JPL Intranet

I just pushed out an email to our rural resident library card holders. Please be prepared for questions.

The Christmas/Holiday CDs are now on display (with overflow CDs on the black cart) at Circ 2. As CDs are returned, they can be returned to the display and empty spots can also be filled with the overflow.

The Johnston Public Library has purchased two adventure passes for the Johnston Town Center Skating Rink. Each pass is good for four skate rentals.

Here are the hours:

o    Fridays: 5:00 to 9:00 p.m.

o    Saturdays: 12:00 to 9:00 p.m.

o    Sundays: 12:00 to 6:00 p.m.

o    Holiday Hours:

• December 26 – 29, 12:00 to 6:00 p.m

The rink open December 1 – January 28

Between December 1 and January 28, the rink is open 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (If you own your own skates, you can skate for free, seven days a week.)

This week when you are at work, can you all visit the link to the new PowerPAC https://catalog.johnstonlibrary.com/polaris/

Please log into your library account on the PowerPAC and search for some items. To get to the main search bar after you login, you need to click on the JPL logo in the upper left-hand side of the screen. Please follow the instructions in the word document here

In addition to logging in and searching for items after you login, please feel free to push some buttons and explore.

In addition to seeking input from staff regarding what you would like to see in the next JPL Director, the Library Board of Trustees is also seeking input from community members. The survey that was shared with staff to provide feedback about what you want in the next director, will also be made available to community members. It will go out in a Facebook post tonight and will be in the JPL e-newsletter on Thursday.

For some people, this may come as the fist time that they are hearing that Eric is no longer at JPL. Here’s a refresher script you can use should you be asked for more details over the phone or in person about why Eric left or what he is doing professionally.

Eric left JPL in May.
The Library Board has enlisted the help of a hiring firm that specializes in connecting great leaders with great libraries.
(if still being pressed for more info…)
I don’t have any other info, but if you would like I can get you our Interim Director Molly Guerra’s contact info.

Thanks!

https://forms.office.com/r/3s8LgazXhM

Please try the link above to provide your input on the library director search. The deadline is December 12 at 5 pm.

Molly

Our consultants at Bradbury Miller Associates are excited to begin the work to find the next Library Director at Johnston Public Library. The firm has existed since 1983 as an executive search firm dedicated to helping libraries find leaders. They would like the opportunity to connect and learn more about us and the future of our library. Please feel free to share your thoughts and opinions using this link: https://forms.office.com/r/3s8LgazXhM. The survey should take about five minutes to complete and will be available until 5:00 pm Tuesday, December 12, 2023.     

Hello All!  Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Here is a long overdue  Molly’s JPL Heads Up!

Library Director Search Update: 

The library director search committee has had their first meeting. From what I hear, everyone is very excited to be working with the recruiting firm, Bradbury Miller, and they are impressed with their level of preparation and professionalism.

The search committee will be sending a link to all staff sometime during the first two weeks of December to gather input from staff. I will let  you know when that link goes out, but just a heads up that a link is coming soon. Department heads will meet with Bradbury Miller via Zoom to provide additional feedback.

The goal is to have the position posted in January and February. The final interviews will be conduced in the middle of April. So if everything stays on track, we are looking to welcome our next director to JPL around May or June.

I will keep you posted as we move through the process.

Library Website and Online Catalog:

We are making great progress on the new website and online catalog. We have just seen the first draft of the new website (today!), and I am very encouraged with how it is looking. The new website will go live on December 22nd. During the last two weeks of December, library staff will have ample opportunities to view the draft of the website and get comfortable. We have have some trainings available.

The online catalog (Power PAC) is coming along very well. As a reminder the online catalog is available to use now. It is live, and fully functional if you would like to practice using it. The link is on the Intranet under Patron Resources. Or the link is here

I have had heard a few questions about the future of the Intranet and some of the processes we do through the intranet. I do anticipate that some of our processes will be changing slightly as we roll out the website, and I assure you that we will train staff on those changes. Now that we have access to a draft the website (today!), we are going to be working long and hard to get forms set up and procedures documented and shared with staff. Some of our processes will remain on the intranet and not be impacted immediately by the website.

Finally, my message is that this rollout will be a learning curve for us all. We are doing our best to get things ready, but there will be quirks that come up after December 22nd when the website goes live. I look at December 22nd as the beginning of our adventure with the new website and Power PAC, not the final destination. As staff and library users live in the website and Power PAC, we will work to adjust and improve the experience for everyone.

Building Maintenance

Twelve windows on the north wall were replaced last week.

In December, Peterson Painting will be doing extensive drywall and painting work at the library. We will keep you posted on Slack so you know what to expect, but there may be small areas closed off to staff and patrons as they work.

Final Notes 

I couldn’t be more lucky to work here at JPL with you all. Thank you for all you do. If you ever have questions or would like more information  about the why behind something, I love, love, love to talk library and my door is always open. Please come visit with me.

Molly

Come and enjoy the Johnston Employee Holiday Party!

Staff that are regularly scheduled to work can speak to their supervisor about attending – we will need at least three staff here as the library will remain open.

Staff that are not regularly scheduled are encouraged to come on their own time and enjoy the festivities and food with city / library co-workers.

Hello,

Please find the link to the All Desk Staff Meeting below:

https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/uxse4WDgva8tmDwostcInbGDHZZCRTGRffdFGqHqACTLTXyLC7GTCAUJeP-Bvnry.YRCvIFYabKVmiDfp

If you have questions about how to report it on your timesheet, please touch base with Molly or Peg.

Thank you!

