It just keeps getting cuter

 

The furniture is installed! The car is here! 

Tomorrow we will get 15+ volunteers to stuff backpacks for the grand opening and property mark all those little pieces and parts in the toy collections. 

Amid all this happy news, we had some tragic news. Our hearts go out to Dan who lost his father this week. Many thanks, as always, to Jason for filling in as the department lead during Dan's absence.

I'll be out of the library on Monday. Brandi will be in, so she is in charge. Have a lovely sunny weekend, everyone!

News for the week

Here's what's happening:

Many of you know Atifa Robinson, our Library Board Vice President. Atifa has been hired as the first Director for the Kenosha Emerging Leaders Academy, our neighbor at the new kids library. We'll be working closely with Atifa to make sure kids of multiple ages get the most from both of our facilities.

The furniture has arrived for the new kids library and there is so much of it that it will take the installers till the end of next week to assemble it all. Furniture includes the car structure kids can play on, learning panels, a learning desk, the tree branches, and the flying geese mobile.

Shelving is also being installed and we'll welcome a United Way volunteer team to load the shelves with the books we've purchased on Saturday, June 1st.

The job ad for a new Director is now live! We will be accepting applications through July 7th and interviews will be scheduled late summer. Brandi will be your Interim Director after my last day, August 2nd.

We didn't get a quorum for out previously scheduled May board meeting, so we've scheduled a make-up meeting this coming Tuesday at SW in the story time room, 5:30pm. Everyone is welcome.

The KPL Summer  Program kickoff event is next Friday in the SW parking lot , 6-9pm with a pop-up book sale included. Should be a great time!

New Bright Spots

From Jennifer:

First and foremost, I want to thank the Northside team who stretched every which way for two maternity leaves. 3 months can feel like ages when things feel off-kilter, and they've done such a wonderful job. I also want to especially call out Patty and Janet, as I've heard now from multiple people about how they stepped up their leadership in my absence.

Secondly, I want to thank everyone who helped support the Northside team in my absence! It can be a lot to ask someone to switch up their schedules in weird ways, especially when it also includes going into a space with people they aren't used to working so closely with and in a space they are less familiar with. 

Thank you to Michelle who has been flexing those HR muscles! Both in helping me to navigate the craziness of FMLA, and in taking the time to be a presence for my team in my absence. 

Thank you to Tessa and Hilary! I'm typically unable to attend Storytimes because they are scheduled during my work hours, but it was such a joy to be able to see you both in your element when I had the opportunity to bring Parker to attend. Not to mention you both tuckered him out and gave me some excellent baby naps to enjoy!

Thank you also to Marcia, who led such a kind welcome back and offered so much support this week while I have navigated the anxieties of leaving a fresh little one with other caregivers.