Yes, we make a difference, sometimes we even change someone's life

Zander shares this touching story from a patron interaction reported by Amy Rae this week that reminds us all we are a lifeline for so many people in our community! Next time you need inspiration to come to work (yes, we all feel like that sometimes), remember this story.

"Patron is currently living in long-stay motels with her infant daughter and has to move to a motel without WIFI. She said that someone told her that the library checks out hot spots, and that she wanted to know if that was a real thing. I confirmed that it was, and she began to cry. I placed her on hold (gently) and came back to let her know she could check out a laptop and hotspot at any of her libraries. I told her to ask for the Chromebook and hotspot kit at the checkout desk. She thanked me profusely and let me know that I'd just made her day. arw 02.16.22"
The availability of these is making a difference.

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If you are carrying student loans, and you don't know about the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, I highly encourage you to look into it. Working for KPL means you get credit toward loan forgiveness. There are lots of rules, and the process is tedious, but with 10 total years of FT public service, you can wipe out any balances left on your student loans. The rules have been somewhat relaxed for a limited time including the rules for what loans qualify, so take a look.

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We have a couple of job opportunities available, one for a Branch Manager and one for a CSS. You are encouraged to apply!

This week's Bright Spot Awards from Barb:

• The election day staff at SW. Thanks to Amy, Gina, and Lisa for starting their day at 7am, and for the fun crew that worked with me till close (Jessica, Alex, Catie, Rosa). A special nod to Alex who gave a young patron superb service that evening trying to track down an elusive hold. 
• Jennifer and her team for putting together  terrific lineup of programming for the Who Gets to Vote series starting March 1st.

Bright Spot Awards from Amy Rae:
I'd like to nominate Hilary, Jessica, and Linda for a Bright Spot. When families came in to pick up a Grab & Gather box that wasn't quite ready, Hilary and Jessica leapt into action to figure out what happened. (Linda was ill all week and thus unable to put it together.) Not only did they call around in search of information while I covered the desk, Jessica volunteered to call families and let them know that their boxes would be ready soon-but-not-yet, and Hilary put the reserved boxes together based on instructions Linda gave us from home. I haven't been in YFS long, but I can tell that my colleagues' all-in-a-day's-work attitudes towards problem-solving are something special - and I know our patrons appreciated the effort they put in today.

Bright Spot Award from Jeremy:
I would like to nominate Sandy for a Bright Spot. Being the perpetual team player, she was out at 8:00 shoveling a pathway in the parking lot to help the maintenance people out!