UPDATE

I apologize for the continued uncomfortable temps on the west side of the building. Parts are on order and should be installed this week.

I know it’s hot in here. I’ve done all I know how and have contacted our HVAC servicer. Please call my cell 515-250-5381 if things do not improve by Wednesday night or Thursday morning.

Please find early voting information by searching Early Voting in the calendar at www.johnstonlibrary.com or by clicking the link below:

https://www.johnstonlibrary.com/events/?events_q=early%20voting

I occasionally follow this website which is an offshoot of the Social Responsibilities Round Table of ALA. If you are still ruminating on the Ryan Dowd training, it might be interesting:

http://hhptf.org/

Oh my, forgot to send everyone a reminder. Hopefully you noticed the Timesheets Due sign by the mailboxes. 

Please make sure that your completed timesheet and PARs are in the green folder outside Eric’s office by Saturday morning at 9 am. I usually work on timesheets first thing on Saturdays – “Eat that Frog First” ya know.

If you won’t be in the library between now and then, send me an email and we’ll make a plan. 

Please be sure to compare your daily total hours on your timesheet to When to Work. We are getting SO CLOSE to have 100% correct timesheets – just a few outliers each week still.

Thanks,

Peg

In order to prevent patrons entering the story time room outside of programs, a new alarm has been placed on the door. The alarm has a switch with three settings: Alarm, Chime, and Off. 

Update: Cliff from Premier removed a piece of paper that was stuck in the collator, and quiet has been restored.

The collator on the staff printer in the workroom is making an unpleasant noise.  The printer is still functioning, and I’ve placed a service call with Premier.

You can stop the noise after your print job by lifting the latch to open and close the collator.

The first pops concert of the Des Moines Symphony is Saturday October 13th at 7:30 PM at the Civic Center.  It will feature music of Led Zeppelin, a defunct English rock band. 

The notice below about magazines now being available via Overdrive just came today. Stay tuned on how this may affect our other digital magazine offerings via RBDigital.

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The long-standing Beginning Readers display located by the brightboard in the YS Area has been changed to a “Seasonal Stories” display that will feature seasonal picture books. If you are looking for a picture book that says it is available and is a seasonal read check the display. Currently on display are books featuring pumpkins, apples, and fall.

It’s been a few years since we’ve done a Halloween costume swap and I think there may be renewed interest (from donors and recipients). The costume swap starts with a few weeks of receiving donations of gently used costumes. Each donor gets a coupon to trade for a costume on the first day of the swap. The second day of the swap is a free-for-all; anyone can get a costume. I know it’s getting late but I think there’s still time to pull it off. Before I look to volunteers, I’m wondering if any staff would like to help on the days of the swap: Saturday, October 13th and Sunday, October 14th. The work will include:

• helping patrons find costumes
• re-hanging, folding, arranging costumes
• maintaining order 🙂

The shifts are:

Saturday, October 13th: 9-1

Saturday, October 13th: 1-5:30

Sunday, October 14th: 1-5

Let me know if you’re interested by this weekend so we have time to round-up volunteers if needed.

Lots of news from last week’s board meeting. I’ve highlighted some below.

*Internet

We’ve been getting hassled by CenturyLink, the provider of our Internet for public PCs and WiFi, for violations of copyright law by patrons on our network (mostly illegal movie downloads via BitTorrent). Lots of details are available here and here for completists. In short, they’ve threatened to terminate our service without notice if violations continue. The board approved spending $4,500 for the work needed for Mediacom to connect the Library to its network. We hope the work is complete within 90 days. Once complete, we’ll switch to Mediacom at 5x our current speed. 

*Conduct In the Library Policy

A recent incident with a ChildServe client masturbating in the Youth Service area led to discussions on who should and shouldn’t be allowed to be in the YS area. The addition to the Conduct In the Library Policy approved by the board last week includes a passage similar to those adopted by many other libraries that allows adults to use the Youth Services area only when interacting directly with the collection. The roll-out of this change will include some new signage and information bout approaching adults in violation of the policy. The addition to the policy is included below.

