Category: All-Library News

Because City Hall is asking us to turn in time sheets as early as Friday mornings, I’ve modified the deadline for getting completed time sheets due to me. I realize this is Monday and I’m asking you to submit them by Wednesday night, so please just do your best this week.

Launchpads are here! We have received the fourth launchpad!

A few things to note:
-Launchpads are barcoded and visible in Polaris.
-These Launchpads are only available for in-house use.
-Please check out the Launchpad on the patron’s account. Launchpads can be checked out to any card in good standing, including computer-only cards.
-Each tablet has a recommended age, a different theme, and different games. Please let the child/grown-up choose which Launchpad they would like to use
-Keep the hardcover cases at the YS desk as they are not barcoded
–At open, please remove the Launchpads from the charger and place them in their hard case.
-At close, please remove the Launchpads from their hard case, check them in in Polaris, and place them on the charger. Double-check that the USB power strip located under the YS desk is plugged into the extension cord. 

Additional information about Launchpads is located in the black document holder at the YS Desk.

Please let Megan know if you have any questions.

With the last Sunday of the month falling on a holiday weekend in May, we have moved the next All Staff Meeting to May 19.

Please let Molly and Peg know if you will not be able to attend.

Molly

Starting Monday, JPL will be automatically renew physical items that are eligible to renew. Patrons will get an email or text two days before their items are due telling them which items renewed and which items are due back in two days.

If they do not use text or email notifications, they will have to call or log into their account to see which items renewed.

We have little hand outs to give to people. Please let people know about the change as they checkout.

You can still renew items for patrons if they call or want to renew something earlier than two days before the due date.

Be prepared for questions initially, but this will be a popular service once people get used to it.

Auto-Renewal FAQ

What is Auto-Renewal?

Library items without holds will now auto-renew two days before the due date. Eligible items will renew up to 2 times.

Which Items are NOT eligible for automatic renewal?
Materials will not be auto-renewed if:

• There is a hold on the item
• The item has already been renewed 2 times
• Your account is blocked due to fines or fees
• Items are part of Hot Picks collection, book club books, or interlibrary loan items
• Library item is part of our Stream and Download content (eBooks, eAudiobooks, eMagazines, Kanopy Streaming Video, and ComicsPlus
• The item was already overdue prior to April 1, 2024

Does an automatic renewal give me less time to borrow an item?

No. Auto-renew calculates the new due date from the original due date so you will not lose any time.

Can I still renew library items manually?

Yes. If you wish to renew an item prior to its automatic renewal, simply renew it via your library account online give us a call at 515-278-5233, or stop by one of our service desks. Manual renewals will extend the borrowing period from the date of renewal.

How will I know if an item is automatically renewed?

Auto-renewal notices will be sent via text or email depending on how your account is set up. Library notices from our catalog will send you a list of items that need to be returned as well as those that have been renewed for you.

Can I opt out of auto-renewal?
No, not at this time.

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.

Most of the keys from the owl key chain have now been identified as spares. They have been labelled and are hanging with other spare keys in the grey money cabinet.

The owl key chain is being used to hold the unidentified keys and can also be found in the grey money cabinet.

All keys have now been removed from the director’s office. Please feel free to ask if you have any questions.

Refresher on how to handle payment for meeting room invoices.

1. We ask that patrons do not pay for usage until the day of the meeting because the city doesn’t give refunds if they cancel.
2. When patron arrives for a meeting with an invoice, please collect payment before letting them into the room.
3. You will find meeting room invoices at the Public Services desk in an expandable file folder in the lower cabinet underneath the catalog computer.
4. Invoices are filed in the month of the usage. There are two copies: 1) for the patron and 2) for the library.
5. Complete the information at the bottom of each form. Give the patron their copy and place the library copy in the last slot of the expandable file folder.
6. Do NOT attach payment (cash/check/cc receipts) to the library copy of the invoice.
7. Take payment to the cash register and follow all normal cash register instructions. Meeting room invoices are entered as OTHER.
8. If patron pays by credit card make sure you put the merchant copy of the cc receipt into the cash register. Do not put the merchant copy with the invoice. The receipt is critical for the city to balance the cash register and cc machine.

The director candidates will visit our library on April 11th. Here’s the schedule of events. If you have any questions, please ask your supervisor or me.

