The stockings are hung. . .

. . . on the elephant tree with care!  Ashley & Rebecca have made new stockings for all the staff.  They're filled with treats and are on Brenda's tree (aka the tree with the elephant on top) back in the work area.  You are welcome to the treats but please leave the stockings!  Thanks!

Thanks, Rebecca & Ashley!!

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

Tapes, Checking Returns, Literacy Academy & Mount Rogers GED, Nevermore

In my rush to get out the word about the schedule changes, I failed to put in a couple of additional items:

 Taps for Tapes

We will be closing out our collection of VHS tapes and Books on Tape.  If you are attached to a title and want to keep it, see Don or Rebecca.  Books on Tape will be going soon, so keep that in mind.

 Checking Returned Books

Jud asks that people who are sorting the books for shelving take a few moments to look through the books for damage and/or stray bookmarks and other items. By doing it back in the sorting area, the books can be checked out to Repairs immediately and sent back upstairs.  Thank you all for cooperating!

Holiday Schedule for ALL & Mount Rogers GED

The Adult Learning Lab will be closed from Wednesday, Dec. 18 until Thursday, Jan.2.

The Mount Rogers GED classes will not meet again until January 15.  

 

Nevermore Book Club Hiatus

 The Nevermore Book Club will not meet December 31.  Staff may suffer doughnut withdrawl until the next meeting, January 7. 

Happy  Birthday!

December   17      Harrison 

      December    28     Christy  H.     

         December    29    Selena                

Important Party & Closing News!

One  important part is that there is no party. From Olivia Denton at City Hall:

"It has come to my attention that you and your staff may not be aware of the Christmas-related items that have recently come to light.  The originally scheduled Christmas party at Waldo Miles is cancelled.  In lieu of that party, Council has graciously granted City Employees an extra Holiday day off on Monday, December 23." 
 
So don't anyone head to Sugar Hollow on Wednesday in search of a party and unless you've been designated to do bookdrops, don't show up to work on Monday!

And the library will follow suit and be closed on December 23! Enjoy!

Early closing, Staff Info Update, & Lots of Thanks!

Updating Information

Brenda has left a sheet out by the employee sign in station.  Please check your information to be sure it's correct.  Also, we'd like to get current email addresses on folk, as well as an emergency contact number we hope to never need! New phone trees will be coming out soon as well.

 Custodial Information for Joyce

 Joyce asks that anything related to custodial concerns (Hygienitech) needs to be sent to her by email.  That helps her and the vendor save time on verification and communication.

Thanks to All Our Decorators!!

Our library is looking quite festive,due to a lot of hard work by some of our staff.  Your work is appreciated, folks!  Laurie did the honors for Reference, and Ashley and Rebecca worked on some of the trees you see around.  I especially like the tree on the employee bulletin board but I suspect Brenda might be partial to another.   The Children's Department looks great, Selena and Susie!  If you haven't stopped by to see this year's Christmas Tree Parade, by all means do so!

Thanks, Melba!

The first of the Christmas goodies arrived, courtesy of Melba and the Woodbys.  If you hurry, you'll find a BIG tin of Danish butter cookies in the staff lounge. If Jeanne gets there first, there may not be any left. Thank you, Melba, Tommy, and Marva!

Early Closing on December 23

We will be closing at 5 pm on Monday, December 23, i.e. the eve of Christmas Eve.  Happy holidays everyone!
 

Reserve Phone Numbers, City Christmas Pary, Sue Morrell, & More

Text Reserve Notices?  Yes, We Can!

Please let patrons know that we can indeed text reserve notifications to them!  Some very clever people have put their heads together and come up with a way that we can indeed do this, but for it to work we need help.  The phone number and note to text MUST be in Telephone Field 2. Do NOT write anything at all in Telephone Field 1-- numbers only.  Really.  Do not write "home" or "cell" or anything else in Telephone 1.This gums up the process.  If you need to add some sort of message, please do it in the Notes or Message fields.  You CAN write in Telephone 2; use it for a second number or if patron wants text messages.  Use "txt" before number.

So do let patrons know that texting is indeed an option and if they want to receive notifications that way, enter "txt" and the number in Telephone 2. Telephone 1 is the automatic reserve number; if they don't want reserves called at that number, then put that number in line 2 and the reseve number in line 1.

If you have any questions, please see Don or Nicki.

 

City Christmas Party

The City Employee Christmas Reception will be Wednesday, December 18, from 10 am to 5 pm at the Waldo Miles Pavillion at Sugar Hollow.  It's a drop-in open house, with hors d'oeuvres.  You can also register for prizes.  The drawings will take place on Thursday, and no, you do not have to be present to win!

