Communications Working Group Updates

The CWG met today and has a few reminders:

When creating flyers, please use the logos in Canva. We haven’t decided to strictly use the Red or Blue logos/theme; either is acceptable.

The Branding kit on Canva has all the RPL templates and accessible fonts. Make sure to use the designated fonts-sans serif type. Don’t forget to use the Style guide and the Marketing and Communications Best Practices.

Come See a Friendly Face at Faneuil Hall on 11/21

Come kick off the holidays at the Faneuil Hall Tree Lighting Ceremony on Saturday, November 21st from 2 pm – 6 pm. There will be live performances, shopping, and lighting the tree at 6 pm with a Make-a-Wish Kid and Santa. If you do swing by, make sure to stop and say hi to me at the Make-a-Wish table by the tree! I’ll be there from 12 pm (to set up) to 3 pm. More information on the event here.

Brownies for all!

Hi all,

I made brownies and dropped them off in each department for everyone to enjoy.

  • Borrower Services – gluten free, on the bookshelf by the windows
  • Reference – vegan & gluten free, on the counter by the sink
  • Children’s – vegan, on the table in the office

Have a pick-me-up during your shift and enjoy some chocolate! If you have any questions about ingredients please feel free to ask me.

Lucy

Override Update

Dear Valued RPL Staff,
As many of you have heard, the vote to approve the $6.5 override failed in yesterday’s election.  First, you should all know that this was not a vote against the library or the town.  The “No” vote is not a judgment on your outstanding service. We don’t know the exact fallout from this result, but based on estimates from before the vote, we can say the impact on the library for FY28 is expected to be:

  •     Cut Sunday hours
  •     Reduce to 54 hours weekly Monday-Saturday
  •     Risk of decertification
Other town departments, including the schools, are facing similar cuts. This is all we know as of today. The Select Board may vote to put another override on the April 2027 local election ballot.  This would give us a second chance to appeal to the voters.  With that in mind, we don’t anticipate any layoffs in the immediate future, but the hiring freeze will remain in place.  I will speak more about this at tomorrow’s staff meeting (11:30 a.m., refreshments start at 11:00)
Again, I want to stress that this vote is not a personal attack on us as town/library employees. Every day we get positive feedback and compliments about how the library – and more importantly, the library staff – make a difference in the lives of our users. You make that difference happen when you help someone locate or check out an item, assist with printing, or offer a warm smile and “How are you today?” to a visitor.
Thank you all for always making the Reading Public Library a place of welcoming kindness and service.

Ground Floor Desk Computer Use Tracking Sheet?

We are missing the paper tracking form for Computer Use statistics at the Ground Floor Desk for the recent semi-annual tracking period (Monday, October 19 – Sunday, November 1). Please doublecheck to see if you may have accidentally gathered it up with your belongings during a recent shift?

If found, please drop off in Admin or Meaghan C.’s mailbox in the staff lounge.

We report these statistics to the state as part of our annual reporting and appreciate your help in gathering the data.

Little Essentials Library Hygiene Cart is Ready!

The “Little Essentials Library” of donated hygiene items has been launched for public access in the Health Nook. Please stop by and take a look when you have a moment. Your feedback is welcome.

Teen volunteers will be helping Reference staff manage materials for these in-house carts. Please forward any donations or inquiries to the Reference desk.

Thank you to everyone who has helped make this resource available to the community. We will share more as this initiative moves forward.

Mark Your Calendars: Staff Party on Friday December 4

We hope you will be able to join us for our annual employee potluck on Friday, December 4, at 5:00 p.m. (or verrrrrrry soon after the library closes).  The event will be at Amy Lannon’s home (58 Riverside Drive, Reading).  We will post sign-ups for apps, desserts, and drinks in the Staff Lounge later in November.  More details on the festivities to follow!

Libby: Card Error Messages

Some patrons are getting error messages when they login to Libby with their card and pin. This is a known issue with a solution, read below from NOBLE:

OverDrive advises patrons to verify their cards manually (instead of at the moment of borrowing or placing a hold). See these steps, which have resolved the issues for most folks:
https://www.noblenet.org/borrowing-with-partner-libraries-on-libby/

Additionally, it can help simplify things in Libby to only have one library card for the partnership. The second option on the help page linked above is to “Delete cards from networks where you have Partner Library access via your home card”.