Well we made it through a first month (well, if you read this on Monday, almost, but I am always looking forward). It feels like the public is figuring out our new hours and things seem to have evened out, or just gotten busier all the time, instead of having those couple of lull days we could sort of count on, to do our catch up work. Guess the staffing plan is going to be put to the test now!
This coming week we have a few changes, including a Play and Learn Island
which will be living in our children's area for a few months before it moves on to another library in our system. While it is here, we will have to move our kid's cart over to where the puzzle table was living, (it has moved across the aisle) and see how that works. If it needs to move elsewhere, well everything is on wheels so we can adjust as we need to.
There will also be a new display for the month of February, which is National Library Lover's Month, and hence the theme. The display will consist of "books you love" so if you have some library favorites, please feel free to grab a few heart stickers (they will be at the display) affiix them to the spines and add them to the exhibit There will also be some bookmarks with cheesy sayings. Remember to look here if you have items on the pulls list you can't find and if you are shelving keep an eye out also for the heart on the spine designating "display item".
We have a class visit scheduled for Wednesday morning, Feb. 1st as well as tales for tails Wednesday afternoon, so if any of you have time from Thursday on, I imagine the children's area will need some serious shelf reading.
The story hour theme this week is nighttime, so again, if you can't find J titles about night on the pulls list, look on the counter between my desk and David's and take what you need.
Also starting in February, there will be a separate sign in sheet for volunteers, so if you want to get paid be sure and sign in on the correct sheet.
Things seemed to be getting impacted over by the drinking fountains, with all our carts lined up there, so we have moved them. There is now a spare in Heather's old office and at least one more in the break room, so if you are looking for an empty cart, check there, and if you have an excess of empties on the floor, please put them in the break room. One at the end of each shelving unit in the adult area should be ample.
There is a new process for dealing with the READ TO ME book kits. Since these have many pieces and are difficult to check in, please do not check them in, but put them on the programming shelving directly across from my desk. They will be checked and discharged by programming staff or myself.
There are more copies of the internet sign up sheet on the bottom shelf of the cupboard beneath the library aide cubbies.
There is also a magnifying glass and a pair of reading glasses available for any of the public who might request them. These are housed in the drawer of the circulation counter, near the sit down station.
Ok, that's a long list of things to remember so that should suffice for this week, but, wait! Don't forget that the new pull date, starting on Wednesday, will be 8, so if you see those orange stickers with 3-8 on them go ahead and yank them off those no longer "new" books. Ok, that's enough. Carry on!
Happy week and thanks for all of your hard work. It is much appreciated.
Jonell
Monday, January 30, 2012
Saturday, January 21, 2012
GETTING THE HANG OF THE PLACE...
I am so grateful that the branch seems to be up and running despite our diminished staff, and I attribute that to all of you working so well together and jumping into whatever tasks come along. We also have a great group of volunteers who are helping with the route-ins and pulls list. I am hoping that we actually get more volunteer hours so we can have them shelve and we can take the time to train those of you who haven't been able to learn the circulation desk so that you will learn new library skills and also be able to cover for David and myself during our breaks or pitch in during the heavier usage times.
This next week we are going to try something different: It has been suggested that we separate the children's and YA items and the adult items onto two separate carts for re-shelving. We will put the children's on a flat cart (we have 3 available) and when it is full it can be parked near the children's area rather then at the end of the adult shelving. This will allow for parents and children to browse the returns a bit easier until the items are re-shelved as well as making the pulls list simpler. Please do not neglect shelving the children's titles in favor of the adult carts, however. I know that shelving in the children's room is much more time intensive but it does need to be done.
Let's put the j media on the bottom shelf, as well as whatever overflow of j books there are.
The adult cart will be all fiction on the one side and non-fiction, oversize, media, etc on the other. Let's continue to put the media, oversize, periodicals, etc. on the bottom shelf below the non-fiction.
We get a much larger quantity of fiction then we do non-fiction and we seem to always be wrestling with where to put the overflow, so perhaps this will solve that issue.
We will try this method for a few weeks and re-visit it, if it feels to cumbesome. Please pass on any thoughts you have about this, pro or con, to me and I will take them into consideration.
The driver has complained that we are overloading our crates. Please make sure they are not loaded above the bottom of the handle opening, as this makes them difficult to pick up, and too heavy. In the new staffing plan, one driver is doing an entire route each day, so we need to have mercy on them.
