Employees – Page 5 – RPL Staff Intranet

Staff Shout Outs

Are you ready for some shout-outs? If you’d like to submit a shout-out, fill out the form on the Forms page. Don’t be shy! Shout it out!

Shout out to Franny for going above and beyond, helping a co-worker, and keeping it positive. Franny is an amazing help to the Children’s Department, quickly stepping in to cover various nights, days and weekends for the department over the past few months, all while attending school. She quickly steps right in to help patrons and has provided the department with a lot of stability and peace. We are all very grateful to her for that. From Ally.

Shout out to Andrea H. for going above and beyond and helping a co-worker. Andrea went searching for a specific copy for a book I needed (a first edition from the 1970s) and after tireless emails and possible rejections, it finally came in! Thank you for becoming the Indiana Jones of ComCat requests so that me (and patrons) can get the books they desperately want/need. We appreciate you in Children’s! From Olivia.

Shout out to The Borrower Services Staff for going above and beyond and keeping it positive. Thank you to the Borrower Services staff for their patience and enthusiasm! Getting the lockers up and running has been a long, complicated journey, and the BoSer staff has been so patient and supportive. Now that we’re using them regularly (!), everyone has been so enthusiastic and so willing to learn everything they need to know to ensure that our patron’s experience of the lockers is great. You’re all truly fabulous! From Valerie.

Shout out to the RPL Staff for going above and beyond and keeping it positive. Thank you for such a warm welcome! I’ve had a fantastic first week because of all of you! From Dina.

Shout out to Dina for exemplary customer service and for keeping it positive. In her first two weeks, Dina has organized the CR desk, run programs, learned Evergreen, researched prizes for summer reading, embraced Canva, collected mentor texts, and so much more, all with an infectious laugh and a supportive heart! Shine on, Dina! From anonymous.

Shout out to Meaghan Clemente for keeping it positive. Meaghan has handled the paperwork for the Trustees’ meetings quickly and smoothly. We are very lucky to have her on our team. From Michelle.

Staff Meeting Slides

Thank you to those who were able to attend Thursday’s meeting. If you missed the meeting or would like to revisit some of the HUGE amount of info we squeezed into one hour, please download the slides.

Patron asking for something to be read over the phone… Don’t do it

A male patron is asking for library staff to read the Bill of Rights or other documents over the phone because their internet provider is “not working.” This patron has called here and other libraries in the past for the same reason. They are being inappropriate.

This patron is currently asking for Kathleen W. DO NOT forward this patron to her or say that she is available.

Do not give your name and do not read it for them. Forward to a supervisor if needed. Edited by Michelle to add: Hanging up IS an option.

Staff Shout Outs

Are you ready for some shout-outs? If you’d like to submit a shout-out, fill out the form on the Forms page. Don’t be shy! Shout it out!

Shout out to Carol for going above and beyond. Carol tidied up all the shelving for the Foundation event and was very helpful in making the library look wonderful for our donors. Thanks Carol! From Michelle

Shout out to Michelle for helping a co-worker/solving a problem. For fixing the heat in the Staff Lounge and making it toasty again! From anonymous.

Shout out to Cate, Ashley, Ally, Megan, Kath and Franny for helping a co-worker and keeping it positive. Thank you to everyone who covered for me the week of Valentine’s Day! I really appreciate the ability to not be worried about work with so much other stuff going on, and that’s a testament to having coworkers who have your back. Thank you all so much. A special shout out to Cate for covering my storytime and having the kids making hilariously large hats. From Olivia. p.s. Those hats were so amazing.

Staff Shout Outs

Are you ready for some shout-outs? If you’d like to submit a shout-out, fill out the form on the Forms page. Don’t be shy! Shout it out!

Shout out to Kathleen Wilcox for going above and beyond, solving a problem, and keeping it positive, Kathleen cheerfully dealt with alarms, locked doors,
Facilities voicemail, and other snafus first thing on a Saturday morning! From Cate

Shout out to Cate, Ally, Amy, Andrea, and Jamie for going above and beyond, helping a co-worker, leading by example, exemplary customer service, solving a problem and keeping it positive. Thank you to the Leadership team for being in the building during Saturday’s storytime. It was wonderful to have that support and to know that we had people who could jump in when needed. We really appreciate all the hard work and patience required to be that barrier for staff. Thank you! From anonymous.

Shout out to Lisa R., Meghan M., and Andrea H. for going above and beyond. This team put together an amazing, inviting, uber-cool plan for our new tween space! Can’t wait to see all of their amazing ideas IRL! From Cate.

Shout out to Kathleen Wilcox for leading by example and for exemplary customer service. We find Kathleen to be an irresistibly cheerful and upbeat problem solver: when we bring patrons to her with questions WE don’t know the answer to [“Why does this patron’s card not work?” “What are those squishy things near the Healing Kits?”], everyone ends up happy. Such a pleasure to work with her. From Kathy and Susanne.

Shout out to Olivia and Ashley for their work with the American Library Association Youth Media Awards. Olivia served on the Notable Children’s Books Committee, and Ashley served on the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award Committee. This work required them to evaluate and read over 3,500 books over a period of a year. We are so lucky to have them on our team. Check out the pdf of the award-winning titles here. So proud! From Michelle.

Employee Information Forms

When you get a chance, please fill out the RPL Employee Information Form so that we can make sure that we have all of your correct and up-to-date information on file, especially in case of emergency.

I have also uploaded the employee information form to the Forms section of the Staff Intranet in case any of your information changes in the future.

Feel free to return your form to me or in my mailbox in the staff lounge anytime.

