News for the week and this week's bright spot

New York Public Library's  Anthony Marx wrote this opinion editorial for the New York Times recently, entitled "Libraries Must Change."  As you read it, you should feel a swell of pride about our own response to the pandemic. Our staff has done a brilliant job translating our popular programming to an online environment, advising people on what to read next, and recreating a sense of community through virtual book discussions. You have enthusiastically adapted to a gradual return to in-person service through curbside pickup and starting Tuesday, deploying a mobile wifi van to neighborhoods that have struggled to stay connected. You know the saying, "Be the change you want to see in the world" ? Well, that's you. You care about the people who need us, the people well connected and the people left behind. You are the face of the public library, the egalitarian, essential institution that is the foundation of our democracy, the great equalizer, the people's university.
As we head into the future, we will remain ever mindful of our leadership role in this community. The inequities and injustices that have long been with us are now more evident and more worrisome than ever. Together with our city, we will continue to find new ways to bridge the digital divide, intensify our out-of-school impact, and support workforce development. I know you will meet each challenge with confidence and determination. The whole community will be stronger for it.

Dates to note:
Monday, June 1- Mobile wifi van begins. Here's the info 
Monday, June 1 Summer Mind Body Challenge begins. Staff encouraged to participate for special staff prizes. Download the Beanstack app to register now and start logging your activities Monday. Let's have some fun!
Tuesday, June 2- Curbside service begins @NS. Same schedule as SW. Returns into outside bookdrop only. We'll reroute parking lot traffic to make this all work smoothly. 

Kenosha County has finalized a Kickstart Plan that provides guidelines for reopening to local businesses and institutions. The Kickstart Dashboard provides a current view of the factors involved in the decision to reopen and their current status. All the indicator lights should be green to safely resume services to a pre-pandemic level. For instance, a full reopening would be indicated if there was a steady downward trajectory of new cases reported. If you view the dashboard, that is still a red light, meaning we haven't reached that milestone. In fact, as I write this, the majority of indicators are red, which supports our KPL decisions to take a cautious and gradual approach to resuming services. If you field questions from the public about why our doors remain closed, feel free to refer to this dashboard and to the plan, and let people know we are following the guidance of our health professionals to provide as much service as we can while maintaining safety for our staff and public. We continue to monitor the dashboard and continue to plan so we can be open again as soon as it's safe.

KABA has printed signs for area businesses to post on their front doors that say that business is following the guidelines of the Kenosha Kickstart Plan. They will be delivering 75 signs to NS and 75 signs to SW for distribution through curbside pickup. If you are working curbside early next week, please be aware that someone will drop those off to you outside.

This week's nomination for our Bright Spot Award comes from Rob:
CNS would like to recognize Phillip for his outstanding job in helping the department move from CCB to Simmons. He was a pleasure to work with and eager to learn new skills. 

Great job, Phillip! 

I'd like to add Nate to the Bright Spot list, as well. Nate has been a tremendous help to our maintenance staff as they moved us out of CCB and met the "green challenge" of spring lawn care. Thanks, Nate!

I'll be taking Monday and Friday as vacation days this coming week and encourage you all to start thinking seriously about using your time off benefits, as well! It's already June which means the year is half over. As we transition toward open for business we'll need you at work, so take this time to step back and relax while the workload is still pretty mellow. 

Have a wonderful, restful weekend, everyone! 
Barb

New Scooter for Northside! and other news you can use

Great news!  We received a grant for $975 to replace the aging scooter for patrons with mobility problems at NS. Patrons patrons will return to a bright shiny scooter in the lobby!

Construction update for SW:
Camosy stated next week the concrete floor in the saw cut area would be removed on Tuesday, May 26, 2020, the plumber would start installing the new underground sewer line on Wednesday, May 27, 2020 and potentially structural steel erection could start on Friday, May 29, 2020. Looks like a noisy week again.

I send periodic updates to our city administration and alderpersons. Here's what I sent his week:

Dear Alderpersons,

In past times of hardship, libraries have been the place people rely on to get them through. With this unprecedented health crisis, the Kenosha Public Library is needed now more than ever. Since the beginning of the Safer At Home Order, library staff have been working harder than ever behind the scenes to provide the public with the services they rely upon, in virtual form. Our library has been assisting the public with a myriad of requests, from  health and government information, to storytimes and homework help, to job assistance. We have been here every step of the way to help support and enrich the lives of Kenosha residents.

As the City of Kenosha reopens, please know that the Kenosha Public Library is working diligently to open its buildings safely, with regards to personal protective equipment, safe materials handling, and social distancing. We are also working on logistics on how to serve the great number of residents that will need assistance with job searching, small business resources, and assistance with various state and federal aid applications.

Here is what we have planned for our reopening:

April 25th curbside pickup and materials returns began at our SW Library location. We are processing more than 4,000 requests per week.

June 2nd curbside pickup and materials return will begin at the Northside Library location.

June 2nd our Outreach Van will be deployed as a mobile hotspot to neighborhoods with high child poverty and low Internet access. This program is funded through the federal CARES relief act.

June 2nd KPL Summer Learning Program, including KPL Kids Kits or programs-in-a-box, will be available curbside and via the Mobile Hotspot Van.

Mid July opening of Uptown and Simmons Libraries at 25% capacity, dependent on gating criteria tracked by the Kenosha Kickstart Plan.

Gradual opening of larger branches targeted for early August.

In addition, we are working statewide with our library colleagues to submit collaborative grant applications for data analysis support and training so that we might act as Recovery Centers for our communities. Another grant opportunity, if funded, would provide iPads and hotspots to more than 50 low income families to connect them to the Kenosha YMCA summer camp, KPL Kids programs online, and KUSD summer school.

Thank you for all of the support and investment in the Kenosha Public Library. 

____________________________________________________________________

Hope you all have a restful holiday weekend! Thanks for all you're doing to

Teleworking

We've learned a lot as we've adjusted to the pandemic, and one of the things we've learned is that we could have used firmer guidelines about telework (off-site work) restrictions for each job description. Right now our general statement in the personnel handbook is that telework may be available not to exceed 25% of a staff member's assigned schedule.  But we know jobs are different, and as we move into the "bounce back" stages, it would be much better to sort this out job description by job description.
There are clearly jobs that can only be accomplished on site, and other jobs that you could do for KPL if you lived anywhere in the country.  I noticed recently that federal job ads always include a statement about telework eligibility. So Michelle and I put our heads together and worked though the list of KPL job descriptions to sort out the maximum time the staff member needs to be on site to fulfill their responsibilities.
Michelle will incorporate the associated telework eligibility into every job description. We'll let you know when yours is ready to view. The eligibility will be the maximum per cent allowable, and will always depend on the immediate needs of the organization and your supervisor's ok. Also please remember that anyone working remotely should keep a list of current projects and provide progress reports with their supervisor often. Telework is a privilege that can be revoked at any time if the staff members isn't getting the job done as expected.

Bright Spot Alert

This Bright Spot nomination from Brandi:

Just a little coworker love! 

Moving into the ADS workroom I've gotten to listen to the staff here offer such excellent customer service over the phone to people with a variety of needs. I just have to call out what an amazing job Emily and Amy are doing with phone reference and readers advisory. I am amazed at some of the calls I listen to them navigate and they both do it with such kindness, respect, and pleasantness - even when having to tell a patron what they are looking for is unavailable. I can't help but brag on them both a little extra right now! 

Thank you, Maintenance and Custodians! and a staff sale

As we navigate these uncertain times together, I just wanted to send out a thank you to all of you who are working in our buildings and pitching in on so many levels. Your teamwork is just terrific!

This week, a special shout-out to our custodial and maintenance staff for their extra efforts deep cleaning, hauling things to storage, taking down shelving, keeping the grounds beautiful, and helping CCB staff move to their new home at SW. We appreciate you so much! 

The CCB staff are moving rapidly out of their old digs before the summer heat makes work unbearable, especially wearing masks! There will be much left behind- desks, shelving, file cabinets. Jeremy will be coordinating a staff sale soon. Starting next week, we invite you to come see what's left at CCB. If there's something you'd like to purchase, we'll price it right, cash and carry. All proceeds will go toward our Story Garden project at SW.