Time off Policies Updated and Vacation Carryover in 2022

As promised, I brought back some warmer weather from California ! (You're welcome! :))

Don't forget tomorrow's holiday lunch! Thanks to Sandy for her generous spirit in making all the arrangements!

We had our last Library Board meeting of the year yesterday evening and there were several changes made to staff policies and to the Unattended Children Policy. Sandy and Michelle are sending out full policies for you to look over. Highlights include more bereavement leave for part time staff, a broader list of relatives that qualify for both sick leave and bereavement leave, and the option to choose someone unrelated by blood who lives with you as your special person that you can take sick leave to care for or bereavement leave in the event of their death. We hope these expansions of benefits support you and your family.

2021 was unpredictable, to say the least, especially before immunizations.  We did our very best to support you through the worst of the pandemic, including special benefits for those of you who faced very unsure child care and school schedules so you could continue to receive a paycheck if exposure required you to quarantine. And because the year was so stressful, we required everyone to use their full allotment of paid time off to maximize your rest time away from work. I'm happy to say everyone managed to do this. I know it was tricky to predict what you would need through December just in case of emergencies and I applaud you all for making it work. As you know, I asked to review all unpaid leave requests this year so I can clearly understand the limitations our policies might place on you and I learned a lot. In 2022, we'll return to the policy of allowing staff to carry forward up to 40 hours of vacation to be used in the first quarter of the following year. Hopefully that will provide enough cushion that no one needs to take unpaid time in 2022.

On January 1, 2022, all staff will receive a 4% pay raise. Many of you will also receive your annual step increase. Remember that we are also working with Carlson Dettman to conduct a wage study to be sure that you are all fairly compensated. Any increases as a result of that study will be implemented July 1, 2022, if our budget allows. We have earmarked $50,000 total in the 2022 budget to allow for recommended increases in the wage study results. If for some reason that does not turn out to be enough, we may need to phase in wage adjustments. 

David Vinjamuri reviewed the proposed space plans for NS and SW last night with the Library Board. The overall plans look a bit overwhelming, but there is much we can accomplish step by step and even enjoy ourselves along the way. We'll be developing space project plans and determining budgets early January in time for the next round of grant opportunities expected to be released through DPI.

As you know, we received all three ARPA grants we applied for through DPI, which collectively provide over $500,000 for projects. So we'll be working hard to get all our projects up and running by the June 2022 deadline including:

• Staff training for responding effectively to social service and mental health needs
• Book vending machines and book drops at the Boys and Girls Club and the YMCA for after school and summer kids programs
• Meeting room upgrades to support classroom learning, telehealth, and job interviews both at KPL and Community Library
• Conversion of existing public drinking fountains to water bottle fillers at KPL and Community Library
• Public address systems at NS and SW

This week's Bright Spot Award comes from Karen

Hi. I'd like to nominate Jason Holmes for the Bright Spot of the week. Last week, he came over to look at the puppet stage (which screws and stuff needed tightening) and there was quite an extensive pencil drawing on the wall. He was able to come over the next morning and clean the entire drawing off the wall and tighten everything. He is really awesome and follows up quickly. We really appreciate all he does for us in YFS. Thank you, Jason!!

DPI Announces ARPA Grants- KPL Wins Big!

DPI has awarded ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) Funds for projects from now till June 22nd. KPL applied in 3 categories and we won funding for all 3 applications!

Grant #1: 11 mid-sized libraries (Kenosha, Oshkosh, Appleton, Eau Claire, Beloit, Marathon County, Manitowoc, Sheboygan, Racine, Fond Du Lac, La Crosse) will receive $143,783 (total) for staff training and implementation of Whole Person Librarianship services such as on-site social work students or practicing professionals. By increasing our de-escalation and crisis intervention training and by learning more about our county social service system, we'll be better equipped to confidently meet the challenges we face and help those in need connect with the services available. This spring, we'll host Carthage College bachelors level School of Social Work students and UWP Masters in Clinical Psychology students who will assess our training needs and help us meet our goals. They'll also advise us on what permanent social work trained staffing we should consider going forward.

Here's a recent article about social workers in the library to help you understand what's happening across the country. 

Grant #2, $101,300  : KPL will install book vending machines at the YMCA and the Boys and Girls Clubs for kids to use during after school and check out for home use. We will also place book return units at those locations.

Grant #3 Provides $125,868 for modifications to our study rooms and meeting rooms for privacy and enhanced equipment for virtual meetings, a public address system at NS and SW so we can make decent public announcements in an emergency, and furniture for displays as recommended by the space planner.

All projects must be completed by June 2022, so we'll be working hard to get everything into place. 

___________________________

We collect comments from patrons and I wanted to address one that came up recently:

A patron was visiting an out of state library and found out that they automatically renew items if there is no hold and she thinks we should do that here

This is a common practice in other states where there is no compensation to libraries for serving patrons out-of-district and no money exchanges hands based on circulation statistics. It's great for the library because it jacks up their statistics. But we can't do it here. Here's why:

In Wisconsin, counties pay for "universal service," meaning if a person from Pleasant Prairie wants to check out a book at KPL or Racine PL or Community Library, they can do that, because there is an agreement that Pleasant Prairie will compensate those libraries for that service. Reimbursement is based on checkouts, and if we automatically renew an item, that's an additional checkout Pleasant Prairie will be charged for. If the patron wants to renew, that's her choice. By automating renewals we are making the choice, and that's not fair to Pleasant Prairie. So that's why we don't do it here.

___________

I'll be on vacation next week with limited access to cell service. Linda is your library-wide person in charge. Happy week ahead, everyone!

Barb

Thanksgiving Edition - Who are you thankful for at work?

Lots of love from your co-workers! Thanks for participating, everyone, and if you didn't get a chance to send in your list for this post, please be sure to thank your coworkers in person. Personally, you all make me so happy to work with you! Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving and if you're working Friday @SW, I'm your PIC. 

From Nora: "I wanted to say that I am very thankful for Brandee Thompson and Claudia Dahl. I see the ways they go above and beyond to help patrons. If she is able, Brandee helps patrons complete tasks on the computer correctly and will stand there for an hour just to make sure they understand how to do it. Claudia has helped a patron wrap gauze around a burn but that is just one of the many examples of the kinds of services she provides. At the same time, they also help me promote the youth events when I am not at Uptown and knows many of the community members' names. Without them, the Uptown Library community would not get the services they truly deserve."

From Michaela: "I would like to nominate Diane Smith at Simmons Library for a Bright Spot. Every morning I come in I'm greeted with a smile and a "Good Morning". She makes sure all of our displays on the main floor are diverse, inclusive, and fun, and helps me with ideas for my mezzanine displays. Her experience and knowledge from working at Simmons ensures nothing gets missed and I just overall enjoy working with her!"

From Linda: "My Thanksgiving Bright Spot is Rob. He has literally stepped up to support the Public Services Team. Thank you for being willing to be a SW PIC, for making me laugh, and for teaching me on a daily basis."

From Martha: 

"I am thankful this year for Michelle who is always there for us to talk to about any concerns we may have. She listens and provides excellent feedback. Thank you, Michelle!
I am thankful this year for the circulation staff who make me laugh every day and provide balance to the weight of materials we move through our department. We get it done! Thank you."

From Joel: 

"I want to thank Rosa for always bringing a different perspective about work and life to me, she always makes my Saturdays more cheerful!"

From Heather: 

"Below are a few notes of gratitude. I wish I could spend all day writing these for each person who works at KPL. I’m grateful for everyone who makes KPL a fun, inventive, collaborative, and safe place to work. I am grateful for the entirety of the YFS team. Their dedication to providing fun, engaging, and educational experiences for children, teens, and caregivers is inspiring. They've always worked hard, but the past 1.5+ years have really demonstrated how they are willing to go far above and beyond for the community we serve. They are always thinking about how to make the lives of our young patrons better, and the lives of our caregivers easier. I’m grateful every day for their kindness, compassion, innovation, commitment, and unfailing senses of humor. They’re simply the best!
I am grateful for Brandi Cummings. Brandi trumpets every success we have as a library, and shines a light on every service we provide. She is one of our biggest advocates, ensuring that every person she meets knows what the library has to offer. I’m grateful for Brandi’s active listening, her superpower to positively spin just about anything, her easygoing laugh and smile, and her compassion.
I am grateful for Shannon Urban. Shannon is a great listener and problem solver. I am grateful for how she stays calm and collected in a crisis, her straightforward and logical approach to just about everything, her willingness to collaborate, her killer sense of humor, and her kindness to both patrons and coworkers.
I am grateful for Katie Engle. She has an eagle eye for spotting anomalies on the children’s shelves and bringing them to YFS Librarians for correction! I’m also grateful for her friendliness, sense of humor, and professionalism.
I am grateful for Jason Holmes. He has such a kind, positive, “can do” attitude. I am grateful for how quickly he responds to any request we have, and how well the job gets done—and it’s always with a smile!"

