JPL Intranet

Power is back. For those who don’t know, we closed early yesterday due to a power outage. I will email those who missed their browsing and PC appointments.

There is a new self-check in the YS area near the restroom.

When you have letters to mail that need postage, please place them in the brown basket in front of my cubicle (tagged “Mail). Only mail that has postage should go in the mail tub.

We’re having issues with the P.O. returning unstamped mail for postage due. Help us avoid the delivery delay by using the basket.

Thank you!

Creating Appointments for Curbside and Other Library Services

Take a look at the document above and let your supervisor know if you have any questions. I’ve highlighted the purpose statement from the above document:

 We will work as an interdepartmental team to:

• Serve every patron if they make an appointment or walk-up to the library
• Educate library users about our appointment system as the fastest, guaranteed service approach and  walk-in appointments cannot be guaranteed
  • Walk-in patrons may be asked to wait while we gather materials or if we have reached the maximum number of patrons in the building. That is OK.
• Facilitate communication between departments working the desks using Slack

I’m settling into a new schedule for the upcoming weeks. Please do your best to have your completed and signed time sheets in the green folder outside Eric’s office on or before Thursdays at 6:00 pm. Thanks!

Peg

I attended a meeting run by Parks Director John Schmitz yesterday afternoon about the development of park facilities in Johnston Commons, the green space around the library. Amenities being discussed include a playground, a large (70-80 person capacity) shelter with restrooms, a full basketball court, and a splash pad. The location of this development will be in the space between the pond and Merle Hay, not between the library and the barn. There’s a chance that some sort of shade structure over our west patio will be included in the project as well. Construction is planned for spring 2021. I’ll be attending additional meetings as plans develop and will keep you posted.

All summer symphony concerts have been cancelled, and I will update you on upcoming performances when I hear word about them.

Laura R. got a special think you tucked into a book from a patron while checking in last weekend. I think it applies across the department. Thanks for everything you are doing. It doesn’t go unnoticed.

Since the browsing traffic has been light, the Hot Picks have once again been switched to “regular” book and DVD status — they are holdable, have a 3 week/1 week checkout, and are renewable.

A few details regarding accepting payment:

• As you may have read in an earlier post, we can accept credit card payment over the phone by manually entering their card information into the machine. We should not write down the number, but enter it directly into the terminal as they read it to us without onlookers.
• I have created an updated Circ Closing Procedure which includes the handling of the money drawer.

Please remember to print, sign and place your time sheet into the green folder outside Eric’s office by Friday evening. If you are not able to do this, please send me an email at rasmussen@johnstonlibrary.com.

ThanksPeg

Starting yesterday, the library is accepting payment for fines and fees if patrons wish to pay. We accept cash, check, or credit/debit card in person.

A few highlights:

• We can now accept credit card payment over the phone.
• We still are not blocking accounts due to fines or fees over $15.
• Patrons can mail checks.
• The minimum charge at the credit card terminal has been lowered to $1. 
• There is hand sanitizer near the cash register to use after each transaction.
• At this time, there is still no charge for printing.

Anyone trained to use the cash register is welcome to accept payment and clear fees from accounts. Let me know if you have any questions.

OPPORTUNITIES TO GUIDE FUTURE GROWTH OF JOHNSTON

The City of Johnston is a growing community, but community feedback is always needed to help guide businesses and residents’ wants and needs. City leaders and staff have been working on a draft comprehensive plan – the Thrive 2040 Plan. This plan will help shape the future growth, investment and reinvestment within our community.

Book Quarantine Room: There is an order that we are following with the books. When we don’t follow that order it becomes very unorganized and almost impossible to figure out where we are with check-in. Please do not empty books into the quarantine room until you talk with me. Call or text me at 515-210-4441 if I am not at work and you are not sure where to put your items.

