Bright Spot Special Edition

Welcome to Bright Spot Special Edition.
Last week I invited you to tell me who YOU think deserves a Bright Spot Award. Who has helped you get through this pandemic? Who has been a great team player, the person who kept things light, the one always willing to lend a hand?

Here's what you said:

Alejandria and Susannah have kept me pumping through quarantine. The three of us have been checking in with each other as often as possible and we have had weekly meetings to collaborate, motivate, and help each other figure out what's next on our lists to get done. If I'm not having a great day, they're definitely there to make me feel less alone.

-Jake 

For the last three weeks, 9:00 AM on Thursday has been super busy with patrons registering for the KPL Kids To Go boxes. This morning, the website acted up and made it look like registrations weren't going through when they were, so people ended up with multiple registrations. Hilary Perrino took it upon herself to go through the registrants for all 4 boxes and call every single person who had registered multiple times. In this way, she made sure that we did not cancel anybody who actually had registered for 2+ boxes while opening up spots for those on the waiting list at the same time. Hilary's dedication to prompt, thorough, friendly customer service is so appreciated!
-Heather

The Outreach team has been an incredible bright spot for us at NS. They have been so ready to help with whatever we need - whether on Curbside or just in the library. Having the NS and OS teams working together through this has really kept things running smoothly, Plus, we love their cheerful faces in the morning!

I'd also like to nominate Ethan. He typically starts his shifts later in the day, when things are winding down and it is more challenging to stay busy. However, he is intentional about asking what he can do to help and is open to doing whatever is needed. Often the most mundane tasks are left and he always readily takes them up day after day.

-Jennifer

I nominate Sandy Bear. We received a phone call today from the mayors office requesting that we work with a deaf woman who had lost a book that had some vital records in it. It turned out that this book actually had been donated to the Salem library. Sandy reached out to the Salem library to find out if there was any possibility if they still had the book. When she got the news that the book could not be found she reached out to the patron and told her that unfortunately we were unable to retrieve the book. Sandy went above and beyond in working with this woman through the interpreter service. Great job Sandy! 

-Michelle

I'd like to nominate Rob for his amazing response time in providing a solution to the overwhelming number of phone calls we were making at Southwest. Thank you Rob for being you! 

-Linda

Sandy and I would like to nominate Jason on maintenance.  He's always very helpful and gets the job done quickly every time.  He has helped to make the move to SW for us painless and goes the extra mile to pitch in.

-Aaron

The YFS team has been doing such an amazing job of leading virtual storytime on Facebook live! I can't imagine it is easy reading out loud with no audience. Shawn, Jake, Karen, Lisa, and Hilary have made it look like so much fun and the public just adore getting to connect with them week after week! Special shout out to Elkid and Bennet who both had guest spots on the virtual storytime! What a great way to introduce our littlest users and their families to more of our friendly faces. 

Mary Kozel has been so incredibly helpful! Being new(ish) to living at SW leaves me looking a little lost from time to time and Mary is always there to cheerfully guide me to what I need. It has made getting settled into a new workflow so much more enjoyable knowing if I have a question there is a friendly face willing to help me figure it out. Thanks, Mary! 

Michelle has done such a great job of providing us with plentiful and impactful pieces of training during this work from home and back to the office transition. It is very clear that she thoughtfully presents us with options that not only help us become stronger team members but also create a stronger organization for the community. 

-Brandi

I would like to recognize CNS for their inventiveness and creativity. They have been working to repurpose the old WiFi hardware from CCB to provide further reaching mobile WiFi, the idea to upcycle our old iPads to reduce e waste (more on that coming soon), and the smoothest data center move I have ever seen. 
-Rob

I’d like to nominate Amy if I’m not too late. She’s been rocking the reference phones, and she is always willing to help with anything! Thanks Amy!
-Emily

I'd like to nominate Michaela Beltran. Since starting as a library monitor in February, Michaela has done a fantastic job of cultivating relationships with our patrons which has led to less incident overall and better communication when there is an issue. She has also embraced taking on new jobs during the pandemic, including single-handedly finishing inventory at both Uptown and Simmons in a few weeks. She always comes to work with a smile and jumps in to help with an even bigger smile.
-Stephanie

I would like to nominate Jeff Dial for his positive enthusiasm doing curbside service and his creative and funny twitter videos highlighting the library’s new summer collection of backyard game in the LOT collection. Jeff is a true asset to the Outreach Dept.
-Marcia

It's so hard to whittle this down to individuals. This entire staff has been flexible and has risen to every challenge. Here are some highlights:

• Bennett - I think Bennett has played a part in the assembly of almost every single program in a box. He comes in every day ready to tackle whatever awaits. He does it cheerfully and looks at it as a learning opportunity. He has jumped in to partner with other staff for virtual storytimes, and we know we can always count on him to be up for anything.
• Heather and all of the other supervisors and leaders in this organization - I can't begin to imagine everything going on behind the scenes right now. I know plans are made and then have to be changed the next day. The challenges are unprecedented. Yet here we all are doing everything we can to serve the public and make a difference. Thank you to all of you for making that possible.  

-Shawn

I would like to nominate Philip from Simmons.  He's always super helpful and has such a positive attitude :)
-Michaela

Bright spot for Circulation Staff!

We nominate a bright spot for all of the circulation staff for rolling with the changes!

Circulation staff have been awesome in their handling of materials over the past two months.  Thousands of items have been checked out at curbside rain or shine.  Carts have been full of alphabetized books and hundreds of calls have been made.  This has been a true team effort starting with enormous picklists, to keeping the operation organized and running so smoothly.  Adaptability is at 100% Bravo!

-Martha and Cathy