From Shannon: 

"Thanksgiving Bright Spot for ADS:
Thank you for your continued dedication to the library and each other. You're always flexible, creative, motivated and caring towards patrons and staff and I'm really proud of you all. And welcome Joel, Benjamin and Madelynn. You've already made your mark here with numerous compliments from staff and patrons, thank you for joining our team! "

From Ben: 

"I wanted to thank my fellow RTGs here at Southwest, Emily, Amy, Joel, and Rosa. Each of you have been a pleasure to work with and make my hours behind the desk much more lively and enjoyable. Between the conversations we've had and the advice I've received, I really am grateful that I have such funny, kind, and helpful coworkers.
I also want to thank Zander, Shannon, and Madelynn for going out of their way to support me in moments when I've been alone or very busy on the desk. As someone who is a bit of a worrywart, knowing that I have people to rely on truly soothes me.
I really want to thank all of you here at Southwest for bringing me into the library and going out of your way to help me learn, as well as helping me feel welcomed not just to my position, but to Kenosha itself."

From Brandi: 

"Aaron- for his ability to pivot and always find a way to make sure our teams have what they need to showcase all of their hard work.
Jason - for always being willing to lend an extra hand or find a solution for problems that seem unsolvable.
Michelle - for being a guiding force of reason for all of us as we have navigated two years of change.
Barb - for setting vision and believing in us to do great things.
Shawn Wolf - for embodying warmth and welcome in everything she does.
Madelynn - for hitting the ground running and bringing fresh talent to our team.
Zander - for being willing to try new things and chart new courses with our programming and services.
Tara, Carol, Scott, Melissa, Alex, and Kelly - for keeping us running smoothly with all the unseen work that they do - it is like magic, but better because it creates a public library.
Linda - for bringing brave thoughts and ideas to the table. "

From Stephanie: 

"To my KPL Co-workers,
Thank you for your support, understanding, and inspiration in my third year as a public librarian. You kept me motivated to be my best self and I thank you for seeing the potential.
To the Simmons & Uptown Team, and anyone that has worked in those spaces,
2021 was a year of many highs and a few lows, but we worked through it together as a team. The Dalai Lama is quoted as saying, "The roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation of goodness." I hope you know how much I appreciated your dedication and empathy over the last year. A manager is only as good as their team, so I guess I must be the best manager in the world!"

From Michelle:
"Jason Holmes - Jason is a kind soul who always exhibits genuine care and willingness to make things right. He has such a big heart.
Linda Noyce - Linda places others first and is always asking where she can help.
Barb Brattin - Barb brings me back to a kinder place when I'm not thinking so kindly and makes me grateful she is our leader.
My Admin Team:
Sandy Bear - Sandy supports and helps me, always with a smile!
Brandi Cummings - Brandi's energy and positive outlook are contagious.
Aaron Gunderson - Aaron is kind and genuinely compassionate and pushes me to be the same.
Jeremy Erickson - Jeremy brings joy to us with his Christmas enthusiasm!

News for the Week

This past Wednesday I presented the 2022 KPL budget request to the Common Council's Finance Committee. It should easily pass in early December when the full council calls a vote. They positively beamed when I described all the things we're doing and engaged me with lots of questions to learn more. I know they are hearing good things about the library from their constituents. Thanks for all you're doing every day to delight the Kenosha community. 

Don't forget curbside hours @NS and SW will be reduced to 11am-3pm Mon-Sat starting November 29th. This change is for staff safety (dark + icy = danger!) 

We expect to hear from DPI by the end of November about 3 separate grant applications to fund various projects. We're hoping to upgrade our study and meeting rooms with sound insulation, and add in some technology to support virtual learning and telehealth appointments. We've asked for water bottle filler machines for the public and public address systems @SW and NS. In a separate application we're hoping to receive funding to place book vending machines at the Boys and Girls Club and YMCA.

The Friends of the Library voted this week to provide funding for pop-up tents, rain covers for outreach carts, an exhibit case at Simmons, new tables and chairs for the Northside children's room, and new display furniture for NS and SW.

This week's Bright Spot Award goes to Aaron Gundersen for designing such a beautiful palette for Northside. The colors are simply gorgeous and highlight all the architectural features of the building. Thanks for showing us what a beautiful building we have in Northside, Aaron!

Don't forget to send me your pick for the special Thanksgiving Edition of Bright Spot Awards!

Curbside Service Hours Changing

One of the things Michelle heard in her interviews with you all is that trudging across the parking lot for curbside service in the snow and the dark isn't a great experience. Last year, with so many people still keeping their distance at the height of the pandemic, we asked you to power through so we could continue to serve our community the best way we could. But curbside service use is way down, and we're coming up on another cold, dark winter. So, in the interest of your safety and due to declining use of the service, we're reducing standard hours for curbside service.

Beginning Monday, November 29th, we're reducing curbside service to 11am to 3pm Monday-Saturday. There will be no curbside service available on Sundays.

As always, if someone calls with a legitimate need for an exception outside this time frame, please use your outstanding customer service skills to accommodate the best you can. 

Brandi and Aaron will get the word out. They'll also create some bookmarks to add to all curbside orders so we can alert our regular users of the upcoming changes. 

Draft of the Northside Space Plan and other news...

 

Last month David Vinjamuri from ThirdWay Brand Trainers visited Northside and Southwest and studied our floor plans. He made suggestions as to how we can better utilize the spaces we currently have to accommodate how the public is expected to use our spaces in the future and how how we can create a more interesting and dynamic series of displays to entice people to check out more library materials. David has finished the Northside plan, and I'm sharing the plan with you here to see what you think, both as a staff member, and as a member of the public. Can you see yourself using this space as a patron? What do you think works? What do you think doesn't?

David's reports are based on objective observation. He doesn't know how much money we have to spend or who comes through our doors. But he does know what works in other libraries, and there have been libraries that doubled their circulation by adopting David's suggestions. David will present his reports for both locations to the Library Board in December. I invite you to take some time and look through his recommendations. Let me know if you have some opinions to share. We expect the Southwest report to arrive on November 19th.

Thanks to all of you who met with Michelle these past few weeks to recommit to our Civility Agreement and to share your views on what's working well and what isn't. Michelle has provided me with a comprehensive report that I'll be studying with an aim to solve any problems you've identified. 

Happy Birthday to Linda, November 16th!

I'll present our 2022 budget request to the Common Council Finance Committee on Wednesday evening, November 17th. The Committee of the Whole will vote on our budget 12/1 and 12/2.

This week's Bright Spot comes from Michelle:

I nominate Donna Hermann at Northside Library for a Bright Spot.  While at Northside, I needed to quickly access and print a document from my Google account.  Upon my request for information, Donna immediately directed me to a computer that I could use that had the ability to print and then led me to the machine where that document would print. She was gracious and accommodating and I greatly appreciate her support!

With Thanksgiving on the horizon, I'll be putting together a special Bright Spot blog post specifically to thank staff. Please send me your nominations for this post. Which of your coworkers are you thankful for every day? Who makes you glad to come to work, who is always available to help, who always greets you with a smile when you walk into a room? Let me know and I'll make sure that person is recognized as someone you're thankful for. Or if you prefer, we'll have thank you cards sitting around the branches so you can write a personal note to someone who brightens your workday. 

Enjoy the beautiful change of season, everyone!

Barb

Trading Spaces and Other News

TRADING SPACES KPL EDITION

Wondering what's up with all the staff trading spaces at Southwest? It's been a couple of years since we had to leave the Civic Center Building, and all along we've hoped that the city would offer us an alternative building for an Administrative Center. There have been a few false alarms when we thought we'd really get it, but they've all faded into other big priorities in the city's plans. Somehow we've managed to find the space we need at SW. But we've had to take over public space to do so. And now that the pandemic is waning, we need that public space back.