 Sue M. Retires

Avoca's "Granny Sue" will be retiring at the end of this month.She will be dearly missed!  There will be a reception for her at Avoca on Wednesday, December 18, from 2:00 pm -4:00 pm .  If you'd like to leave a favorite memory of Sue, there are sheets posted on the employee bulletin board.

Thanks, Michelle!

The Staff Christmas party was quite the soiree! There was a good turn out, and thanks to our fabulous cooks, the food was incredibly delicious: sweet potato casserole, meatballs, macaroni salad, pea salad, peanut butter squares, cookies, and much more.  Most of all, thanks to Michelle for not only doing a lot of the cooking but for opening her home to all of her coworkers. We really appreciate it!

 

Happy Birthday!

Harrison    December 17 

  

Last and Least.... Alexander McCall Smith Display

We plan to take the photos of the display on Thursday, so if you have any African or Scottish items you'd like to contribute, please bring them by that day by noon.  If you don't want to risk them to the sometimes not so tender mercies of our patrons, we can just use them for the photo and return the same day.  Thanks!

 

Calling Reserves, Party, Birthdays & More!

Reserves

From Jud:

Library assistants in Circulation and Reference: Remember that calling for reserves is now a top priority. Even if you are by yourself at the desk, you can call for reserves if things are not busy. There is no one standing over you to make you do this, so I want each of you to be responsible for being sure that you follow through. If reminders are needed, you can remind each other. Many hands make light work. If everybody contributes, I’m convinced that notifications will be made quicker and service will improve.

Party!!

Remember that the staff Christmas Party is this Saturday night at Michelle's place.  If you haven't signed up, the sheet is on the refrigerator in the staff lounge.  She needs a head count and to know what folks are bringing.  Should be very festive!!

Happy Birthday!

Joan H.       December 6

Happy Birthday. . . and Happy Retirement!

Sue M. at Avoca celebrated a birthday on December 2 and will soon be celebrating a well-deserved retirement!  She's done a sterling job at Avoca, helping patrons and charming earger storytime groups as Granny Sue. We'll miss her, but wish her all the best-- and we still expect frequent visits!

Alexander McCall Smith Display

We're still working on the AMS display in hopes of winning a visit from the author.  (I'm also hoping to win the lottery, but it seems that one is supposed to buy a ticket first.   But I digress.) Brenda has contributed an elephant table, Don contributed a tea box even though he didn't know it, Jeanne brought plaid fleece throws, plaid bows, and an African necklace. If anyone else has anything to contribute, we'd greatly appreciate it!

Reminders, Flamingos, A Cow, and Scotland!

Friendly Reminders!

• Remember to give your United Way forms to Jud or leave them in his mailbox.  This is a great cause, and it would be nice to show the libray's support.

• Remember to sign up for the Staff Christmas party! Michelle needs to know how many are coming and who's bringing what.

"Eat Mor Turkee!"

And Speaking of Birds...

Courtesy of Doris:  There is evidently a "bolo" out for a strange Flamingo that appeared to be the first runner across the finish line in last Saturday's Turkey Trot Race.  This flamingo did indeed cross the line first, but it would appear it "cut short" the race route! The wily bird did stay around to cheer on the other runners and to party with the winners.

Does this rare bird look familiar?

 

 

 

Scottish & African Items Needed for Display!

 A publisher is having a contest for library displays promoting the books of Alexander McCall Smith, author of the Number One Ladies Detective Agency books as well as the 44 Scotland Street and Elizabeth Dalhousie series, both set in Scotland. We need

•  something plaid, like a tablecloth, blanket, throw, etca

• teapot and cups (NOT fancy, just plain cups or pot)

• anything else that would evoke the UK (especially Scotland) or Africa (especially Botswana)

These are things that will be out on display on top of a bookshelf, so do NOT volunteer anything that it would upset you to lose or have damaged. Thanks!!

(PS The winner of the contest gets a visit from Alexander McCall Smith!)

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

"Very funny!  Where's dinner??"

 

Flex Spending Alert!

 From Brenda:

The City of Bristol, Virginiais pleased to offer the Flexible Spending Account (FSA) pre-tax benefit for all eligible employees for 2014.  You can set aside money through payroll deductions, (up to $2,500 max) to pay for uncovered, qualified medical/dental or dependent care expenses.  As a result, you can save taxes on money spent for such purposes. 

