JPL Intranet

An update on the shelter behind the library:

“The facility will be completed in the next couple of weeks, then a temporary fence will be put up where we seed. “

We are going to be holding a virtual Circ Staff Meeting on Sunday, April 23rd at 11 am. Please join live via Zoom if you can. If you cannot make it at 11 am that day, I will still put you on When to Work for 1 hour. Please watch the video on your own sometime that week to make up the hour.

Let me know if you have any questions or if there are agenda items you would like to have added to the meeting.

Topic: Circ Staff Meeting
Time: Apr 23, 2023 11:00 AM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89606570397

Cetrick Willis, JPL weekend shelver and VIP patron, has decided to step down from his paid position at the library. He is finishing up his senior year at Hoover High School, and he hopes to attend Grand View next year.

Cetrick says,”I would like to thank you for giving me the opportunity to work at a amazing place with wonderful staff.”

I don’t think I have a current address for him on Polaris, but his email is cetrick904@gmail.com if you would like to wish him well.

The Ultimate Reading Challenge will be giving fine coupons as a prize. In past years, we handed out fine coupons for Summer Reading Program prizes. There are coupons out there for free book sale books.

If you are presented with a fine coupon:

• Fine coupons are only good for fines or “overdue item” fees. They cannot be used for replacement, damage, or processing fees.
• Coupon transactions are NOT put in the cash register. You will mark the amount “paid” with coupons as “coupons” from the payment drop-down menu. Coupon transactions will NOT go in the cash register. So for instance:
  • Molly has $.90 in fines. She presents a $1 fine coupon. You would mark the fine as paid with a coupon on Polaris. There would be nothing else to do. We do not offer “change” for coupons. Do NOT enter it in the cash register.
  • Molly has $1.50 in fines. She presents a $1 fine coupon and $0.50 cash. You would mark $1 in fines paid as a coupon in Polaris. You would mark the remaining $0.50 paid as cash in Polaris. You would ONLY enter $0.50 into the cash register.
• You can recycle the coupon after you have cleared the fee. We do not need to save them.

If you are presented with a book sale coupon:

• Take the coupon(s) in exchange for the item(s)from the book sale room.
• There is nothing to enter in the iPad cash register. You can recylce the book sale coupon. We do not need to keep the coupons.

The cash register/foundation register is only for real money (cash, credit cards, checks) – not coupons. The bank doesn’t want our fine coupons 🙂 

Please let me know if you have questions.

Don’t forget to complete and staple PARS to your time sheet! Thanks.

I have had several people ask me about how to access the Employee Handbook or get information about other benefits for those that qualify.

There is a website with information about benefits offered at cityofjohnston.touchpointsonline.com (the password is CityofJohnston)

There is also an Employee Intranet on the City’s website. You can access it at http://www.cityofjohnston.com/434/Intranet

• You will be asked to create an account.
• On the City’s Employee Intranet, you can get the most recent copy of the Employee Handbook under Employee Policies and Information.
  • Here is a link to the Handbook. My understanding is that if it is updated, they will print everyone a copy to review the changes.

If you have questions about your benefits please don’t hesitate to reach out to your supervisor.

As we enter the season where the weather swings from warm to cool, our poor chiller is easily confused and often needs to be reset.

If you notice that the temperature is higher than usual, there is a thermometer at the Circulation Desk, the chiller needs to be reset. Anyone can reset the chiller, but please make sure you find coverage for your desk if you reset the chiller. If Molly or Eric are available, we are happy to do it. If we are gone, and no one volunteers, it will be the responsibility of the librarian in charge.

Instructions for resetting the chiller are under Documentation-Building/Technology on the Intranet. If I haven’t walked you through it, and you would rather learn hands-on, let me know. I am happy to show you how.

Beginning Saturday, patrons can pick up an entry form to create a bookmark for the Summer Library Program Bookmark Contest.

One winner will be chosen by a select group of library staff in each of five groups: Preschool-Grade 2, Grades 3-5, Grades 6-7, Grades 8-12, and adults. Winners will have their designs turned into official summer reading bookmarks! Official entry forms can be picked up at the Youth Services Desk or downloaded from the link under “Attachments” on the event page.

https://johnston.librarycalendar.com/event/jpls-summer-discovery-bookmark-contest-27

Submissions are due on Sunday, April 30th. No late submissions will be accepted due to printing times.

For quick and easy reference, I have printed and laminated Section IV Leave Benefits – Paid and Unpaid (pages 18-24) from the City of Johnston Employee Handbook. The laminated pages can be found hanging from a magnetic hook on the shelving outside of Eric’s & Molly’s offices, near the green time sheet folder.

The statewide tornado drill will occur this Wednesday (3/29) at 10am. The outdoor alarms will sound but, to avoid disrupting patron meetings and other activities, we will not do a drill. This would be a good time, however, to review the tornado and wind section of the Emergency Manual and the emergency response cards at whichever public desk you work.

I reset the system clock, but it may take up to 24 hours for the building clocks to reflect the correct time.

I am going to be out of town until Thursday, March 16th. If you have anything that needs attention before then, please don’t hesitate to text me at 515-210-4441.

I will respond to emails when I get back. Please reach out to circulation staff with any circulation-related questions or feel free to fill out a patron/item needs review form from the green folder at the Circ Desk.

Shred Day has been confirmed! Here are the details:

THE SHREDDER company will be in the JPL parking lot from 9:00am to 12:00pm for on-site document destruction with 3 of their mobile document-shredding vehicles. THE SHREDDER is AAA certified by the National Association for Information Destruction.
Attendees need to limit material to be shredded to 3 disposable boxes or containers per household. To expedite shredding, traffic will route from Merle Hay around the library onto Morningside Drive and enter the west parking lot by the Simpson Barn. Please stay in your vehicle and a volunteer will collect your boxes for on-site document shredding. No registration is necessary. This event is sponsored by AARP in conjunction with Money Smart Week.

https://johnston.librarycalendar.com/event/free-shred-day

Hello,

This week and next, I will be assigning everyone time to watch part II of meeting and study room reservations.

Please print a copy of the handout to follow along with the meeting.

Here is the link to the meeting:

https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/U979-5292eKPE-2oGGClcQsqU_cqEz7cT6Dc46_ksW-aVC6SgJ6vda_AVcRIUg0._v0kuv-p6o7ETEA1
Passcode: 1R!oRw1J

Please ask if you have questions.

Andrew will be playing the cello in the Des Moines Symphony masterworks 5 featuring Carl St. Clair as guest conductor.  We will be playing “Alone Together,” by John Winglass, Max Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1 in g minor, and Tchaikovsky’s 6th Symphony in b minor.  Aubree Oliverson will be the violinist joining us, and here is a link with info on how to purchase tickets:  https://my.desmoinesperformingarts.org/0/6350?queueittoken=e_newdmpasafetynet~q_e517ff6f-425c-41bd-bc41-7f28dce068ba~ts_1677775516~ce_true~rt_safetynet~h_494a4c4eaf2ee02a62d427465579405ef9635424c279563af1192903ddf5ba5d

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RXw6mt0gp3A7lEe3PDyoGPIa1h5ET5uc/view?usp=sharing

The 2023 Author Fair was a success! We have 7 prize bags for winners. Prize bags are behind the Reference Desk and labeled with the prize winners names. All winners have been called and informed. There is a Author Fair Prize Winner List on the paper cutter behind the Ref Desk. When someone picks up their prize, please put a  checkmark next to their name.

Thanks!