I have placed an order for office supplies and done an inventory of what we have on hand. There is a "current list for supply orders" clipboard which I will park above the Library Aide cubbies. If you use the last item from the supplies cupboard or if you think of things that we need but don't have on hand, please write them down so I can re-order.
In your new role as library aides, we need you to be available to the public in the stacks, should they have questions or concerns. With that in mind, I am going to request that you not wear your headphones when you are out on the floor. Listening to your music is fine when the library is closed or when you are in a non-public space, I would prefer you to be alert and accessible when you are out shelving.
The theme for this week's story hour is PEACE, so if you can't find a children's title with that theme, look on the pile between mine and David's desk and take whatever you need. If you come across any "peaceful" type picture books that you think might be useful for this theme, please feel free to add them to the pile as well.
Lastly, I have asked you to check the blog each day when you log in, but obviously I am not getting to write a new blog each day, (and how tiresome would it be for all of you if I did?!) so I am going to revise that request. Please check the blog the first day of your work week. If I have something important to say and I decide to write an extra blog I will put a note on the sign in sheet to give you a head's up.
Thanks again for all your hard work!
Jonell
This next week we are going to try something different: It has been suggested that we separate the children's and YA items and the adult items onto two separate carts for re-shelving. We will put the children's on a flat cart (we have 3 available) and when it is full it can be parked near the children's area rather then at the end of the adult shelving. This will allow for parents and children to browse the returns a bit easier until the items are re-shelved as well as making the pulls list simpler. Please do not neglect shelving the children's titles in favor of the adult carts, however. I know that shelving in the children's room is much more time intensive but it does need to be done.
Let's put the j media on the bottom shelf, as well as whatever overflow of j books there are.
The adult cart will be all fiction on the one side and non-fiction, oversize, media, etc on the other. Let's continue to put the media, oversize, periodicals, etc. on the bottom shelf below the non-fiction.
We get a much larger quantity of fiction then we do non-fiction and we seem to always be wrestling with where to put the overflow, so perhaps this will solve that issue.
We will try this method for a few weeks and re-visit it, if it feels to cumbesome. Please pass on any thoughts you have about this, pro or con, to me and I will take them into consideration.
The driver has complained that we are overloading our crates. Please make sure they are not loaded above the bottom of the handle opening, as this makes them difficult to pick up, and too heavy. In the new staffing plan, one driver is doing an entire route each day, so we need to have mercy on them.
I have placed an order for office supplies and done an inventory of what we have on hand. There is a "current list for supply orders" clipboard which I will park above the Library Aide cubbies. If you use the last item from the supplies cupboard or if you think of things that we need but don't have on hand, please write them down so I can re-order.
In your new role as library aides, we need you to be available to the public in the stacks, should they have questions or concerns. With that in mind, I am going to request that you not wear your headphones when you are out on the floor. Listening to your music is fine when the library is closed or when you are in a non-public space, I would prefer you to be alert and accessible when you are out shelving.
The theme for this week's story hour is PEACE, so if you can't find a children's title with that theme, look on the pile between mine and David's desk and take whatever you need. If you come across any "peaceful" type picture books that you think might be useful for this theme, please feel free to add them to the pile as well.
Lastly, I have asked you to check the blog each day when you log in, but obviously I am not getting to write a new blog each day, (and how tiresome would it be for all of you if I did?!) so I am going to revise that request. Please check the blog the first day of your work week. If I have something important to say and I decide to write an extra blog I will put a note on the sign in sheet to give you a head's up.
Thanks again for all your hard work!
Jonell
Monday, January 16, 2012
A WELL OILED MACHINE?
Well, week 2 seems to have gone a little smoother then our first week, as we adjust to all the staffing changes, and those of us who are new learn from those of you who have been here, the hows, whats and where the heck is its?, of the branch. Thanks all of you for your patience!
This weeks blog will be a dull list of things to remember, so commit this to memory, please.
Damaged items: If when you are discharging, you come across an item that is falling apart, or has a broken case, or is simply worn out, and you feel it is normal wear and tear, and not a result of the patron's Rottweiler, or a teething toddler, please go ahead and discharge it, and put a green (books) or white (media) mending slip in it, and put it on David's desk. The slips are above the routing flags at the discharge station. They are also available at the library aide/ routing station in the workroom.
If on the other hand, you feel that the patron is responsible for the damage, do not discharge it, but put it on David's desk with a note, saying: what the damage is, that it is not discharged , and your initials and the date.