Eligible new hires or employees who wish to participate for the first time, are required to meet with Flex Spending service providers to get details regarding enrollment or to decline enrollment.   Enrollment in a Flex Spending Account is strictly voluntary.

The City’s service provider for Flexible Spending Accounts in 2014 will be LD & B through AFLAC.  Representatives from AFLAC, Boyd Glover, Jr., and Fran Justice, with LD & B, are scheduled to be at City Hall, first floor, City Council Chambers executive room.

Monday, November 18, 2013                               Noon – 5:00 p.m.

Tuesday, November 19, 2013                             8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

If you currently have a flex card, now is a good time to check the current balance of your card. Contact Boyd Glover, Jr., at boyd_gloverjr@us.aflac.com (540) 294-0323 to get details on the grace period for submitting medical costs for 2013.

NOTE:  If you currently have the Flexible Spending Account and do not wish to continue in the plan, you need to do nothing as the plan will automatically stop the last payroll of 2013.

Vacations, Privacy, Get Well, & Party!

 Vacation Leave

From Jud:

"Library assistants at Main Reference and Circulation who get vacation leave: I’d like to work out a way to distribute vacation leave among you so that the opportunity to attach vacation time to holidays will be distributed fairly. That being the case, if you’d like to try to “nail down” any vacation time for next year, please let me know by sending me a “vacation” email message or putting a note in my box. I can’t make any guarantees other than to say the distribution method will be fair, and I’ll let you know what method I decide to use. Also, this will be your best way of reserving any particular dates for extended periods of a week or longer, so I encourage you to ask for those as well."

Patron Record Privacy 

From Jud:

"We are obligated by law and by policy to protect the confidentiality of our patrons. For this reason, any card-related activities (checkouts, computer passes, etc.) must be verified with a valid i.d. if the patron doesn’t present a card."

Note:  Be sure that parents are aware of this policy for their children who don't have identification.  The child must have his or her card to get on the computer or to check out, unless accompanied by a parent or legal guardian who does has identification.

Get Well Wishes

Susan reports that Gary's surgery went "perfectly" and he is on the mend.  Susan, meanwhile, has been a bit under the weather but remains her cheery self.  

We've had a number of people either off sick or trying to fight off colds lately.    It's great that our patrons love books so much that they can't do without them even when they're sick, but unfortunately they bring in their germs with them. Remember to wash your hands and use hand santizer or else stock up on tissues and chicken soup!

Par-TAY!!

The annual staff Christmas party will be on Saturday, December 7, at Michelle's house on Highland Avenue.  The festivities will start at 6 pm.  We hope to already have ham, turkey, green beans, and mashed potatoes, but the rest will be covered dish provided by staff.  There is a sign-up sheet in the staff area so we'll know what everyone plans to bring and we won't end up with six cherry pies-- which I would not think a bad thing, but others' enjoyment may vary.

United Way

United Way contibution materials are being distributed.  If you have not gotten one, please see Jud. If you have any funds to spare, this is a worthy cause.  They have helped support the Adult Learning Lab in the past, as well as any  number of worthy causes. It would be wonderful if there was a good response from the library staff to this request.  You can turn your contibutions in to Jud or just leave them in his mailbox.  

 

Living Wills, Do Not Call, Happy BIrthday!

Health Series Program: Living Will

 Main's Health Series continues in November with a presentation on Advanced Medical Directives (aka Living Wills) and other end of life issues.  This is a topic people don't want to talk about or even think about, but odds are that all of us will come face to face with such questions at some point.  Hospitals have been encouraging people to make their wishes known early but only a small percentage of the population has any sort of legal statement of what measures they want taken in case of serious injury or illness. Dr. Tom  Townsend and Erin Downs will be the presenters.  The program will be on Thursday, November 14, at 7 pm. Please pass the word along to anyone who might be interested-- and if you yourself do not have a living will, do consider attending.

Doors & Gallery

Please do NOT ask Joyce to open or lock doors.  If you need a locked door open, call security.  Also, do not call Joyce with questions about Meeting Rooms or the Gallery.  Those questions need to go to Doris.

Happy Birthday!

Laurie  November 13

Happy (VERY Belated!)
Katie  (ALL) October 23

(Note:  I am working up the birthday list for the library.  If you do NOT want your birthday mentioned, please let me know.) 

 

Meeting Rooms, Bristol Questions, Holiday stuff & birthdays

Bristol Questions Sheets

If you haven't already, please turn in the stats on questions about Bristol to Jud.

