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.
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.
Read more: Staff Shout-Outs Read more: Staff Shout-OutsI 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.
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.
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.
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 Val for going above and beyond, exemplary customer service, solving a problem and ALWAYS keeping it positive. Val spent a lot of time and put a lot of thought into troubleshooting various headaches associated with the lockers and new printing system. Her work ethic and commitment were noticeable across library departments and she should be recognized for the effort she undertook to help things run as smoothly as they could. From Anonymous.
Shout out to Lisa Racine for coming up with a new idea. Shout out to Keeper of the Babies, Miss Lisa! I covered her Babytime program, and she had 22 babies in attendance (48 people overall)! She created this program because she saw a trend and need in the community, and people are appreciating it! Way to go! From Olivia. P.S. Lisa was specifically mentioned by someone at the New Resident Open House for being so enthusiastic at the Babytime program.
Shout out to Ally for going above and beyond and leading by example. Congrats to Ally for finishing a year-long programming grant!!! We hosted programs run by NAGLY, Wee the People, the Massachusett Tribe, YAMA, RESPOND, and more. Run by Ally’s thoughtful design and creative execution, we got to reach out to different organizations and help patrons see what they have to offer. Way to go, Ally! From anonymous.
Shout out to Andrea H. for going above and beyond, exemplary customer service, solving a problem, and keeping it positive: Andrea does battle every day to get folx their ILLs. And no matter how nonsensical the person on the other end of the phone is, she is calm and patient! Then she hangs up and we all commiserate with her. From Tilly.
Shout out to Cate for going above and beyond and coming up with a new idea: Cate’s Halloweentown has been a hit with kids and adults alike! What a fun way to decorate the pillar for everyone’s favorite holiday! From anonymous.
Shout out to Meaghan Clemente for going above and beyond, helping a co-worker, solving a problem, and Keeping it positive: Meaghan is always ready, willing, and able to fill in our crazy gaps in the Children’s Room skej! And she does it with a smile on her face and a song in her heart! 🙂 From Cate
Shout out to Meghan McCabe for going above and beyond and keeping it positive: Meghan M has been hustling all Fall. School visits, teen programming, loads of professional development, and everyday kindness and warmth to the various patrons she helps. Even when stressed or trying to track down teens, Meghan maintains a positive vibe that can lighten any workroom on dreary, cold, rainy days 😉 From Ally D.
Our page Althea Culaba was named a National Merit Commended Student! She is one of only six other RMHS students to be recognized this year–congratulations, Althea!
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 Andrea F, Susan, Susie, Chris & Michelle for going above and beyond, helping a co-worker, exemplary customer service, solving a problem, and keeping it positive. Each of these staff members deserves a big thank you, and perhaps a hug, for managing a difficult patron situation while coordinating many last-minute changes and technical difficulties associated with the Autumn Concert that moved indoors due to weather. There was a lot of grace and kindness shown to patrons and each other with a bit of humor to help everyone get to 9pm. From Ally D.
Shout out to Ashley W for going above and beyond, coming up with a new idea, and exemplary customer service. Ashley has spent the past year thoughtfully developing every piece of the new Healing Library from book titles to resources to overall packaging. This was a special project and Ashley put a lot of care into each piece, working with local partners to ensure patrons have access to resources and content that support a variety of mental health needs. From Ally D. and Cate.
Shout out to Jamie for juggling a variety of tasks and workloads while Lauren is out. She has done it with humor and cats. From Michelle.
Shout out to Olivia and Lisa R. for going above and beyond, coming up with a new idea and keeping it positive, You two are the Halloween dream team! The new play area is inspired, the TikTok is spoooooky, the ideas are as sweet as PSL, and the Halloween vibe is contagious! Boo! From Cate.
Town Hall received visits from “First Amendment Auditors” last Thursday. This is happening here and in surrounding towns. The best approach is to remain calm and professional. Please review this presentation from KP Law addressing these visits.
The goal of these individuals is to provoke employees into unlawfully detaining or otherwise violating their First Amendment rights. Employee response should be calm and consistent. The library is a limited public forum, “First Amendment Auditors” are allowed to videotape while in the building. They may not go into the clearly marked staff-only work areas.
Following up on our staff meeting from last week, please contact EAP if you have an upsetting interaction. RPD has also made Taunya available for any of our employees that would like to speak to her.