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Staff Shout-Outs

Are you ready for some shout-outs? If you’d like to submit a shout-out, fill out the form on the Forms page. Don’t be shy! Shout it out!

Shout out to Susan B for going above and beyond, coming up with a new idea, and exemplary customer service Susan is RPL’s Community Health Librarian and she has worked with the Reading Health Department to host various clinics — flu, hearing, blood pressure — at the Library! Susan’s partnerships link community members to health resources while visiting their public library …endless benefits and opportunities to build new connections. From Ally.

Shout out to Cate for going above and beyond, coming up with a new idea, and solving a problem. When we noticed an issue with parents congregating outside the picture book room while their kids were inside the picture book room, Cate came up with a BEAUTIFUL and AMAZING solution. She created a bus out of couches, chairs, a silver platter, and felt! So many adults and kids have sat there reading the bus books and singing Wheels on the Bus, and every time they do, it’s a delight. She’s a mastermind of creativity. From Childrens.

Shout out to the Pages, for helping a co-worker and exemplary customer service. We had 2 + 1/2 pages of CDs on the Pull List today, and every single one of them was where it was supposed to be. Perfect pull list = happy patrons. Bravo!! From Dawn.

Shout out to Melissa Seldon for going above and beyond. Melissa’s Golden Years Game Night Display near the Borrower Services desk was pretty awesome. From anonymous.

Shout out to Amy for going above and beyond and leading by example for hosting our Holiday Party–the host looked so festive and we know how much work it takes to create that holiday magic! From Cate.

Shout out to Ally for helping a co-worker, leading by example and keeping it positive, thank you for being our Pride Storytime champion! From the Children’s Room Staff.

Shout out to Ashley for going above and beyond and coming up with a new idea. Ashley’s new spring program hits all of our core values–education, access, accountability and equity. “Hello, Neighbor!” is coming this spring and includes multilingual storytimes, special events, and more. Thanks, Ashley! From Cate.

Shout out to Olivia for coming up with a new idea. For keeping us all laughing with TikToks, Instagram posts, funny signs and flyers, memes for days, Winnie visits, and more! From Cate.

Shout out to Andrea F. for teaching us about censorship with humor, grace and intelligence. We are so lucky to have you on our team. From Michelle

Shout out to Cate for going above and beyond, Leading by example, Exemplary customer service, Keeping it positive. If you know Cate, you know she’s the library and library staff’s #1 cheerleader. But Cate, herself, is extremely magical and goes above and beyond to support her colleagues and patrons. In a short, 4-day work week, Cate covered the Children’s Desk morning, noon and night, navigated complex and interesting phone calls, and facilitated various Children’s programs while fulfilling coffee runs to keep her team afloat. Her creativity, energy, and good humor are enviable. From Ally.

New Timesheets!

I have saved new timesheets in the “Library Files – Employees – Staff Time Sheets – NEW” folder for use starting this pay period Monday December 5th – Sunday December 18th.

Please use these timesheets going forward rather than any older versions you may have saved elsewhere. Your printed timesheet should now say “Updated December 2022” in the bottom right hand corner.

The new timesheets are very similar to the old ones with a few minor tweaks and formatting upgrades. Employees and supervisors are still required to carefully review hours worked and exceptions. The changes are small but are meant to help employees and supervisors catch errors and streamline processing in Admin.

As always, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. I am happy to provide assistance as we navigate this transition together.

Staff Shout Outs!

Are you ready for some shout-outs? If you’d like to submit a shout-out, fill out the form on the Forms page. Don’t be shy! Shout it out!

Shout out to Kathleen Wilcox for going above and beyond and exemplary customer service. Kathleen demonstrated exemplary customer service when helping a new patron applying for a library card. She even came around from the desk and gave the patron a tour of the first floor and explained what was located on the other floors. The patron was absolutely ecstatic about discovering all the wonderful services we offer! A shining example of what a wonderful library we are and the importance of serving our patrons!! From Anonymous.

Shout out to Olivia, Ashley, Lisa and Cate for the fun Instagram Reel announcing the Around the World in 80 Days program. Turn the sound UP. From Michelle.

Staff Shout Outs!

Are you ready for some shout-outs? If you’d like to submit a shout-out, fill out the form on the Forms page. Don’t be shy! Shout it out!

Shout out to Michelle, Ally, and Lisa R. for helping a co-worker. Thank you for helping with the Parker 6th grade tours. It wouldn’t have been possible without you! From Meghan M.

Shout out to Dawn for helping a co-worker, leading by example, exemplary customer service and keeping it positive. Dawn keeps a dozen balls in the air simultaneously and makes it all look easy! She keeps the materials flowing: guiding them into their assigned places on the shelves and then gently shepherding them on to their next lives. Then she whips up a stunning display and hunts down a missing magazine while improving our vocabularies with Shakespearean insults. From Tilly.

Shout out to Meghan McCabe for going above and beyond and coming up with a new idea. Judging by the chatter of the 4 attendees I picked up on Saturday, Meghan’s One Night Ultimate Werewolf event was a big hit! The kids had a great time, they said the gentleman running the game was awesome, and they enjoyed the pizza and snacks. My kids even worked together – this is unheard of – to win the game. Great job, Meghan! From Valerie.

Shout out to Cate Z. for going above and beyond. Cate helped facilitate an open house for Reading Public Schools’ Multilingual Learners Department, which brought many new families to the Library. She thoughtfully shared all that the library has to offer and encouraged families to take a tour or stop by for 1:1 help. Cate’s warmth matched the many happy, smiling faces running around the library, bringing some extra life to the library on a Monday night! From Ally.