 

Meeting Room Reservations

If someone calls to reserve a meeting room, do NOT transfer the call to Joyce. Joyce cannot make reservations.  The calls need to go to Doris, 276-821-6148.  (Inside the building, just dial 6148.) If Doris is not here, the caller can leave a message on voice mail. Thanks!

Staff Home Numbers

Do not give out staff home phone numbers to patrons.  This has happened at least twice recently.  If someone needs to contact a staff person, take down the requester's number and contact the staff person to give him or her the number.  The staffer can decide to contact or not.  Thank you!

Festive Stuff

• Yes, we will be putting out a box for the Holiday Mail For Heroes program
• Downtown Christmas tree lighting will be Monday, December 2, at 6:15 pm.  Hot chocolate and cider will be served, and music will be provided by local high schools. In case of inclement weather, the ceremony will be on Tuesday, December 3, at 6:15 pm.
• Downtown Christmas Parade will be on Thursday, December 5, starting at 7:00 pm.
•  The Paramount Christmas Show will feature Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver.  It will be on Saturday, December 7, at 7:30 pm.

 

Happy Belated Birthday

Ashley  October 25

Judy October 27

(Yes, I blew it again!  Sorry ladies... hope your days were happy ones with lots of noms!)

 

Webjunction, Security, Bristol Survey, Kitchen Faeries

From Jud:

1.       I’d like all full-time library assistants to sign up for continuing education with WebJunction. Go to https://www.webjunction.org/find-training/request-access/ , choose Virginia as “state partner,” and complete the rest of the registration process. Use your personal email address (which should be the same one that’s on the staff directory). When your registration is complete—it will take a few business days for this to happen—send a message from your personal email to judbarry@bristol-library.org

2.       For the 7-day period Oct. 28 through Nov. 3 all public departments (Reference, Children’s, Circulation, ALL, Avoca) will be collecting data to find out how often people ask us “Bristol Questions.” Jeanne has designed a form to collect this information and will distribute 7 copies to each dept. via the interoffice mailbox. Use a different sheet for each day; put the date and dept. name at the top corner of each one. Mark down in the appropriate category every time someone asks you a Bristol question. Don’t hesitate to use the back to note interesting or unusual questions, or questions you think are important to remember.

3.       At Main, whenever someone asks to see “the person in charge,” call Security, even when I’m here. This helps guarantee responsiveness and consistency. Security can often answer whatever questions there might be; if not, they will follow up with a report to the appropriate person.

 

Happy (Belated) Birthday

Christy  October 20

Kitchen Faeries

When I began reading folktales and fairy tales, I was quite taken with the legends of brownies, the little people who came in and magically cleaned your house, mended your clothes, and generally did a lot of tidying and fixing.  Sadly, these creatures apparently went extinct from overwork and now this magical cleaning of our kitchen comes about through the hard work of people on staff who use their time to make things nicer for all of us.  Those counters don't wipe themselves down, nor does the dishwasher automatically turn on and then unload itself.  On behalf of the entire staff, I want to send out a thank you to these individuals who go that extra mile for us.  You know who you are. 

To everyone else, please do pick up after yourselves.  Don't leave dirty plates in the sink for your co-workers to deal with, put away food when you're done, and if your frozen dinner bubbles over in the microwave, clean it up.

Thanks in advance for your cooperation.

P.S. If anyone ever does discover living brownies, please direct them to my house.  There's enough to keep them gainfully employed for the next decade or so-- and that's just my living room.

Thanks, Janice!

Janice H. dropped by with goodies to be sure we weren't wasting away from lack of her cooking.  The munchies have been munched, and we thank her very much! 

Fire Inspection, Flu Shots & Remembering Eunice McCracken

Fire Inspection, Wednesday, October 16

From Joyce:

"Evening to all,

Premier will be doing its major inspection tomorrow. Alarms will be going off early. So, don’t be alarmed if you hear them going off before opening.

I will be tied up with them most of the day tomorrow.

We will be starting around 7:00 am.

Thanks,

Joyce"

Flu Shots 

Remember, if you haven't gotten your flu shot yet, you can get one at certain local pharmacies.  The list is on the staff bulletin board near the employee entrance.

