JPL Intranet

Hey all,

I miss seeing your faces and I’m forgetting how to talk to other people. Let’s meet up online to say hi and check in! I’ve scheduled a Zoom meeting for this Friday at 3:00pm for anyone who wants to check in and try and people again for a short time. Totally optional–just a chance to be social and say hi.

Login info below. Because of high demand Zoom has taken off the call-in option on free accounts but if you don’t want to shower for this meeting, feel free to join us with computer audio only. 😉

Beth

Elizabeth Stevens is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: JPL Social Hour-Ish Virtual Meet-Up
Time: Apr 3, 2020 03:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/751472996

Meeting ID: 751 472 996

Hey all,

I miss seeing your faces and I’m forgetting how to talk to other people. Let’s meet up online to say hi and check in! I’ve scheduled a Zoom meeting for this Friday at 3:00pm for anyone who wants to check in and try and people again for a short time. Totally optional–just a chance to be social and say hi.

Login info below. Because of high demand Zoom has taken off the call-in option on free accounts but if you don’t want to shower for this meeting, feel free to join us with computer audio only. 😉

Beth

Elizabeth Stevens is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: JPL Social Hour-Ish Virtual Meet-Up
Time: Apr 3, 2020 03:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/751472996

Meeting ID: 751 472 996

As of yesterday afternoon, the library’s phones are set to closed. Lori F. recorded a new phone message explaining how to contact us online. Molly and myself will continue to monitor email from patrons and, starting Monday, patrons can reach us 9am-4pm Monday through Friday via a new live chat feature on our website.

All symphony concerts for April have been postponed, and I will let you know when they are re-scheduled.  Please check the Des Moines Symphony website for more information, and the May Masterworks concert is still on as of now.

There seems to be some disagreement on the number of categories readers ought to be grouped into, but these articles are entertaining. You’ll probably recognize a few patrons and maybe yourself in them.

13 Types Of Readers Everyone Knows, Because We Aren’t All Alike

9 TYPES OF READERS YOU DEFINITELY KNOW

What Kind of Book Reader Are You? A Diagnostics Guide

Seven different types of readers
 

How are you guys holdoing up this week? I moved my “office” to the laundry room, but suddenly the laundry room has become a very popular place 🙂

Many of you have reached out to me to ask about possible work from home ideas. For today, my suggestions are:

Take a Lynda.com course. My list is growing but I’ve Customer Service Foundations, Communication Foundations, Time Management, Time Management: Working from Home (HELP, PLEASE, HELP), Teamwork Foundations, Effective Listening, Agile Foundations, Building a Better To-do List, Photoshop on my radar.

If you think one is particularly helpful to us in Circ, please let me know. I could add it to the standard Circ Staff Training arsenal.

I would also love to have you watch ALL the Niche Academy tutorials available to the public at johnstonlibrary.com or https://my.nicheacademy.com/johnstonlibrary so you have a sense of what help is available for you and for patrons when working with our resources.

I have been adding a few staff picks, here and there, on the webiste. You just log into the website with your personal account and search for a title that you love at johnstonlibrary.com. Click on the “add to staff picks” link under the title.

At the library, we have been shelf reading, repairing books and DVDs and creating digital cards among other things.

Please send me an email if you have any questions, and keep in touch. Talk to you all soon!

Please take a look at your timesheet in the PDF linked below (they’re in alphabetical order) and let me know if yours needs corrections. Given the circumstances, I’m more concerned that the total number of hours is right and less concerned about getting specific shifts right. Those whose timesheets are not included in the file have already turned their’s in, they’re listed below.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1mjP04yJNBON2UHqTMPY31FgaU3aNR3m2 

Abbi
Andrew
Ann
Beth
Brittany
Dreama
Jessica
Laura A.
Lori F.
Missy
Molly
Sheryl
Stephanie
Sue

As I mentioned in my post Sunday evening, our plan to split staff into two groups may not last the week.

Beginning Saturday, part-time staff should stop reporting to work until contacted to return.

• Pay: You will be paid your regular hours.
• Timesheets: Later this week, I will send you each a timesheet to review prior to turning them in on Monday–I’ll do the same whenever timesheets are due going forward.
• Work: As I’ve mentioned, you are welcome to work from home but are not required to. Megan has some things that can be taken home and worked on and myself or your supervisor can give you things to do. Let us know.

Full-time staff will continue to post on social media and monitor and respond to emails and other communications.

Thank you all for your hard work and flexibility up to this point. I’ll be in touch periodically with updates.

Let me know if you have any questions.

https://www.newyorker.com/humor/daily-shouts/quarantine-tips-from-my-cat

Wipe your work surfaces. Give people space at work.Wash your hands. If you’ve been around someone who has a cough, shortness of breath, or other flu-like symptoms or if you have any flu-like symptoms, stay home.

Shawn is continuing to clean every day after close. Closing staff do not need to set the alarm–he will.

