News for the Week

Here's what's happened, here's what's ahead:

• We expect to restore full hours at Uptown and Simmons next week, barring any further security concerns. Staff regularly scheduled at these locations should expect to report as usual.
• City HR will conduct interviews for the new Community Development Director in the new activities room at SW on Monday from 8:30am-3pm and on Tuesday morning. Some interview will be in person, others via Google. I ask that you refrain from lingering outside the room since candidates may be distracted if they can see you through the glass. We all know how unnerving it is to interview- let's be kind!
• We'll be asking the Board to approve No Trespassing After Hours signs for our exterior spaces. Those signs need to be approved by the Library Board as well as a couple Council committees so it may be a few months before we can post them. This is not a decision based on recent civil unrest. Instead, it's the result of a long history of overnight damage and accumulation of excrement, used needles and trash on the grounds of Simmons, overnight parking at Northside,  belligerent, destructive behavior near the Dewey garden, and people sleeping in door wells at Uptown. While I have much compassion for those living outside, it's become a matter of public safety and I feel it's time to act. The signs won't affect people who need to use our wireless after hours. If the police ask them their purpose, they'll be fine. But it will allow police to move the destructive groups along and hopefully prevent further damage.
• In the middle of all this disruption, we are collecting valuable information to help us decide what our priority services should be for the next few years. Kenosha County ranks 62 out of 72 counties in Wisconsin for health in the new release of 2020 County Health Rankings, a troubling statistic. Kenosha School District Report Cards are pretty depressing, as well. We have a lot of work to do as a community and a library, but if we've learned anything over the past few months, it's that we are strong and well positioned to lead positive change.

Which leads me to the Bright Spot Awards for the week. Honestly, there are so many people to name. Here are a few, and I'd love to hear from you about who I've missed.

Dan Davis was the clever one who strongly suggested we place a fence across the front terrace at Simmons on Monday morning. That same evening after his crew installed that fence, someone threw a Molotov cocktail at Simmons from afar. It landed in a window well but didn't do more than crack the glass on a storm window. Without that fence, they would have easily gotten closer and done more damage. Dan, thank you for your smart suggestion!

Brent Williams cleverly devised a scheme to get our payroll processed on time when we lost Internet at SW on Monday. Linking desktops of several computers, he gave Jeremy the access he needed to get us paid. Now that's worth shouting THANK YOU! about!!

Alejandria Galarza and Susannah Gilbert delivered a very interesting and useful webinar for staff about teen behavior in the library. What a great way to use your remote work time in such a helpful way! Thank you!

Jeff Dial and Rosa Herrera worked in the Uptown neighborhood to help board up and pass out food, and Alex Lewis, Vicki Zielsdorf and Kelly Witte took their artistic selves downtown today to paint some beautiful words and images of love and compassion on the boarded up buildings there. (If I've omitted names here, I apologize- let me know!)

Brandi Cummings quietly hung out at Uptown on Wednesday as we opened our doors without fanfare to a community in need. Word on the street brought in a lot of people grateful for Internet, printing, faxing, and a cool, safe place to be. Brandi is consistently the person you can count on to be there, ready to help at a moment's notice. Her compassion and respect for every person is inspiring. And she never asks for recognition for her quiet, selfless deeds.

Shannon, Kristin, Heather and Stephanie volunteered to staff Uptown library on day 2 and 3 of reopening. Thank you for being brave and standing for the ideals of our profession!

And finally, a special note of gratitude and admiration for Zander Miller. On Tuesday, Zander asked to speak with me, saying simply that he felt we should open the Uptown library for a neighborhood that  needed us more than ever during this difficult time. Zander was right, and he showed the courage of his convictions by volunteering to be the guy who opened the doors on Wednesday and greeted each visitor warmly, patiently, and respectfully. For an administrator who spends a good part of my day with a laptop and paperwork, it was an amazing, renewing experience to directly serve the public again. Thank you, Zander, for advocating to restore service where needed, and for your patience teaching me how to do the job you do every day. And for not clutching the passenger seat too tightly as I drove the maintenance van across town. (Yes, I saw you clutching the seat 😉)

Have a safe and healthy summer weekend, everyone!

Barb