JPL Intranet

The library has four (4!) clerk positions currently posted.

Clerk One: Monday – Thursday 3 – 8 pm
Clerk Two: Every Saturday/Sunday 12 – 5 pm
Clerk Three: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 1 – 5 pm
Every other Saturday 1 – 5:45 pm and Sunday 12:45 – 5:15 pm
Clerk Four: Tuesday and Thursday 4 – 8:15 pm
Every other Saturday 8:45 am and Sunday 12:15 pm – 5:15 pm

Internal applicants are welcome to apply or request additional hours.

For external applicants, they can find job listings at the bottom of our website. Internal applicants can just email Molly and Dreama.

All holds for Home Delivery Patrons ( Homebound/Outreach) have been moved from the all-patrons hold shelves to a cart in the Repair area.  When checking in, or trapping holds from the  pick list for a Home Delivery Patron, a box will pop up showing “Home Delivery Patron” before allowing you to continue.  Please place any holds with this pop up box on the cart labeled Home Delivery Patron Holds.  The cart is located in the repair area next to check in (Miren’s old area).   Thank you!

Cathy and Loriel

Kites on the Green is tomorrow! I have printed and placed a copy of the schedule at each desk. If patrons have more questions, an information booth will be set up near the sidewalk leading to the park/barn.

Feel free to take a look at the KOTG website as well that has more details about the day:
https://www.cityofjohnston.com/606/Kites-on-the-Green—May-4

Some things to note:

• Please park in the last row, closest to the road.  Emergency vehicles will need the spaces near the dumpsters.
• If you get a break, I encourage you to bring a lunch or get food from one of the food trucks that will be at the event
• We may need to use the large meeting room for the performers, if that happens, someone from the KOTG Committee will be assisting with set-up, teardown, and crowd management.

Thanks!

Megan

We have a new Incident/Conduct in the Library Tracker!

Incident-Tracker is a secure and user-friendly platform that allows us to track Incident Reports and Conduct in the Library reports in one location.

The Incident Tracker can be viewed by clicking on the “Submit a Report” tab on the Intranet. The username and password are also listed in this tab for easy access.
Username: library
Password: 123Johnston

I have placed a copy of the instructions at each desk. These instructions include How to Submit a Report and How to View Reports within the new platform.  Instructions will also be uploaded to Confluence over the next week or so.

I have transferred all incidents and Conduct Reports from the last month and a half to the new tracker.

When you have some time, take a look at the Incident Tracker.

If you have any questions, please let me know. I will be providing training at our All Staff Meeting in May.
Megan

Hello!

You have probably heard rumblings about some changes coming regarding Check-in and Shelving. I appreciate everyone being willing to allow Dreama and I to talk things through before we shared any “official” updates.

So beginning May 5th – some staff that have reported to me, will begin to report to Dreama. Those staff include Laurie Hazel, Sarah Gerke, Andrew Holm and Ashlyn Simon. Sarah and Laurie will still work some desk shifts.

Dreama’s staff will be in charge of emptying the book returns, doing the Pick List, pulling unclaimed holds, calling holds.  The Circ Weekly Calendar schedule that you look for in the back room will no longer be up on May 5th. If you have a question about who is doing the picklist or anything to do with the jobs above, you will want to check-in with TS staff.

Dreama will also become the volunteer coordinator since the majority of our volunteers work in shelving and pick list help. Questions or applications can be sent her way.

Dreama or a TS designee may ask staff trained in check-in for help from time to time. Especially during those crazy summer months. All staff trained to check-in will be ready to help when asked.

If you are not moving to TS, you may have additional desk hours instead of check-in. I will be sending out a note to desk staff discussing the change and what you will be doing during your shifts not covering a desk.

People can still pick up shifts for each other from desks or TS. So for instance if Sarah (TS) is out, Carolyn (Patron Services) is welcome to pick up her shift. If she does that, Dreama will communicate with Carolyn what TS duties she will be responsible for outside of Sarah’s desk shifts.

There is a lot to digest. The main thing to remember is to ask questions if you are unsure of what you should be focusing on at work.

Molly and Dreama

Hello all,

Thank you for answering the numerous phone calls about Shred Day that is scheduled for tomorrow, April 27th from 9am to noon. A couple details you may be getting asked:

• Shred Day will continue rain or shine unless there is lightning. At that point, it would become a safety issue and Shred Day would be cancelled. From what I can see right now, it does not look like thunderstorms are forcasted until much later in the day.
• The SHRED IT 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 SHRED IT company is  AAA certified by the National Association for Information Destruction.
• Patrons should 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.
• Patrons are asked to stay in their  vehicle and a volunteer will collect boxes for on-site document shredding.

Please send Riddhi or Peg an email at sheth@johnstonlibarary.com or rasmussen@johnstonlibarary.com if you are not able to turn in your time sheet by this day and time.

For the time being, we will not have a notary regularly available on Mondays after 6 pm as Peg is in a program.

Hello all,

On June 1, we will be hosting a Perfect Burger cooking class. I wanted to put out a call to see if any staff members who live close by have gas grills and would be willing to loan them for a morning. The class will be taught inside with grill pans if we cannot gather gas grills.
If you have a gas grill and can transport and loan it for a morning, please let me know.

Thank you!