 

Eunice McCracken

Most of the long time staff will remember Eunice McCracken, who visited the library so faithfully until ill health made the trip impossible.  She passed away last month, but her obituary just ran in the Bristol Herald Courier paper this week:

 Eunice Elizabeth McCracken passed through this life on Monday, September 9, 2013, at NHC in Bristol, Va. She was born on September 22, 1932, in Washington County, Va., to Sadie Malone McCracken and Jerry McCracken and spent her life in Bristol, Va. She was a graduate of the old Valley Institute School in Washington, County. Eunice began work as a young woman at the Big Jack in Bristol. After retiring from Bristol Jeans, Eunice volunteered at Kingsway Charities. Eunice was a familiar face at the Bristol Public Library and a life long member of Three Springs Baptist Church. Being a woman of great intelligence and her compassion for others, Eunice chose to leave her remains to Restore Life USA in hopes of helping better understand the bone disease that crippled her. Eunice is survived by several cousins and many friends. Her family would like to thank the staff at NHC for the good care she received there. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in her honor to the Malone Cemetary Fund c/o Herbert Hensley, 19335 Campground Road, Bristol, VA 24202. A celebration of the life of Eunice will be held at Three Springs Baptist Church at 7 p.m. Monday, October 14, 2013.

Joyce says that she was told Eunice loved to read so much that she'd read a book as she walked to town. Knowing what an avid reader she was, I wouldn't doubt it for a second.

Murphy's Law of Blogs: Adult Learning Lab, Ghosts, Birds, and Birthdays

Just as soon as I post a blog, more information comes in that should be shared! So here we go:

Adult Learning Lab Closed October 15- 18

The ALL staff is headed to Richmond for training next week, so the Lab will be closed all week.  They will reopen on Monday, October 21.  Please let patrons know that while Reference will try to help as much as possible with applications, resumes, etc. that we can't guarantee a person will be free to sit with them at a computer for the entire time nor can we reserve computers. 

This Place Is Haunted!

But this does give me a chance to plug another library program.  Please be sure and spread the word about our Bristol premier of "This Place Is Haunted," a documentary about local ghost stories.  It'll be shown this Sunday, October 13th, at 2:30 in the J.Henry Kegley Meeting Room (aka the Big Meeting Room).  Bud Phillips is supposed to appear as well. We'd love a big turn-out!

 What Bird Is That??

 Sunday, October 20, the Bristol Bird Club is presenting a program on learning to identify local birds, how to make your yard attractive to birds, how to make suit, and more!  The program will start at 2:00 pm in the J. Henry Kegley Meeting Room.

Happy Birthday

Joyce   October 17

(I couldn't find a purple cake, so I hope the one with a lavender rose will do!)

Becky, Martha (Stewart, that is), Susan & a Stumper

 Welcome Back, Becky!

Becky is back with us after her hand surgery and says she's doing very well. She has a fetching purple cast to wear as she heals. Good news:  her hand is starting to itch instead of hurt! Bad news:  her hand is starting to itch. Becky is a real trooper and we all wish her well as she recovers.

Cruise Director? Party Planner? Social Tsar? 

Since Janice has departed, the BPL has a space-- nay, a void!-- in the social directorship.  Janice was so very good at organizing staff events, be it a luau to boost morale, a Christmas party, or birthday shindigs.  Nobody can replace Janice. So we're hoping to get several somebodies to volunteer to form a Social Events Committee to plan activities for the library.  We're taking volunteers!  This is your chance to channel your inner Martha Stewart or, well, your inner Janice.  See Jud if you're interested.

And speaking of celebrations

Happy Birthday

Susan W  October 14

Susan has been with BPL for a long time and has done a wonderful job for us.  In fact, I think we should close both Avoca and Main in her honor!  We'll just tell everyone it's for Columbus Day, but we'll know the real reason.  (wink, wink, nudge, nudge)

Stamp Stumper

Has anyone lost a WWII era German stamp with a panzer tank on it? One was found by upstairs time clock.  See Jeanne to reclaim.

Birthdays, Thanks from Joyce, & Farewell

Happy (Now Very Belated!) Birthday!!

Nicki          September 12

Laura K    September 14


Thanks from Joyce

"Parking lot is finished. Yea. Another project off my list. My goal is to get it sealed sometime in the future.

I want to thank all of my co-workers for patient and support.

Note: The paint now has to be different because of the environment. So, that means this paint will not last as long and will fade out quicker etc.

Thanks again,

Joyce"

 

Farewell to Nancy

Nancy W. will be leaving us on Friday.  We will miss her, but wish her well in all her future endeavors.  If you want to keep sending us book reviews, we'll be glad to run them in the blog!  (If you haven't read Nancy's reviews, you really should. They're a delight!) There will be a little farewell get together in the Staff Lounge starting at noon on Friday.