We have a very big goal: Give the teens a dedicated space for out-of-school time. The best space is the old Activities Room A/B. So we're getting creative and redistributing our staff spaces to free up the old Activities Room. Brandi is moving in with Aaron, Zander and Madelynn are moving into Brandi's old space next to Shannon, and Collection Services is moving into the ADS workroom. Any RTGs needing off desk space can find it in the SW Circ area or can find a cozy space with a laptop. To help Collection Services with their space needs, the mail meters are moving to Circulation. Circulation staff will be handling the mail. 

Timeline? Our goal is for the full transition to be in place by the end of the year.

Thanks to all our staff who have generously and graciously adjusted to these changes. I know we will all heave a sigh of relief when our young visitors have a dedicated space to freely be themselves away from our common spaces.

BOOKMYNE REPLACED BY NEW MOBILE APP
The current BookMyne catalog app will be retired by Sirsi/Dynix in March 2022. Lakeshores Library System has applied for an ARPA grant that will fund the upfront cost of ~$60,000 for a Sirsi/Dynix Blue Cloud Mobile app for the entire SHARE consortium. If the ARPA funding isn't awarded, then the funding will be coming from SHARE Enhancement funding, so either way, we'll see a functional catalog app in 2022!

NORTHSIDE CLOSED NEXT THURSDAY/ FRIDAY FOR PAINTING
The public areas at the Northside branch need a new coat of paint and we're getting out of the way. We'll be closed at NS next Thursday and Friday to the public, but we'll offer curbside service and Outreach will operate as usual.

KCM/ KPL NEXT STEPS
As John Bloner, the KCM Director retired, he came to us and proposed a different arrangement for the future management of the community media station. A few weeks back we presented a concept to the library board that envisioned KPL as the administrator for Kenosha Community Media. In the meantime, the KCM board is putting a hold on the plan while it considers other options to maintain their own program director. So we'll wait and see and be ready and willing to help, if needed.


CLOCKS "FALL BACK" THIS SUNDAY
This Sunday marks the end of Daylight Savings Time. Don't forget to turn your clocks back one hour before retiring Saturday night.



I'll be visiting my grandchildren in Louisiana Friday through Monday. Please refer any major issues to Linda or Rob in my absence. Have a great weekend, everyone!

Barb

Thank you for what you do!

Last night I presented the 2022 budget request for the Kenosha County Library System. (Don't forget we run both the city's library and the county system that provides technology support and delivery to all libraries in the county.) So for this budget I appeared before the County Supervisors Finance Committee. I was really nervous all afternoon, wondering how our request for more money in 2022 based on a year when we had such a significant decrease in business (2020) would fly with the group. Turns out I didn't need to worry at all.

From the moment I walked into the county administration building I was met with warm smiles and greetings. While I took my seat in the audience, one Supervisor came over to shake the "library lady's" hand, another told me how wonderful Nora's story times are at the Uptown Library and how much his family adores Shawn Wolf. When it came my time to sit at the table and talk money, I had their rapt attention, and their strong support. I could feel so much respect and admiration for the work of the library in that room! 

For the past year I have heard weekly stories from system directors about how towns and villages are trying to close their libraries, how they are slashing their budgets, and how the staff is afraid to come back and open the doors not only for fear of the virus but because they will face anger from the public for simply wearing a mask.

And so I want to thank you for all that you do every day to make this community so very proud of KPL! They love our buildings, they love our collections, they love our programs, but most of all, they love YOU! 

I'll be taking a few days off, but will be back on Monday. Please check in with Linda or Rob for matters that can't wait in my absence. I'll be around, too, so I'm just a phone call away.

Barb

Lots of News This Week

WINTER HOLIDAY SCHEDULE

The winter holidays are falling on weekends this year and so we've created a different schedule for days closed and days officially counted as holidays.
In brief for 2021:

Christmas Eve - Closed on Thursday, December 23, paid Christmas Eve holiday pay on this day.
Christmas Day - Closed on Friday, December 24, paid Christmas Day holiday pay on this day.
Saturday, December 25 - Closed, no holiday pay credited. You may supplement with other paid time off to meet your PCF.
NewYear's Day 2022 - Closed on Friday, December 31, paid 2022 New Year's Day holiday pay.
Saturday, January 1, 2022 - Closed, no holiday pay credited. You may supplement with other paid time off to meet your PCF.


In 2022, the Board approved additional paid time off (16 hours for full-time employees, 8 hours for part-time employees) in lieu of closing four days in a row at Christmas.


Closures will look like this:
Christmas Eve, Saturday, December 24, 2022 - closed, no holiday pay credited
Christmas Day, Sunday, December 25, 2022 - closed, no holiday pay credited.


All buildings and services will be open Friday, December 23 and Monday, December 26, 2022.

INTERESTING READING

 How Reading Across Genres Might Build Kids' Brain Skills from National Geographic.

EMPLOYEE PERKS- DID YOU KNOW?

Did you know that city employees have a number of perks and discounts to choose from as part of their benefit plan? You don't have to be full time to take advantage of a number of discounts. These include reduced membership fees at the RecPlex , Kenosha and Racine YMCA's, even cell phone plan discounts. To see what's available, log on to NeoGov Onboarding and look for the employee perks section. Need help getting signed in? Your supervisor can help.

CIVILITY AGREEMENT GETS AN UPDATE

Our KPL Civility Agreement has been a very useful tool to set the standards of behavior for new hires and remind us all of our staff values as we are challenged by interpersonal relationships both on staff and in our interactions with the public. When mistakes are made, we point to the document as group expectations and more than one Performance Improvement Plan has been based on a staff member not meeting civility expectations. This year we're deepening our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion by updating our staff Civility Agreement to include a statement that commits everyone on staff to treat everyone fairly and personally work to improve their understanding and acceptance of others. All of us will be recommitting to these staff values by re-signing the agreement. Here's the exact phrase added to the Civility Agreement:


I pledge to uphold the vision of diversity, equity, and inclusion by being an ally for all and by continually reflecting on and working to overcome my own biases. (This means everyone will have a safe, respectful, and inclusive space in which to visit and work. All staff will participate in regular training related to this pledge. Discrimination, retaliation, and/or harassment due to gender, gender identity, race, color, age, religion, sexual orientation, disability, genetic information, national origin, tribal citizenship, familial obligations, veteran status, socioeconomic status, geography, cultural heritage and other differences will not be tolerated.)

Michelle will be visiting the branches in the coming weeks to present each of you with the updated Civility Agreement for signature, talk with you about your goals listed in Choose Your Own Adventure, and listen to any feedback you'd like to provide about how things are going and how we can support you in your work.

THANKS TO OUR BRIGHT SPOTS

This week's Bright Spot nominations come from Brandi: 

"I've got quite a list, but each team member that helped with the sale this past weekend is ever so deserving of a Bright Spot  Jeremy, Tara, Alex L., Melissa, Kelly, Shannon, Linda, Barb, Martha, Dan, Jason, Frankie, and Jeff - we literally would not have been able to pull off this sale without you stepping up and pitching in. The FOL board remarked all weekend at how fantastic our team is and how grateful they were for the smiling faces and strong hands. "

News for the week

 

Simmons dome gets new light bulbs, thanks to our very brave maintenance staff. How lucky we are to have such a beautiful building so well cared for! 

Thanks to all of you who participated in Outreach efforts for National Library Card Signup Month! We issued 115 new cards! People are telling me they see the library everywhere and they really love it! Nice work, everyone!

DPI has announced the library grant opportunities through ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act). Here's what we have planned so far.

Library Space and Safety Improvement (KCLS application)

• Zoom rooms at KPL and Community Library. This includes equipping each study room with the technology to support telehealth, job interviews, and online education. It includes equipping activities rooms with the technology that would support a virtual classroom. 
• Public drinking fountains converted to bottle water fountains at all locations.
• Public Address systems at NS and SW to announce emergencies like tornado warnings.
• Technology to support mobile classrooms in our activities rooms.
• Display units to implement the suggestions from our space audit.