To those of you not working this week (Gerke, Sarah; Gibb-clark, Stephanie; Ramsey, Denise; Swaroop, Deepa; Waugh, Abbi; Barlow, Sue; Mcdonough, Erin A; Rasmussen, Peggy), if you haven’t already, please complete the availability survey. Molly and myself will figure out your timesheets and turn them in a week from today.

Megan has prepared some work-at-home kits for those interested–contact her or I for details. Your supervisor may also be in touch with things you can work on. Otherwise, as you’re home isolating yourselves so you can come back to work healthy, get better at using the software you use at work by attending a Lynda.com course or checkout some of the library-specific online education offerings included below:

ALA Continuing Education 

University of Wisconsin Library CE

Info People Archived Webinars

WebJunction Free Webinars (requires creation of a free account)

State Library of Iowa Webinar Archives

San Jose State iSchool Webcasts

Schedule

I’ve included the schedule for this week below. For those in Group 1, there are no changes from what was already planned and posted to When to Work with the exception of cancelling the all-staff meeting originally scheduled for Thursday morning, cancelling the webinar scheduled for Wednesday, and cancelling training and orientation meetings.

I’ll be in touch soon with next week’s schedule.

Work

If you’re using a PC that’s been used by someone else, please wipe the keyboard, mouse, and work surface with a wipe first. In addition, please keep your distance (at least 6 feet) from other staff while you’re working or talking.

Restroom remodeling will continue this week–the tile guy may need the Commons door unlocked periodically.

Please read this carefully and know that you will be paid for all of your scheduled time:

Starting tomorrow, we will be splitting into two groups: one working for the next two-weeks, the other working the two weeks after that. The groups are listed below. Those of you at home during the first two weeks who would like projects to work on, let me know. Working from home is not required but we’d be happy to prepare some crafts for you to cut out, some online lists to create, some book carts to prepare, or whatever–I’m open to ideas.

The schedule for the next week has been set. Going forward, the priority will be to have 7 or fewer people working at a time (we have a big building–spread out). We’ll try to accommodate your availability but if that means that too many people will be in the building you’ll be asked to stay home.

If your name is not on the list, it’s because I’ve heard you’re taking this time off–if this is incorrect let me know. If you have another job where you’ve been laid off and your continued work at JPL is keeping you from full unemployment benefits, let me know that too.

We all know by now that our work and home lives are unpredictable and may continue to be for the next several weeks or months. This plan may be overtaken by circumstances before the week is out. Thanks for hanging in there.

Group 1 – 2 weeks on 3/21 – 4/5 (2 weeks off 4/6 -4/19)

1. MELTON, ERIC
2. DESKINS, DREAMA
3. SOCKNESS, MEGAN
4. GREFE, MELODEE
5. PONDER, LYDIA
6. AKERS, LAURA
7. HOLM, ANDREW R
8. WALL, CAROLYN
9. ELRICK, LORI A
10. BROWN, RODNEY
11. BREWER, GLORIA
12. RATH, LAURA J

Group 2 – 2 weeks on 4/6 – 4/19 (2 weeks off 3/21 – 4/5)

1. BURK, BRITTANY
2. YOUNG, JESSICA
3. GUERRA, MOLLY
4. STEVENS, ELIZABETH
5. GERKE, SARAH
6. GIBB-CLARK, STEPHANIE
7. RAMSEY, DENISE
8. SWAROOP, DEEPA
9. WAUGH, ABBI
10. BARLOW, SUE
11. MCDONOUGH, ERIN A
12. RASMUSSEN, PEGGY

Digital Cards

An email will be printed.

1. Check to see if they already have a card. If they do, renew for three months, if necessary skip to number 5.

2. Enter the information into Polaris creating a card using the regular procedure Except enter digital in the Driver’s License field.

3. Double-check their address in the County Assessor’s website to verify the statistical class:

http://web.assess.co.polk.ia.us/cgi-bin/web/tt/infoqry.cgi?tt=home/index

When you locate the address, look at the Jurisdiction Box. If it lists Johnston use Johnston in the STATISTICAL menu. If it lists any other city, select that city from the STATISTICAL menu. If it lists any township, select Polk County (rural). If you can’t find the address in the website, select the city listed in the address from the STATISTICAL menu.

4. Press Save to complete the card. You will get an error message because there is more than one card with digital for the driver’s license. Click continue to save the card.

5. Clip the card to the email application and write the card number on top of the email. Date and initial the email. Place it in the fold labeled Digital Cards.

6. Email the patron with their library card number and PIN using the Send an Email function on the Intranet.  Copy and Paste the following text and insert their library card number and PIN.

Thank you for applying for a digital card at Johnston Public Library. Your library card number is BJOH0000XXXXXX and your PIN is DDMMYYYY

Please visit us at www.johnstonlibrary.com to get access to the library’s e-books & e-audiobooks, streaming movies & TV, and other online resources. Staff will be available to help you get started 9am-5pm Monday-Saturday and 1pm-5pm on Sundays. Contact us by phone at 515-278-5233 (select option 3) or via email.

