August 2009 Staff Meeting

1. Patron Behavior – There have been recent incidents of patrons asking for favors from staff (extra computer time, printing refunds, phone use, money, etc.) The APL Patron Behavior Policy states:

Solicitation or sale of any item, article, service, food or product of any kind whatsoever is prohibited, unless approved by the Library.

Patrons shall not harass other patrons or Library staff members physically, verbally, or by staring with the intent to annoy that person or persons, or by any other threatening or intimidating act. Any other behavior disturbing to library patrons or staff, endangering other persons, preventing use, or damaging physical property is not allowed. Patrons will be asked to cease such activity and/or to leave the building.

Patrons needing to make phone calls are to be directed to the pay telephone. In extremely unusual situations, a patron may be allowed to use a business phone at the discretion of library staff.

Patrons with social service needs should be referred to the appropriate agency, to Community Action or to the Police Department. Under no circumstances may a library employee offer financial assistance to a patron. A list of community resources is located at each circulation desk.

When dealing with a confrontational patron, you may signal other staff to call the police: at the children’s desk, buzz the intercom 3 times; at the adult desk, show a sheet of yellow paper.

Computer extensions may be granted only if the patron is working on an exam or job application.

Printing – The maximum deposit we will accept is $5. Patrons should be advised to use the “print preview” feature before actual printing. Some web sites may require that the material be pasted into a word processing document in order to print properly. Use your discretion when reimbursing print accounts. A color printer will be available for patron use in the near future. The cost will be $.75 per page.

2. Vacation scheduling – We discussed the pros and cons of taking actual hours scheduled vs. 4 hours per day for vacation. Amber posted a calendar on Google listing vacation requests. She will also let each of us know how many hours per year we are budgeted to work and how many remain in 2009. All were reminded to try to use vacation throughout the year, not save it.

3. Desk coverage – Two people are assigned to the adult circulation desk. One person should be at the desk at all times; the other may put books away or help patrons in the stacks. At the children’s desk, brief absences are sometimes necessary. Remember to keep an eye on the desk when you are shelving or cleaning disks.

4. Rushing in Circ Workroom –Again, we are having a problem with items not being discharged, AV items in the wrong case or empty cases being sent on the van or reshelved. There is NO DEADLINE for completing check-in! TAKE YOUR TIME! Look at the screen when you are discharging. Be sure to label everything in the circ workroom with the “discharge” or “shelve” tags so the next person working will know what needs to be done.

5. Voice mail messages – Whoever is staffing the children’s desk should retrieve the voicemail messages, return the calls and/or take a message for Katrina. To access voicemail dial 50, then mailbox and password 18 1818#.

6. Legacy fines – Some patrons have old fines remaining on their cards. Fines older than 5 years and less than $50 may be deleted. Be sure to mention fines to patrons each time they check out so they are aware of what fines they have. Amber will check with Jim if we can have fines print on patron receipts.

7. Fax protocol – When sending a fax we often encounter busy signals, wrong numbers, etc. After two attempts, ask the patron to verify the number and tell them we will try to send it again later.

8. Computer guest accounts – Some patrons are taking advantage of guest accounts rather than applying for a library card. The rule for local residents is 3 guest passes, then they must get a card. On the guest account screen, enter in the comments box 1st, 2nd or 3rd use and date. If the patron has a library card but did not bring it, you may look up the card number for them if they can provide ID.

9. Damaged books – The procedure for handling damaged books discussed at the 3/8/08 staff meeting is being followed:

When damaged items are received in the book drop, do not check them in. If the item is owned by another library, contact the owning library and the patron to let them know of the damage. Fill out the gold form for lost or damaged materials, attached it to the item, and forward to the owning library. They will determine the amount of the fine and the disposition of the material.

If the item belongs to us, create a bill for the damage. Contact the patron and let them know how much it is. Also let them know that they can have the item when the fine is paid, and that we will hold it for 14 days. Check out the item to DELAVANWD and place it in the galley closet, place a label on the spine with the patron’s initials and the date it is to be discarded. We should send the patron a mailed copy of the bill in these situations to ensure they get the notice from the start.

July 2009 Staff Meeting

Photocopies: Library staff are not to make photocopies for patrons. In order to avoid the possibility of copyright infringement. We may teach patrons to use the copier, but not make copies for them. (See http://www.copyright.gov/ for copyright information.)

In-house holds: For patrons who have a library card, a hold should be placed, trapped and stored on the holds shelf. In other circumstances, such as when a patron forget to bring ID or does not have a library card, an item may be held at the circulation desk until close of business on the day of the request.

Refunds for “found” lost materials: Our Fees and Fines policy specifies that no refunds will be given once a lost item has been paid for.

Wireless Internet: Our WiFi network is not secure. There is no password required to log in. Patrons are responsible for managing their own equipment; staff may offer “hands off” assistance only.

Van Routing Slips: The transit slips we generate in large print can be used instead of the white routing slips on items going to Lakeshores libraries. Blue or pink routing slips should continue to be used for materials going to other library systems.

Book Donations: The Friends have advertised that we are accepting book donations for the summer book sale. We do not accept magazines, encyclopedias, textbooks, or anything moldy or dirty. Any donations received in bad condition can go right into the recycle bin.

Color Printer: There is money in our 2009 budget to purchase a color printer for public use.

Holiday Vacation Requests: Anyone planning to take vacation from Thanksgiving through New Year must have requests turned in by September 21.

Summer Library Program: There is a sheet listing winners of the children’s prizes at the children’s desk. Prizes and Welcome Baby Bags are on the white shelves. Katrina’s volunteer (Monica) has been trained to do shelving and can help in the adult areas as well as childrens.

Book Sale: The Friends summer book sale will be held Saturday, August 8 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. under the tent, with an indoor preview for members on Friday from 5-7 p.m. Memberships will be sold at the door.

Attitude makes a big difference in customer service. Complaints have been received about staff being “short” or “mean” with children. Be aware of how you appear to the public and remember that kids are not as understanding about the frustrations of the job as adults are.

Check-in at patron’s request is OK to do at the circulation desk if it is not busy and the patron does not have a humongous pile to be discharged. Use your judgment.

The Parental Release of Information Form has been viewed by some patrons as something we are doing to make it more difficult for them to get information about their children. Be sure to explain to them that this is our way of being sure the correct person is getting their child’s information. For new library cards, it’s easy to have the parent complete the release of information form at the same time they sign their child’s registration form. And be sure to record the information in the child’s patron record.

Program coverage is sometimes a problem since adult programs are often in the evening. Sue asked for staff assistance in covering adult evening programs. Beginning computer classes are being scheduled in the fall. If anyone feels comfortable teaching a basic computer or email class, please let Amber know.

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