Library as Center for Community Resilience (Joint application with City Library Collective)

• Staff training plan/ modules to equip us all with the skills to effectively manage behavior challenges. This will result in a full training program for all libraries in Wisconsin. It will also include support for a social work student intern and a clinical psychology intern at SI/UPT in spring 2022.

Hybrid Library Services

• A series of book return units placed at various schools around town to make it easier to return library materials and avoid overdue fees. 
• The increased cost of delivery service connected to emptying the book returns.

We have signed a contract with BiblioCommons to redesign our website, drive up collection use and inspire people to return to the library. Here's a fun video from Edmonton CA and a page about a Book Squad  in libraries using BiblioCommons. I can't wait to get started with some of the great ideas already in practice in libraries across the world.

This week's Bright Spot goes to our new RTG Joel Lee.

(From Martha) "I nominate Joel for a bright spot this week for offering his arm of support to an elderly woman walking from reference to the circulation desk to check out her books.  It was a handsome moment and the patron truly appreciated his kindness."

And congratulations to Carlice on her 30th anniversary with KPL!

New Firearms Signs on Doors

In case you haven't noticed, all library locations now have a sign posted prohibiting firearms in the library. This prohibition is authorized by state statute and by the City of Kenosha Ordinances, which refer to the statutes.

Here's the exact text from city ordinances:

City of Kenosha Code of Ordinances 

11.065 CARRYING FIREARM IN PUBLIC BUILDING. A. Prohibition. It shall be unlawful for any person to go armed with a firearm in any building owned or leased by the State or any political subdivision of the State. B. Exception. Paragraph A shall not apply to any of the following: 1. Peace officers or armed forces or military personnel who go armed in the line of duty or to any person duly authorized by the chief of police of any city, village or town, the chief of the capitol police, or the sheriff of any county to possess a firearm in any building under Paragraph A. For purposes of this section peace officer does not include a commission warden who is not a state-certified commissionwarden. 2. A qualified out-of-state law enforcement officer, as defined in Section 941.23 (1) (g), Wis. Stats., to whom section 941.23 (2) (b) 1. to 3. Wis. Stats., applies. 3. A former officer, as defined in Section 941.23 (1)(c) Wis. Stats., to whom Section 941.23 (2) (c) 1. to 7. Wis. Stats., applies. 4. A licensee, as defined in Section 175.60 (1) (d) Wis. Stats., or an out-of-state licensee, as defined in Section 175.60 (1) (g) Wis. Stats. 11.07 ENDURANCE CONTESTS

If you have any questions, please let me know.

Thanks to all you Bright Spots!

Thinking you'd like to turn your part time library job into a library career? Think management might be for you? Let us know! Participate in this year's Choose Your Own Adventure survey so we can design the training program that lands you in your library dream job.

David Vinjamuri of ThirdWay Brand Trainers will visit Northside Library on Tuesday, September 21st and Southwest Library on September 22nd. You'll see him walking around with a camera, laptop, and very thoughtful facial expressions as he evaluates our public spaces and considers ways we can utilize them more effectively. David's method is to walk though new spaces as a first time visitor without any pre-conceived notions about what works and what doesn't. We haven't shared our "troubles" with him at all. He's meeting the space like a new patron would. After he's completed his walk though on his own he'll tour staff spaces and storage areas to see what other spaces we have and then he'll talk with managers about what they see as space challenges.  So please greet David warmly and welcome him to KPL, but let him navigate the branches his own way so we get the best space audit possible. 

This week's Bright Spots are plentiful- 

• Aaron for our beautiful parking lot pole signs
• Brandi for organizing a terrific Library Card Sign-up Campaign
• All you who volunteered to go out into the community to get library cards into people's hands! Linda reports, "PS staff issued 38 library cards in two hours at Carthage College and 33 at UW-Parkside in two hours while out at National Library Card Sign Up Month pop ups this week. At Carthage we had Lori and Martha. At UW-Parkside we had Daisy and Phillip. Daisy shared with me that several of the UW-Parkside students didn't know KPL was available to them. "
• Katie Meeker for helping me correctly book a meeting room for a DPI group without even being asked! 
• Sandy, Linda and Brandi for coordinating Thanksgiving in September
• Michelle for leading us though a wicked Wednesday morning (don't ask!)
• Michaela for braving a very scary event on Thursday evening
• Tessa for kindly bringing us an opportunity to help the Afghan refugees housed at Fort McCoy
• The entire YFS Team for another amazing summer learning program!!!
• Marcia and the Outreach Team for a great Clean Water Kenosha series
• Shawn, Erin, Shannon and Marcia for getting their WLA programs accepted. You're going to make us so proud!
• Zander for launching the 60 for 30 Project videos
• Jennifer for bringing us the Immigrant Journeys exhibit
• Sue Vaal for launching Senior Read-Alouds
• Max, Brent, and Rob for rebuilding a server after a power outage. Thanks for keeping us connected!

Fort McCoy Donations

From Brandi:

In the coming days, we will be receiving two donation bins with signage from Journey Disaster Relief, collecting donations for Afghan community members arriving at Fort McCoy. The Journey Disaster Relief Team will check in on the bins occasionally and pick up donations. Should you notice a bin nearing capacity, please let me know. Currently, the greatest need is for new modest clothing. We will not need to sort through the donations, but please keep an eye on the bins like we do other times of the year that we collect donations to make sure no one mistakes them for trash or book returns. If you have any questions, please let me know. Thank you to Tessa and Rosa, who both brought up opportunities for us to be a part of providing a more welcoming start to these families. 

Note from Barb: This cause is particularly important to me, as my own parents were war refugees. They came to America with one trunk full of possessions, one trunk more than many of the refugees now at Fort McCoy. After processing at Ellis Island, they found their way to a cafe in downtown NYC where they ordered a cup of coffee, all they could afford. The cafe owner, hearing their German accents, asked them if they were new arrivals to America, and when they said yes he paid their bill and welcomed them to their new country. This was 1953, 8 years after World War II ended, a devastating war that touched every family, every person in America, and there was much anti-German sentiment in the air. And yet that man showed tremendous hospitality to my parents. My parents told that story over and over throughout their lives and all the stories of kind acceptance that followed. This was the America I was told about, this was the America I was taught to love. Let's show that America to the people now arriving from Afghanistan who gave up everything to help their country and the American soldiers stationed there, but now have been cast out as refugees. Let's welcome them to America the way my parents were welcomed so long ago.

My heart thanks you.

Barb

Congrats to YFS!

Congratulations to YFS for their nomination for the 2021 WLA Programming Innovation Award! We all know what an amazing job the YFS team did responding to the pandemic, especially the KPL Kids to Go boxes. Heather reports that from June 2020 to August 2021, the YFS team put together 6,456 to go boxes. That's a lot of community joy! Thanks to you all!

Thanks to Outreach for attending United Way's Born to Read Trail ribbon cutting at Columbus Park this week! The kids were thrilled to see you!

The remediation of the broken sewer pipe issue at Uptown continues on Monday. There may be an interruption of service to the upstairs public toilet. 

Welcome to Ben and Joel, our 2 new RTG's! 

Did you know that Martha is a photographer? A talented one, too. Her art show opens next week at the Racine Art Museum. Congratulations, Martha!

Don't forget about Thanksgiving in September on September 23rd. More details to come.

A lot of people are on vacation this coming week. Here are a few to note:

Dan is off all week- please contact Jason in his absence.
Michelle is out all week
Linda and Sandy are out Thursday and Friday
Rob is out Monday

I am out September 1-8 (Wednesday to Wednesday) . I will be in the area and available for emergencies- please call if you need me.

Enjoy the summer weekend, everyone!

Barb

Paycheck Protection Policy up for September Board Vote

Remember, Monday August 23rd we begin wearing masks in public areas of the building and on Outreach vehicles when patrons are present. To be clear, if you are at NS at 8am, you can move through the building without a mask. The mask requirement is  only in public areas when patrons are present. This is the staff's majority decision. Please honor your co-workers' wishes.

As the Delta variant continues to spread and as in-person school resumes, we expect more of us will be exposed to someone who tests positive. So Michelle will refresh our memories on just what to do about coming to work should we discover that someone close to us has tested positive. Look for that refresher shortly.