The Youth Services area is intended to serve the needs of young patrons. Adults 18 and older who are not accompanied by a child under the age of 18:  

• are permitted in the Youth Services area when reading, studying, or otherwise using library materials from the Youth Services collections  

• are not permitted use of the Youth Services restroom (unless attending a program in the Story Time Room), play-areas, or non-circulating toys, games, and technology

Adults 18 and older are allowed use of the Youth Computer Lounge weekdays before 3pm or during Library programs. Use of the Youth Computer Lounge is limited to children younger than 18 and their caregivers weekdays after 3pm and all day Saturday and Sunday.

*Kanopy

Given the low barrier to entry with Kanopy–no deposit, no contract—the low estimated cost, and the novelty of offering streaming video (we already offer downloadable books and audiobook via Overdrive) I proposed to the board that we sign up for Kanopy and limit the service, at least initially, to Johnston residents. They approved the proposal. Stay tuned for more information as we work through getting things setup.

*Sending Kids to Collections

We recently received a complaint from a parent whose child’s library account was sent to collections. I mentioned to the board, that staff would like to exclude accounts of patrons younger than 18 from being sent to collections. They agreed with this. I’ll automate a change to patron accounts that will exclude all accounts under 18 from collections. 

Those are the highlights. For more details, remember that current and past board agendas and documents are located under Staff Resources or at http://catalog.johnstonlibrary.com/board/

The 2019 Holidays & Closings calendar was approved at last week’s board meeting. Find the link below and under Staff Resources to the left.

http://catalog.johnstonlibrary.com/staff/drupal/sites/default/files/users/emelton/Holidays%20Calendar%202019%20-%20adopted.pdf

The phone is in the cabinet for our cash drawers. It is in a plastic bag because it is shedding little glass bits from its shattered screen. It is about 5 1/2 inches long. The face is black, and the back is missing.

Abbi has accepted a position at the Des Moines Public Library and needs to drop her hours at the Public Services desk (although she’ll be keeping her TS hours ). The position is currently open. Let me know if you’re insterested in applying.

We have some new library magnets for giving out to new card applicants or whomever. I’ve placed piles by the new cards under the circ. desk and on the reference desk. Staff are welcome to take one too.

I’m looking for someone willing to loan me their ID. If you have a new Iowa ID with a gold star in the upper-right corner I’d like to scan it to help me reconfigure our ID-scanner-setup to recognize the information. 

REMINDER! If you live in the Des Moines area, you are invited to join us for the Banned Books Week Trivia Night at 515 Brewery on Tuesday, September 25th! Doors open at 5:30, event starts at 6:00. Tickets are $8 in advance, $10 at door. Each ticket includes one free beer! Up to four people per team. For more information and to purchase tickets, please check out our Facebook event:

https://www.facebook.com/events/426703667737743/

Samantha C. Helmick, MLIS

Public Services Librarian

Burlington Public Library

There will be a mandatory training for all Circulation, Public Services and Youth Services staff on Sunday, October 14^th from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. If you cannot attend, please inform your supervisor as soon as possible.

We will be reviewing and discussing a three-hour training by Ryan Dowd called, The Librarian’s Guide to Homelessness:  Fewer problems.  Greater confidence. (And a more inclusive library!)

This training is available on Niche Academy. It is a requirement that you all watch the three-hour training before October 8^th.

Please work with your supervisor to determine when you will watch the training. It is broken up into three to ten minute segments. If you and your supervisor cannot find a time for you to watch it during your regularly scheduled hours, you can make a plan to watch it before or after your shifts or from home. If you watch it from home or come in before or after your regular schedule, please discuss it with your supervisor first. You will need to add that time to your timesheet and your supervisor will need to add it to When to Work.

The training focuses on serving those experiencing homelessness, but most of the practices mentioned are applicable when serving any library patron. While you are watching the training please think of four things that you would like to discuss with the group on October 14^th. Please email those four discussion questions to your supervisor before October 8^th.

Look for three emails from Niche academy about how to get logged-in to the training.

If you have questions or trouble accessing the training, please visit with your supervisor.