JPL Intranet

All of the instruction books for federal form 1040 are on the counter. We do not have any additional supply. When these are gone, they’re gone.

The library board recently approved the following addition (highlighted) to the list of violations included in Conduct in the Library Policy.

Bringing an animal into the library, unless it is assisting a person with a disability. Animals whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support are not allowed in the library.

There’s no need to address every instance of an animal in the library–just if the animal is causing problems. If the animal is not causing problems, assume it’s a legit service animal. If you do need to address a patron with an animal, you can only ask two questions:

• Is the dog a service animal that is required because of a disability? (You are not allowed to ask about the disability.)
• What work or task has the dog been trained to perform?

You are not allowed to request documentation or that the dog demonstrate its task. Let me know if you have any questions.

Paypal is discontinuing the app we use to accept book sale payments so we’re switched to their new app, Zettle. It’s pretty intuitive but check out the video below for a tutorial on completing transactions. If it logs out, the username is “notices@johnstonlibrary.com” and the password is “123Johnston”.

https://www.zettle.com/gb/help/articles/1084729-taking-card-and-contactless-payments

The public loves shred day! We’ve received our first inquiry if AARP will be sponsoring a shred day to be held at JPL. The answer is yes BUT the date has not yet been confirmed. The tentative date is April 29, 2023, 9am-Noon. More details to come.

Andrew will be playing the cello in the Des Moines Symphony youth concerts on March 7th and 8th.  If you know anyone who will be attending, please let me know.  Please let them know about a colleague playing the cello as well.

Tech Lab Update: I moved the scanner and its software to the Windows PC as the Mac was allowing the scanner to sleep in between slide scans. By default, scans will be saved to a “Digitized Photos” folder that has a shortcut on the desktop. That folder is also accessible on the Mac for anyone wanting to edit their scans there in one of the Adobe apps. I’m still working on getting the audio digitization software to work. There are alternatives but none that are as full-featured for digitizing analog audio or as intuitive.

Patrons can now cancel holds with a status of Available from the website. When they cancel a hold that is available, the status of the item will change to Unclaimed and the item with be pulled with the unclaimed holds from the Holds shelf and put on hold for the next person or put back on the shelf.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

* Edit *Just a reminder that the Secretary of State provides a program called Safe at Home which allows participants to use a generic address rather than their actual residential address. This is offered to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, stalking, and assault.

If someone identifies themselves as a participant in the program, we will use the address they provide us.

We do not need to collect their actual address or have them show proof of address. Also – a reminder that phone numbers and emails are optional and they are not required for a full-access library card.

More information about the Safe at Home program can be found here:

https://safeathome.iowa.gov/

Beth and Peg have put together a training about Meeting Rooms and Study Rooms.

I will assign you time this month to watch it on the Daily Desk Schedule.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AbJayOZwsuv-Id1EzZWIvuXkfxARF8IB/view?usp=share_link

Thank you.

Hello-

As you check out ILL items to patrons, can you please take a moment to go over the following with them:

-Review the due date of the item (remember to update it on Polaris) and note that it may be a different circulation period than JPL materials.

-Review the importance of keeping the paper slip on the cover of the item. Let them know that the barcode we use to check in the item is on that slip, so we need it in order to remove the item from their account when they return the item. It is to their advantage to leave that slip of paper on the book.

-Remind them that the slip has special instructions for renewals.

If you have any questions, please ask Molly or Lori Elrick

We did not receive the Sunday Des Moines Register today.

Some of our patrons have no Internet access at home. I’ve included some information below about a federal program that provides discounts for citizens who meet certain criteria (see the link below).

The Affordable Connectivity Program is an FCC benefit program that helps ensure that households can afford the broadband they need for work, school, healthcare and more.

The benefit provides a discount of up to $30 per month toward internet service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for households on qualifying Tribal lands. Eligible households can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers if they contribute more than $10 and less than $50 toward the purchase price.

I will add time to everyone’s schedule to watch these webinars/talks this month. I’ll make a note on the Daily Desk Schedule when you should watch them. If you are watching them during a Backup or Backup/Check-In Shift, please watch without headphones (just lower volume) so that you can back up the desk if needed.

*A couple of you may have seen them before, but they are worth rewatching.

**Meredith, Dawn, and April have watched these in the last month – you don’t need to rewatch them- yet.

https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story

https://www.ala.org/pla/education/onlinelearning/webinars/ondemand/understanding

The three PCs on the ledge behind the checkout desk will be picked up by Maxwell Hooks.

*The website is now fixed. Let me know if you experience or hear of any issues with it.

Polaris support is working on a problem with the piece of their software that the website pulls information from. Search and account information is currently unavailable. I’m hoping it’s resolved soon.

Update: The upgrade is complete. You may resume your use of the Polaris client software. You should have a new Polaris 7.3 shortcut on your PC desktop.

Patrons can access remote databases.

Eric is working on resetting the configuration file for the catalog.

If you have any questions, please let me or Lori F. know.

Update: The upgrade is nearly complete. The software is installed, but Polaris staff have to run a few quality assurance tests before they’ll call the upgrade finished. Circ staff may check materials out on Circ1 and Circ2, but let’s hold off on other Polaris activities until we get the all clear. Our website is up, but the catalog will not work until Eric resets a configuration file. The connection between Polaris and remote databases (like Bridges) is not working yet.

The upgrade to Polaris 7.3 has begun. Please do not open the Polaris client until further notice.

Some or all of the www.johnstonlibrary.com website may not be working. Patrons will not be able to log into Bridges (Overdrive, Libby) or other resources that require a barcode and PIN.

We hope to be back online by 9 a.m.

Just a heads up that the library now has a few PS5 games in Circulation. They will follow the same shelving rules as the other videogames.

I have received a few patron questions about the annual Lions Club Book Sale.

The Lions Club Website still lists the 2022 dates.

I don’t have the exact times, but per Ron L (Lions Club Volunteer) the 2023 book sale will be held March 2-4 at the Lions Club – 6501 Merle Hay Rd. 

We will get you the times and let you know when the website is updated. For now, the dates above are what we know.