We received our first call this morning regarding the program formerly known as Star Cards. This program has morphed into Johnston Gives and is administered by the Johnston Partnership. You may learn more here: Johnston Gives 2023 | Johnston Partnership

**Reminder. Desk Staff Meeting Sunday 1130 am- 1230 pm. I accidentally wrote 12 on the title. The meeting is on Zoom not at the library***

Hello,

Sorry – I hit a wrong button 🙂

We are having a Desk Staff Meeting on November 19 from 1130 am – 1230 pm. It will be held on Zoom. If you can come live on Zoom – please do come. It is nice to get questions and have some feedback. I understand that not everyone will be able to come. That is fine. It will be recorded. You can watch the recording at a later date.

If you are full-time or half-time, you will want to talk to your supervisor about flexing your hours to attend on Sunday or watch it during one of your regular shifts at work.

If you work less than twenty hours a week (or you are a library guide), you will have an extra hour of time added to When to Work on Sunday, November 19.

If you work less than 20 hours per week, please watch the webinar within the week outside of your regular shift. If you cannot watch the video during a time outside your work schedule, please email Molly or Peg and we will adjust your work schedule, so you can watch it during your regular shift and delete the extra hour from When to Work.

Zoom Link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82532328048

Libby and the Bridges Consortium have communicated that they would like the library website links for access to Overdrive e-books and e-audiobooks to go through a Libby link rather than the older Overdrive link (which we had been using on our website). That change was made on our website last week. Some of you have noticed.

Now, the Libby experience on a computer is very similar to the Libby experience on a smartphone or tablet. That’s a good thing, but user-interface for signing out of an account has some clunky, and somewhat scary, language that is not obvious or intuitive.

Please take a look through the documentation for singing in to and out of Libby on a computer (including a staff computer).

For a little more context, a staff person might have a need to sign in as a patron on Libby for the following reasons:

• A patron says they are unable to sign in to Libby. You look at their Polaris account and don’t see an obvious reason that would be preventing a login. You can try logging in as them to rule out user error on the patron’s part.
• Staff log in as patrons for some Home Delivery individuals who use ebooks and e-audiobooks.

  Thank you! Please ask Beth or your supervisor if you have additional questions.

  How to Sign In and Sign Out of Libby on a Computer

Hello – as I am looking to hire Laura Rath’s replacement, I wanted to check-in with everyone and see how their schedules are going. I cannot guarantee anything, but please feel free to share thoughts with Peg and me about the following:

Do the times of your shifts work for you?

Do you wish you worked more or less? The cap is 29 hours for part-time staff.

Are there certain times or days your would rather work or rather not work?

Again – I cannot guarantee anything, but it is helpful to know how things are working for your life schedule-wise as we look at brining on new staff.

Please email Molly and Peg to let us know if you have any preferences.

Thanks for everything you do!!

Hey all,

A reminder that at closing the all-in-one computers can be left alone. The all-in-one computers do not have a tower and a monitor; both are part of one unit. All-in-one computers include the two computers in the Whisper Room, Computer #9 in the YS area (on the same wall as game tablets), and the two catalog computers by the Ref Desk. All these computers reset themselves via a timed program at night.

At closing, all other computers just need to have monitors turned off.

Thanks! Ask beth or your supervisor if you have questions.

Starting January 1, 2024 – Rural Polk County residents will be assigned one home library in Polk County to receive access to digital content – Libby, Kanopy and Adventure Passes. We will be the home library for Webster Township.

Other Polk County Libraries have sent out letters and emails discussing the change, so please do not be surprised if you get questions or calls.

The main point to emphasis is that rural Polk Co. patrons can still check out physical materials and use the library space as before.  This only impacts their ability to use certain certain resources like Libby, Kanopy or Adventure Pass.

We will need to help library users from Webster Township merge their other library card numbers with their Johnston Public Library number on OverDrive. Assistant Librarians and Librarians are trained on how to do that, so grab one of them to help.

You can use  the link below on Altoona PL’s website to enter a patron’s address. The map is color coded to help you determine the home library.

Altoona PL Home Library Map

https://www.altoona-iowa.com/departments/altoona_library/library_service_area.php

We will go through all of our rural residents on January 2nd and assign them to the statistical class: Rural Polk County – Webster or Rural Polk County – Not Webster. Those in Rural Polk County – Not Webster will loose access to Libby, Adventure Pass and Kanopy at JPL.

In the meantime, everyone is in Rural Polk County – Webster. If you make a new card for a library user, please ask them if they live in rural polk county. If yes, use the link above to check their address. If Johnston is their home library library, please select the statistical class Rural Polk Co. – Webster. If they aren’t assigned to Johnston, please select the statistical class Rural Polk Co. – Not Webster.

Heads up – we may get patrons from Webster Township that are frustrated because they used to use another library that had Hoopla or another resource that we do not have. Take their complaint seriously and offer to write their request on the notepad. Let them know that we are continually evaluating our digital resources, and we take patron requests into consideration.

I know this a lot – so please ask me if you have questions.

Molly

Kanopy recently switched from 10 views per month to 30 tickets per month per cardholder. Each movie will have a ticket “cost” and an access period. Kanopy Kids (kid’s titles) remain unlimited.

Reminder that tomorrow, Tuesday, November 7 is City/School Election Day. Polls will be open from 7am to 8pm. JPL is a voting site for people in this polling district. Polk County election officials will be in the East Meeting Room tomorrow for voting.

General voting info can be found on our website here: https://www.johnstonlibrary.com/services/voting-information/

If individuals are looking for their polling place, that can be found here at the Iowa Secretary of State’s website: https://sos.iowa.gov/elections/voterreg/pollingplace/search.aspx.

Voters need to bring a valid form of ID with them to the polls. Valid forms of ID include: