Author: Amy Lannon

Opening/Closing Note

Facilities—via our custodians—manage the building’s opening M-F, and are responsible for closing and setting the alarm any day we are open. Like any other team or department, Facilities and the custodians have last-minute staffing emergencies. Therefore, sub or fill-in custodians sometimes have to cover multiple buildings and may not be onsite at opening/closing.

OPENING: If you arrive before 8:00 a.m. M-F, please double check that a custodian has opened the building and use the main entrance if the building seems empty. You may need to turn off the alarm!

CLOSING: If there is no custodian on site at closing, do your best to ensure the building is empty and then leave. The building automatically locks. A custodian is responsible for closing and making sure the building is secure.

RPL Awarded “Dig In” Grant

I am very pleased to inform you that the RPL received an LSTA “Dig In Grant” for $20,000 from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. The grant will run from October 1, 2024, through September 30, 2025.

Shout out to the SUPER Grant Team who worked on the application and will turn these fabulous ideas into reality: Michelle Filleul, Kathryn Geoffrion Scannell, Andrea Hogan, Sara Kelso, Megan White, Desiree Zicko.

We also want to thank (and look forward to working with) community partners such as the Reading Garden Club, the Town Forest Committee, the Reading Community Garden, and the Reading Health Department for their input and letters of support for this project.

The abstract of the grant, which will include a combination of modest green improvements (inside and outside) and educational programs, is below:

“Cultivating Community: Growing and Nurturing Sustainable Spaces” aims to transform Reading Public Library into a vibrant hub for intergenerational and inclusive education on nature and sustainability. The project will build community through community involvement and partnerships with local groups to share expertise and resources and form a “Garden Ambassador” volunteer program; establish nature and sustainability programming as a long-term pillar of the educational offerings; enrich the library’s collection with accessible related resources; and add green spaces both indoors with a “Living Wall” and plantings to showcase the benefits of indoor plants and outdoors through enhancing the patio Plant Lab garden and adding sensory and native pollinator garden beds. The initiative will reach individuals and intersectional groups, including children, teens, adults, families, neurodiverse individuals, and those with disabilities. Aligned with the library’s current strategic plan, this Cultivating Community underscores our
commitment to education, equity, access, and accountability.

Box For Batteries

RPL buys batteries for lots of our equipment and peripherals. What happens to those batteries? Hmmmm…

Please put used batteries in the new “Battery Box” near the staff mailboxes in the lounge. We will take all types of batteries and find recycling or appropriate disposal sites. Can you bring in batteries from home? Yes, but please use your judgment.

For more about batteries and how to dispose of them, visit https://www.epa.gov/recycle/used-household-batteries.

Website Revamp

Kath GS and Amy L are working on revamping the library website. We are working with Communico, our new calendar, room reservation, and app provider. The new site will be straightforward. We will keep the well-used features of our current website, but other content will go away. One primary goal will be accessibility. The new UX (user experience) and UI (user interface) may not use our favorite colors or fonts. We’ll also get rid of library jargon.

The new website will use the “Create” platform and no longer use WordPress.

Kath and Amy will research UX/UI and work on the infrastructure and core design with Communico.

NEEDS (please email Amy if you are interested in either opportunity):

  1. Testing: A small test group of in-house users for feedback during the initial design process.
  2. Website content development (or conversion): People who currently provide or want to provide content for the website. Some content will transfer to the new site, and some content will go away. There will also be some opportunities to create new content. You will be trained on “Create” and may help maintain sections of the website.

FY25 Staff Meeting/Training Schedule

  • September 19 (9:30-12:30) Crisis Prevention Institute Verbal Intervention Training
  • October 4 (All Day) Staff Development Day
  • November 7 (11:00-12:30) What’s the Plan? Strategic and annual plan updates*
  • January 9 (11:00-12:30) New Tech, Great Tips
  • March 6 (11:-12:30) Protecting Privacy while Providing Service
  • May 1 (11:-12:30) Safety, Safety, Safety

*This is the correct date. Apologies for the error in the Monday email.

** AND – these dates and topics are subject to change!

Housekeeping (2)

Employee Lounge: We will move the LARGE compost bin outside and use a countertop bin with small bin bags that can be taken out weekly. We appreciate your patience while we work on rearranging the counter space in the lounge.

Community Room: The Zoom hybrid meeting equipment will be left out in the room from now on. Most of the equipment is on a wheeled table, and the camera should remain near the piano. The goal is to minimize moving the equipment which reduces wear and tear.

Meet the Staff Introductions

Who works here? Did you know we have about 40 different people who work here at the Reading Public Library? Learn about your co-workers, who they are. and what they do. You can see various teams (“Need Help?”) or check out the “Who Does What” page to see more specific responsibilities.

We would love to know more about YOU! Please use this form to update or add to your information (add pronouns, add background info, etc). Please let Meaghan C. know if you would prefer to fill out a paper copy of the form.

Employee Handbook Updated

Thank you to Rebecca B., Meaghan C., and Alissa L. for reviewing and making corrections/suggestions to our Employee Handbook (Nov 2023 edition). There were no substantive changes. We worked to clarify certain sections and corrected some errors.

Please find time to take a look at the updated document. Popular sections include those related to timekeeping, time off, and closings.

What’s missing? What questions do you have? We welcome suggestions for the next update!