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