I gave a presentation on my thoughts about using TikTok/how to get started using it for libraries at the Youth Services Section MLA meeting yesterday. It was recorded, so if you’re interested in the subject of ticking and tocking, here is the link!
New Collection: Healing Kits
We have a new collection at the library! Our Healing Kits are part of the Healing Library and live in the Health Nook (turret next to reference and teen room). The Health Nook and Healing Library are ongoing, developing projects. But for now, the first 10 Healing Kits are ready to go!
What is a Healing Library? The RPL Healing Library is a series of kits customized with books and resources to help a person, group or family navigate areas of trauma and personalize the healing process. Topics include depression, divorce and family change, gender identity, domestic violence, and various forms of grief. Each kit contains a selection of books curated to appeal to a range of ages (kids, teens, and adults). Also included are a sharing journal and a binder with local resources, therapeutic activities, and further reading suggestions. See the full list of topics here!
Important Circ Info: Kits are holdable, but must be picked up and returned here at RPL. Similar to other kits, each item will be checked in/out individually. There is a guidelines sheet inside each kit to help you know what/how many items to look for. (A typical kit contains about 5-7 items). Please visit the Health Nook turret and check them out!
This is a soft launch. The kits will be shared at the Recovery and Remembrance event on Wed. 9/28, and a large-scale PR campaign will start in early October.
Please let Ashley or Ally know if you have any questions. Thanks!
Some Printing Instructions
Here are some of the instructions for the new printing software.
Wireless Printing. I’ve left copies of the instructions at the print release stations, at Borrower Services, Ground Floor and R and R desks. They are also available under Instructions on the Intranet. Read through them and practice printing!
To override printing, two staff laptops have the TBS staff printing portal software loaded on them. There is one at the Borrower Services desk and one in the white cabinet in the Reference Office, labeled Staff Printing Portal.
Video instructions to use the staff portal are here.
Video instructions to print are here.
Payment/Kiosk information is here. The network upgrade seems to have slowed the payment service down and may not be fixed until Monday.
I know that we’ve had a lot of changes over the past week and I appreciate your patience as we all learn 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 Carol for helping a co-worker. Shout out to Carol for helping with the craft prep for the Fall Faire! Thank you for helping to cut out sooo many tiny apple leaves. You rock! From Lisa R.
Shout out to Suzy and Louise for helping a co-worker, Big shout out to Suzy and Louise for helping out with the fall faire craft prep! You two rock! From Lisa R.
Shout out to the Borrower Services staff for keeping it positive, Thank you to everyone at Borrowers’ Service for all of your hard work and patience this past month and a half. Adjusting to Lauren being gone, training on the lockers, and dealing with multiple internet/phone outages (among our normal day-to-day tasks and weirdness) has been challenging, and you have been awesome. I especially appreciate your patience with me and Jamie as we’ve been trying to navigate through it all. You all rock! From Valerie.
Shout out to Jocelyn and Amy for going above and beyond and coming up with a new idea, Amy and Jocelyn have been working on digitizing the microfilm for both the Reading Advocate and Reading Chronicle. This will be a great improvement for all those researching Reading history. Thank you! From Andrea F.
First Amendment Auditors
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.
RPL On Wheels
It may have taken a year but the Library finally received its very first Book Bike!
The Book Bike Trike was custom built by Haley Tricycles in Philadelphia and our goal is to use it attract new patrons, bring the library to people who might mistakenly believe the library is not for them, and to serve the community in new and exciting ways.
The RPL Book Bike will be for staff use only at special events and outreach. If anyone is interested in being a member of the Librarians By Bike club, please reach out to Ally to take this shiny new toy for a spin!
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 Meghan M for coming up with a new idea. Meghan had a great rookie year of teen summer reading. She came up with fun, creative programs, and engaged a lot of happy campers. Well done! From Andrea F.
Shout out to Cate for going above and beyond, helping a co-worker, leading by example. Cate has been a rock during rocky times. She shows up, works hard, handles messes like a boss, and keeps the hits coming for the small set 🙂 From Andrea F.
Shout out to Everyone who helped look for my planner, and the mystery person who left it on my desk! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!! From Melissa S.
(It was in my mailbox-from Michelle)
Shout out to Ally for coming up with a new idea. Ally delivered on our shiny new book bike after much hard work and endless poking. Yay! From anonymous.
Shout out to Lisa R. for helping a co-worker. Lisa volunteered to weed the adult graphic novels and the help was so very welcome. Thank you! From Andrea F.
Shout out Andrea F. and Valerie for going above and beyond. When Andrea F. heard from another co-worker that I wanted to attend the Craftivism event but was not able to because I was scheduled to work that evening, she volunteered to cover my GF shift (without me even asking her!!) so I could attend the event. And when Valerie noticed that there were just a couple of spots left, she signed me up! Such kind and thoughtful co-workers!! From Judy T.
Shout out to Meghan M. for exemplary customer service. Meghan jumped in to welcome residents of RPL’s new neighbor STEPS and show them the library. They left with smiles and armfuls of books. From anonymous.
Fall Brochure-Digital Copy
RPL App is Live!!
I am pleased to announce that the RPL App is ready for use! We are soft launching it, with a big PR push coming in September. I’d love to have staff try it out and see what you think! Feel free to spread the word to your friends and family.
The app includes a digital barcode, links to booking museum passes, our online resources, searching the catalog, our library events calendar and general library information.
Thank you to our beta testers including Ashley, Louise, Amy, Desiree, and several of our Library Trustees. If you have the beta version, delete that before downloading the live version.
Staff Shout Outs-August 12
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 Desiree, Michelle, Susan & Olivia for helping a co-worker. For all of your help, insight, suggestions, and general support with pulling together the Community Read. This project looks as good as it does thanks to all of you From Ally.
Shout out to Megan, Cate, and Ashley for going above and beyond. Megan, Cate, and Ashley deserve the BIGGEST shout-out this summer for being outside in record highs with large crowds of kiddos doing extraordinary outreach work! Sunrise Storytime got families out and about in Reading discovering new parks and patches of (sadly dead) grass. Nature Stories and Exploration got kids moving and discovering all the wonderful nature spots in Reading (like seeing snakes and more!) I am in awe of all of you for being outside and cheerful in these record-high temperatures. Another shout out to Cate who would bop from Sunrise Storytime to Birch Meadow Elementary in a non-air conditioned cafeteria to work with kiddos. You’re all rock stars and deserve the biggest ice-flavored treat EVER! AGREED. From Olivia.
Shout out to John Davis for going above and beyond. John and his wife, Shirley, generously donated a wheeled cart to one of our patrons in need. Our patron, Craig, was extremely appreciative of this thoughtful gift since his cart had a broken wheel! From anonymous.
Shout out to Sudeshna for keeping it positive and for all her hard work moving Reading forward in these trying times. From Michelle.
Shout out to Jocelyn for coming up with a new idea, exemplary customer service, and keeping it positive. Jocelyn’s Craftivism program was amazing! Lots of new faces, great energy, and lots of laughter in the room as we embroidered patterns of our own making. Jocelyn and Shannon were very helpful and positive. We should definitely do this again! From Valerie and Judy.