Uptown Children's Library to Break Ground This Spring

The timeline for the new children's library in the Uptown neighborhood has been moved up. We will occupy 7800 feet on the first floor of a housing complex on 22nd Ave. The developers will break ground this spring with anticipated occupation of the space one year later (2023). 

We'll be working with the City Planning department to plan out the interior space. This will be our 5th location. We'll keep the current Uptown Neighborhood  Library for YA and adult use and the Literacy Council will remain onsite.

We'll keep everyone informed and share our concepts with you so everyone can participate in the design of space and services. We'll also invite the community to participate.

Exciting times!

Barb

Challenges to our Book Collection

 I'm hearing from a number of other libraries in Wisconsin that they are experiencing a new wave of citizen challenges to select titles in their collections. Most of the challenges concern children's books with diverse characters or books that express views that some people find objectionable. 

The public library is a forum for ideas. All of us can find something in the collection with which we disagree. All of the nonfiction books we purchase are reviewed to make sure the author has adequate authority/ subject knowledge, so it isn't just anyone's opinion, it's someone with enough authority or understanding of the subject to have an opinion worth sharing.  (No one should purchase a textbook I write on orthopedic surgery.) We are careful about what we select in terms of merit, but we don't censor books based on our personal opinions.

For those of you who've recently joined the staff, I wanted to make sure you are aware of how we interact with someone who complains about an item in the collection. 

First off, never argue with the patron. You won't change their mind by debating the issue. Simply listen and acknowledge that they are heard. Then offer them the option to submit a formal Request for Reconsideration. Most people don't go through with it, but always offer that option. The form can be found at the end of the Collection Development Policy All our policies are listed on the library's website, so you always have access to them. There is a pdf version of the policy at the bottom of the web version.  Print out the entire policy and hand it to the patron. Invite them to fill out the Request for Reconsideration form and return it. The policy provides the procedure for you:

• The patrons will be given a copy of the Kenosha Public Library Collection Development Policy, which includes the Request for Reconsideration of Library Material form.

• If the patron wants to pursue the reconsideration, the completed reconsideration form must be submitted to the Division Head of Support Services. The Division Head of Support Services will notify the patron by letter within two (2) weeks confirming that their request has been received. The Division Head of Support Services will appoint a staff committee to review the item being questioned and make a recommendation to the Library Director within six (6) weeks of receiving the initial request.

• The Library Director will decide whether or not the item should be retained and the patron will be informed of the decision within three weeks of receiving the staff recommendation.

• The patron may appeal the Library Director’s decision to the Library Board within two (2) months of receiving the Library Director's reply.

If you have any questions, consult your supervisor, and always feel free to seek help from your coworkers whenever you just can't seem to resolve an issue with patrons. We are a very supportive team and have your back!

This week's Bright Spot nominations come from Karen:
"I'd like to nominate Gina for a Bright Spot Award.
Gina is very warm and friendly and makes sure she says hello to everyone who walks through the front doors. She always has a warm hello and a smile on her face. I walked through the door on my day off and was greeted the same. Thank you, Gina!
I'd like to nominate Alex, Dina, and Gina for a Bright Spot Award. Over the past few months I have been handling my aunt's affairs and all three of them have helped me fax, scan to email, etc. They have been very helpful to me during this overwhelming time. Thank you all so much!"

Updates on SW Flooring

We're going to take a step back and take our time with the main street flooring project. The old ADS workroom carpet will be done on Monday after which Dan's team will begin to assemble the furniture. 

Tara and Martha, are working toward transferring the mail machine to the circ workroom. SW Circ will take over mail sorting and postage as soon as everyone is trained.

Dan has a well deserved day off this Monday. Jason will be back to oversee the carpet installation for the new CS space. He will temporarily move the Admin copier out of the room. 

All the remaining boxes of masks that were in the old ADS workroom are out at circ. Frankie is repackaging boxes of 50 masks into packages of 25. Hopefully we'll have enough repackaged units to get us through the weekend. Frankie has another week of light duty coming so eventually we'll have them all repackaged.

Stay tuned for further developments...

Bright Spots at Northside

Bright Spot Award nominations keep coming in!

From Patty:
Our positive and attentive colleague, Megan, also stepped up and helped at the blended desk yesterday. She monitored business at the desk and came over when needed during the morning shift while Janet and I were engaged with patrons. As you know, mask distribution was fast and furious! Megan also cheerfully offered to provide coverage at the desk while I was at lunch and during the period when I was working with Cathy P. to move mask boxes from the garage into the coat/locker alcove until about 2:30. She exemplifies the KPL values of teamwork and positive customer service. It was invigorating working yesterday and I appreciate everyone's positive and helpful approach to serving the community.

From Elliott:
Megan was a real hero yesterday! I was so glad she stepped in to help me at the desk while Patty was at lunch, and to help manage the phones, reference work, and mask distribution. Thank you so much Megan for stepping in and stepping up!

More Bright Spots- keep them coming!

