Exterior signs, Ballot Boxes, and more

Our signs are now live at SW and Northside! 
Thanks to Dan and his crew for getting them electrified, to Brent and Max for getting the internal antennas ready,  and to Brandi for her brilliant messaging that is up and running at SW and will soon be at NS. I'm predicting "We're Open!" will bring a few more people through our doors.

Speaking of visitors, check out our opening day stats at SW and NS:

SW : 748 Checkouts and 241 Patrons 

NS :  385 Checkouts and 276 Patrons

Northside's first full week (9/14 to 9/20) is

2,673 Checkouts

1,305 Patrons

Doesn't it feel great to be open again?!

We have our first Ballot Return Box installed at NS Library. 
The city will place one at Uptown and one at SW, but they need to pour concrete slabs first. You may have noticed installation of security cameras at NS and SW already. The city's target date for all to be installed is October 5th.

Remember the 2015 Choose Your Own Adventure staff survey?
I'll bet most of you don't! It's a short questionnaire about what positions in our organization you'd like to be considered for in the future. Michelle is finalizing a 2020 version, so start thinking about where you see yourself a couple of years from now. You never know who's going to announce retirement, who will win the lottery, or who will decide to move to Hawaii after the first snowstorm of the season. So let us know if you have an eye on a different job and we'll construct a plan for you to learn what you need to know to get you there.

Outreach will be at the Urban League building on Saturday for voter registration day. Thanks, Outreach Team!

I'm taking a long weekend to get the exterior of my house ready for winter. I'll be gone Monday and Tuesday, and Rob has those days off, too, so Linda is your go-to gal in our absence.

Highly Recommended Training and other news...

Hello, Everyone

Here's what's new and a few reminders:

• As of Monday, all branches are open! I can't thank all of you enough for the thoughtful planning, shifting, cleaning, spacing, scheduling, messaging, and rearranging that took place in order for all library branches to be back open for business. I know your community is ecstatic about returning to their neighborhood libraries and personally, I am thrilled to be back in a public service location to help greet and serve them. 
• If patrons ask, please let them know we will be adding evening hours as a next phase in our transition back to "normalcy." As we all know, it's two steps forward and one step back these days. We never know what tomorrow will bring, but we'll do everything we can to restore services as soon and as safely as possible.
• It's National Voter Registration Day on September 22nd and our library staff have prepared by creating this amazingly helpful resource to guide our community through registration and selecting their candidates. It's easy to remember the link- our website address/vote. Thanks to everyone who worked on this! And don't forget- our ADS staff are trained to guide any of our visitors or callers to guide them through the registration process.
• Now that were open at all locations, remember that if your job description allows for telecommuting, you'll need an a written agreement to take advantage of that option. See your supervisor.
• Also remember that our 2020 Dress Code is back in full effect starting Monday. See my last blog post for the details of that dress code.
• Building Our Future Kenosha County is hosting weekly community conversations on Thursdays at 4pm at the Uptown Bank Building. If you have strong convictions abut how our community can come together around commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, please join the conversation. 
• The city of Kenosha is also holding community conversations on Sundays which may fit your work schedule better. Here's the schedule with links to sign up.
• To improve our security, we'll be replacing our exterior locks with a Fob system, devices each of you will receive that slip onto your key chain and allow you access to outside doors by touching the fob to the handle. Here's a picture of a fob system. It will take some time to get the system into place, and we'll do it location by location. I'll keep you posted as we finalize the installation schedule.
  
  
  

From Michelle:
I have spoken to several staff who watched the latest Ryan Dowd webinar "Getting Hit on by Customers".  The reviews have been filled with praise.  I highly recommend everyone (men included!) watch this video as soon as possible.  Great tips!  

Use this link for registration (even though it has already happened), sign up and you will be taken to the video recording.

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/3015832712254/WN_WhkU687IQ3yc7aWQuTz0zQ

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks.

Have a fabulous weekend, everyone!

Barb

Return to KPL Dress Code September 21, 2020

 Kenosha Public Library Staff Dress Code (effective 1/2/2020)

General Guidelines

The Library requires all employees to present a positive, professional image to the public. First impressions are important,  and your appearance factors in that first impression, whether your regular contact is with vendors, professional colleagues, or the general public. Your appearance conveys your commitment to service and your competence in delivering that service.  All employees shall wear clothing that is neat, clean, well-fitting, in good repair, and appropriate to their position, the work you perform, and the Library environment. All employees shall maintain a clean and well groomed appearance. Reasonable accommodations for alternative dress or grooming directly related to an employee’s recognized religion, ethnicity, disability, or health condition will be considered on an individual basis.

Your supervisor is responsible for ensuring that you are appropriately dressed and groomed for your work area. If your supervisor determines that your dress or grooming is not appropriate, your supervisor is expected to tell you that your dress or grooming is not appropriate, and to tell you to leave work. You may not return to work until your dress or grooming is appropriate. The time away from work to correct your appearance is unpaid.

The Library Director makes the final determination about what is acceptable or unacceptable attire for the workplace. 

