JPL Intranet

I’ve completed drafts of everyone’s timesheets. Please follow the link below to verify and, if necessary, make changes to your sheet. Let me know if you have trouble.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1UA49NACFbtfD0TiJub51wJeh3cnqB_HC?usp=sharing

Missy has asked me to announce that she is resigning from her position effective 6/12. Missy has been with JPL for 12 years–in Circulation and now TS. Her humor and smarts along with her passion for libraries and library patrons will leave a big void at JPL for the staff and for the community as whole. She has promised to visit us.

During Phases 2 and 3, the Hot Picks collection is not available to patrons to browse. Therefore, we’re temporarily changing the collection to be Holdable so that patrons may place holds and pick them up curbside.

For now, Hot Picks books will check out for 3 weeks, be renewable, and be holdable just like other books. Hot Picks DVDs will check out for 1 week, be renewable, and be holdable just like other DVDs.

The labeling will remain unchanged.

We’ll return these circulation elements to their normal values when we reach Phase 4.

The following message was sent to patrons this afternoon:

To avoid a glut of returns as we prepare for curbside holds and printing pickup next week (learn more), we’re extending due dates to July 1^st. If you’re receiving this message but have already returned your items, don’t worry. We have them in quarantine and will check them in soon. Let me know if you have any questions.

We are planning to start phase 3 of the reopening plan the week of Monday, June 22nd. The only difference from Phase 2–curbside holds and printing pickup, which starts next week–is that we’ll allow 4 patrons at a time to make appointments for 45 minute computer sessions (see the procedure for details). Hours will be the same as curbside pickup, which will continue: Tuesday & Thursday 2-6 and Wednesday & Friday 10-2. We are not announcing the date or the services offered yet, just planning for staffing and promotion.

I’ve created a webpage that outlines for patrons how curbside holds and printing pickup will work. Please take a look and let me know if you have any questions or suggestions. In addition, it probably wouldn’t hurt for all staff to look again at the procedure documents linked in the reopening plan as we prepare for starting curbside next week.

For those working today:

At approximately 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 27, the City of Johnston will be sounding their Outdoor Warning Sirens. The testing should take approximately one hour. Notification will be provided on Polk County Emergency Management’s Facebook page once the testing is complete. Please do not call 9-1-1. This is only a test. Direct all testing questions to Polk County Emergency Management Agency’s 9-1-1 Coordinator. Please visit bit.ly/3cbMAtQ for additional information on Outdoor Warning Sirens and the Polk County-Wide Outdoor Warning Siren Activation Policy.

Deepa is leaving us at the end of June to relocate to Texas where Prithvi will be attending college. We will all miss the many talents she brings to JPL, her humor, and, of course, her wonderful cakes and Indian food.

The zoo is requiring its patrons to reserve time-slots for their visit. This setup isn’t possible with our current ticketing software and, with everything else going on, we are not going to try to work with the zoo to make timed reservations for library patrons. I’ve asked that the zoo be temporarily removed from our list of Adventure Passes.

Library board meeting documents from the past two months are available via Google Drive (follow the link below). Once I’m moved back into my office, I’ll move them to their normal home which is linked under Staff Resources on the intranet.

https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1HX4Mprov1Eb7P5w0akNlPaIUTKHSe8Ho

Jessica, Beth, and I hosted a Summer Reading Overview via Zoom last night. If you missed it and would like more information about Summer Reading here is the recorded Zoom meeting:

Please feel free to reach out to any of us if you have any questions!

I’ve completed drafts of everyone’s timesheets. Please follow the link below to verify and, if necessary, make changes to your sheet. Let me know if you have trouble.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1OjjxTs4Z_YEoWQ1bRbdQHPFAP_bqn-xG?usp=sharing

As you know, beginning June 2nd patrons will be able to pickup their holds by appointment (see procedure). They will also be able to pickup print-jobs by appointment (see procedure). The wording on the notices patrons receive by text or email during this time are going to be different than normal. You might get questions. Below, I’ve included the various notices patrons will receive.

Patrons will receive the following message when their holds have been trapped/made available.

Curbside pickup begins June 2nd. Please follow the link below to make an appointment to pickup your holds. If you’ve already made an appointment for a future date, don’t make a new appointment. We’ll bundle your new holds with the others.

https://www.johnstonlibrary.com/holds-pickup/

Patrons will receive the following message when they schedule their holds appointment.

Thank you for making an appointment to pickup your holds. Please arrive as close to your scheduled time as possible. When you arrive, park in the parking lot, then call or text your name to (515) 412-0410. Stay in your car while we bring your items in a bag labelled with your name to a table in front of the library.

