Grafton Public Library: Weekly Report – October 18-23

Press release from Grafton Public Library:

2021-10-22

We continued to provide direct services to the public, including copying, Friends book sale, and internet access. Wi-Fi was intermittent and CMD was on site to troubleshoot. We have four public access computers up and running, printing via Princh, and will make our Early Literacy Workstations available for Children next week. Most meeting rooms are unavailable while we continue to store items in them. The Meeting Room Reservation software will go LIVE November 1.

Beth met with the construction team, furniture and shelving vendor, signage salesperson, IT, and the Capital Campaign and sent a delegate to the Friends meeting. She gave several impromptu tours and welcomed former trustees and former staff who were awed by the building. Beth worked on the Seed Library, policy revisions, the Procedures manual, and Trustee documents for next week’s meeting. She initiated passport training so we can recertificate as a Passport Acceptance Facility – we are hoping to resume this service by December 1, 2021. She worked on the website, weeded in nonfiction, put together non-fiction book displays, covered youth services desks, and was on site for Small Stones Festival of the Arts events last weekend and will be this weekend as well. Beth also began training new staff; we welcomed two tempos this week who will be covering the desk in the Tween/Teen Room: Brianna began last Saturday and Erin began Friday. The Trustees are covered the cost of Bibliotemps through State Aid.

We are finding ourselves stretched thin for desk coverage—especially nights and Saturday — with multiple staff out of leave. We have filled one of our four vacancies: please join us in welcoming Stacie Herbert to the GPL team! Her appointment was approved by the Select Board on Tuesday night and her start date is Nov 1.

We have over 1,200 visitors in our first week of opening, and feel gratified by the wonderful reactions of patrons old and new, who are so complimentary and appreciative! We are acclimating to the new workflow, schedule and AMH (Automated Materials Handling System). It’s been a challenge to coordinate services in the lobby, sorting room, and circulation desk with the staff hours available, but we keep working on it. Jane and Ranjita have spent most of their time covering the lobby, checking on the sorting room, and helping patrons, Sandhya has updated numerous forms for output welcome packets with our new hours and address, as well as updating and organizing a new master file of the forms and handouts we create, Allie has taken a lead on managing the numerous IT issues we’ve had, and conferring with Bibliotheca on the screen design for the return stations. Susan, Allie and Sandhya spent several hours on the phone over a few sessions with customer support to work out various kinks in the sorting program of the AMH. Taylor has developed a routine for his workload, and has been finding items on the pull list, shelving the previous day’s returns, and gathering new returns from the sorting room. Somehow he manages to get it all done! Susan delivered materials to three Home bound recipients, organized the file of volunteer applications, set up google docs for IT issues and supply/equipment needs, and adjusted workflow as we went through the paces for the first time.

This week in the Children’s Room, all staff worked the desk, assisted patrons with finding materials, placed holds, issued new and replacement library cards, and fielded questions regarding library programs and services.

Sarah met with Cori and Ron to discuss additional shelving in the Children’s Room, prepped for our upcoming Break in Bag program, compiled kits for our upcoming Kitty in a Pumpkin painting program, lesson-planned for Preschool Storytime and Toddler Time programming, communicated with local schools regarding virtual school visits for preschool, planned and pulled items for next week’s Trick or Treat at the library, prepped for our upcoming Teddy Bear Sleepover, planned Summer Reading for 2022 (training webinar and t-shirt orders happen in the fall) covered the Teen/Tween desk, and communicated with Quite Fetching for a program partnership/outreach opportunity.

Jen has been lesson planning for Library Babies, hosted a Music and Movement program with Miss Kayla from Apple Tree Arts, stuffed break in bags, created tags for the Teddy Bear Sleepover, updated and added programs to EventKeeper, and scheduled social media posts. Kristin planned and prepared for her upcoming book discussions.

Allison Cusher attended the Friends meeting (held in the 10-seat conference room as a hybrid in-person/Zoom meeting!) to discuss and answer questions in relation to LEGO fundraisers and Grafton Celebrates the Holidays. Allison continued to work on the Winter Reading Program and staff the teen desk.

This press release was produced by Grafton Public Library. The views expressed here are the author’s own.