At this point, the federal programs that provided paycheck protection to people who needed to quarantine, or care for someone who needed to quarantine, have expired and I have not heard about any movement toward bringing those programs back. The City has not talked about any such program, either. As we enter the last few months of the year, most of us have used a good portion of our vacation and part time folks don't have sick leave benefits.  We understand that you may feel more vulnerable as we approach the fall season, especially  parents  who may be faced with erratic daycare and school closings in response to infection outbreak.  Michelle and I are drafting a proposal to the Library Board to create a temporary safeguard program to help cushion staff members who are faced with an isolation order. We'll get that in front of the Board at their September meeting. 

On September 21st and 22nd, David Vinjumari of Thirdway Brand Trainers will visit SW and NS libraries to evaluate our use of space and advise us how to create more modern spaces that serve the interests of patrons in a post-COVID world. David is the author of a 2019 PLA space planning manual and has been focusing on how libraries can respond to the new needs of patrons who are increasingly working and studying remotely, and are simultaneously worried about the pandemic yet desiring shared public spaces. Thirdway's Space Audit will deliver a full report of recommendations on how we can use the spaces we already have to give our community exactly what they need as a "third place."  This project is funded in part through a grant from the Wisconsin Humanities Council.

We'll be interviewing two excellent candidates for the Programs and Events Librarian position on Tuesday.

Bright Spot Nominations this week include:

From Stephanie:

"I would like to nominate the Simmons and Uptown Team for the Bright Spot Award. Lately, we have seen multiple patrons who are living with mental illness coming into our libraries (and sometimes screaming outside of them) and the SI/UP Team has been working hard to show compassion and wisdom when handling these sometimes very difficult situations. On Saturday the 14th, we had a perfect example of a very positive and impactful interaction where Simmons staff collaborated with the Kenosha Crisis Center and was able to get a patron the help they needed. It was a perfect example of everyone being in the right place at the right time and utilizing their experience and training with a great ending."

From Barb:

Thanks to Max for completing a federal Emergency Connectivity Grant application in the amount of $54,527  to bring more hotspots and Chromebooks to patrons in need and to outfit our Outreach vehicles with more powerful cellular modem/routers.

Mask Mandates, Library Use Trends, and Several Bright Spot Nominations

The new mask mandate poll results are very interesting! Be sure to add your voice to this important decision. Check your email for the link to a new Google Form that asks whether we should mandate masks in public areas, in staff areas, or both. (Yes, this is the second survey- thanks for participating again!) So far we have 38 responses. That's 50 short of full participation. Let's be sure this decision that affects everyone is decided by a true majority.

Some of you are stating in the poll comments that a mask mandate for staff should be matched by a mask mandate for the public. While I have the authority to make staff rules, I need a higher authority to create mandates for the public. The Library Board can make that decision or a local government leader like the Mayor or County Executive can declare a mask mandate for their jurisdiction. Clearly it is easier for us as staff to respond to angry patrons that we are following the city rules when we ask them to wear a mask. Several alderpersons have asked to add a mask mandate to the Council agenda scheduled for the first week in September. The issue did not make next week's council agenda. Our next Library Board meeting is September 14th, after the Council takes up the issue. Let's see how the Council votes and we can take it up with our board, if necessary.

If you've been reading the library board packets or attending board meetings, you've noticed that I'm presenting graphs comparing our 2021 statistics to 2019, the last full year of "normal" library use. Circulation has rebounded better than library visits, and children's library materials are returning to normal use faster than adult materials. The trend is a little different for the SHARE libraries overall. Here's a message from Jim Novy at Lakeshores Library System that summarizes the comparison between use of libraries across the whole SHARE membership 2019 vs. 2021.
"Overall circulation is hovering around 75% when comparing July of 2019 to July of 2021.
DVDs are way down, both in circulation ( 47% of 2019 ) and items added ( 56% of 2019 ). This is likely due to a combination of fewer being released, some releases only being available on streaming platforms and an increase in the use of streaming platforms by patrons.
Book circulation is hovering around 85% of what we did in 2019.
If we break book circulation out by item category 2, we see that adult circulation is closer to 90% and juvenile circulation is closer to 80%. That trend of adult items circulation recovering faster than juvenile circulation is present in most other media types as well.
Audiobooks are down more than print books, whereas playaways are doing comparatively well. This has been a slow trend for a while as many new vehicles lack CD players so patrons are moving to playaways or downloaded audiobooks.
Overall, I think what we're seeing mirrors larger trends that have been reported throughout society. The pandemic has been particularly hard on families, caused a major disruption in the motion picture industry ( amongst others ), and accelerated a shift in audiovisual media consumption from physical to digital. I think it's too soon to say that we're clear of it and on a straight path to normal, but overall circulation has been ticking a couple of percentage points closer to what it was each month."


Bright Spot Nominations:

From Marcia and Jennifer:

"I would like to nominate Jeff Linders for Bright Spot. Jeff very quickly acted on the safety recommendations delivered to Northside and Outreach. He created a tool to make it easier to lock and unlock our carts in the Wifi van, added high vis tape to our vehicle steps, and he replaced the safety pin on our lift that was so difficult for many of us to get in and out. He's just a super friendly co-worker that is never bothered by our requests for help."

Jennifer seconds Marcia's nomination: "Jeff has been so incredibly helpful since coming over to Northside, across the board. He did so much work to get our delivery room updated following the CVMIC visit, has been quick to get our requests done on the clipboard, and is always offering helpful solutions."

From Erin Mendoza:

"I cannot express how helpful Alejandria is on a daily basis. I have always been impressed with her professionalism and organization. While preparing for a long vacation, I asked for help from Alejandria with a couple projects. She was more than happy to lend a hand and took the time to clarify several details. Her ability to coordinate multiple projects (from various staff) with her many teen volunteers is outstanding and I am so thankful for her on our YFS team. "

From Rob:
"I would like to nominate Brent and Max for a Bright Spot. During the power outage on Monday, when the server failed they upheld the true definition of Tech Support: A person who does precision guesswork based on unreliable data. Also see: Wizard, Magician."

From Barb:

"Special thanks to Michelle for finding us such great staff candidates! We're really improving the diversity of our staff and finding terrific talent to join the KPL team!"

Have a wonderful, cooler weekend, everyone!

Barb

Bright Spots in a Dark Day

Most of you know we lost power at Northside for a few hours yesterday. What you might not know is we lost an email server during the power outage and Brent worked late last evening to rebuild it. Thanks, Brent! It's so wonderful to have someone with your skills on our team!

NS staff braved the heat inside the building like champs. Here's a Bright Spot nomination from Jennifer detailing all they did to make the best of a very dark and uncomfortable afternoon:

I'd like to submit a bright spot award to the Northside/Outreach staff for their hard work on Monday while the power was out. Everyone here really stepped up and took a dismal turn of events and turned it into a positive.

We were able to use this "analog opportunity" to engage a bit deeper with patrons, going into the stacks with them and sharing our flashlights so they could read the spines and find what they needed, greeting every patron more personally at the door and letting them know what services we could still provide, and even having extra conversation at checkout while we went through the manual processes. We also saw some innovation - Elkid made a clever lantern to light up the room in OS. Donna took the initiative to start a shifting project we hadn't been able to get to. Karen turned interactions with families into a fun "spooky" experience. Kristin and Shannon started their book club in the dark (fun ambiance for mysteries!). Shannon also kindly stayed to help after I found I needed to leave a bit early to pick up Hudson from daycare.

Everyone really stepped up together with such positive attitudes and they truly were a bright spot this week.

I've attached a photo of Elkid working by "bucket light."

Thanks,
Jennifer

Big Projects on the Horizon and Thanksgiving in September

Libraries have always referred people with social service needs to matching agencies as part of reference work. More and more, we see people who are in great need and could use more than a referral to an agency. They need an advocate. There is a movement called Whole Person Librarianship that guides libraries to a transition beyond referral to include partnerships like social worker student internships, agency office hours at the library, or library staff social workers. KPL is working with 11 other mid-sized libraries in Wisconsin on a project to model community recovery and resilience and the psychosocial needs of the community is a major focus area. Next week we'll be sending you a survey to hear your experiences with patrons in need, and understand your opinion about the library's role in responding to those needs. We'll ask you how well we're doing in our response and how we can do better. We'll ask the same questions of our frequent library users, and then we'll formulate a plan to move forward. I hope you'll participate! 

