NATIONAL LIBRARY WEEK!

Ahoy Mateys,
So National Library Week runs April 14th to 20th to CELEBRATE our wonderful free lending system! Cappy Dick would like to declare the week a National Holiday but alas, the Captain has no pull with the bigger wigs who get to make such declarations manifest, so I guess we better all show up to work in case the public decides to celebrate by inundating us.
Especially because this is also Food for Fines Week (if you haven't read all the details, please do. They are posted on one of the back counter clipboards. The salient points are: $1.00 off of fines for 1 item of non-perishable food up to $20.00 (no damaged or lost fees, only overdue fines), and the same quotient if the patron has donated on line and comes in with the receipt and/or donation ticket printed out from the web. In the patron's account remember to choose payment type:  GOODS and then put the amount to be 'waived' in payment received just as if you were recording a payment  If the patron produces a receipt or ticket showing that they have donated on line, be SURE TO DATE AND INITIAL THE PAPERWORK before returning it to them. You will not have to touch our cash register for any of the food for fines exchanges..
 
   Fortunately, we don't have to think about tallying the prints any more this month, what with all the other things we are supposed to remember, so breath a big sigh of relief and thank your higher powers for that blessing!

Galina is going to switch the adult poetry display to Take Off With A Good Book (in honor of her upcoming vacation to Russia!) which will feature some of our travel writing collection. We have quite a few good titles on this subject and I think they are often overlooked so I am sure this will be a hot display!

Our story hour subject this week is also honoring National Library Week so picture books about books? and libraries will be gathered near my desk if I can find any relevant titles. I know we have a few but I will have to snatch them up before the ravening public beats me to it.

On a final note: in an effort to be consistent with all the other library branches in the system and thus to less boggle our poor patrons, if you are the opening aide, please only backdate the items that you pick up off the floor or are in the return bin when you start work. After that the incoming books can be checked in on the day you are working (unless of course you are working on a day we are closed, in which case do backdate them to our last day open). I am aware that some of the other branches have not been doing this and we have not been so consistent either but all the branches were asked to do the same thing and this was the consensus on when they should be checked in.
 That means, for the rest of us, if a patron should ask, the items are checked in from the minute someone is in the building, not from when we open, so they will accrue fines if they return things after that. The safest thing is to tell them that if they return an item BEFORE 8 they will not be charged for that day. This covers all the early morning work shifts at ALL the branches.

  Ok, Happy National Library Week. Be sure and read one great book or watch one great video or listen to one great CD this week and CELEBRATE the fact that you have a job here! I for one, am going to celebrate that I have such a great work team!  Now go on and swab the decks!
  Cappy Dick