Beth

Please see the message from the Library Board of Trustees below. I am very excited for the next chapter at JPL, and I am eager to begin work with the new director. Holly is very well respected in the Iowa library community, and she is going to be a great leader:

Dear JPL staff,

Thank you for your patience during our search for the next Library Director for the Johnston Public Library.  Pending Library Board approval at a special board meeting on May 2nd, we are pleased to announce that our next director is Holly Sealine.  Holly is currently a Public Service Manager at the Ankeny Kirkendall Public Library and has previously been the director at the Norwalk Easter Public Library.  Holly’s first day at the library will be May 31st.  There will be a press release to the public after our May 2nd meeting, but the Library Board wanted you all to know in advance because we recognize how important this decision is to each and every one of you.

Thank you to everyone that participated in the library director search.  Whether you attended the presentations, gave building tours, staffed a desk so others could attend, met the candidates, or filled out the survey, we appreciated your willingness to assist the Board in making this decision.

Best,
Kelly McAlister

Please send me an email if are not able to turn in your time sheet by this day and time rasmussen@johnstonlibarary.com.

There is the potential for severe weather tomorrow. Please take a moment to review the emergency cards at the desks for the procedures for tornado watches and warnings.

We are in the final stretch with putting together kite kits! Kites on the Green will be help May 4th. We have about 2.5 boxes of kite kits left to assemble. Please work on kits are time allows. There is another box of string handles in the northwest corner of my office.

There are instructions for making the kits by the Circulation Desk or you can grab a LIC to ask how to make a kit.

Thank you for your help!

Spring is here and this is a great time for us to review our behavior policies. 

Here are the basics:
If any patron displays disruptive behavior such as excessive noise, running or play fighting, they will receive two warnings/reminders. In case a person is reminded for a third time, they will be asked to leave the library for the rest of the day.

Reminders:

1. Use the #behaviorinthelibrary channel to communicate with your coworkers. You can update them about warnings, behaviors you are seeing, or if there is something they should be looking out for.
2. When someone is asked to leave, please submit a Conduct in the Library report through the intranet. This helps staff track suspensions and identify trends. Please note that we are in the process of replacing the current Conduct in the Library form, but more information will be available when it is ready to go live.
3. If you are trying to figure out what to do in a specific situation, don’t hesitate to ask for help. LICs (Librarian in Charge) are available and willing to assist you.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out. 

Please find the message from our Library Board regarding the final interview schedule for Thursday, bios of the three final candidates, and a QR Code for presentation feedback.

Good Morning JPL Staff –

Happy National Library Workers Day!!  We are so grateful that you choose to work at the Johnston Public Library and appreciate all your hard work to make JPL a great asset to our community.

We are looking forward to our Finalists’ Interviews for the Library Director on Thursday, April 11th.  Please find the finalists’ bios attached to this post for your review along with a schedule for the activities that day.  Again, if you are able, any staff can attend the finalists’ presentations in the West Meeting Room (see schedule for times).  I’ve also attached a QR code to the feedback survey you can fill out after seeing the presentations.  Please only fill out the feedback form if you have attended the presentations or interacted with the candidates on that day in your official capacity at the library.

If you have any questions, please reach out!

JPL – Finals Schedule (with Candidate Names)
Finalist Bios – Johnston Library – 2024
QR code for printing – Johnston Public Library – 2024

Hello All,
This Thursday, April 11 is a big day. The 3 final candidates for the Director Position at JPL will be participating in the following activities:

• Q & A session with JPL Department Heads
• Tour of the building
• 15-minute presentations followed by a Q & A in sessions open to the public
• Interviews with the Johnston Library Board

As you know, Molly is one of the final 3 candidates who will be part of this day-long interview process.
While you will see Molly in the building this Thursday, she is not present as a JPL staff member on this day. Please don’t go to her with any questions on Thursday. She is here solely for the interview process.

If you have any questions regarding desk services, technology, library materials, etc. please make the best decision available to you in the moment. As always, our coworkers are our best resources when we need additional information. Beth, Megan and Dreama will be in the building and monitoring Slack during the day.  Peg is the L.I.C. from 8:30-12; Megan is the L.I.C. from 12-5; and I’m the L.I.C. from 5 until close.

Thanks for your cooperation.

Pigott is scheduled to deliver a new chair for the director’s office on Tuesday, April 9. They have been directed to use the west entrance and ask for Lori French. Please let me know when they arrive.

Thanks!

Please congratulate Riddhi on her promotion to Assistant Librarian! Her promotion is effective immediately as she begins her training on scheduling, timesheets and librarian in charge.

As you all probably know, I am a cellist in the Des Moines Symphony, and will be playing the upcoming Masterworks and Pops sets.  Next weekend is Masterworks 6 featuring the BRKFST dance company from Minnesota, and we will be playing Beethoven’s Grosse Fugue arranged for string orchestra by Felix Weingartner, Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite, selections from Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty, and selections from Romeo and Juliet by Prokofiev.  Concerts will take place next Saturday the 13th at 7:30 PM, and Sunday the 14th at 2:30 PM at the Civic Center in downtown Des Moines.

The next pops concert is April 27th at 7:30 PM at the Civic Center, and Hamilton’s Renee Elise Goldsberry will be joining us.  Here are links to purchase tickets for both sets:

https://www.dmsymphony.org/concerts-events/discover-symphonic-dance/

https://desmoinesperformingarts.org/events/evening-with-renee-elise-goldsberry/

I hope you all can attend!

As part of National Library Week, we are collecting Food for Fines from Sunday, April 7 through Saturday, April 13, 2024. Donated items (food and personal health items like diapers, feminine hygiene products, paper towels, etc.) will go to the Johnston Partnership to support individuals in our community experiencing food insecurity.

• One donated food or personal health item = $1.00 in fines
• Food items will not be accepted as payment for lost/damaged items or items that have gone to collections

• No maximum payment with food
• No need to count food –take the patron’s word for it