Processing newspapers: For those of you who process newspapers in the mornings, in attempt to keep consistency, Gina has made up an excellent guide on how to process the papers. There is a copy attached to the back of the newspaper check-in clipboard, as well as a copy posted on the wall at the library aide workstation. Please review it and let us know if you have questions.
Delivery drivers arrival: The delivery drivers have requested that we be prepared for their arrival at 12:30 each day. This means that if we have outgoing crates we should roll the red dollies to the back door around that time, and we must be sure to have branch signs on each of the crates excepting the mixed crates. This includes signage on partially full crates at 12:30 to prevent confusion, in the case of on-call drivers.
Story hour books that might be on the pulls list: I am collecting children's books on particular topics for the weekly story hour each Friday. (This week's topic is Chinese New Year and the Year of the Dragon.)
If you find juvy titles on the pulls list that you can't locate, look through the stack on the counter between my and David's desk. If you find the title, you are welcome to take it to fill the request.
Faded spines: If you come across items with spines so faded as to be illegible, please place these items on the designated shelf near the cash register. We have someone who will re-label them so we don't have to send them downtown to be mended.
Please have your Kronos done by this Tuesday.
If you do your Kronos each shift you will never have to scurry to do it at the last second, thus insuring that you get paid.
Thanks and hope you had a restful Martin Luther King day.
Jonell
This weeks blog will be a dull list of things to remember, so commit this to memory, please.
Damaged items: If when you are discharging, you come across an item that is falling apart, or has a broken case, or is simply worn out, and you feel it is normal wear and tear, and not a result of the patron's Rottweiler, or a teething toddler, please go ahead and discharge it, and put a green (books) or white (media) mending slip in it, and put it on David's desk. The slips are above the routing flags at the discharge station. They are also available at the library aide/ routing station in the workroom.
If on the other hand, you feel that the patron is responsible for the damage, do not discharge it, but put it on David's desk with a note, saying: what the damage is, that it is not discharged , and your initials and the date.
Processing newspapers: For those of you who process newspapers in the mornings, in attempt to keep consistency, Gina has made up an excellent guide on how to process the papers. There is a copy attached to the back of the newspaper check-in clipboard, as well as a copy posted on the wall at the library aide workstation. Please review it and let us know if you have questions.
Delivery drivers arrival: The delivery drivers have requested that we be prepared for their arrival at 12:30 each day. This means that if we have outgoing crates we should roll the red dollies to the back door around that time, and we must be sure to have branch signs on each of the crates excepting the mixed crates. This includes signage on partially full crates at 12:30 to prevent confusion, in the case of on-call drivers.
Story hour books that might be on the pulls list: I am collecting children's books on particular topics for the weekly story hour each Friday. (This week's topic is Chinese New Year and the Year of the Dragon.)
If you find juvy titles on the pulls list that you can't locate, look through the stack on the counter between my and David's desk. If you find the title, you are welcome to take it to fill the request.
Faded spines: If you come across items with spines so faded as to be illegible, please place these items on the designated shelf near the cash register. We have someone who will re-label them so we don't have to send them downtown to be mended.
Please have your Kronos done by this Tuesday.
If you do your Kronos each shift you will never have to scurry to do it at the last second, thus insuring that you get paid.
Thanks and hope you had a restful Martin Luther King day.
Jonell
Monday, January 9, 2012
WE MADE IT THROUGH WEEK 1 THANKS TO ALL OF YOU!!
Whoa Nellie, that was a fast first week in our new positions! We were hecka busy on Tuesday after the Holidays and I want to thank Emily for keeping our Holiday discharges under control by working on Monday, and also to thank Gina and Barbara for helping me figure out where all the things in the branch were hiding when I was trying to lay hands on them! And for general moral and staff support. I don't think David and I could've survived Tuesday without all of your help!
It looks like the library aide/routing station is working well. Please do let me know if you are running low on supplies, including routing slips, or if anything is lacking at that workspace.
The computer in Heather's office is now loaded with the correct profile and available should you need to log on to check the blog, your e-mail or do Kronos, so if the other work station is full, feel free to use that one.
There are a couple of changes that i wanted to alert you to:
We will no longer be doing in-house mending of items so if you see items in need of repair please put a green (books) or white (audio) damage slip in them and leave them on David's desk unless you know how to route them to CMS MENDING. The slips are above the routing slips at the discharge station and I will also put some in the back at the Library Aide workspace.
