Who moved my phone?

Security phone moved

The computer and telephone which were at the desk facing the staff entrance have been moved around the corner on the left.  Why is this important? Because when the alarm goes off and the police call, that's the phone you'll need to answer to give the password!

Library Closed March 7 & 8--NO ACCOUNT ACCESS!

Remember to mention to patrons not only that the library will be will be closed but that they will not be able to access their library account nor search our card catalog for those days.  It's one thing for them to know that the building will be locked up and another to know they can't check things online. Besides, we have a number of patrons who use the self-checkout and bypass circulation, so we don't have a chance to warn them using that point of contact.

 Congratulations!!

News from former YA librarian Tonia (Totten) Kestner: She’s been awarded a full scholarship to the distance ed. Master’s degree program in information science at the University of Tennessee! Tonia starts her studies in May. Congratulations, Tonia!  

Happy Birthday!

Linda (ALL)   March 8

Biggest losers are winners!

From Trish Henderson:

As you may know, the voluntary wellness challenge “The Biggest Loser” is underway as of February 4.  (It isn’t too late to enter if anyone is interested in participating.)

The attached workbook is for the first upcoming wellness workshop on February 26 (details below).   Please copy for any of your employees who wish to attend.    All employees are encouraged to attend wellness workshops whether or not he/she participates in special events.  There will be two more wellness workshops in March…details at a later date.  These free training workshops are provided by United Healthcare’s Care24 Program.   You may contact any member of the Wellness Team should you have any questions.

The Wellness Team:  Tabitha Crowder, Tammy Jones, Kevin Dye, Darlene Becker, Jeff Blevins, Matthew King, Clay Robinette.  

The Customer Training and Consultation Department is pleased to confirm that Teran Moon will be presenting:

    Date:                    2/26/2013
    Time:                   4:00 - 5:00 PM  
    Place:                 School Administration Building
    Topic:                   Fitting Fitness Into Your Busy Day

If you're interested, please let Brenda know by Monday at the latest!

And just in case anyone missed it, the 2012 Bristol Herald Courier Coach of the Year is...

Moira & Ian's Grandfather!

Bulletin Board, Smoker's Lounge, and A Story to Share

It's time for the periodic reminder to look at the bulletin board by the Staff Entrance.  Brenda keeps it up to date with Thing We Need To Know, so take a moment to look and see what's new:  the 2013 Family Leave and Medical Act information, for instance, or maybe even an offer from a local furniture company for a discount.

Speaking of the Staff Entrance, you may have noticed that there's a new smoking area on the steps behind the library.  This is to provide a place for some of the folks who tend to hang out on the streets to congregate.  The city is going to provide signage and cigarette receptacles. If you're uncomfortable parking that close to what may turn out to be a busy area, you may want to consider parking on the other side of the street.

Now it's time to share a story.  A patron took the time to write Jud about a recent experience she had at the library.  She's been having some difficulty getting around, so she's been consoling herself with books.  One day she came to pick up a reserve book which wasn't found immediately. It was what happened next that makes this story something to share. As the patron wrote, our staff person "was truly wonderful!!  She was attentive, very thorough, and she looked all over for a book that said it was there for me but it wasn’t with my others (and she smiled and talked with me which after a long day at work was also nice)." She went on to say that the library is lucky to have a person of this caliber who is willing to go the extra mile.

Wow.

Melba, take a bow. You made us look good and you made our patron's day. This just goes to show how a little extra time, courtesy, and a smile can go a long way. Thank you, Melba.

Meet the New Machado!

From Anita:

I would like for all of my friends at the BPL to meet “Cash” .  Some think his name is in honor of Bristol’s music history (Johnny Cash) and some think that since he is a boxer – he is named Cash (short for legendary boxer Cassius Clay). (Note from Jeanne:  That's Muhammad Ali to you young whippersnappers out there!)  I am open to suggestion for a full name for him as I need to register him soon.  Ideas?

I'm called Cash, but I'm really Priceless!

My new friend Amigo keeps a close eye on me!

Sweet dreams, Cash!

 

 

Happy New Year!

No, that's not a re-run or a misprint.  February 10 is the start of the New Year in many Asian cultures.  Each year has its own animal symbol which comes from the twelve animal zodiac.  These animals can vary a bit, based on the specific culture.  This will be the Year of the Snake.

 

Finally, if you haven't read the previous blog with the change to our Emergency Procedures Policy, please do so. 

 

Emergency policy tweak

Can you spot the revision to our Emergency Policy Procedure?

Main Library Emergency Procedure
1/17/2013

1.    Security staff is responsible for all decisions during an emergency. In the event of an emergency, Security staff becomes the “captain of the ship” with the authority to direct actions of Main Library staff.

2.    Security staff will contact the Executive Director of the Library as soon as possible, consistent with safety, when an emergency is declared. The Executive Director alone is authorized to make public statements related to the emergency. All requests for information or comments should be referred to the Executive Director.

3.    Main Library staff must notify Security immediately of conditions that might warrant emergency measures. These include:
·    Fire
·    Bomb threats
·    Natural disasters or weather-related events (tornado, flooding)
·    Suspicious item(s) or person(s)
·    Power failures
·    Hazardous spills
·    Disruptive or threatening person(s)
·    Injuries or other health conditions


4.    If Security orders an evacuation of the building, Main Library staff on duty will gather in the parking lot between Goode St. and State St. (directly across from the Goode St. exit) unless otherwise directed.

5.    If weather conditions require sheltering within the building, the following are the default safe areas:
·    Ground Floor (tornado, etc.): Adult Learning Lab classroom.
·    First Floor (high water): Admin./Processing area.

Did you spot the change?  If not, here it is:

The Executive Director alone is authorized to make public statements related to the emergency. All requests for information or comments should be referred to the Executive Director.

I've already started practicing in the mirror:  "I have no comment.  Please contact our Director for any information." I need lots of practice.  Since my job is to answer questions, my natural inclination is to try to answer so please stop me if you catch me forgetting this very important part of our Emergency Response!

Happy Birthday!

Kay        January 29

Tommy    January 31 
Becky      February 3 
 

Emergency Policy & Renewal Procedure

Main Library Emergency Procedure

1/17/2013

1. Security staff is responsible for all decisions during an emergency. In the event of an emergency, Security staff becomes the “captain of the ship” with the authority to direct actions of Main Library staff.

2. Main Library staff must notify Security immediately of conditions that might warrant emergency measures. These include:
• Fire
• Bomb threats
• Natural disasters or weather-related events (tornado, flooding)
• Suspicious item(s) or person(s)
• Power failures
• Hazardous spills
• Disruptive or threatening person(s)
• Injuries or other health conditions

3. If Security orders an evacuation of the building, Main Library staff on duty will gather in the parking lot between Goode St. and State St. (directly across from the Goode St. exit) unless otherwise directed.

4. If weather conditions require sheltering within the building, the following are the default safe areas:

• Ground Floor (tornado, etc.): Adult Learning Lab classroom.

• First Floor (high water): Admin./Processing area.

Book Renewal Reminder Our system is set up for ONE renewal only.  If a patron wants another renewal, he or she must talk to someone in Circulation.  If you can't reach anyone in Circulation, put a note on the patron's record indicating that patron called; tell patron that he or she can talk to Janice when the materials are returned. One patron was able to keep renewing a book for months.

Melba    January 23

Libby Bailey, Tax Season, & Staff Notes

Libby Bailey

From Anita:

"Mary Elizabeth (Libby) Bowman Bailey, mother of former BPL Marketing Director Emily Everett passed away on Saturday, January 5^th following a courageous battle against cancer.  Visitation will be at Oakley Cook Funeral Home on Thursday, January 10^th from 4-7pm. 

 

Many of you may remember Libby from her days of running Theatre Bristol.  She was also an avid reader who used our library very much.  She told me only last week how much she loved the library and was so proud of Emily for dedicating her career to raising money and awareness of libraries. 

 

Please keep Emily, Barry and all other family and friends of Libby in your prayers.  Her infectious smile, great personality and friendship will be missed by many."

 

Here is the link to the obituary: Libby Bailey  You can leave a message on the guest book at that site if you wish.  

Tax Season

I'm sure everyone is getting questions about tax forms, booklets and free tax help.  Due to the slow pace of Congress in settling some tax questions, the IRS is behind in sending out information.  At present, the only major form we have is the 1040-EZ.  We do NOT have the booklets yet.  As of this morning, there was no timetable given for shipments from the IRS.  If patrons want to go to the website (www.irs.gov), they can see what is currently available.  We will put out IRS forms as soon as they arrive.

This is from the IRS email:  "The IRS is aware of the great interest in the 2012 tax forms, instructions and publications, and therefore, is shipping tax products as they become available. Since the availability of some tax products is impacted by pending congressional action, please note that instruction booklets may arrive weeks after you receive tax forms this year." 

The IRS volunteers are also waiting on training.  As soon as they inform us their schedule, we will post that.

So the short answer is that yes, we are supposed to receive forms and instruction booklets but no, we don't yet know when they will come in.

Update from the IRS on January 8:   "At this time, we do not have an estimate as to when products will become available on IRS.gov or in print."  

Malachi

 Linda is as proud as can be!  Just take a look at what a big happy boy Malachi is now!

Happy Birthday!

Karen G.  January 15

Sarah H.  January 16