Dress code varies by job description based on work being performed including the following factors:

• Regular contact with public

• Potential hazards associated with duties assigned to the position

• Exposure to the elements

• Level of authority

Definition of Business Casual 

Collared shirts, slacks, dresses, skirts, blouses, and sweaters are acceptable. Library-issued collared shirts are always acceptable. Clothing should always meet the general requirements stated above. Slacks that are similar to Dockers and other makers of cotton or synthetic material pants, wool pants, flannel pants, dressy capris, and nice looking dress synthetic pants are acceptable. Inappropriate slacks or pants include sweatpants, yoga or other exercise pants, Bermuda shorts, short shorts, bib overalls, leggings (unless worn under a dress or skirt) , and any spandex or other form-fitting pants such as people wear for biking.

Dress and skirt length should be at a length at which you can sit comfortably in public. Shorts and tight skirts that ride halfway up the thigh are inappropriate for work. Mini-skirts, skorts, sun dresses, beach dresses, and spaghetti-strap dresses are inappropriate for the library.

Casual collared shirts, dress shirts, sweaters, golf-type shirts, and turtlenecks are acceptable attire for work. Most suit jackets and sport jackets are also acceptable attire for the office, if they violate none of the listed guidelines. Inappropriate attire for work includes tank tops; midriff tops; shirts with potentially offensive words, terms, logos, pictures, cartoons, or slogans; revealing tops either low cut or tight fitting; halter-tops; tops with bare shoulders; sweatshirts, unless worn under another blouse, shirt, sweater, jacket, or dress.

Shoes and Footwear:

Conservative walking shoes, loafers, clogs, boots, flats, dress heels, and leather deck-type shoes are acceptable for work. Wearing no stockings is acceptable in warm weather. Flashy athletic shoes, thongs, flip-flops, and slippers are not acceptable. 

Jewelry, makeup, perfume, and cologne should be in good taste, with limited visible body piercing. Remember that some people are allergic to the chemicals in perfumes and make-up, so wear these substances with restraint. 

Hats and Head Covering:

Hats are not appropriate. Head Covers that are required for religious purposes or to honor cultural tradition are allowed.

Division Head, Department Head, and Team Leader positions:

Standard dress is business casual. Library issued logo collared shirts are encouraged. Jeans are acceptable on Fridays or other specially designated days. Shorts no more than one inch above the knee are acceptable during the warm summer months.

Youth and Family Services, Adults Services, Administration, and Circulation Services Staff

Standard dress is business casual. Library issued t-shirts are encouraged. Jeans are acceptable on Fridays or other specially designated days. Shorts no more than one inch above the knee are acceptable during the warm summer months.

Outreach, Collection Services, Computer & Network Services, and Inventory Control Specialists

Library issued t-shirts are encouraged. Footwear must be closed toe for safety. Blue jeans may be worn every day and must be clean and in good repair, with no dragging hems, no stains, holes, or tears. Shorts no more than one inch above the knee are acceptable during the warm summer months.

Maintenance Employees

Maintenance staff are issued KPL shirts and protective footwear to be worn daily. Blue jeans must be clean and in good repair, with no dragging hems, no stains, holes, or tears. Shorts no more than one inch above the knee are acceptable during the warm summer months. 

 

Holiday Celebrations, and Other Exceptions

From time to time, special occasions like Halloween or local sports team events may prompt library management to announce special dress code days. No matter what the occasion, library staff should diligently follow general guidelines of decency, cleanliness, and  good repair.

Employees who are scheduled to work on days the Library is closed to the public may wear comfortable clothes (jeans, tee shirts, sweats, and athletic shoes), as long as their appearance remains neat. Shirts with logos, images, or text other than library issued KPL shirts remain unacceptable, as do frayed, ripped, or torn clothes. Any employee assigned to work at outdoor library events may follow the dress guidelines for Outreach staff. 

EAP Covers Your Family

This morning I heard about a study of the effects of the pandemic on young people and the shocking statistics revealed that 11% of young people under 18 had seriously considered suicide during the past 2 weeks. For young people 18-24 the stats were 1 in 4. To think that 25% of our young adults just getting started in life view their futures as so dark is stunning! It reminds us of the human need for connection and the toll that physical separation takes on all of us, particularly the young and the elderly. As the pandemic eases and people come back together, we can be sure that public spaces like ours will provide a healing place for our community in more ways than we can now imagine.  
If the sad statistics I've mentioned here feel close to home, please remember that our EAP benefits extend to your immediate family. If your children are feeling really down, please take advantage of free counseling. And if you feel like the world is heavy on your shoulders, don't hesitate to reach out for counseling yourself. Sometimes just having someone to talk to who won't judge you or worry about you if you confess you're feeling vulnerable is all you need to feel stronger. Many of us carry a lot of responsibility. Some of us are the "head of the family" and know everyone is looking at us as the role model for staying strong. We don't think we can share our worries with our families. Rest assured that everyone is feeling the effects of all the challenges we've had to face this year. Please take advantage of our EAP support system. It's completely confidential. All we'll know is how many staff members used the service, never your name, or what you told the counselor.

The Aurora EAP can be reached by calling 1-800-236-3231 (available 24 hours a day)

Please know your coworkers care about you. We're all in this together!

