Category: Employees

The audiobooks will be moved up to the first floor starting September 21. They will be at the end of the DVD section.

This is to make browsing more accessible, having the entire multimedia collection on the same floor.

The audiobook room will be closed to the public after this move. Admin is working on what that room will eventually become. If patrons ask, you can let them know that it is just “under construction.”

The Town of Reading facing an override to address the FY28 budget deficit. Please watch or rewatch the recent Employee Ethics and Office of Campaign and Political Finance training from Town Counsel. The passcode is: IM9*$Rh8

We will spend a brief amount of time discussing the override and this training at next week’s all-staff meeting.  Please use this form to RSVP or submit a question.

Hi everyone,

The RPL participates in a wide range of community events throughout the year.  They are a great way to get to know Reading’s citizens and the community. Sign up for the events using this form. I’d like to see new staff members take on some of these shifts, it’s a great way to learn more about the town. I’m looking in particular for people to work the Saturday Night Lights from 3-5:30 with one other staff member.

If you want to take a book bike shift, make sure you have finished the orientation first. After that, you’re all set to bike! 

Staff is encouraged to back out hours or comp their time; Amy must approve paid time. Don’t sign up for an event during your regular desk shift. If you have any questions, talk to Michelle, Olivia, Ashley, or Andrea.

Liz Whitelam of Whitelam Books is the current NEIBA president and she wrote this for their newsletter:

“We all work really hard to ensure that our customers end up with the book they need when they need it. We race across the store waving the book that fits the exact description we overheard a customer sharing with one of our team members, or in some instances, practically knock a book out of someone’s hand when we know that it is going to be too much right now in the face of something they’re currently going through.

But as booksellers, we don’t always prioritize our own book needs in the same way. I think we all invest a fair bit of time and energy trying to keep up with a lot of books that we “should” be reading, often at the expense of what we really want to read, or, for that matter, just taking a chance on something we wouldn’t ordinarily pick up.  Or, we don’t make time for really popular books, because they don’t need our endorsement to sell.

Recently, I was feeling a little grouchy – broadly about the state of the world, of course, and also specifically crabby about what felt like a lot of repetitive and uninspiring offerings in Edelweiss catalogs, many of which seemed to be trying to check boxes about what they thought the market currently demands instead of just… well, telling a good story. And I really needed a good story.

I gave myself permission to step away from the “should” reads for a moment, and revisit two “big” authors who I hadn’t read in a long time (because they don’t need my help to sell): Ann Patchett and Elizabeth Strout. Like many of us, I generally have an audiobook going at the same time that I’m reading one or two physical books. So I took on Whistler and The Things We Never Say, one in each format. And I was absolutely captivated by both of them. There is nothing particularly flashy or groundbreaking about either, but boy, I could not wait to jump back in whenever I had a spare moment. And as a hallmark for how thoroughly I was immersed in both texts: I actually had to go back and check to see which I had physically read vs. which I had consumed via audio, because I had internalized the experience so deeply, I honestly could not remember.

Both of these books focused on meaningful human connections, some where we least expect them, but also some exactly where we expect them. Reading them left me feeling very tender towards humanity, exactly the book medicine I needed. It is such a pleasure when a book – or two books! – can help you fall in love with the world all over again. And what a delightful reminder that we have the power of putting a physical empathy delivery system into the open arms of our customers, so that they, and we, can all feel a little better.”

Please remember to report professional development activities using our “Staff Development Reporting Form.”  This information is important!  Even if you note sessions down in a monthly report, or discuss with your supervisor or colleagues, we still need you to submit the info using this form.

Not sure if you entered something? No problem, it’s OK if you submit something twice; we can fix that! Please see Amy, Michelle, Jamie, or Olivia if you have questions about what, when, where, and how to report PD.

For employees who are on shift for more than three hours

If you are physically able, please park on the street during peak times, such as mornings of February vacation or Saturdays. You are welcome to move your vehicle closer to the building later in the day.  This helps with the overall safety of those entering and exiting the building for shorter periods of time.

For context: 157 people entered the building yesterday (Tuesday, 2/17) betwen 9-10 am with another 101 coming in between 10-11 am. See below: