Request for Feedback on Proposed ALA Library Bill of Rights Revision

ALA's Intellectual Freedom Committee has been working on a revision to the Library Bill of Rights. They request your feedback on the proposed amendment.The revision would work in tandem with the Library Bill of Rights Interpretations.

Thanks to Rob Nunez who is a member of this committee and has brought this to our attention.

Here's an email from the committee chair with a link to post your comments:

Good afternoon -  

The Intellectual Freedom Manual Review Working Group, which reviewed all documents in preparation for the next edition of theIntellectual Freedom Manual, recommended consideration of updating the Library Bill of Rights in a narrow manner to add an Article VII focused on the concept of ensuring privacy and confidentiality for library users.

The rationale:

Article III of the Code of Ethics includes the protection of the library users’ privacy and confidentiality as a responsibility of library staff’s professional responsibilities; however, the right of library users to privacy and confidentiality is not included in the Library Bill of Rights.

The Code of Ethics provides ethical guidance to library staff, while the Library Bill of Rights does not specifically include privacy and confidentiality among its articles described as “basic policies” which should govern the services of all libraries.

When adopted as policy by a library’s governing body, the Library Bill of Rights can represent the library’s promise to the user.

In an era of big data, Facebook revelations, and tenuous privacy protections and data security, the Library Bill of Rights should be amended to include the expectation (and promise) that libraries protect users’ privacy and maintain the confidentiality and security of their personally identifiable information.

The Intellectual Freedom Committee would appreciate feedback on this article draft by Friday, December 21. Please feel free to share this message widely. Feedback can be posted in the following two ways:

• Use this Google Doc link to post feedback to Google Doc draft. The IFC requests that you post comments on the document, rather than edit the document directly. To post a comment, select “Insert” in the top menu, and then click “Comment.” Comments may be posted anonymously (if you’re not signed into a Google account) or publicly (if you’re signed into your Google account).
• Using “track changes,” add comments and edits to the attached Word doc draft. You can email them to me (glynnj@kenyon.edu) or post them as a comment to this ALA Connect post, and I’ll forward it to working group members.

Revisions of two Library Bill of Rights interpretations will also be distributed to the library community on Monday for feedback. The Intellectual Freedom Committee will make revisions to the drafts in light of your suggestions and plans to distribute the documents to ALA Council prior to the Midwinter Meeting in Seattle. The committee also plans to present them at ALA Council Forum for further feedback.

Thank you in advance for your suggestions, and please let me know if you have any questions,

Julia Warga, Chair
Intellectual Freedom Committee
glynnj@kenyon.edu

Library Bright Spot Award Winners

Hello, Everyone!

I recently received this message from Brandi. I encourage you to join her in tapping your coworkers for recognition for the great work they are doing!

I wanted to take a minute to nominate a few of my co-workers for this weeks spotlight award. 

First, Marcia, for coming up with the great idea to live stream the historic Mars landing! On a snowy Monday, she had 40 people show up to witness something great together and we've been receiving such great feedback ever since. In fact - it made it into the Kenosha News as a Voice of the People Editorial (pic attached). 

Second, I'd like to recommend Jake, Lisa R., Jill, Jeff, and Ed for their hard work representing us so well at HarborHoliday on Saturday. Mother Nature made a show of the wind and rain but KPL staff pushed back with good spirits, great service, and good tidings! Over 3,000 people came through the event and some of the standout feedback continues to be about Ed's amazing readings on the streetcars, Jake and Lisa's activities (undercover education elves those two are) and the joy and cheer Jill and Jeff offered to people boarding the Bookmobile. A few pics of them from the event attached - unfortunately I didn't get a picture of Ed reading. 

News for the Week

• Kenosha Common Council passed our 2019 tax levy this week. Our Board will review and vote on our budget on December 11th. The city determines how much money it will contribute to library services. Our board determines how we spend the money. Although the city gave us no increase this year, we did generate extra income through the library system by serving more people outside our library district. The county reimburses us for that service. 
• Tomorrow evening beginning at 5pm at SW, our library board, Friends board and Foundation board will come together to celebrate a very successful 2018. Please join us if you can.
• If you haven't read Palaces for the People, I highly recommend you do. The premise of the book is that parks and libraries are the social infrastructure essential to a healthy society. Bloomberg took up the idea this week with this opinion piece.  One more reason to be proud of what you do!
• Thanks to everyone who has signed up for the wage study results sessions. I'm really looking forward to speaking with all of you! 
• I'll be visiting my grandson on December 6th and 7th. Lin or Anne can help with any emergencies and I am always available by phone.

Happy weekend, Everyone!

News this holiday week

• The results of the wage study have been studied, digested, and modeled by Administration staff and we've landed on a generous plan we can afford! Thanks to Sheri for her tireless work to get all the numbers perfect. The board's Personnel and Finance Committee will take a look at our proposed plan before the December board meeting  so we are ready for full board approval and can implement the changes beginning January 1st.I'll be meeting with you all in small groups to deliver the good news (it's good news for everyone!) and explain how we came up with the new wage scale, how we will implement it, and what that means to you. Look for that invitation shortly.
• The Common Council will vote on accepting our 2019 budget on both Tuesday and Wednesday evenings this coming week. Last week I presented our budget to the Council's Finance Committee and they readily accepted it. Everything should go well next week.
• A writer for The Nation magazine joined us at the UAW Hall for the Sweat play performance back in October, and wrote a very interesting article about Public Theater's Mobile Unit. The Kenosha performance and the city itself is profiled here. 

• This week's Bright Spot Award goes to our amazing maintenance staff Dan, Scott, Jason, and Jim for cheerfully filling in for vacationing custodians and for random acts of kindness toward staff and patrons. We appreciate you guys so much!
• Lin and I are both off on Monday. I'll be home so feel free to text or call in an emergency. Otherwise, Anne is your emergency contact.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Barb

Status of Wage Study and Bright Spot for the Week

Hello, Everyone
I know you are all anxious to see the results of the wage study. Our consultant has provided a new list of job classifications and associated hourly wages. He's given us advice on a couple of ways to implement the plan. Now we need to figure out what we can do with the money we have. Sheri is working very hard to calculate the impact of a couple of scenarios on the budget. As soon as we have a viable option, I'll schedule time with you, department by department, to explain what we will be asking the board to approve. We are still aiming for a January 1 implementation.
Bottom line, nobody loses. Everyone's wages will improve. Everyone has a job. You have nothing to fear!

Calculating compensation for employees goes so far beyond plugging an hourly rate into a spreadsheet and hitting the SUM button. There are taxes, insurance and retirement benefits calculations, steps within ranges, scenarios of 11 steps vs. 16 steps! It's enough to make your eyes cross!
Sheri has cheerfully taken on this project, tediously working through multiple scenarios to sort out the best compensation package our budget can deliver. She is your best friend in this process, and our Bright Spot for this week! Please send her your appreciation!

Have a warm and cozy weekend, everyone!
Barb

Please Give to the United Way Campaign

United Way of Kenosha County's annual campaign is once again underway. This year I've been asked to serve on United Way's Community Impact Committee. (Anne's on that committee, too.)  It's a group of people who come together and decide which agencies receive United Way funding, and monitor the reports of those who have received grants to make sure dollars are spent wisely and are having a great impact on the community. Agencies must apply for UW support, and report back on the impact of the programs UW funds. The committee also conducts site visits. This week I visited the AIDS Resource Center and ELCA, both of which were quite impressive. Shalom Center and Women's and Children's Horizons were also on the list of tours. Sometimes people think United Way provides direct support to individuals in need, much like welfare benefits. United Way actually supports programs though nonprofits who must prove their impact. For ELCA, that's the summer camps for kids at Brass Community School that reaches 135 kids per day. The kids learn math from KUSD teachers, visit the bookmobile, go on field trips, learn to swim at the YMCA, and get a lunch and snack, sometimes the only food for the day. For the AIDS Resource Center, it's health care and psychological counseling services, even a food pantry.
I know sometimes people tire of giving, wondering how much money really reaches the people in need. United Way donations go to organizations that prove their impact. Giving to United Way keeps your money here in Kenosha County.
I hope you'll join me by signing up for this year's United Way campaign. Just a few dollars deducted from your paycheck every month add up to a big difference for those who need it most.
Thanks for your generosity!
Barb

News for the Week

• KPL is in the national spotlight for the outstanding "We Are Kenosha" project led by Heather. See the promotion here. Thanks for making us proud, Heather!
• 8 of us spent 2 days at Crisis Intervention Training at Gateway and it was really worth the time. If you work directly with the public and are unsure what to do or say when you encounter someone who seems to be experiencing mental illness, I highly recommend you take the training. Sessions are offered twice a year and are free. Look for Michelle's next announcement in the new year.
• The next library board meeting is on November 13th at SW. We'll be taking an amended vacation policy that is less punitive for staff who move from part time to full time work. We'll also be expanding the list of qualified organizations that can vouch for the identity and address of a person in transitional housing looking to get a library card.
• The Board's Personnel and Finance Committee attended a presentation by our wage study consultant this week that outlined the process for determining market values of the work we do. The next step is to consider the impact of the consultant's recommendations on the budget. We are still on track to implement the new pay structure on January 1, 2019.

• The Center for the Future of Libraries offers new ideas every week about trends that connect with current and future library services. The ideas are synthesized into main trend areas that we should keep in mind as we build new services. Here's the current trend list. For each trend there is a description, a section on how the trend is developing and a section on why it matters to libraries. I encourage you to spend some time with these trends. I'm hoping to pull together a group of staff who are interested in discussing them and brainstorming some interesting ways we can get ahead of the curve and anticipate how people will continue to use the library.

• Will Tiny Books change the way we read? Penguin Random House is counting on it. My first thought is how to shelve a tiny book? 

• On December 1st at 5pm, KPL SW will close to the public and open to Friends, Foundation, Board and staff for a year end celebration. It's been a particularly successful year with four awards and plenty of great stories to share. Let's celebrate by hosting the volunteers who help make us great. We'll have food, drink, and great conversation. We'll show off the highlights of our service throughout the library and have a chance to say thank you to the people who raise money on our behalf for the extras we enjoy.

I hope you'll join us.
When: December 1, 5pm-7pm
Where: KPL SW
Who: All of you are invited!
If you love to plan parties, please let me know ASAP! We need your creativity to make this a great event.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Interesting articles and this week's Bright Spots

This week I ran across some particularly interesting articles and websites that should inform how we design library services.
This one's about an IKEA study that shows people don't always consider "home" the most comforting space, and the group that doesn't is growing. So, what role could the public library play for those people?

When I was in Seattle, I attended a session from the Strive Together group in Tulsa. They've designed an Equity Index  that I'm lobbying our local Strive Together group to recreate with Kenosha County data. If we map out where the greatest inequities in the community lie, and we overlay data showing where people have library cards, we could target services to neighborhoods with low library engagement and high equity needs and make the greatest impact.

Growing up in a house full of books is major boost to literacy and numeracy, study finds  (who knew, right?)

This week's Bright Spot Award goes to Michelle and Sandy who brilliantly and compassionately guided a woman to the social services she needed. The downtown location for our Admin Offices presents us with several visitors a week who need directions not only to a full service library but to various government or social service agencies. Sandy is the person you would dream of meeting if you were faced with an seemingly insurmountable problem and had nowhere to turn.  She is relentless in her efforts to help, and her kindness is a great comfort to everyone. This morning, a woman walked in dragging a garbage can and speaking loudly with a dramatic speech impediment, wondering how she might transfer her senior apartment voucher from Zion to Kenosha. She didn't know where to turn, but when she saw the library sign outside, she thought "they have information."

She was right. Sandy and Michelle both have degrees in social work, and between the two of them, they tenaciously hunted down the right agency to help. Then Sandy walked the woman two blocks to KHDS and accompanied her to the correct office before saying goodbye.

The conversation in our office when Sandy got back was passionate and uplifting. There were tears as we shared how much the incident reminded us all of why we work for the library. 

The woman who walked in today was very lucky that two social workers were in our office. Knowing which agency provides what service is not an easy task and Sandy and Michelle's experience really helped. But what about our staff at our four branches? Do you know enough about the local government to easily refer people to the correct agency? In the case of the woman who walked in this morning, sending her to the wrong agency would have been a disaster. She did not have the ability to navigate the system on her own.

We talk a lot about diversity, equity and inclusion at the library, and most of the time we think of equitable service to people of color. But today's incident reminded us that service to people with disabilities is an equal challenge to us all. She was loud, she said odd things about Jesus and skirts, yet Sandy and Michelle never flinched. They saw right through to her humanity.

Anne and I will be working to coordinate special training to help front line staff answer "information and referral" questions from people who need help from government agencies. I hope you will attend. It is KPL's goal to provide equal outstanding service to all members of our community, no matter how challenging it might be. The more we know, the more we can help.

Thanks, Sandy and Michelle, for your exemplary service today!

Barb

News for the week

Hello, Everyone
It was a really busy week @KPL!

• Congratulations and thanks to Jennifer and her programming partners for the incredible event on Tuesday night! We packed the UAW Hall and wowed Kenosha with live New York theater that filled the room with emotion. One of the actresses captured the atmosphere beautifully in her blogpost. 
• Congratulations to Marcia for her work pulling together a partnership with KUSD to bring Screenagers to Mahone Middle School last evening. The content was compelling and timely for about 100 parents and teens. 
• We have received a draft of the study from our wage consultant. The board's personnel and finance committee will meet with the wage consultant for a detailed explanation of his analysis on October 30 at 5:30pm here at CCB.  The P&F committee may decide to make changes. The full board will receive a report from the consultant at their November 13th board meeting and hopefully make a decision on implementing the new pay grades.
• If you are currently housed at CCB, your work location will change in 2019. The Mayor is moving forward with plans to raze CCB and begin construction of a new city hall on the CCB site. We will be looking for a temporary home to last approximately 12-18 months while the new building is finished. Our ETA for leaving CCB is September 2019.
• Tonight the board's Buildings and Grounds committee will review four proposals from architectural firms to complete an Historic Structure Report for the Simmons library. That report will prioritize building repairs and renovation and provide estimated costs. After we receive the report we will work with the Wisconsin Historical Society to secure private funding for the building's repair and upkeep.
• 2018 has been an award winning year for the Kenosha Public Library! We've been named a national Power Library by SirsiDynix Corporation, honored locally with the Outstanding Community Impact Award from Leeward Business Associates, and thanked by Kenosha Community Media with their annual Outstanding Community Partner Award. We also won the 2018 citywide spelling bee!The KPL Board of Trustees wants to celebrate with the KPL Foundation, the Friends of the Library, and the staff by hosting a party Saturday, December 1, 2018 @5:30pm at the SW Library. This is an after-hours event with food, drink, and behind-the scenes tours.We hope you can join us!
• This week's Bright Spot goes to Janet Frieman for her clever design of the new Northside public service areas and her exceptional effort to move things into their proper new places. Janet, we salute you for your contributions to the success of the new First Point of Service configuration!

I was lucky enough to attend the StriveTogether Convening in Seattle last week and of course I walked the eight blocks to the world famous Seattle Public Library Central Library to bask in its glory. Eye candy for librarians.
Looks like 22 year olds are still teens there. Hmmm
Here are some pics.

