Amy Lannon – Page 4 – RPL Staff Intranet

Free 1-Hour Online Training: The Librarian’s Guide to Homelessness

Do you want:

More confidence working with patrons experiencing homelessness, mental illness, addiction or trauma?
Less problematic behavior in your library?
An inclusive library, capable of serving everyone?

Presented by Ryan Dowd, author of the American Library Association book, The Librarian’s Guide to Homelessness.

When*: Thursday, August 17 at 11:00 AM or Friday, August 18 at 1:00 PM *Times have been adjusted for your time zone

Length: 1 Hour

Registration Required: https://event.webinarjam.com/register/546/vy9lqc09

Your work matters! Thank you…

Just a little reminder (and in case you missed this in July)

Former President of the United States Barack Obama published an open letter on Monday, extending his support to America’s librarians in an era of rising book challenges and growing personal attacks against those who resist them.

In his letter, President Obama underscores the importance of communities being able to have access to information via libraries and expresses his and former First Lady Michelle Obama’s gratitude to librarians for their “unwavering commitment to the freedom to read.”

To the dedicated and hardworking librarians of America:

In any democracy, the free exchange of ideas is an important part of making sure that citizens are informed, engaged and feel like their perspectives matter.

LibGuides

We are testing a new product called LibGuides. The Massachuestts Library System Professional Collection and the Policy Collection use LibGuides, and it is popular at colleges and universities. LibGuides can be for internal use (intranet how to guides) and/or for creating pathfinders, booklist, and other guides for public use.

Interested in testing out this product? We are in search of a few curious minds who would like to learn about LibGuides and take a crack at creating a few sample guides. Please contact Amy if you are interested in learning more.

To see examples, visit the LibGuide Community.

Dog Days of Summer

Please note RPL’s current Patron Rights & Responsibilities policy says that patrons are to refrain from “Bringing in animals or pets except for properly leashed and trained service animals.” The section aims to ensure the access, public health, and safety of those visiting the library – those requiring service animals and those not.

If a situation escalates to cause concerns about access, public health, or safety, please remind the patron of this policy. Also, according to the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division,

Q. What questions can a covered entity’s employees ask to determine if a dog is a service animal?

A. In situations where it is not obvious that the dog is a service animal, staff may ask only two specific questions: (1) is the dog a service animal required because of a disability? and (2) what work or task has the dog been trained to perform? Staff are not allowed to request any documentation for the dog, require that the dog demonstrate its task, or inquire about the nature of the person’s disability.

In Massachusetts, the law requires staff to take individuals at their word.

RPL Intranet: Making Work Better

RPL employees recognize communications are always a challenge. How can we help over 35 employees keep current on what’s happening and maintain a positive learning curve across three floors, four service desks, and 60-64 hours per week? There is no single answer, but centralized content is one way to help capture and coalesce all this knowledge and experience!

We want to hear your feedback so we can keep improving this content. Please fill out this quick survey and let us know your thoughts (your answers will be anonymous).

“Meaty Mouse” and more

Please report to Amy and Michelle if you see a rat/mouse or any unwanted critters anywhere in or on the Library property. The Town contracts with a pest control company that maintains the rodent black boxes around the perimeter of the building and will also deal with insects, etc.

Who does what?

Based on feedback received from the “Best Practices” form, we have created a list of starting points when you are looking for help.

This is a first draft and will only get better as we get more input from YOU! Please email Amy to request new categories for a FAQ or if your name should be assigned (or deleted) as a point of contact for any of these issues.

Staff Activities

Please, mark your calendars for the following staff events for the remainder of 2023.

Date	Time	Activity
July 3	All Day	Summer Spirit Week – “Book Character Day” –dress like your favorite book character
July 5	All Day	Summer Spirit Week – “Hats and Sunnies” –try to look beach-ready, sunscreen-optional!
July 6	All Day	Summer Spirit Week – “BarbieWorld”–all things pink (or tropical if you are feeling Ken-ish)
July 7	All Day	Summer Spirit Week – “Sports Fans”–town, local, imaginary, whatever fan flag you wanna fly!
September 7	11:00-12:30	Staff Meeting: Safety
October 20	8:30-3:30	Staff Development Day
December 26	All Day	Winter Spirit Week
December 27	All Day	Winter Spirit Week
December 28	All Day	Winter Spirit Week
December 29	All Day	Winter Spirit Week

What do you need to know?

In our annual employee survey, YOU all asked for more “best practices” and how-to help. We already have a few suggestions, but what else would be helpful? Please make suggestions!

A best practice is a standard or set of guidelines to achieve the best outcomes in our work. These include:

Step-by-step guides: Detailed, sequential instructions for completing a specific task or operation
Checklists: A list of items to verify, inspect, or complete, ensuring consistency and thoroughness
Tutorials: Educational resources that guide users through a process, often including tips and best practices
Process maps, diagrams, or flowcharts: Visual representations of a process that display the sequence of steps, decision points, and possible outcomes
SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures): Formal, written instructions that outline how a specific task should be performed within an organization
Workflow documentation: Formal documentation that specifically focuses on operational aspects of a process, such as task sequences, interactions between roles or teams, and dependencies.

Can you tell me if “so & so” is at the library…?

Please remember not to share out the location of patrons at the library over the phone or in person unless you receive a request from emergency personnel (ex: police, fire). Parents, friends, family members, etc may call/stop by the library and ask if someone is here. We do not disclose this information or look for the individual — the person is welcome to come to the library and do so themselves.

We cannot verify the relationship between the two parties, fully understand the nature of why they want to know if that person is at/using the library, and it goes against patron privacy.

If you receive a phone call like this and are unsure of what to do, please place them on hold and ask the Librarian in Charge, your Team Lead or Division Head. The Emergency Response Guide has instructions for how to handle these phone calls from emergency personnel.