JPL Intranet

Due to multiple illnesses, I am cancelling the Adult Beginner ESL and ESL childcare scheduled for this evening. I will send texts to all regular participants. However, it’s likely I may miss someone; please apologize for the inconvenice if someone shows up.

Peg

We’ve had a few incidents recently of patrons using their phones to record interactions with staff. Patrons are within their rights to record public officials in public spaces  as long as they’re not interfering with us doing our work (see http://www.dmlp.org/legal-guide/recording-police-officers-and-public-officials). If a situation arises, however, where the act of being recorded or something else about the situation makes you uncomfortable, feel free to step away and let another staff member finish the interaction.

The mobile food pantry has a cart of food that anyone, regardless of age or whether they’re registered, can take. Several of our younger visitors have been going hog-wild on these snacks and making a mess in the computer lounge and commons. YS and PS staff along with Molly and I will ask these kdis to choose one item from their haul to eat in the commons–the rest needs to go behind a desk (in a bag with their name on it) until they’re ready to leave for the day. 

Please take the extra minutes to open your When to Work account and compare your actual hours worked to your scheduled hours. The majority of errors I catch are simply a mismatch between the two. If you find a discrepancy, speak to your supervisor.

Thanks,

Peg

Hi All,

I’m sorry I didn’t get this out sooner, but substitute clerk Michelle Walsh relocated from Johnston earlier this month. Her last day was January 31st. I have a card in the Breakroom so we can send her our thanks and well wishes!

Molly

We will be making an Art Cart available for use in the library by kids in 6th grade and up starting today. The Art Cart will have various art supplies available – including withdrawn magazines and books for the kids to cut images out of. (We just wanted staff to be aware of this in case they see kids cutting up magazines and worry that they might be from the library’s collection.)

Kids who want to use the materials in the art cart may come to the Youth Services Desk and sign it out. They can then use it in the library to create their art and return it to the Youth Services Desk when they’re done.

Polly called yesterday to give us an update.  Her doctor planned to visit her yesterday and most likely release her from the neck brace, but he cancelled due to weather where he is and where she is and rescheduled her appointment for MARCH 20th!!!  She was not thrilled with this delayed date.  

Polly stated he has been conservative all along while treating her, so in the long run this is probably for the best, but a long wait too.  She said she will continue with speech therapy and physical therapy.  She walks very well with the walker and a cane, no problems at all.  For the most part she is able to take care of herself, but she is not supposed to bend over, so she cannot tie her own shoes yet.  Polly said to thank others for the cards that have been sent; she appreciates them.

Cards and well wishes may be sent to Polly at the following address:

Polly Munck
Room 11
Portage County Health Care Center
825 Whiting Ave
Stevens Point, WI 54481

Incoming Fax

Public Services occasionally receive a fax for library users. They would like to the items faxed to the library that aren’t addressed to employees  (even those that might look like junk)to be collected in one spot. Please put faxes found on the Workroom copier in the folder on the third shelf next to the copier. 

Ask Beth or Molly if you have questions.

Thanks!

Des Moines Symphony concerts on March 16th at 7:30, and the 17th at 2:30 PM at the Civic Center.  We are playing a suite from Ellis Island: Dream of America, by Peter Boyer.  Others inclue Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F major, and Antonin Dvorak’s Ninth Symphony in e minor, “From the New World.”  https://desmoinesperformingarts.org/events/dm-symphony-ellis-island-the-new-world/. 

For those of you who have kids attending elementary and middle school in the Des Moines area, they may have told you about youth concerts during the first week of March.  If they are attending, let them know that I will be playing.  

Dreama worked yesterday to update PCs and other equipment to work with our new public Internet provider, Mediacom. The public internet is now several times faster. We’re still working to setup scanning to email on the public printer/copier. 

Given the forecast, your wardrobe is the last thing you need to worry about. If your jeans are your shoveling uniform, where them the rest of the week if you want. 

Deepa found an iPhone last night at close. It will be in the money cabinet. -erika

The glass walls for the Whisper Room will be installed next Tuesday. The timing of the other compenents is a little off: the furniture will arrive March 12th; the counters (I hope) around the same time.

A couple of weeks back, I posted about a new product called Brainfuse taking the place of Learning Express as the state-wide resource for career and test-prep information. The links are now live on the Research page of the website. The layout is a little overwhelming so I’ve linked directly to the two resources that I think will be used most–test-prep and resume help. This flier provides more detail on the scope of information and help available. 

• Brainfuse: Resume Help; GED & Citizenship Test-Prep

  The Adult Learning Center includes GED and US citizenship test-prep resources as well as tips and live help for resume writing and job searching.

• Brainfuse: Test-Prep

  Brainfuse includes practice tests and lessons for college entrance exams including the SAT and ACT as well ASVAB and common nursing exams.

See flier below for locations. It doesn’t say what’s needed as proof that you work for the city so maybe call first. 

The recent community survey included a few open-ended questions. The answers have just been released. I’ve included those that mention the library below. See full results >>

Q4. What do you like most about the City of Johnston?

• Library and community offerings are very good.

• Library and kid activities there.

• Overall quality of life; size, green spaces, schools, library.

• Public library.

• Quiet, safe, easy to get to store, gas, bank, library, etc.

• Size, availability of grocery stores, library, other merchants.

• The friendly feel, the library.

• The library and Terra Park.

• Trail system and library are fantastic.

• Trails, public library, feeling of safety, police, schools.

• Trees and nice library.

We received our shipment of tax forms this afternoon. We now have both the instruction booklet and the new tax booklet. They are currently stored under the map outside the maintenance closet.

Due to the Winter Weather Warning, I am cancelling Let’s Talk. 

Peg