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.