Barb

Northside and Southwest Closed on Election Day

 From the City Administrator's office:

The Kenosha Municipal Office Building will be closed for all City Business on Tuesday, November 3, 2020, due to the National Election.  All three floors of the building will be utilized for counting of absentee ballots.  We will be utilizing the majority of city employees to assist in counting of the ballots. 

We will maintain a skeleton staff to answer phone calls.  As a reminder citizens are not allowed to vote or register to vote at the Municipal Building on election day.  They must register or vote at their polling place.  The citizens will be allowed to drop off absentee ballots at the drop boxes until 8 PM on election day.

From Barb:

We would normally be open on Election Day, but because of the pandemic, we are working with building capacity limits, and this election is likely to attract crowds. So we will be open normal hours at Simmons and Uptown but close the Northside and Southwest Library branches on November 3rd, with a skeleton crew to help answer phones for the election and to monitor the building  in support of the election workers. There will also be one or two people assigned to handle delivery and returns. Otherwise, if you are typically assigned to SW or NS, this is a great day for you to take paid time off. You may also help count ballots at the municipal building to earn your regular pay that day. If you choose to do that, please let your supervisor know as soon as possible so the city clerk's office knows what to expect and can contact you with reporting instructions. 

The city will be installing exterior ballot drop boxes at Southwest, Northside, and Uptown library locations. We are not expected or authorized to empty those boxes. 

I'll keep you posted on any new developments.

Thanks for Your Dedication to a City in Crisis!

This week's Bright Spot Award is shared by all of you who have stepped up to provide service at Simmons and Uptown during these challenging times! Lots of libraries talk about their commitment to neighborhoods in crisis, to serving people experiencing homelessness, to kids falling behind in school, to keeping libraries open in hard times. You didn't just talk, you showed up! 

To dedicated branch staff Kathy Duba, Diane Smith, Ed Godula, Michaela Beltran, Phillip Kuszel, Claudia Dahl, Linda Hinderliter, Bennett Schuner, Patty Bajabir and Erin Mendoza who bravely opened the doors days after the destruction in the Uptown neighborhood and the nightly unrest downtown.

To Zander Miller, Janice Rovik, Elkid Alvarez, and Vicki Zielsdorf for pitching in where needed, and all the YFS staff who staffed the children's room. To Frankie for his outstanding cleaning and Jeff for keeping the buildings in great shape.

THANK YOU! 

You make us proud! You make a difference to people in need! You change people's lives for the better! 

Thank you for your dedication to public service and the ideals of the library profession.

News Update

The city has lifted the curfew immediately. We'll still continue service till 5pm at all locations this week and change back to full service hours beginning Tuesday of next week.

Don't forget, we're closed Monday for Labor Day.

Kenosha Community Media will move into the SW Digital Media Lab (The HUB) over the next few weeks. They are losing their home on Washington Road due to the Spectrum merger. Jason and Ralph will set up some office space within the green room. No public visitors will be invited in to use the lab until we open SW to the public. KCM staff will follow all our virus safety protocols. Please welcome them!

A group of citizens will use the far ends of the parking lots at Northside and Southwest this Thursday to collect signatures on petitions. While solicitation is prohibited inside library buildings or immediately outside blocking entryways, Free Speech is generally allowed on public property. Public entities can restrict certain zones for the smooth operation of their business and for safety. We can't restrict Free Speech because we don't agree with the message, but if the Klan decides to hold an event on our property, we can deny them if we feel they are causing a safety concern by inciting violence. I'll be introducing a policy draft to the Library Board on Tuesday that sets boundaries outside the library buildings and parking lots as Free Speech Zones. The policy also contains behavior rules that prohibit harassment toward library visitors and other aggressive behavior. In the meantime, this group will stay far away from curbside pickup traffic and our entrances in recognition of the pandemic. 

Yesterday morning I sent out a staff survey to collect your input regarding our future services. (See your email.) The community wants a lot from us, and we can't be all things to all people, so we need to decide where to concentrate our energy so we invest in programs and services that best fulfill our mission. We all know that if you try to be good at everything, you'll be good at nothing. Let's aim to be very good at the things that matter most. We face some tough choices ahead and I want to hear from you about where your passion for library service is focused. Please take the survey by September 15th!

Please be sure your personal social media and email messages are clearly stated as your own and not those of the organization or the City of Kenosha.  To create a clear separation, I suggest you remove your work information in your profile, as I have. People may still know you work at the library, but you're not advertising the connection.  And as always, personal social media posts and/or email should not be done on work time.

The City has received a $900,000 grant to hire election workers and will be adding the Public Museum as an additional polling location. Ballot collection boxes will be installed at Northside, Uptown and Southwest library locations in time for the November election. 

Simmons Library is listed on police reports as one of the sites in the city where attempted arson took place. Please know that the library building was not severely damaged. Someone threw an incendiary device into the north facing window wells and the wood frames burned a little and the storm window glass was cracked. Nothing got into the building. The police witnessed the attempt and acted quickly. The device was removed by ATF. We will have the windows rebuilt. There was no damage at any other location.

Enjoy the beautiful day, everyone!