“But I brought that back”: I am telling everyone as they checkout, that there is a seven to ten-day return process. We have adjusted 1st overdue notices to go out at 7 days. I have told people to wait to call us until they receive the 2nd overdue notice at 10 days….we should almost always have it returned by then. If we all follow the process and put things in order in the quarantine room, it will not be hard to check each day and see where we are with processing. That way you can ask the caller which day they returned the items to get a better sense of if you should do a claims returned/escalate an issue to Molly or just ask them to wait a few more days. Their mood and tone can give you a sense of how to handle it as well 😉

Please remember to backdate: Always backdate one more day than the date on the blue tape to account for possible overnight materials. Beaver Creek Book Return items will have a note with the date you should use to backdate which will be about five days more than the date it was returned to the quarantine room.

Molds and Learning Tools: We are circulating learning tools and molds/cake pans. We are not circulating puppets. Please let people know that learning tools and molds/cake pans should be brought inside the building, can leave with the greeter at the door, rather than placed in the book returns.

Starting Monday we will be accepting Payments: We will be accepting payments starting Monday. You can accept cash, credit card, or check fines or fees. There will be hand sanitizer by the register to clean your hands after handling the money. We will not be blocked based on fees yet, so this is just for those that wish to pay. We are not using the Foundation cash register at this time, so we will not be selling books from the book sale room. 

Starting this week, a few seasoned volunteers will be returning to the Circ Department.  I won’t schedule more than one volunteer at a time, and drop-in volunteering will no longer be an option. Initially, they will just be shelving. Zoey, Tammy, Jill, and Hunter will be helping. They will be required to wear face masks while in the building. I will try to include them on the daily desk schedule.

Also, for the time being, Youth Services has agreed to help us out, as they have time, with some shelving of Juvenile materials including recently returned Children and Family DVDs.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Since the library will be open for browsing on Saturdays, we will be shifting curbside hours to 10 am – 1 pm starting August 1. This weekend is a little quirky and we will still start at 9 am – through the library won’t be open until 10 am for browsing or computers.

We are making library cards for those with appointments to browse or for walk-in visitors.

Here is a quick overview of what documents and information people need to get a library card:

Standard card –

Those 18 and older need a government-issued photo ID and proof of address (address on the ID will work if it is current)

For those 14-17, if no government-issued photo ID is available, an official document (letter, report card, Infinite Campus) with their name and address can be used.

For those under 14, a government-issued photo ID of a parent/guardian is required and the parent/guardian and child must be present.

For a provisional card (single-use and max of two items):

Those 18 and older need a government-issued photo ID – they do not need proof of address.

For those 14-17, no identification or official document is necessary. They do need to be able to fill out the form completely.

For those under 14, must be able to fill out the form completely. No ID or proof of address is required.

For all the details on making library cards, refer to the cheat cards at the public services desks or the Circulation Policy.

As I mentioned yesterday, since we’re allowing same-day appointments for PC/notary/etc. and for browsing the person at the PS desk and at the front door will need to use the live schedule (rather than a printout) to keep up to date on each day’s appointments. I added a thing to the schedules that we’ll cause them to reload every 10 minutes. Just keep each open in a tab, either on the laptop at the table in the front or the PS iPad mini, and they should be up to date whenever you need to look.

https://www.johnstonlibrary.com/browsing-schedule/

https://www.johnstonlibrary.com/pc-schedule/

We’ve received some calls about patrons wanting to use their personal computers or tablets in the library right now. Personal electronic devices will be treated like regular computer appointments. If patrons come in and want to use their own computers or devices, we will still direct them to a designated spot within the library and remind them that PC appointments are limited to an hour, whether they are using our computer or their own. At this time, the library is not open for meeting space or gathering with another person.

We are here for browsing by appointment or computer use by appointment (that includes faxing, notarizing, and copying) and walk-ins for both services as long as we can stay under our designated number in the building at one time.

I’ve adjusted the settings on our browsing and PC appointment scheduling to allow patrons to schedule an hour in advance. Those monitoring appointments should use the website rather than a printout for the latest info. Curbside and printing appointments still need to be made a day in advance.