Patrons will receive the following message when they schedule their printing pickup appointment.

Thank you for making an appointment to pickup your print job. Please arrive as close to your scheduled time as possible. When you arrive, park in the parking lot, then call or text your name to ‪(515) 412-0410‬. Stay in your car while we bring your document(s) to a table in front of the library.

This is your friendly reminder that Beth, Jessica, and Megan will be hosting a Summer Reading overview to talk about how Summer Reading is being run this summer and the programs we will be hosting throughout the summer.  We will be hosting a Zoom meeting on Wednesday, May 20 at 6:30PM. The meeting will be recorded and will be made accessible if you are not able to join us live.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84079439301?pw…

Meeting ID: 840 7943 9301
Password: 937650

Hey All! I’m excited to learn more about Summer Reading this year. If you can, please try to attend the Zoom meeting tonight or watch the recording later when it is posted. Here is the original message from Megan with the meeting info:

Beth, Jessica, and Megan will be hosting a Summer Reading overview to talk about how Summer Reading is being run this summer and the programs we will be hosting throughout the summer.  We will be hosting a Zoom meeting on Wednesday, May 20 at 6:30PM. The meeting will be recorded and will be made accessible if you are not able to join us live.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84079439301?pw…

Meeting ID: 840 7943 9301
Password: 937650

Adult Summer Reading Instructions for Staff

1. Patrons will choose to participate Online or via Paper Logs for the 2020 adult summer reading program. Patrons should not do both.

2. To participate Online, patrons should: 

• Search for “Reader Zone” app at their device app store (i.e. Apple Store or Google Play).
• Install the app on their Android, Apple, or Amazon device.
• Make an account, enter program code 5f6b5, and select the program(s) they would like to join.
• Track what they read or listen to through the app.
• For each book completed, patrons will earn one entry into the JPL Adult Summer Reading prize drawings. There is no need to turn anything in to JPL.

3. To participate via Paper Logs, patrons should: 

• Pickup a reading log at the library during open hours beginning May 30th or access the ASR webpage and print one at home.
• Log the books they read or listen to.
• Turn in their completed logs at the outdoor summer reading drop-box located by the main entryway of JPL. For each completed log, patrons will earn one entry into the JPL Adult Summer Reading prize drawings.
• Additional paper logs are available on the ASR webpage.

4. All entries will be put into one drawing. Unlike past years, patrons will not get to choose the prize buckets into which to place their tickets.  

5. The prizes for Adult Summer Reading will be ten – $30 gift cards to local Johnston businesses. Prizes will be drawn after the program ends.

6. A new component of 2020’s ASR program is the Read Boldly Genre Challenge. This challenge is optional. To participate in the challenge, patrons should:

• Read one title out of at least 5 genre categories. Categories are defined on the ASR webpage and on the printed bookmark.
• Place a check mark in the box next to the title they have read, or write in the title of a book read that fits the category.
• Once patrons have read one title from 5 genre categories, they should turn in their Read Boldly bookmark at the outdoor summer reading drop-box located by the main exterior doors of JPL.

• Patrons who complete the Read Boldly Genre Challenge will receive $5.00 worth of JPL Bucks for the Foundation & Friends Book Sale.

ASR 2020_Instructions for Staff_draft

Patrons with puppets, learning tools, cake pans, and/or launch pads checked out received the following message today:

Our outdoor book returns are open but please hang on to the puppets, learning tools, cake pans, and launch pads that you have checked out until the inside book drop is open. We don’t have a date yet for when that will happen but due dates for those items have been extended to July 1 and will be extended further if needed.

Limited circ staff are back at the building, and we are excited to be pulling hundreds and hundreds of items for patrons eagerly awaiting curbside delivery.

You may get an email asking you to make an appointment to pick up your holds, but I’m asking staff not to use curbside time if possible. You are welcome to visit the library through the staff entrance, pick up your holds from the holds table, and find an unassigned workstation to check out.  If you have any questions about picking up your holds/or family members’ holds or checking them out, don’t hesitate to email me.

I would ask that you remember that we are wearing face coverings at the library, and that we are working to limit the number of people in the building. If you are not scheduled to work at the library that day, keep you visit brief and maintain social distancing guidelines during your visit.

Let me know if you have any questions!

Technical Services is once again accepting interlibrary loan (ILL) requests from patrons. All requests that were already in the queue were reactivated today. As items arrive from other libraries, they will be added to the holds available for curbside pick-up starting June 2nd.

The public restrooms are open for use with the exception of the Youth Services restroom–it needs the door trimmed to fit the new tile. We’re awaiting locks for the stalls which the manufacturer forgot to ship.