News from Anne

Hi Everyone,

A few updates for you all:

• preliminary results from the wage study came back this week.  Lin and I hope to hear about this tomorrow in our meeting with Barb.  More as I know it.

• Space changes are happening at NS - the reference desk is now gone, self-checks have been moved to encourage higher rate of use.  The front desk will be "flipped" soon so that the low side (and staff!) face the doors.  It will be great to have the orientation changed up - better feng shui. The scan station will be moved to the high desk, so that patron assistance will be a breeze.

• SI circular desk will be blended very soon to accommodate both Circ and ADS, moving us toward the "point of contact is point of service" concept.

• Cathy Jensen officially began full-time at SW on Monday as Circulation Team Lead; Lin and I will be working with Cathy to streamline staffing models and to determine staffing needs.

• Shannon has been out this week with a medical issue, and we hope to see her back in action very soon!  Get well, Shannon!

• I will be out next Wednesday, returning the following Wednesday.  Jill and I are presenting at the WLA conference, as well as attending the conference.  I am taking an extended weekend as a mini-fall break.  If you'd like to touch base, please let's make a plan for the end of this week/beginning of next week.  I'll be hitting the road next Tuesday afternoon.

Anne

So many Bright Spots!

This from Sheila:
Recently I have been observing Jake talking to children and teens and I need to say it is such a joy to watch! It is like he is their big brother or their long time best friend. The ease of their conversation and the knowledge of the books he discusses with them is so incredible! Male and female. Big and small. Just amazing! What a plus for KPL!

On behalf of the children of Kenosha, thanks, Jake! You're our Bright Spot Award Winner this week!

This from Jake:

This is 2 weeks late, but I still wanted to nominate Alice Ann Steward as a Bright Spot because of how incredibly helpful she was in rearranging the Teen Space at Northside. She did such an amazing job helping to keep all of the teen materials organized and accessible while we were changing the shelf arrangements, and she was incredibly analytical when it came to placements of materials when we were reshelving. I was so glad to get to work with her on the project and the new space came out so nicely. 

On behalf of everyone who works with you, and everyone who finds what they're looking for in the place they think it will be, thanks, Alice Ann! You're our Bright Spot Award Winner this week!

American democracy is fracturing. Libraries say they know how to help

Someone had the recent nerve to question the value of libraries in an article Forbes printed. The result is a barrage of articles like this.
Read and smile.

News for the Week

• The KPL Innovations Grants review team got together and scored six staff proposals for projects to enhance our programs and services. We're delighted to report that all these projects are funded:

Tiny Libraries, a program proposed by Heather to provide Kindles loaded with children's books to after school care programs in Kenosha.
Inspiring Creativity, a project proposed by Lisa Langsdorf to purchase awesome technology equipment to enhance her outreach STEAM programming for kids and seniors.
Enhanced Patron Counters, proposed by Rob, Brent, Max, and Lin to install and program devices that will greatly improve how we count people coming and going.
Jake's project, Cell Phone Charger Stations will be on the Friends wish list for funding.
Marcia's project Biblioboard is on hold while we try and persuade a collective purchase of this software with SHARE libraries. Biblioboard will allow us to design a community project where local artists can share their music, writing, and film with the world.
Brandi's project that proposed a new KPL logo will be funded at a later date when our full marketing plan is ready for prime time.

Many thanks to our nine superstars who brought six outstanding ideas forward!

• We have four proposals from impressive architectural firms to conduct an Historic Structure Report for the Simmons building. The Board will determine which firm to hire, and the city will pay for a large portion of the report. A matching grant from the Wisconsin Historical Society (WHS) will cover the costs the city cannot. This is a six month project that results in a list of projects to complete to restore the building to its original glory and an associated timetable for prioritization. Working with WHS, we will seek private foundation dollars to complete the restoration work.
• I'll be in Seattle next Wed-Fri to attend a Strive Together convention, which you know as Building Our Future here in Kenosha. The library has become a strong team member in this initiative to ensure student success and I will be listening to understand how we can further impact the success of this important work.
• For those of you on our insurance plan, don't forget your upcoming HSA appointment.
• Board meeting Tuesday night at NS. We'll be discussing the identification we require for new library cards and how we can modify requirements to expand library service to those we've excluded through current rules. Board meetings are public meetings, and you are encouraged to attend and watch our governance in action.
• Please continue to promote our fabulous programs! Our programs staff is amazing the community- I hear it all the time when I'm out and about. Be sure to tell everyone you know and attend yourself when possible.
• This week's Bright Spot is our new custodian, Abby Metz. Abby, in such a short time, the staff is already singing your praises. SW has never looked better, and we are in awe of the fabulous job you are doing! (especially the family restroom in YFS! It actually smells good :)) THANK YOU!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

News from Admin

SirsiDynix Connections Summit is fast approaching on November 13, 2018 and there's great programming available online, free of charge, from 11am to 3pm. Even if you seldom work with Workflows, there are wonderful presentations on customer experience, tech trends, and marketing that will be of interest to everyone. One of the best programs to look forward to  (ah-hem) is my presentation on the story behind KPL's Power Library Award. My presentation is wedged between two dynamic library leaders, David Lee King and Michael Stephens. I'm going to need to really show my passion to keep up with those guys! Game on!