Your card will expire in 90 days. After that, you’ll need to come to the library with a photo ID and proof of your address to get a physical card which will let you borrow books and other materials from the library’s physical collection and will provide continued access to our online resources.

We are happy to offer the digital card during our closure, and we look forward to seeing you when we reopen.

Best Wishes,

Johnston Public Library Staff

While we’re closed, Johnston and rural Polk County residents (who don’t already have a library card) can sign up for a digital card to get access to the library’s online resources.

Here’s how it works:

1. Patrons will complete this form (they can find links to the form on our homepage and on our Facebook page).
2. Molly and other circulation staff will create an account for the patron.
3. The patron will receive an email with the text included below.

Thank you for applying for a digital card at Johnston Public Library. Your library card number is BJOH0000xxxxxx and your PIN is xxxxxxxx

Please visit us at www.johnstonlibrary.com to get access to the library’s e-books & e-audiobooks, streaming movies & TV, and other online resources. Staff will be available to help you get started 9am-5pm Monday-Saturday and 1pm-5pm on Sundays. Contact us by phone at 515-278-5233 (select option 3) or via email.

Your card will expire in 90 days. After that, you’ll need to come to the library with a photo ID and proof of your address to get a physical card which will let you borrow books and other materials from the library’s physical collection and will provide continued access to our online resources.

We are happy to offer the digital card during our closure, and we look forward to seeing you when we reopen.

Best Wishes,

Johnston Public Library Staff

The city clerk and city manager visited this morning to share a city-wide HR policy developed as a response to the coronavirus. The complete policy, which will change as situations warrant, is linked below. It says that staff will continue to be paid if city facilities, like the library, should cease all operation and it describes under what coronavirus-related conditions–like high-risk travel, direct exposure, and infection–staff will continue to be paid during their time off.

Although this isn’t spelled out in the document, city administration has agreed to continue to pay part-time staff who are at high-risk of severe illness from contracting the virus, which includes those over 65 and those with pre-existing health conditions, if they have a note from a doctor recommending self-isolation.

As I mentioned, this document is likely to change as things develop. I’ll keep everyone updated as it does.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

http://catalog.johnstonlibrary.com/wordpress-staff/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/HR-Covid-Policy.pdf

From the State Library – March 19, 2020

Dr. Caitlin Pedati, medical director and state epidemiologist at the IDPH, issued the following message on the handling of library materials:

The COVID-19 virus is typically transmitted via droplets after an infected individual coughs or sneezes. It is unlikely that someone could become infected by COVID-19 by handling a library book. Libraries should continue to clean acetate books covers and CD/DVD covers; and frequently touched environmental surfaces like door handles, computers, and restroom surfaces with an EPA registered disinfectant. Use all products according to the directions on the label. 

A big thank you to all the staff who hustled this week to help patrons check out 4,454 items since Monday (so far)!

While we’re closed and staff are continuing to report to work, our phone lines will be open 9-5 Monday-Saturday and 1-5 Sundays; our phone system’s hours are being modified accordingly.

As I mentioned in a previous post today, department heads will be meeting tomorrow to discuss ideas for how to offer some new services and some of our in-library services in new ways while we’re closed. We’ll be discussing projects staff can work on. Please add your ideas here. We’ll also be discussing how all of this could change at any time. Plans for online programs, curbside pick-up, digital cards, etc. could evaporate on short notice if we get orders that all staff should cease work. Because of this, be careful to temper expectations when talking to patrons about the services we’ll provide while we’re closed (“We’ll continue this service while we can” etc.).

If you have flu-like symptoms or know you’ve been exposed to someone with the virus don’t come to work and don’t worry about missed wages (more to come on that soon).

Lastly, there is a possibility that the library should cease all operations at some point and that staff are told not to report to work. Should this happen, the city is prepared with a plan to compensate employees for missed hours.

Thanks again for everyone’s hard work so far this week. Getting through this is going to take the same kind of grit and flexibility that got us to Wednesday. (Yep, we’re only three days in.)

As we try to continue answering patron phone calls about online resources 9am-5pm M-Sat and 1pm-5pm Sundays,  use the following method to have calls to the PS phone forwarded to your desk, to the YS desk, or wherever:

1. At the PS desk phone, press the button underneath where the screen says “Features”
2. Navigate to “Forward” and press the OK button
3. Highlight “Follow Me To…” (it’s the first on the list so should already be highlighted) and click the OK button
4. Type the extension you’d like to forward the call to
5. Press the button underneath where the screen says “Save”

To stop forwarding, follow steps 1-3 above, press the button under “Clear”, then the button under “Save”

If a YS or PS staff member is not available, forward the PS desk phone to myself (604) or Molly (606).