 Bright Spot Nomination from Martha:

"Saturday morning Alex was assigned the circulation desk. The minute the doors opened, Linda and Alex saw the line formed outside and moved distribution to the lobby where our weekend supply of masks was depleted within 50 minutes. Mary covered the desk and tore down boxes. It was fast action on their part for an otherwise ordinary day. "

Catch-up on Library News

Don't forget to sign up for the Wild Wisconsin Winter Web Conference on January 26-27. Everything is online and you can choose one or many sessions. It's all paid up front by our library system. All you need is the time away from your regular duties.

We're moving ahead with plans to have notary public training for a few ADS staff. This has been a service the public has asked us for over the years and we're delighted to get it up and running. We hope to launch the service in March.

We'll soon have 100 Chromebook/ hotspot kits to check out to the community courtesy of an Emergency Connectivity Fund federal grant. The kits will go out for one year. Patrons will need to sign a statement for the feds that says they or their children do not have access to the Internet any other way. Rob will soon send out all the logistics/ requirements for checking these units out.

We're finalizing plans with Carthage College to host a social work student at UPT and SI this semester. The students will help us hone our skills for referring patrons to local social services and teach us some techniques for identifying mental illness and ways to communicate with highly stressed patrons for better outcomes. At the completion of their assignment, students will provide their opinions on whether we could benefit from having trained social workers on staff. 

We're also finalizing plans to host Clinical Psychology masters degree students to analyze the psychosocial needs of our patrons and match library services to those needs. More details to follow.

Brandi sent this email out earlier and I wanted to repeat it here:

"As a part of Kindness Week, Zander came up with the idea for a community panel to discuss relevant social and civic issues in Kenosha. Partnering with the Coalition for Dismantling Racism this idea served as their theme for a Courageous Conversation. I highly recommend finding some time to watch this panel. The panelists represent many different parts of our community and include the County Executive and DA. As I was moderating this program I found myself both inspired and enlightened by the experiences the panelist shared. This is a great way to hear from the community we serve.

Kudos to Zander.

The recording for the Courageous Conversation - Chaos or Community: Where Do We Go From Here? is now available on Youtube. "

Two Bright Spot nominations from Brandi this week:

Michelle wore many hats this last week and wore them with grace and decisiveness. She sprang into action to make sure we had a plan to get more masks to the branches when snow was on the way. Even yesterday, when I arrived at SW, who was out front shoveling? Michelle. She knew maintenance was busy clearing the lots and down a couple guys so she grabbed a shovel and made sure there was a path for both the staff and patrons before we opened. Michelle continues to be an excellent example of a leader in our organization and pitches in to support all of us - whether navigating the pandemic, offering a counseling ear, or actually clearing a path for us to safely enter the building.


Last Friday when I joined the team to go get masks I had a meeting scheduled with Madelynn and a community partner. I needed someone to tap in for me and I am so glad I asked Shannon! Not only did Madelynn and Shannon handle the meeting perfectly - they secured a new partner for the Big Read that I am sure will prove to be very successful! Shannon had less than 20 minutes to prepare and never waivered when I asked her to step in for me. That sort of support means so much when we are all working at full capacity and trying to stay nimble. I am very proud of both of them and grateful that I know they have my back when I need it.

Nominations from Barb

Many thanks to Jeff and Dan who managed the snowfalls this past week by themselves! We really, really appreciate you guys!

Thanks to Amanda for heading to city hall to help mail absentee ballots in time for the primary election!

And thanks to everyone who pitched in and helped the library carry on as usual during my medical leave! I'm back and I can see you all so much better!

Thanks to everyone who's been pitching in so cheerfully moving boxes, picking up loads of masks, and distributing masks to an eager public. Go ahead and wear jeans for the rest of the week in case you're called on to help with some work that might be a little more dirty than normal.
And thanks for being such a terrific team to work with!
Barb

VITA Tax Prep

We will once again host VITA volunteer tax preparation services through the Kenosha County United Way. This year will be a little different, however. People will need to schedule an appointment via the UW website  , then drop off their papers and return when they are notified to do so. The clients won't stay with the tax preparers. Northside and Southwest will serve as drop off and pickup points starting February 1st. UW will start asking appointments on January 24th.

Public Masks and Other Board Meeting News

Hello, Everyone, and Happy Wednesday

As you all know, the Omicron variant is rushing through our staff, with 9 staff members currently on leave with positive test results or symptoms and new cases arising daily. This surge in the pandemic has forced many libraries across the country to restrict their open hours as they struggle to staff their buildings. In this coldest part of the year in Kenosha, it is very important that we try our best to stay open for those who have no warm place to be. The best way we can do this is to decrease exposure by wearing face masks.

This week, I asked all of you to resume wearing masks in staff areas to protect your coworkers. Thank you for doing that! I assure you, it is very comforting to our staff who are trying their best to protect their young children, elderly relatives, or other vulnerable loved ones. 

