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
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