Periodicals may now show up on our pulls list. If the request is for our current issue in the magazine binder, ignore it. Otherwise go ahead and fill these requests.
Tax forms for 2011 are under the DVDs. Whatever is out is what we have available. If a patron does not find the form they are looking for, direct them to the internet. Most of the forms are available on line from the IRS. The Downtown branch may also have more forms.
There is now a g-mail account for all the library aides and on-calls at Capitola.
The address is service-cap@santacruzpl.org.
I will put the password in your in boxes at the branch as I probably shouldn't publish it on the blog.
If you are not familiar with g-mail, please see me or David and we will walk you through it.
You can also send email to cap@santacruzpl.org, and it will go to myself, David, AND service-cap. Oncall staff and Library Aides working at Capitola can use this Google Account to send email while they are working and will be able to receive email sent to the branch.
We will be getting a few more volunteers over the next month. I will try and introduce you if you are here when they are, but if you see someone wearing a volunteer tag that you don't recognize, please introduce yourself. They will mostly be shelving and doing route-ins, and are supposed to have been trained, so if you start encountering many mishelved items please do let me know.
Thanks again and I think we are off to a wonderful start for the new year.
Jonell
It looks like the library aide/routing station is working well. Please do let me know if you are running low on supplies, including routing slips, or if anything is lacking at that workspace.
The computer in Heather's office is now loaded with the correct profile and available should you need to log on to check the blog, your e-mail or do Kronos, so if the other work station is full, feel free to use that one.
There are a couple of changes that i wanted to alert you to:
We will no longer be doing in-house mending of items so if you see items in need of repair please put a green (books) or white (audio) damage slip in them and leave them on David's desk unless you know how to route them to CMS MENDING. The slips are above the routing slips at the discharge station and I will also put some in the back at the Library Aide workspace.
Periodicals may now show up on our pulls list. If the request is for our current issue in the magazine binder, ignore it. Otherwise go ahead and fill these requests.
Tax forms for 2011 are under the DVDs. Whatever is out is what we have available. If a patron does not find the form they are looking for, direct them to the internet. Most of the forms are available on line from the IRS. The Downtown branch may also have more forms.
There is now a g-mail account for all the library aides and on-calls at Capitola.
The address is service-cap@santacruzpl.org.
I will put the password in your in boxes at the branch as I probably shouldn't publish it on the blog.
If you are not familiar with g-mail, please see me or David and we will walk you through it.
You can also send email to cap@santacruzpl.org, and it will go to myself, David, AND service-cap. Oncall staff and Library Aides working at Capitola can use this Google Account to send email while they are working and will be able to receive email sent to the branch.
We will be getting a few more volunteers over the next month. I will try and introduce you if you are here when they are, but if you see someone wearing a volunteer tag that you don't recognize, please introduce yourself. They will mostly be shelving and doing route-ins, and are supposed to have been trained, so if you start encountering many mishelved items please do let me know.
Thanks again and I think we are off to a wonderful start for the new year.
Jonell
Monday, January 2, 2012
2012 HERE WE GO!
Well here we go. There's no turning back now and all kinds of changes in the branch including of course your jobs.
I spent new year's day re-arranging, so take a look around and re-familiarize yourself with what is where. The free handouts are now over near the periodicals. There isn't room for the beloved free magazines any more so we will no longer be accepting them if patrons should inquire. Thank them for their consideration but explain that as we have a bare bones staff, and an increased book budget, we will no longer have time to sort through them or the room to display them.
The telephone books have moved to below the music cds.
The new books have moved from the end of fiction to front and center where the free handouts formerly resided. The left hand side of that shelving and the center shelving is for new books and the right hand side will be for a revolving monthly display. This month's display is a DIY new year's resolution theme, so if you have any resolutions grab a bookmark, fill it out and put it in an appropriate book for the display. This is also a good place to look if you are doing the pulls list and can't find a title.
There is a physical fitness display in the children's area, so if it starts looking empty and you have a favorite children's sports or exercise book feel free to add to that display.
The fiction and non-fiction collection has been shifted to make room for display shelving within the collection (as recommended by Gina, THANKS GINA!) so feel free to display any titles that catch your eye, on those empty shelves. Try and choose from nearby shelving though as we may still need to find those titles should a patron request them.