Some of you have asked me to set a mask mandate for the public. While I have the authority to set policy for staff, any policies that affect the public are are under the authority of the Board. At last evening's Board meeting, we discussed the matter and the Board was extremely supportive of protecting the staff any way they could. But since the question was not on the posted agenda for public review in time, they could not act last night. Instead, the Board approved a plan for KPL to strongly encourage the public to once again wear face masks in all our buildings, posting signage on the front doors, messaging through social media, and writing a letter to the editor asking people for their cooperation. Aaron is designing the signs and they will be distributed to all branches tomorrow. This is a first step to see if we can appeal to the public's concern for their beloved library staff. If we are unsuccessful, the Board is ready to convene an emergency session with proper public notice and vote on a public mask mandate. To be clear, people can still use the library without a face mask until the Board votes to mandate masks. You do not need to argue with anyone or even bring up the matter with potentially hostile patrons.  If anyone asks, we don't have any masks to distribute to the public at this time. We are hoping to be a distribution site for the county health department as soon as they receive their supply from the state. The county has called a meeting for next week to discuss distribution. Michelle and I will attend.

BUILDING IMPROVEMENTS

Many of you are probably wondering when  Collection Services is finally going to move to the old ADS workroom. Unsurprisingly, we have been stymied by repetitive supply chain problems, all in relation to installing new carpet in that room. Yesterday Brandi was able to find a way around these problems and the carpet and installation have been selected and set up. The new carpet should be installed by the end of February, and barring major snowstorms or staff absences, the new tables will be assembled the following week. YFS has a lovely plan in place for using the old Activities Room space for after school teen gatherings and we'll have an extra room for public meetings the rest of the day. It will be wonderful to see everything put together! Thanks to all of you who have been patiently waiting for this transition.

Also at SW, the vinyl flooring in the new books area will be continued back toward the staff cubicles, replacing the worn carpeting on what we're affectionately calling "Main Street."  This new "street" will eventually be lined with a lot more displays to bring the collection toward the front and hopefully in someone's check-out basket. Quick lookup stations will be mounted on the pillars and the reference desk and holds pickup will temporarily be moved back to install the flooring, then moved back into place when the floor is ready for the weight. If all goes well, the floor should be laid in 3-4 days and we can return to normal.

BRIGHT SPOT NOMINATION
Michelle has submitted a Bright Spot nomination this week:
"My bright spot for this week:
I want to recognize Amanda VanSwol and Shawn Wolf for stepping forward for the KPL Wellness Committee. Despite the "unwellness" challenges we have faced the last several weeks, the committee has started and brainstormed some great ideas to complement the City's Wellness R[E]volution initiative. Their energy and creativity is contagious (in a good way). Look for some great things from this group soon! Thank you Amanda and Shawn for inspiring me to see the sunny side of wellness right now!"


And finally, an article about the restorative powers of literature:
"How literature is helping people navigate mental health issues"

Stay well, everyone!

Happy New Year!

First, my heartfelt condolences to Emily, Rosa, and Zander who have all lost loved ones recently. Our hearts are with you.

It's been a trying week for many of you as 12 staff members tested positive for COVID, all at once. For those of you who switched schedules or locations to fill in where needed, thank you so much! Special thanks to Linda who fills in so often, sometimes giving up her day off, just so things will run smoothly. Please reach out to Linda and let her know you appreciate all she does for us! There are many days when I wonder what we would do without her!

DPI and the Wisconsin Workforce Development folks have partnered to promote libraries as support agencies for people needing help with job searches. The marketing campaign is bound to bring people in, so if you work a public service desk, please review the job center resources so we are ready to live up to the promises promoted through the marketing campaign.

Our next board meeting is Tuesday at 5:30pm. We're going back to virtual this month to be safe.

Part time employees have already seen an increase in their weekly paycheck and full time employees will see their raise in next Friday's check. Happy New Year! There's a tremendous amount of work that goes on behind the scenes to make these adjustments. Thanks to Jeremy, Sandy and Michelle for getting all the spreadsheets and employee records updated accurately in time for the new year.

Thanks to everyone who weighed in on a new and improved meeting room policy. We'll get a revised version to the Board for approval in February.

If you attend Board meeting or read the packets, you've heard me talk about the book vending machines going in at the Boys and Girls Club and the YMCA. Both locations have set aside a space right next to the drink and snack machines for maximum visibility. We are waiting on DPI to give us the green light to order, then it will take 6 weeks for the machines to arrive and be installed. I think they're going to be very popular!

We have agreed to be the educational partner with UW Extension to work with teens and guide them toward college or vocational training and a successful life. That program will kick off at SW in April.

We're also partnering with UW Madison and UW Parkside to host an oral history project that will capture the stories of individual and group experiences of Latinx community members. That project will begin at Northside in March.

Bright Spot Nominations for the week:From Patty: "My colleagues and I would like to nominate Jeff Linders for a very well-deserved Bright Spot Award for responding quickly and very professionally to urgent cleaning and sanitizing work in heavily trafficked public areas at Northside Library."


From Barb: I want to express my deep admiration for Phillip and Linda's compassion for the homeless couple at Uptown this week. You both embody the meaning of Public Service and I am proud to work with you.



Stay warm and healthy, Everyone!
Barb