Our next big project will launch this fall when we completely redesign our online experience. No, we aren't changing catalogs, so don't worry about relearning WorkFlows, but the website will change completely, and I think you're going to be excited about the new look. We're partnering with BiblioCommons to generate all new content and refresh the user interface. Here are examples of other libraries up and running on BiblioCommons. I think you'll like what you see. The project will take 22 weeks which will give us plenty of time to get everything right. We'll form teams to build it just how we like it, so prepare to get creative! If you want to know more about the benefits of migrating to BiblioCommons, see this month's Board Packet or attend the board meeting on Tuesday August 11th at 5:30pm at NS.

Congratulations to Amy and Emily for their continued success with craft programs. The tie dye programs are especially popular. Look at the pretty products!

Let's have Thanksgiving in September!  We've been fondly remembering the days when we shared good food and friendship at work. It feels like the coming Thanksgiving may once again be under quarantine, so let's celebrate in September! KPL will provide the basics, and staff can share their culinary skills. More info to come...

I've personally noticed staff members doing wonderful work or helping another staff member in need this week and they deserve Bright Spot nominations:

Aaron for stopping by with an offer of help when he noticed I couldn't find the copier jam. Such a lovely act of kindness! Thank you!

Sandy for completely redesigning the board packet. If you think that's an easy job, I have news for you. The details are crazy!

Dan for keeping at the contractors until they get the air conditioning system right in the new activities room at SW. Thanks for being so persistent!

Jennifer for creating such magical programs at NS and Brandi for crafting a Hispanic Heritage Month slate of programs that are sure to wow us all.

Linda for compassionately supporting every department all the time.

Brent for getting his computer network security certifications.

Sue Vaal for starting a new senior book club to help the elderly combat loneliness.

Do you have stories to share about team members who are doing fantastic things and performing random acts of kindness? Share them with me and I'll add their name to the Bright Spot Hall of Fame!

Happy weekend, Everyone!

Barb

WE NEED YOUR INPUT!

WE NEED YOU @ AN UPCOMING STAFF INPUT SESSION 

We've been contemplating the incident reports from the past year and it's pretty clear that the frequency of mental health problems we face in our libraries is on the rise. This has always been a big challenge for large urban libraries. Now it's the case for just about every public library in America. We've considered a lot of different ways to respond to this and we've been talking with 10 other libraries in Wisconsin who serve  populations between 50,000 and 100,000 about best practices. A few have chosen to hire social workers after experiments with student interns. Linda and I spoke with Dr. Rebecca Hornung at Carthage College this morning about working with her social work students on a support plan for our staff. We have a draft response plan in mind that begins with staff interviews to capture your on-the ground experience with challenging patrons and your thoughts on the library's role in responding to our community's challenge with mental health and unhoused people. This will provide a "needs assessment" and inform a staff training plan that will help us all more effectively recognize the issues our patrons present and respond in a way that lends the best outcomes for both the library and our patrons. Next steps will include a referral partnership with social service agencies and student placements to support our learning. 

To accomplish the first step of this program, we'll be meeting via Zoom with Dr. Hornung in groups of 25 in August. There will be 3 groups, one in the evening.  Each session will last 90 minutes. In order to clearly understand our challenges, I need all ADS, YFS, Outreach, Maintenance, and Circulation staff to attend one of the sessions. As soon as we have firm dates, we'll let you know.

SURVEILLANCE REQUESTS
You've all been doing a great job referring police surveillance requests to me. With the new cameras installed, there will be a slight change in how things work. For the new people on staff, a little background: Wisconsin Statutes provide special protections for information regarding  people's use of  public libraries including what people check out and what they search on the Internet. That protection isn't about a library visit, it's about their freedom to read and view what they please without government interference. If people run into a car in our parking lot or steal a bike outside, that's not protected information.

Up to now, the cameras inside the building and on the outside of the building have been on the same system, so all requests for footage have been vetted by the Library Director, who is responsible to protect library patron privacy. The  new system divides the inside cameras and the outside cameras to separate servers so starting soon, with a little tweak on their end, KPD can access the outside footage on our buildings without permission.

KPD  will continue to need permission to view activity on the inside of the library, which only KPL staff will have access to. It's my responsibility to make sure we are sharing only the activity not protected by law, and if the police need records of protected activity, that they have the necessary court orders for that. So always pass those requests on to me. Rob will let us know when the new system is complete. And to be clear, we will always have access to both the inside and the outside footage, so sending me requests for either will never be a problem. Gradually KPD will learn when they don't have to ask at all.

OTHER NEWS

• We've signed a contract for painting at Northside that will be done toward the end of the year. If you'd like to see the colors chosen, reach out to Jennifer. Thanks to Jennifer and Aaron for creating a beautiful palette.
• DPI will be providing KPL and Community Library some extra training money through KCLS, our library system. If there are training opportunities  or specific topics for training you'd like to see us bring to KPL, please let your supervisor know. Thanks!
• Don't forget about the Parking Lot Social tonight starting at 6:30 at NS. The Nights at Northside series has been a big hit with the community!

 

Several  Bright Spot nominations this week:

From Lisa Rivers:

"I wanted to give a special bright spot shout out and thank you to Frankie Navarez Vega for helping Youth Services with our rescheduled Egg Drop Challenge event held on Friday,July 23rd. The kids had a blast making their contraptions to protect an uncooked egg they were given from breaking when dropped onto the concrete slab. The egg contraptions were being dropped by none other than Frankie high above in the bucket of our scissors lift at the Southwest Library. Frankie went above and beyond and even drew a chalk target on the sidewalk. He was a tremendous help. Not to mention that he saved me from going up and down in the scissors lift, and I have to admit I am just a wee bit afraid of heights. Another special thank you goes out to Jason Holmes for coordinating everything with Frankie. You guys are the best and we couldn't have done it without all your help. "

From Jeremy: 

"I would like to nominate Jennifer Kozelou and Brandi Cummings. My family has gone to several of the Nights at Northside and they have been fantastic every time. The addition of Kona ice on these warm summer evenings was really a terrific idea and greatly appreciated."

Some Bright Spot Nominations for the Week

Not much to report this week, except we're working hard on various budget requests and all the paperwork that explains them. Glad to see so many people returning to the library! Hope you're all enjoying the summer weather.

Bright Spot Nominations this week:

From Alejandria: "I'd like to nominate Hilary Perrino for a Bright Star. She made this super cute Zoom from A to Z passive activity for the Children's Area that is flawless in it's execution and just an all around great idea. She's also been really great at giving me P.L.A.Y. Pack projects to give our teen volunteers. "

From Barb: Sitting within ear shot of the SW circ and ADS teams has been a joy for me this past year. I regularly overhear the most lovely and thoughtful interactions with patrons that make me so proud to work with the SW team! All of you are Bright Spots! Thanks for being so kind and patient (and brilliant!) with our visitors!

Happy weekend, Everyone!

Drinking fountains

Some of our patrons are asking when we will turn on our drinking fountains again. Today our county health department released a new situation report with a link to an interactive map on the DHS website https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/covid-19/vaccine-data.htm#map  that shows vaccination rates across Wisconsin by county. Kenosha County remains below 50% fully vaccinated. Until that number climbs to 70%  we would be irresponsible to offer a shared standard drinking fountain to the public where multiple mouths may touch the same spigot. What we will be doing is retrofitting existing fountains to water bottle fillers. Dan is testing a retrofit kit to see if it will work on our existing machines and provide this affordable solution. 

Whether we like it or not, the pandemic continues. Let’s hope the Delta variant doesn’t find enough unvaccinated hosts to get so strong that it force us into another shutdown and significant loss of life. There are now over 3 million deaths in India alone from this virus. Please encourage everyone you know who has resisted vaccination and is medically eligible to receive the vaccine to do their part to protect children and other vulnerable people and get vaccinated. We are all in this together. 

Thanks

2022 Pay Increase and other news

On Tuesday evening, our Library Board voted unanimously to give all of our staff a 4% cost of living increase in wages for 2022. All of them commented on how much they appreciate all of you and how proud they are of their library. Congratulations! You've earned it!

You might recall that in 2018 we contracted with Carlson-Dettman for a wage survey. We implemented changes in our wage structure in 2019 based on that survey. In 2022, we will again contract with Carlson-Dettman for an updated survey of wages in the Upper Midwest to compare what other libraries and businesses pay for similar work. We'll include $50,000 in the 2022 budget so we can make necessary changes starting next July. 

Other news:

• Buildings return to 100% capacity on July 19th. Meeting rooms remain at a 50% capacity limit.
• Kenosha County Library System (KCLS) welcomes new Board member, County Supervisor Boyd Frederick.
• Kenosha Public Library welcomes two new members to our Board- Nancy Humphrey and George Gregory. George also serves on the KCLS Board.
• Nancy MacKenzie has announced her retirement. Her last day will be August 16th.
• Jeff Dial's last day is July 23rd. Nancy and Jeff, I'm so jealous! We wish you so much happiness!

Happy weekend, everyone!

October book sale, Budget increase, Nights at Northside!

Next FOL book sale planned for October
It's ok to start accepting book donations for FOL sales, but we aren't going to advertise it so we aren't inundated. We'll advertise right before the next official sale. We are planning a lobby sale at SW in October.

Great Kenosha County Library System budget news from WLA:

We are so happy to come to you with the news that Governor Tony Evers signed the 2021-2023 State Budget today!

The 2021-2023 State Budget passed by the Wisconsin Legislature and signed by Governor Evers on July 8 reflects bipartisan support for an important investment in public library services. It includes an additional $2.5 million in 2021-2022 and $4 million in 2022-2023 state aid for regional public library systems which will enhance the foundational infrastructure delivering additional resources to local libraries and their communities. During Joint Finance Committee (JFC) deliberations on May 27, its members recommended legislative support for Governor Evers’ request to augment the critical ongoing investment in public library services in the areas of technology, workforce development and lifelong learning supported by legislators on both sides of the aisle.

Funding was also maintained at levels included in the Governor’s executive budget for the state library resource contracts with the Wisconsin Talking Book and Braille Library, the Cooperative Children’s Book Center, and statewide inter-library loan access to Milwaukee Public Library and UW-Madison collections. BadgerLink and Newsline for the Blind are also among the core services maintained at current levels in the next biennium.

Nights at Northside Overview from Jennifer
Now that it is July, I wanted to write and tell you a bit more about the Nights at Northside Series happening at NS this month. This is a series that is appropriate for all ages - and all ages are encouraged, whether it is kids and families, or a group of adult friends. It takes place out in the NS parking lot, after hours on Friday nights for the rest of the month (starting next week). 

Friday, July 9th - Chalk it Up is back! You may remember this event, sponsored by the FOL, in previous years, where teams or individuals create a work of art out of our sidewalks. I'm really looking forward to seeing what is created this year!

Friday, July 16th - Think Outside the Box. This cardboard challenge is a fun brainchild of myself and Susannah G. Registered teams will be provided with cardboard and other fun supplies (see another email about this shortly!) and will be tasked to turn them into a Robot. While the robots will not need to work (as we only have an hour), teams will need to share a backstory about what this robot does. Each team will also blind draw an item that will need to be used in their design - Iron Chef style! This one could be a fun date night or team-building event if anyone is looking! PLUS, Blu Popper will be on-site, to help with those mid-build hunger cravings! 

Friday, July 23rd - Birds of a Feather Opera - The Kenosha Opera Festival will be presenting a special performance of "Birds of a Feather" and 15-20 minute adaptation of Mozart's "The Magic Flute," from Greg Berg (WGTD).  Bring along your lawn chairs to enjoy this exciting children's opera, visit a popup FOL booksale (featuring children's materials), grab some dinner and an icy treat from Blu Popper and Kona Ice, and don't forget a children's activity from YFS!

Friday, July 30 - Parking Lot Social. We will wrap things up with a chance to boogie with the Book Truck and OS team, activities from ADS and YFS, games from our own library of things, and one last visit from Blu Popper and Kona Ice!

NOTE: Anyone is encouraged to visit and buy a treat from Blu Popper and Kona Ice during their visits. They do not need to be participating in the rest of the program. 

Thanks!
Jennifer

This week's Bright Spot award goes to Jason Holmes for helping our unhoused long-term visitor Will and his ornery pup head off toward the services they need. Jason inflated Will's tires and jump started his battery so Will could once again find freedom on the road. Thanks to everyone who showed Will and his furry friend compassion and respect during this tough time in his life. 

Enjoy the beautiful summer day!

Barb

News for the Week and Several Bright Spots

KPL Outreach to Juneteenth was a great success. Thanks to everyone who braved the heat to bring books and activities to the Lincoln Park neighborhood!

It's shredding time again! – The City of Kenosha will offer an opportunity for residents to shred documents free of charge at three city locations from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, July 10, 2021. Shredding will be offered outside in the parking lots at the Northside Library, 1500 27th Ave.; at Southwest Library, 7979 38th Ave., and at the Kenosha Water Utility, 4401 Green Bay Road.


We certainly had a great turnout for our recent Lab Girl Big Read and we're actively seeking grants to continue science programming for the public. Marcia is finalizing an application for KPL to become a NASA@ My Library Partner. Sixty libraries will be selected. NASA @ My Library Partners will use NASA STEAM Activity Toolkits, review Facilitation 101 Tutorials, and connect with NASA Subject Matter Experts to deliver programming, services, and/or outreach around three high-visibility NASA events:

Look Up!: Explore Our Universe
James Webb Space Telescope Launch (Fall 2021: currently scheduled October 2021)
James Webb Space Telescope First Images (Spring 2022: currently scheduled May 2022)

Our Planet: EARTH (Summer 2022)
Including programs relating to the Collaborative Summer Library Program ”Oceans of Possibility” theme, NASA Earth science, and/or environmental sustainability.


Lots of Bright Spot Nominations this week:

From Martha: All staff for completing the 21-week United Way Challenge!!!!!!

From Sue Vaal:
I'd like to nominate Gabriel Hernandez for help with replacing the removable seat in the truck when the two "backs" scheduled to include that in their pre-Harbor Market routine needed help. Bless him!
Also, I'd like to nominate Donna Hermann for "rescuing" boxes of children's books in great condition from Bose Elementary when they were getting rid of some very good stuff. At Harbor Market and at some of the daycares there are families who come in from Illinois who haven't yet decided to pay for a KPL card, and the bin of giveaways lets them walk away from us with something in hand for each child and good feelings that may translate into a card next time.

From Marcia:
I would like to nominate Tara Vasey for Bright Spot. Tara is always so helpful and prompt when we call her to ask for weird stuff for Outreach. This week she put her skills to the test when she located an obscure part for the Bookmobile's generator that is backordered everywhere else. Our whole department is extremely grateful!


From Heather:
I'd like to nominate Alejandria for a Bright Spot. Since restarting the Teen Volunteer program this month, Alejandria has conducted interviews and onboarding with 11 new teen volunteers. Those volunteers have already put in a collective 85.75 hours helping us prepare programs and services! Alejandria has been doing a fantastic job mentoring these teens and setting them up for success from the moment they arrive each day. Every part of their experience is so well organized because of Alejandria's hard work. She even has a little station just for them with snacks and an ARC lending library to make them feel comfortable and welcome!

Free Diaper Distribution, Telescope Launch Party, and other news

Fun @Simmons Storytime 

On Wednesdays this summer, Keeping Families Covered, a Lake County, Illinois charity, will distribute free diapers to families in need from the northeast corner of our SW Library parking lot. They'll start distribution at 9:30am, perfectly aligned with our 10am storytimes in the park. In the winter, the group will operate from our SW activities room. Thanks to Heather and the entire YFS team for pulling this partnership together. Let's all get the word out about this fantastic service!


We're hosting a Space Telescope Launch Party!
Science is a very popular topic in our community and we're continuing to give 'em what they want with Citizen Science and STEM themed KPL Kids to Go boxes. Today we heard more good news- we've been selected to host a telescope launch party! Thanks to Shannon for writing a compelling application!
The James Webb Space Telescope (Webb) will be the largest, most powerful and complex space telescope ever built and launched into space. KPL applied to host a launch party and NASA selected us!
Here's some more info from the launch website:
Launching from French Guiana in fall of 2021, NASA and its international partners want to help you celebrate this generational moment in our common exploration of the wider universe, through in-person or virtual events. NASA can support museums, science centers, planetariums, public libraries, nature centers, visitor’s centers, zoos, art galleries, community centers, and other non-profit organizations that communicate or wish to communicate science to the public. NASA can help connect host venues to trainings about Webb and the telescope’s launch process and science, as well as to subject matter experts to best engage with audiences either in person (where possible) or virtually. In addition, hard-copy event materials and handouts can be shipped to participating locations as resources allow.


