we will be hosting throughout the summer.  We will be hosting a Zoom meeting on Wednesday, May 20 at 6:30PM. The meeting will be recorded and will be made accessible if you are not able to join us live.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84079439301?pw…

Meeting ID: 840 7943 9301
Password: 937650

Adult Summer Reading Instructions for Staff

1. Patrons will choose to participate Online or via Paper Logs for the 2020 adult summer reading program. Patrons should not do both.

2. To participate Online, patrons should: 

• Search for “Reader Zone” app at their device app store (i.e. Apple Store or Google Play).
• Install the app on their Android, Apple, or Amazon device.
• Make an account, enter program code 5f6b5, and select the program(s) they would like to join.
• Track what they read or listen to through the app.
• For each book completed, patrons will earn one entry into the JPL Adult Summer Reading prize drawings. There is no need to turn anything in to JPL.

3. To participate via Paper Logs, patrons should: 

• Pickup a reading log at the library during open hours beginning May 30th or access the ASR webpage and print one at home.
• Log the books they read or listen to.
• Turn in their completed logs at the outdoor summer reading drop-box located by the main entryway of JPL. For each completed log, patrons will earn one entry into the JPL Adult Summer Reading prize drawings.
• Additional paper logs are available on the ASR webpage.

4. All entries will be put into one drawing. Unlike past years, patrons will not get to choose the prize buckets into which to place their tickets.  

5. The prizes for Adult Summer Reading will be ten – $30 gift cards to local Johnston businesses. Prizes will be drawn after the program ends.

6. A new component of 2020’s ASR program is the Read Boldly Genre Challenge. This challenge is optional. To participate in the challenge, patrons should:

• Read one title out of at least 5 genre categories. Categories are defined on the ASR webpage and on the printed bookmark.
• Place a check mark in the box next to the title they have read, or write in the title of a book read that fits the category.
• Once patrons have read one title from 5 genre categories, they should turn in their Read Boldly bookmark at the outdoor summer reading drop-box located by the main exterior doors of JPL.

• Patrons who complete the Read Boldly Genre Challenge will receive $5.00 worth of JPL Bucks for the Foundation & Friends Book Sale.

ASR 2020_Instructions for Staff_draft

Patrons with puppets, learning tools, cake pans, and/or launch pads checked out received the following message today:

Our outdoor book returns are open but please hang on to the puppets, learning tools, cake pans, and launch pads that you have checked out until the inside book drop is open. We don’t have a date yet for when that will happen but due dates for those items have been extended to July 1 and will be extended further if needed.

Limited circ staff are back at the building, and we are excited to be pulling hundreds and hundreds of items for patrons eagerly awaiting curbside delivery.

You may get an email asking you to make an appointment to pick up your holds, but I’m asking staff not to use curbside time if possible. You are welcome to visit the library through the staff entrance, pick up your holds from the holds table, and find an unassigned workstation to check out.  If you have any questions about picking up your holds/or family members’ holds or checking them out, don’t hesitate to email me.

I would ask that you remember that we are wearing face coverings at the library, and that we are working to limit the number of people in the building. If you are not scheduled to work at the library that day, keep you visit brief and maintain social distancing guidelines during your visit.

Let me know if you have any questions!

Technical Services is once again accepting interlibrary loan (ILL) requests from patrons. All requests that were already in the queue were reactivated today. As items arrive from other libraries, they will be added to the holds available for curbside pick-up starting June 2nd.

The public restrooms are open for use with the exception of the Youth Services restroom–it needs the door trimmed to fit the new tile. We’re awaiting locks for the stalls which the manufacturer forgot to ship.

Beth, Jessica, and Megan will be hosting a Summer Reading overview to talk about how Summer Reading is being run this summer and the programs we will be hosting throughout the summer.  We will be hosting a Zoom meeting on Wednesday, May 20 at 6:30PM. The meeting will be recorded and will be made accessible if you are not able to join us live.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84079439301?pwd=b3pNUkFqUEhXMlRoZVNJTUQ1M09UQT09

Meeting ID: 840 7943 9301
Password: 937650

Hey All!

Hope you’re having a good Friday. I’m going to call off our Friday Zoom get togethers since we’re in the process of opening back up and we’ll be seeing each other again soon. Enjoy the weekend. I look forward to seeing you all in person soon–from an appropriate social distance, of course.

Have a good weekend. 😉

beth

• Masks
  • 15 of the 45 masks that have been ordered have arrived. Right now, they’re in a bag on my desk. Feel free to grab one if you’re in the library before I have a chance to distribute them.
  • As Molly stated in a previous post, the rule about masks is that masks are required when “talking with co-workers and while moving around the library. We may remove our face coverings while at our workstation.”
• Returns
  • As you know, we will begin accepting returns on Monday. All book drops will be opened late Sunday night and will remain open 24/7 (I’ll be checking them late each night). We have about 14,000 items waiting to be returned!
• Curbside pickup
  • The next step in our reopening–curbside pickup by appointment–will start June 2nd. The curbside procedure is still being worked out but will involve patrons making appointments online to limit the number of them arriving at any given time.
• Pay
  • As we reopen, some of you may work more hours than normal, others may work fewer hours than normal. If you work more, include those extra hours on your timesheet. If you work fewer, include your regularly scheduled hours (as we’ve been doing).

While we’ve tried to think carefully about procedures related to reopening, reality will no doubt exert itself and force modifications to our plans. If you see something that could be done better or something that’s not working, let us know.

Let me know if you have any questions.

As Circ staff begin training working in the library again, I’d like to share our current plans on the cleaning/using of library spaces and the use of masks and gloves.

Circ staff will not be floating between workstations. At the beginning of each shift, they will pick a workstation and put a Post It note with their name on the computer. The staff member beginning the shift will be responsible to wipe down the keyboard, mouse, desk, phone and monitor. Please do not use the phone or computer at a workstation/phone if the computer has a note on it.

Before we open to the public, we will be wearing masks while talking with co-workers and while moving around the library. We may remove our face coverings while at our workstation.

We will be using a new pair of gloves each time we empty the book return and each time we do check-in in addition to washing our hands after we remove the gloves. We will not be using the same pair of gloves when moving between tasks, and we will be washing our hands frequently between tasks.

These are the processes that have been put in place in preparation for the first phase of reopening when limited Circ staff and TS staff will be in the building. They may change as we move through the phases of reopening. If you have any questions about the current processes, please visit with Molly, Dreama or Eric.

Hey all,

We’re going to take a break from JPL Happy Hour-Ish Zoom meet-up for today 5/8. Have a good weekend, stay healthy and do something you find enjoyable.

Beth

I’ve completed drafts of everyone’s timesheets. Please follow the link below to verify and, if necessary, make changes to your sheet. Let me know if you have trouble.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1p_VHq14leoWFoKCESJ1IJN9baQvxfRss?usp=sharing

I asked in an earlier post to let me know if you DO NOT have a cloth mask. I heard from the staff members listed below that they need masks (they’re on order). If you’re not on the list and you need a mask, please let me know ASAP.

• Brittany
• Lydia
• Andrew
• Laura R.
• Britt
• Sarah G.
• Sue B.
• Gloria