The KPL Innovation Grant judges will meet on Monday to decide which projects get funded. Stay tuned for an exciting announcement!

This week's Bright Spot Award goes to Dana Purucker for her exemplary conversations with visitors to the Simmons Library. This past Saturday, Dana met the descendants of Zalmon Simmons himself. She so charmed them that they offered fundraising support. Dana, I often hear about your fabulous work with children, but your hospitality extends to all visitors, and we thank you for all you do to make Simmons and KPL shine!

And finally, watch this great video telling us why our patrons use the library and smile! Thanks, Marcia, and KCM!

October Programming

Hi Everyone!

As promised, here is the continuation of the preview of some upcoming ADS programs that you can focus on sharing with our patrons. I was glad to hear from many of you that this was helpful to you and I appreciate your help in getting the word out about these exciting events.

Both SWEAT and NOSFERATU continue into October. Please continue sharing these! Marcia and I both have put a lot of work into these events.

As always, feel free to reach out with any questions.

Thank you!
Jennifer

SWEAT:

• October 8: THE CHOP at Public Craft (Ages 21+). This one had a huge change to the location/time/date, but it is going to be a very exciting program, fusing work stories and discussion with local artists.
• October 16: The performance of SWEAT! Please remember that RSVP's are highly encouraged for this event. As of my writing, we are at 85 registrants -- this barely makes a dent in the capacity at the UAW Local 72 Hall.
• October 9 and October 23: The Social Justice Book Club is reading work/employment books this month - especially SWEAT by Lynn Nottage! This is a great time for new people to get involved with this lively group if they were hesitant in the past. They meet at Northside.

NOSFERATU/CROWDSOURCED KENOSHA:

• October 5: Blood Drive. Please encourage people to register for this Blood Drive at Southwest -- and offer to register them if they are interested! I have instructions on how to register people here (linked).
• October 5 and October 6: Vampire Film Festival at Southwest. Marcia has a fun lineup of vampire movies. Keep in mind the Friday night after hours movies are adults only. Contact Marcia for a list if you need one.
• October 25: NOSFERATU PREMIERE: This event will be featuring live music played along with the original Nosferatu movie, along with the scenes from the movie that participants created through the Crowdsourced Kenosha events. Doors open at the Kenosha Public Museum at 6pm, program begins 6:30pm.
  

OTHER PROGRAMS:

1. October 2: Voting Open House
• Registration information as well as neutral information on other voting topics/issue -- fake news, what's on the ballot/referendums, etc.
2. Hispanic Heritage Month Film Festival
• September 20: Dirty Dancing Havana Nights
• October 4: The Motorcycle Diaries
• October 11: In the Time of Butterflies
• October 18: Under the Same Moon
3. DIY Horror Movie Posters
• Event repeats: October, 4, 11, 12, 19
• This is a great opportunity for new people to experience The Hub!
4. October 10: Your Health: Integrated and Holistic Medicine
• This program series has been pretty underrated -- it is a great opportunity to learn more about different aspects of health and bounce questions off of doctors.
5. October 18: Screenagers: Growing up in the Digital Age
• In partnership with KUSD, Screenagers is a documentary about the impact of screen technology on kids.
6. October 20: National Chess Day
• 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM: Chess Instruction
• 12:00 - 2:00 PM: Simultaneous Chess Exhibition
• 2:00 - 4:00 PM: Mini Chess Tournament
7. October 26: Haunted Simmons Tour! 
• Registration Opens October 1
  (And yes -- I am still looking for a few more volunteers!)
8. October Book Club Preview

News You Can Use

• The Bookmobile will be off the road all day this Thursday so that Maintenance can investigate the ongoing generator/electrical issues. Reserves will be held and due dates extended! As always, you or patrons can call the Bookmobile Office at 564-6190 with any questions.  Home Delivery will still be taking place that day.
• Friday September 14th was the last day for our cleaning company at SW. They will continue to clean other library locations and the Civic Center building. We are phasing in our own in-house cleaning staff in order to provide better service to our staff and patrons. Our in-house cleaning at SW began Monday. Welcome, Abby!
• More shredding events at NS and SW parking lots scheduled for September 22nd, 9am-4pm.
• We're hiring for 2 part time Aides at SW. If you're a Page who wants to move up, send us your application materials!
• We'll be hosting the UW Parkside Community Bus Tour at Uptown Library on Friday. This is an orientation for new professors and staff to introduce them to community projects. We'll be talking about Building Our Future and the Kenosha Parks Alliance.
• This Thursday, Jill, Lisa L and I will accept the Outstanding Community Impact Award at Harborfest. Thanks to everyone who has worked so hard over the past three years to coordinate and deliver summer parks programs to our central city kids. This award is for YOU!
• Lots of adult programming on tap over the next few weeks, much of it surrounding the theme of work and the play SWEAT that will be performed by actors from New York City's Public Theater. The full list of programs is here. People can sign up to attend the play here. The play is free and will be held at UAW Local 72 Hall on Washington Road. PLEASE NOTE: The play's dialogue is very adult- lots of swearing and "adult" themes. Please advise people not to bring children. 
• New Peer Training initiative - take a look at this sweet video from Heather and Anne. Do you have a special skill to share with other staff members? We need you!
• This week's Bright Spot Award goes to Kristin Kornkven for her fabulous and timely display at SW on the dangers of our local currents and rip tides in both English and Spanish. With 93 drownings in the Great Lakes just this summer, it's clear many people do not understand the dangers of swimming where warning signs are posted. Great public service and a terrific example of leadership. Thank you, Kristin! And thanks for the nomination, Marcia.
• 

Upcoming Programs

From Jennifer:

Hi Everyone,

I often hear from various KPL staff that they wish they had a better idea of what programming they could promote to our patrons! With so much going on, it can be challenging to pick out the most exciting things! I'd like to help with that, so I will be sending out monthly emails to help everyone pick out the best things to up-sell at our service points each month.

Obviously, we are already a bit into September, but I'd like to share anyway because there is TON going on this month. Wherever possible, I have linked to our Facebook events - please share if you are as excited as we are!

• SWEAT: KENOSHA WORKS - This month, we are kicking off a series of programming about work and what it means to work in Kenosha that will run September through November. The highlight of this series is the NYC Public Theater performance of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play "Sweat," by Lynn Nottage (in October). Programs this month include:
  
• The Work of Art (Sept 20) - This is a program accompanying the display of Kelly Witte's art over at Northside. It will discuss the work of her creative process!
  Facebook Event Linked
  
• Kenosha Works: A History of Local Industry (Sept 29) - This program is a collaboration with the Kenosha History Center. They will be focusing on the history of what it has historically meant to work in Kenosha, specifically in local industry.
  Facebook Event Linked
  
• SWEAT by Lynn Nottage (Oct 16) - This play will be in October, but please share and encourage people to RSVP! It is FREE - we are only requesting RSVP to anticipate the space we will need.
  RSVP Here
  Facebook Event Linked
  
• THE HUB OPEN HOUSE (Sept 15) - The new digital lab over at Southwest is having its official Grand Opening this weekend! There will be tours, a red carpet/Hollywood theme, and patrons will be invited to film their favorite things about KPL for a promotional video.
  
• FIVE FINANCIAL APPS (Sept 13)  - Marcia will be sharing a new tech and financial literacy program featuring using smartphones to save money and track finances. 
  
• INTRO TO DIGITAL MEDIA PRODUCTION (Sept 17 & 24)  - Our friends at Kenosha Community Media will also be offering a two-part class on digital media production in The Hub. When you share this with patrons, be sure to mention that it is two-part (as opposed to a program offered twice).
  
• BANNED BOOKS WEEK - Yes! We have some programs to celebrate this quintessential library event:
• Don't Be Silenced: An Escape Room (Sept 25) - This escape room features intellectual freedom and will be offered three times that day. Registration is required.
  
• Deconstructed Book Art (Sept 29) - Emily and Laura Kastelic will be offering this well-loved program once again! Registration is required.
  
• HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH - Southwest will be hosting a 4-week film festival this year to celebrate! All movies start at 12:30pm.
• Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights (Cuba) - September 27
• The Motorcycle Diaries (Argentina) - October 4
• In the Time of Butterflies (Dominican Republic) - October 11
• Under the Same Moon (Mexico) - October 18
  
• BOOK CLUBS - You can find information about this month's book clubs here!

If you have any questions about adult programming, feel free to reach out. 

Thanks!
Jennifer

Six KPL Innovation Grant Challenge ideas submitted

Hello, everyone, and Happy Friday!
I am delighted to report that we received 6 submissions for funding for creative and exciting projects.
A team of 3 staff members and one board member will score the applications based on these questions listed in the grant announcement:

• How this project will benefit the community
• Who in particular is the target audience
• How the project fits into KPL’s current Strategic Plan
• How/ by whom the project will be managed
• How the project will be sustained
• How the project’s success will be measured
• Project Timeline
• Itemized budget

Here are the ideas submitted:

• Tiny Libraries to provide children in after-school care sites in low income areas with instant access to more than 150 popular eBooks. (Heather)
• Refreshed branding for the library including a new logo (Brandi)
• Biblioboard Creator software to facilitate programs like hosting local author and performer collections online. (Marcia)
• Smart patron counters for automatic improved tracking of the number of visitors coming and going. (Rob, Max, Brent)
• Cell phone charger stations (Jake)
• STEAM programming equipment for Outreach Services to reach grades 3-6 as well as senior citizens. (Lisa)

Thanks to our grant writers for their fabulous ideas and to Martha, Gina, Sheri, and board member Deborah Ross-Corbett for agreeing to evaluate and score the applications. 
Your are all our Bright Spots for the week!

Two other staff members deserve a big round of applause. As our KPL Foundation Liaison, Brandi worked overtime on planning and tracking progress on this year's KPLF Gala event. Since the cancellation of that event, she's also done an outstanding job managing relationships and helping clean up loose ends. Sheri spent considerable time making sure all our donation records were accurate, including records dating back to 2008. At one point this week, Sheri's office floor was covered with boxes and old checkbook registers.
Both Brandi and Sheri deserve to take the stage with our other Bright Spot winners this week! 

Thanks to all of you for your outstanding service to the library and the community! You make us shine!

Barb

News for the Week

Congratulations to Lori Bonanno, who is being promoted to full time Grandma today. Lori, we wish you every happiness and hope you come back to visit often!

Reminder that the KPL Foundation has cancelled the Library Gala originally planned for September 8th. I'm happy to answer any questions from the public.

Here are some current projects we're working on:

• Four KPL Innovation Grant applications have been submitted so far, and they are all fabulous! We have 3 staff judges so far. If you're interested in serving as a judge, please let me know.
• No numbers from the wage study yet, but the consultants should be wrapping up with preliminary numbers sometime in September. 
• We're talking with Gateway Technical College to reimagine the floor plan for the SW Library. With our growing youth programs and changing tech needs, it's time to see how we can rearrange our floor plan to accommodate new spaces. GTC has an architectural engineering and an interior design program which may be able to help us. In return, their students get an interesting, real world project to work on.
• Lin is working on a disaster plan in the event of a major event in Kenosha that prevents people from accessing the Internet. Libraries in New Orleans, Colorado Springs, and Kansas have all notably stepped up to offer their community contact with the outside world when a city's infrastructure takes a major hit from flood, tornado, or fire. We're gearing up to make sure we can support our community the same way here.
• We're also gearing up to distribute the Library Impact Survey to the public. We sent it out in 2014 the first time. Now we're following up to see how we've improved and how we can further meet the community's expectations for public computing.

Hope you all have a wonderful holiday! I'll be out till Wednesday. Feel free to call my cell phone if needed.

Barb

Instagram animated stories from NYPL

Libraries are getting so creative in applying technology to library services, especially when reaching out to engage with reluctant readers. How to fit literature into an active modern day with so many distractions?

New York Public Library has teamed up with an ad agency to created animated classic novels on Instagram. Try it- it's really fun!

Other libraries are installing short story vending machines

And many libraries have enabled connections with Alexa devices so people can simply say, "Alexa, what's happening at the library today? (I've asked Brandi to make this happen here!)

Have you noticed an example of creative library technology reaching the masses? Email me and I'll add it to our blog.

News from Admin

• Thanks to Lisa and Heather for their presentation to Building Our Future's Early Grade Reading group on Wednesday. So proud of everything we're doing for kids in our community!
• Chalk it Up happens tomorrow morning (weather permitting) at SW. Prizes awarded at noon.
• Come celebrate our time with Lori Bonanno as we say goodbye on Friday, August 31 starting at noon. Hope to see lots of you and little Louis at story times!
• Kala is moving to Chicago for a job with Harper College. Her last day is Sept. 9. Best of luck, Kala! We will miss you!
• The staff offices at Simmons have been painted a lovely blue and the ceiling a striking white. Thanks, Scott, Jim and Jason!
• New chairs and tables trickled into activities rooms this week. Heather liked what she saw. 
  

Have a terrific weekend, everyone!

Bright Spot Award

This week's  Bright Spot Award goes to the planners, producers, sponsors, and volunteers that made our 2018 ComicCon shine! What a truly fun event for the entire community! You guys rocked it!

News for the Week

Congratulations to YOU for winning the Outstanding Community Impact Award from Harborfest Leeward Business Advisers. You deserve it!

And congratulations to Dana Purucker for winning the Bright Spot Award for the week! Here's her nomination:

I would like to nominate Dana Purucker for Gold star spotlight award. Dana asked Martha if she could get tech training so she could provide one on one tech assistance at Simmons & Uptown.  Martha contacted me to set it up.  Dana and I met for a 2hr one on one training session yesterday afternoon in the Simmons Childrens room. 

I used the RTG onboard training as a loose guide.  We covered Overdrive, Libby, Hoopla, Freegal, Lynda.com, Pronunciator and wifi printing.  We also talked about the most common devices people have and the most common tech issues we assist with.  Dana did a great job and is ready to start taking tech problems.  If anything comes her way that she can't figure out, I let her know that she can call over to the SW Ref Desk and get phone assistance from whoever is on duty.  A lot of the the tech support is just figuring it out as it comes and then learning from the experience.  So the best way to learn is to just start doing it!

Thanks to Marcia for calling out Dana's extraordinary commitment to great library service! Martha tells me she couldn't agree more!

Here's what else you need to know:

• The KPL Foundation's annual gala is fast approaching! We'll be in library park the night of Saturday, September 8th with an empty new bookmobile trying to raise funds for the books, magazines, and other library materials to fill the inside.
• Board meeting Tuesday evening at the Civic Center. We;ll review the budget proposal we sent to the city.
• Chalk it Up is at SW this year, Saturday August 25
• ComicCon @SW on Saturday August 17th. Helpers needed!
• Simmons and Civic Center parking lot paving and re-striping Saturday August 18.
• SW parking lot paving and re-striping August 21 and August 28. Signage for all paving projects will come from Brandi and Aaron. Dan will orchestrate alternative paths for staff and public.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Barb