Route ins will now be done in the workroom. There is a route-in station set up at the last desk in the workroom (formerly where the volunteer desk was). I would like route ins to be done there and not up in the front discharge area. It should be simple to route in the items, put them directly onto a cart and wheel them out for shelving. You can also use this computer to log in, check the blog, do your kronos, etc. Eventually Heather's office will become a discharge station but currently it is not being used. You may be able to log into that computer if the routing area is in use, but check with me first as i am not sure how it is configured.
Tagging new books with an orange month sticker will now fall to whomever is doing the route-ins, so if you see a shiny new book, flip it open and check the publication date and if its a 2011-2012, stick an orange tag on the spine with the current month numeral and put it on the new books shelf.
There is a new opening and closing procedure list on the back bulletin board at the routing area.
The volunteer desk is now next to the routing station in the work-room (under the poster of the cats)
Lost and found (two boxes, one for large items one for small items) have been moved to the lower shelving in the workroom across from David's desk. The lost cards box still remains near the cash register.
Please put damaged items on David's desk. We will no longer be doing repairs at the branch.
Tax forms will be coming to the branch after Jan. 8th if anyone inquires. I will let you know where we will put them when they come in and I can see what kind of quantities we have.
I have put the information on calling in an absence in each of your personal boxes.
I will put it here as well so you can access it anytime:
Please call and leave a message on the absence line: 427-7706 ext. 5503.
Please also call subfinders @ 427-7706 ext. 5606
Please make an effort to call in an hour or more before start of the shift.
If you are scheduling time off in advance please let myself and David know as soon as you know. More time is always better as we can attempt to get coverage. Thanks!
See you all soon. I look forward to working with each of you.
Jonell
I spent new year's day re-arranging, so take a look around and re-familiarize yourself with what is where. The free handouts are now over near the periodicals. There isn't room for the beloved free magazines any more so we will no longer be accepting them if patrons should inquire. Thank them for their consideration but explain that as we have a bare bones staff, and an increased book budget, we will no longer have time to sort through them or the room to display them.
The telephone books have moved to below the music cds.
The new books have moved from the end of fiction to front and center where the free handouts formerly resided. The left hand side of that shelving and the center shelving is for new books and the right hand side will be for a revolving monthly display. This month's display is a DIY new year's resolution theme, so if you have any resolutions grab a bookmark, fill it out and put it in an appropriate book for the display. This is also a good place to look if you are doing the pulls list and can't find a title.
There is a physical fitness display in the children's area, so if it starts looking empty and you have a favorite children's sports or exercise book feel free to add to that display.
The fiction and non-fiction collection has been shifted to make room for display shelving within the collection (as recommended by Gina, THANKS GINA!) so feel free to display any titles that catch your eye, on those empty shelves. Try and choose from nearby shelving though as we may still need to find those titles should a patron request them.
Route ins will now be done in the workroom. There is a route-in station set up at the last desk in the workroom (formerly where the volunteer desk was). I would like route ins to be done there and not up in the front discharge area. It should be simple to route in the items, put them directly onto a cart and wheel them out for shelving. You can also use this computer to log in, check the blog, do your kronos, etc. Eventually Heather's office will become a discharge station but currently it is not being used. You may be able to log into that computer if the routing area is in use, but check with me first as i am not sure how it is configured.
Tagging new books with an orange month sticker will now fall to whomever is doing the route-ins, so if you see a shiny new book, flip it open and check the publication date and if its a 2011-2012, stick an orange tag on the spine with the current month numeral and put it on the new books shelf.
There is a new opening and closing procedure list on the back bulletin board at the routing area.
The volunteer desk is now next to the routing station in the work-room (under the poster of the cats)
Lost and found (two boxes, one for large items one for small items) have been moved to the lower shelving in the workroom across from David's desk. The lost cards box still remains near the cash register.
Please put damaged items on David's desk. We will no longer be doing repairs at the branch.
Tax forms will be coming to the branch after Jan. 8th if anyone inquires. I will let you know where we will put them when they come in and I can see what kind of quantities we have.
I have put the information on calling in an absence in each of your personal boxes.
I will put it here as well so you can access it anytime:
Please call and leave a message on the absence line: 427-7706 ext. 5503.
Please also call subfinders @ 427-7706 ext. 5606
Please make an effort to call in an hour or more before start of the shift.
If you are scheduling time off in advance please let myself and David know as soon as you know. More time is always better as we can attempt to get coverage. Thanks!
See you all soon. I look forward to working with each of you.
Jonell
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)