8:30-9:45 Candidates will be arriving 1/2 hour apart

8:45-10:15 Each candidate will meet with Beth, Dreama, and Megan in the Storytime Room

9:30-11:00 Lori French will give each candidate a tour of the library starting at the Storytime Room and ending at Study Room 3

10:00-11:30 Each candidate will meet with city HR in Study Room 3 to discuss benefits

10:30-12:30 Each candidate will give a 30-min. presentation to the public in the West Meeting Room (staff are invited; reach out immediately to Molly or Peg if you want to attend)

11:00-2:45 Candidates will be on their own for lunch

12:45-3:30 Each candidate will meet with the Board and search committee in the East Meeting Room

3:45-6:00 The Board will deliberate and select our new director

I forgot this important part: Please email Molly and Peg if you are able to attend on April 1 at 7 pm so we can update when to work.

Please join me and your fellow co-workers on Monday, April 1 to be recognized by the Mayor and City Council at the City Council Meeting at City Hall at 7 p.m. Those attending will be paid for an hour. I anticipate the library portion will happen at the beginning of the meeting. You will be able to leave after the proclamation is presented by the Mayor. There will be a picture 🙂

If you are working that night, we will try to accommodate as many of you coming as possible.

Also, the library is about more than staff. Volunteers, library users, and library supporters are invited. I know Jessica mentioned inviting Teen Advisory Board and Let’s Talk may join the group that night.

This is an opportunity for us to show City Council and City Staff how proud we are of our work at the library. When we tell stakeholders the story of what we do at the library, it helps for them to have faces of actual people in their minds.

Below is the text of the Proclamation from the Mayor:

National Library Week
2024 Proclamation

WHEREAS, libraries offer the opportunity for everyone to connect with others, learn new skills, and pursue their passions, no matter where they are on life’s journey;

WHEREAS, libraries have long served as trusted institutions, striving to ensure equitable access to information and services for all members of the community regardless of race, ethnicity, creed, ability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or socio-economic status;

WHEREAS, libraries adapt to the ever-changing needs of their communities, developing and expanding collections, programs, and services that are as diverse as the populations they serve;

WHEREAS, libraries are accessible and inclusive places that promote a sense of local connection, advancing understanding, civic engagement, and shared community goals;

WHEREAS, libraries play a pivotal role in economic development by providing resources and support for job seekers, entrepreneurs, and small businesses, thus contributing to local prosperity and growth;

WHEREAS, libraries make choices that are good for the environment and make sense economically, creating thriving communities for a better tomorrow;

WHEREAS, libraries are treasured institutions that preserve our collective heritage and knowledge, safeguarding both physical and digital resources for present and future generations;

WHEREAS, libraries are an essential public good and fundamental institutions in democratic societies, working to improve society, protect the right to education and literacy, and promote the free exchange of information and ideas for all;

WHEREAS, libraries, librarians, and library workers are joining library supporters and advocates across the nation to celebrate National Library Week;

NOW, THEREFORE, be it resolved that I, Mayor Dierenfeld, proclaim National Library Week, April 7-13, 2024. During this week, I encourage all residents to visit their library and celebrate the adventures and opportunities they unlock for us every day. Ready, Set, Library!

Once again, the City has requested that we turn in as many time sheets as possible on FRIDAY morning. I’ll prioritize time sheets for staff that do not work Friday or Saturday.

Thanks to all of you who stepped up to help with check-in in the last few weeks! As we approach the summer months when the volume of check-in will significantly increase, it’s important to follow check-in procedures to make sure items are correctly checked in before going out on the shelves.

It can be easy to get distracted during check-in, so it’s crucial (and required) that you double-check your check-in of materials. There are two general ways to do this:
*Scan items twice, making sure items show a status of In>In before putting them on your preshelving cart.
*Count the items on your preshelving cart and make sure the number matches the number of items checked in at the bottom of your check-in screen.

There are different ways to approach both of these strategies. For instance, some people prefer to scan the entire red cart of items before checking in each item individually or the entire white cart of items after checking in items so that everything has been scanned twice. Others take a small group of items and scan them all first and then go back and re-scan them as they fan through them, check discs, clean, etc. This way is especially effective when you know you’re likely to be interrupted frequently or may not have time to get through an entire cart. When counting items, you can again count the final number of items on your cart of preshelving and double-check it against the number of items on your check-in screen or you can work with a small number at a time, checking the number of items checked in against the number of items you’re placing on your preshelving cart.