News for the week and our newest Bright Spot Winner

Hello, KPLers

Here's library-wide news

• Carpets at SW will be steam cleaned tomorrow before opening. Carpets will be dry enough to walk on by our 9am opening.
• Parking lot resurfacing at Simmons, SW and CCB will be scheduled over the next few months. We'll give you plenty of notice so we don't catch you by surprise.
• We're recruiting for part time cleaning staff to join our KPL team. It's our aim to not only get a better quality of cleaning in our libraries, but free up our maintenance staff to do maintenance tasks instead of spending time trying to make up for poor cleaning by the current service.
• New tables and chairs for activities rooms have arrived and need to be assembled.
• The 2019 KPL Budget has been submitted to the city for approval. Here are some fun things we are hoping to fund:
• electronic signage at NS and SW in place of the big block signs in our yards
• better storytime props, children's workshops, and book giveaways
• K-5 reading program called "Open Books, Open Minds" to encourage kids to read more diverse & inclusive titles
• "Family Adventures After Hours!" in fall 2018 with family engagement activities: indoor "campfire" and singalong in September, spooky STEAM in October, messy art in November, and a fort reading night in December; would like to host once a month at SW on Friday night after closing
• Digital Media Lab (The HUB) programming
• Music performances @ the library
• More collections money to meet state Tier 3 standards
• A tuition reimbursement program for staff
• and, of course, funds to implement the wage study recommendations
• I have new twin granddaughters and I am traveling to Louisiana on Saturday to give them Grandma kisses. I'll be back in the library next Thursday, August 9th. I'll be available by phone in case of a crisis. Lin and I are both out on Monday, so please ask Anne for help in our absence.

Donna Holmen writes:

I know of a Bright Spot!  

Kala Istvanek has wanted to help with children's programming, and this week she got the chance!  I led a two-hour Sew Awesome basic hand sewing class for 3rd - 5th graders.  My teen helper did not show up, and I was so happy to have Kala!  It is not easy to show children how to thread needles, make knots, sew on a button and learn 2 stitches. It tookmany tries to learn how to thread the needles. The children made pencil holders for school, and they were "sew" proud of their work.
The children and I appreciated Kala's warmth and patience. Everyone had fun!

Thanks for making KPL shine, Kala!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone.

Barb

Bright Spot Award Goes to...

Here's a little note I received from Lin this morning nominating this week's Bright Spot Award winner.

I'd like to nominate Sheri for one of the next Bright Spot awards. She went out of her way to make sure the check to this vendor got to the Fed Ex Store and on it's way so that it could be received today. I appreciate how hard she works to make things happen and this was above and beyond!

Sheri's our Admin Superstar, for sure. Not only did she work wonders with the check Lin mentions, she completed and submitted a stellar city budget this week one day ahead of schedule! That's no small task.
Thanks for the nomination, Lin! And thanks for all you do to make KPL run so smoothly, Sheri!

Relevance of Bookmobiles and Mobile Libraries in 2018

Nice article from a very rural (Montana) perspective.

I-94 Transportation Guide

Wisconsin Dept. of Transportation has issued this informative guide to construction plans and alternative routes. 
Here's wishing you a pleasant journey.

Insurance Benefits City Information

Thanks to Janet Frieman for attending city meetings regarding insurance benefits and for providing these notes to share:

City of Kenosha Health Ins Mtg 7/12/18

Subject:  Pharmacy and

   Potential changes in 2019

The City is recognizing the rising costs of using UHC which is currently the highest in the area.  It is also notoriously difficult to get any transparent data reports from UHC in order to manage costs.  One of the changes that UHC wants to mandate is an annual physical through a physician instead of using the HRA in order to not be charged the 5%.

Johnson Insurance is the city broker and is working on an August timeline and will be

negotiating with Humana, UHC, Aurora Anthem, Blue Cross-Blue Shield, Froedtert and get proposals. Aurora is actively looking for a relationship with the City.

Hopefully a report will be available by mid-September.

Pharmacy facts:

$2.3 million dollars spent on drugs annually

Currently there is about an 80% use of generics

OptimRX negotiates drug costs

Active negotiations are ongoing to separate from OptimRX through our PBM (pharmacy benefit manager).  The City also has difficulty getting transparent reports from OptimRX to manage costs.

The City and Johnson Ins are exploring Navitus out of Appleton which is a growing company that strives for transparency.

This would reflect a 20 to 30 percent possible savings which would reduce costs to city’s overall plan (a couple of hundred thousand dollar savings).

One way to save money is the use of rebates.

City will negotiate with them directly in August

One “drawback” is they don’t have an app like UHC, but customer service is a high priority.

There would be a separate card from Navitus for use at pharmacy.

The subject of dental was brought up:  In 2019 it will still probably continue to be Dental Associates but maybe get a quote from Delta Dental will be explored.  There have been many complaints from staff who do not like to go the Dental Associates.

One suggestion from a participant:  100 % coverage if using Dental Associates,

or if an employee wants to use their own private dentist, they would pay a premium.

Steve will ask Johnson to explore this to keep the budget at $600,000.

FYI: The City has explored the option of part-time employees being able to purchase insurance through the city at a reduced cost.  But hiring more full-time may be a better benefit for the City in the long run.

Again, all these conversations at these meetings are purely speculative.  Steve wants to exercise due diligence in making sure all suggestions and negotiations are transparent.

Next meeting:  to be scheduled

Re: List of preventatives and statistics for the clinic