From Shannon:
We are happy to announce that some of our adult programs will be in person this summer. In person programs still require registration and are limited to current capacity restrictions for each meeting space.

Programs currently scheduled to meet in person are:
Novels at Night Book Club, every 3rd Monday, 6-7 pm at Southwest Library
Coloring & Conversation, every 3rd Monday, 6-7 pm at Southwest Library
Fantasy/Sci-Fi Book Club, every 4th Monday, 6-7 pm at Southwest Library
Classic Novels Book Club, every 4th Wednesday, 3-5 pm at Northside Library

Also, Outdoor Dye-o-Rama (Southwest Library) begins July 6 and is ongoing every other Tuesday through August with a different dying style each session. We are beginning with Shibori Dyeing. This will replace the In the Making Box for July and August.


From Heather:
Thank you for pointing people in the right direction for our outdoor storytimes last week (and thank you to Brandi for thinking to make some big signs for each location). Things got off to a really great start: 210 attendees across 12 storytimes!

A couple of important talking points if you get questions:

• Attendees should bring blankets or folding chairs to sit on.
• Storytime will be canceled in case of inclement weather.
• Northside storytime attendees must not park in the Fire Station parking lot. They should park in the Northside Library parking lot and walk across 27th avenue to the Fire Station lawn. It is worth mentioning this to every person who inquires about Northside storytimes.

Thank you for helping our families find us for storytimes again!

From Linda:
Saturday, June 19th, we will begin a soft reintroduction of accepting book donations. If the donation is more than a few bags, please let me know so that I can arrange for storage.

Coming up next week:

Kenosha Innovation Neighborhood (KIN) public meeting, Brown Bank, Tuesday, 5-7pm. Drop by and vote on your preference for the design and  amenities at the redeveloped Chrysler site. 

Recovery to Resilience Project Team, Tuesday 1:30-3 (virtual)

Barb on vacation Thursday through Monday.

Enjoy the warm summer weekend, Everyone!

Masks Optional Beginning Thursday

The City of Kenosha's mask mandate expires this Thursday May 27th. Masks for patrons will be optional. Vaccinated staff can choose not to wear a mask starting Thursday. Unvaccinated staff should strongly consider wearing a mask, especially if working with young children who are unprotected. If you have any concerns about your own protection or the protection of others, please continue to wear a mask. There is no shame in it!! Appleton Public Library staff have agreed that if someone approaches a service point wearing a mask, it is an act of courtesy to put yours on while helping that patron. I think that's a lovely gesture and ask that you consider to do the same.

2022 Budget Hard to believe it's just about time to start developing next year's budget. June/July/August is our window to pull together a plan for how much we'll ask for and how we'll spend it. Our first draft is always a little more ambitious than we can really afford, but a progressive, innovative library needs to be ambitious. So we will once again compile a draft budget that gets the core work done very efficiently, freeing up funds for that creative top layer that makes KPL so exceptional.

Here are some things we'll include in that first draft:

• A cost of living adjustment (COLA) that reflects the current government sector estimate for wage increases in 2022
• A staff classification and compensation study to follow up on our 2018 study. This places us in a 3 year cycle. We may accomplish this as part of the city's study or conduct a separate study.
• A consultant to analyze how we can upgrade our spaces to serve a post-COVID world.

To coincide with Hispanic Heritage Month, KPL’s Northside branch will host the traveling exhibit Immigrant Journeys from the Wisconsin Humanities Council. Congratulations to Jennifer for her successful grant application!

Congratulations to Megan Nigh for completing her MLIS degree!

Beginning June 1st, the public can once again make their own meeting room reservations. Building and room capacity has been raised to 50%.

Beginning June 1st, the teen Read it Off program begins. Here's an overview from Alejandria: Kenosha Public Library system is starting a new program called Read It Off (RIO) as a way to help teens ages 12-19 years old eliminate their fines through the simple act of checking out items and returning them on time. This program seeks to help teenage patrons who do not have the financial means to pay their library fines. A secondary goal of this program is to instill healthy library borrowing habits.  How does Read It Off work?  When a staff member signs a teen patron up for Read It Off, the patron is only able to have one library item checked out on their card at a time. When the patron returns the item, $5.00 will be removed from their fine total.  Their library account will stay on the Read It Off program until they completely eliminate their fines or until they request to no longer be enrolled. There is no set time limit for when the teen needs to complete Read It Off. This is because some teens may take longer, depending on their accrued fines and ability to visit the library.  Once a teen patron has completed Read It Off or asks to be unenrolled, they cannot sign up again for another six months. 

Who is eligible?  In order to be eligible to sign up for Read It Off, the patron must:

• Be a Kenosha Public Library card holder between the ages of 12-19

• Have $10.01 or over in fines on their card

• Have no items currently checked out on their library card

• Have not participated in Read It Off in the last six months

How to sign a patron up for Read It Off:

• Check to make sure the patron is eligible. Remember to check their ‘Notes’ to see if they have participated in Read It Off in the last six months.
• Under ‘Modify User’, change the patron’s profile name to KPLRIO.
• Under the ‘Extended Info’ tab, put a note in the patron’s account that says, “Signed up for RIO, Month/Day/Year”
• They are now signed up! Make sure to explain the program to the patron so they understand they are limited to checking out one item at a time from a Kenosha Public Library collection. The $5.00 off of their total fine will be waived automatically when the patron returns the item on time.
• How to unenroll a patron from Read It Off:
• A teen patron will automatically be unenrolled from Read It Off when they reach $0.00 in fines. Alternatively, they may choose to end enrollment before they’ve reached $0.00 in fines. If a Read It Off patron chooses to end their enrollment before they reach $0.00 in fines:
• Make sure they understand that they will not be able to sign up for Read It Off for another six months. If they unenroll and run up fines again, they will either need to pay their fines to get them under $10.01 or wait until they are eligible for RIO again.
• Under ‘Modify User’, change the patron’s profile name to the correct code: for teens ages 15 & under, return it to the Juvenile. For teens ages 16 & older, return it to General.
• Under the ‘Extended Info’ tab, change the note in the patron’s account from ‘Signed up for RIO, Month/Day/Year’ to ‘Ended RIO, Month/Day/Year’.

At this point they are un-enrolled and, if they are under $10.01 in fines, they may resume checking out multiple items at one.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Can a Read It Off patron check out items from any SHARE library?

No. During the time they are enrolled in the Read It Off program, they are only able to check out items from the Kenosha Public Library.

How long do they have to complete the Read It Off program?

There is no set time for teens to complete the Read It Off program once they’ve been enrolled in it. Some teens may take longer to complete the program and that is okay.

If a teens is enrolled in Read It Off and incurs more fines because they don’t return their item on time, can they read off those fines?

If they are still enrolled in Read It Off, yes, they can.

Can they renew the item they have checked out?

Yes, just like any other patron, if they find they need more time with the item they have checked out, they are able to renew the item if it is possible.

Should I discourage a teen patron from un-enrolling in Read It Off if they haven’t reached $0.00 in fines on their account?

Teen patrons may have many reasons for ending their enrollment in Read It Off before hitting $0.00 in fines. Perhaps they have a deal with their parent, where if the teen ‘reads off’ a certain amount of the fine, the parent will pay the rest. Or they’ve gotten their total fines under $10.01 and are eager to be able to check out multiple items again. Either way, this is their decision.


Please make certain they understand that they are not able to begin Read It Off for another six month if their fines go above $10.01 again. You may gently tell them something along the lines of, “Oh hey, you only have $9.00 in fines left. That means if you check out a book and return it on time just two more times, you can get all the way down to zero”, but do not judge them if they decline.

This week's Bright Spot nomination comes from Martha:
"I nominate Gina Williamson for a Bright Spot this week for asking to replenish the supply of Summer Reading Program sign up sheets three times this week. Gina has averaged 20 sign ups every time she worked the desk since the sign up started. Thank you Gina for setting the pace!"