If you have other strategies for verifying your check-in that you’d like to share or would like to brainstorm ways that would best work for you, feel free to talk to me or any of your co-workers. If you’d like to review the most current check-in procedures, let me know and I’ll get you a copy.

As we work together to ensure the accuracy of check-in, remember that when patrons tell you that they returned a book that is still on their account, just change the status of the book to “claim returned.” You do not need to spend time looking for the book. There is a process in place for that.

Thank you!

Hi All,

I just wanted to follow up to Megan’s post about the removal our phone tree. Our end goal with the phones ringing everywhere is to relieve pressure from the three service desks during busy times and improve the library user experience by having desk staff as available as possible.

When the phone rings, available staff in back should answer if possible within the first two rings. Desk staff if you hear the phone ring more than twice, please answer it only if you are not currently helping a library user.

I am not exactly sure if we will like this change or not, so I appreciate you trying out the above for the next few weeks. I will circle back to staff after we have had some time to acclimate and see if we want to adjust anything.

Thank you! Let me know if you have questions.

I am labeling and finding new homes for the keys that were stored in the director’s office. You will now find the keys for the moveable wall, the grey money cabinet, the cash register, and the coin-op on the east side of the mailboxes.

The owl key chain is still in the director’s office. I will post an update once the keys on the owl chain have been identified, labeled, and relocated.

I am completely moved into my new apartment at Bricktowne Johnston, and wanted to thank all of you for providing me with moving boxes.  I know that there are stores which sell them, but you really helped me save some money.  It really helped me package most of my things for the move.

Thanks again to an amazing staff!

I recently had a DMACC student email and ask if it would be okay to take some pictures of the inside and outside of the library for a project. I explained to him that he was welcome to take pictures at the library as long as his photography did not interfere with others using the library. It is always nice when people ask us about taking pictures or videos in the library, so we are expecting it.

I just wanted to send this out as a general reminder, that people are allowed to film in the library as long as their behavior does violate the conduct policy such as interfering with others using the library. So someone could come in with a camera on their shoulder and a mic on a boom, and they can film as long as it is isn’t preventing others from using the library.

As public employees, we can be videotaped or photographed doing our government work in public spaces without our consent. So if someone is taking your photo or videotaping you while you work at a desk, please just continue your work. If they ask you questions while videotaping you, please do your best to treat them as you would treat any other patron and answer them to the best of your ability.

People are not allowed to videotape in private spaces which includes the work room, so they cannot follow you back to the work room. People cannot harass you or interfere with your work.

I just wanted to put out that general reminder. Please ask me if you have questions.

Patrons will now hear the following message before being connected to library staff:

“Thank you for calling the Johnston Public Library. If you know the extension of the person you are trying to reach, please enter it now. Otherwise, stay on the line and you will be connected with library library staff.”

Previously all incoming circulation calls would ring on all phones and Youth Services and Reference calls were routed to those specific desks.  Now, ALL incoming calls will ring on ALL phones.

Our goal is to provide a better patron experience and to continue to expand the All Desk model.

“All-Desks” is now displayed when there are incoming calls!

Please let Molly or Megan know if you have any questions.

We got the glasses! We will putting them at the desks for patrons starting April 3. I am holding back 100 glasses to be available the day of the eclipse. If we run out the weekend before, you can tell patrons that they can try again on Monday, April 8th.

The next Solar Eclipse is on Monday, April 8 at around 2pm. We are registered to get 500 solar eclipse glasses from StarNET, but their packages have been delayed. They should be arriving in the next week or so. (Cross your fingers.) We will be doing 2 Solar Eclipse themed Storytime sessions that Monday at 10am and 1pm. I will be keeping some of the glasses for participants who come to that storytime, but the rest will be made available to the public once we get them. They will be first come first served, and when they are gone, they’re gone. There is no registration for the storytime event.

With the interviews fast approaching, I will be working to finish the Director’s Office. It will no longer be available for storing or staging items as we have done in the past. Please plan to remove any items you currently have stored. Anything left after Wednesday, 3/20 will be disposed in an appropriate fashion. Please feel free to email or see me with any questions.