THREE STAFFS CELEBRATE GREAT SERVICE MILESTONES IN FIRST QUARTER OF FY2010

In December, Kathy Johnson, Library Assistant, Bradham Brooks Northwest Branch Library, (2nd from R), completed 30 years of service with City/JPL and received her pin from Mayor Peyton. Michael Sullivan, Administrative Supervisor (L), & Carolyn Williams, Deputy Director, joined in the ceremony .

In November, Deborah Daniels & Naomi Bryant, both Library Assistants in Tech Services Cataloging, SST, received their pins for 35 years of service to City/JPL! CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU!

Talking Books/Special Needs Increases Efficiency

This article was contributed by Jerry Reynolds, Librarian Sr.:

Talking Books/Special Needs highlights two areas of increased efficiency: The first is the digital book format. The case is thinner which allows for more copies to be housed in a given space than the thicker cases that house tapes. Additionally, one cartridge can hold as much content as several tapes meaning that, no matter what the length is of the vast majority of books, we need deal with only one cartridge instead of multiple tapes.

The second is the use of volunteers. We now average 12 – 15 volunteers in any given month and our plans are to increase this number. Without these volunteers, it would be impossible for us to accomplish the outreach activities and other programming that we have been so successful in sustaining. We are deeply grateful for their many efforts.

Kudos from Customers

Brentwood - Staffs (Gloria Armstrong, Margaret Miles, and Trudy Hill) are the most helpful people... They are never rude, always greet me with a smile and never lose my returned books. …Thank you to ALL of them.

Main – 2ND Floor Reference: I am a senior person who cannot visit your library. The following comments are about Theresa Rooney: She is patience personified and a valuable asset to your library. Accolades to you and your entire staff. Thanks!

Main – Teen Department: I really appreciate the work and dedication put in by all the staff here at the Main Library, especially in the Teen Department. I commend Alissa (Leonard), Kelly (Likins), Mia (Clark)…. I respect them all for the awesome work they do … keeping us teens in order (mostly me).Thanks you guys.

South Mandarin - The male librarian (David Foster) in the children's section is absolutely wonderful!!! He always remembers our family including names (Wow - I have 5 kids). He is so friendly and helpful.

Willowbranch: Isabel (Pierre) and Julie (Lipschutz) in the children's library are wonderful both in expertise and personality. Because of them, my daughter has a love for the library. It is the highlight of our week.

Program at Mandarin Middle School Draws 220!

Donald Carpenter, Library Associate at Mandarin Branch Library, contributed this article. He has been successful in his outreach to Mandarin Middle School children by researching and helping them with a specific project, and he has acquainted them with JPL resources and programs:

How do you get 220 kids into an auditorium for a library program? Ask!

I attend School Advisory Committee meetings regularly at three public schools assigned to me by JPL, so the principals and teachers are acquainted with me. At every meeting, I talk about upcoming JPL programs and ask if there’s anything I can do to work with the schools. I also wrote a letter showing what the library provided (based on an example from Keli Likins) and asked that it be sent to all of the teachers.

In late September, I was asked by Khaki Hager, a history teacher at Mandarin Middle School, to do a presentation that would help the kids prepare for the National History Day Contest. The presentation was initially for a small group but the numbers continued to grow. I researched what was required to win the contest and came up with a three part program.

The first part was “Styles of Note Taking, or How to Stay Awake in Class”. This program was a simple Power Point showing three note taking techniques: outlining, mapping, and charting. The second part was a discussion on the requirements to win the essay portion of the National History Day Contest, which is the way the vast majority of the kids were entering this contest. I also included a single page handout with simple bibliographic examples for the kids. The third part, presented by Jeff Geiger, Librarian, was a Power Point showing the various databases available through JPL.

About a week after the presentation, I received a large packet from Ms. Hager. It contained thank-you notes from all 220 kids. I’m not vain enough to think that this was their idea, but by reading the notes, I could see that all three presentations were well received by the kids and that they had actually listened!

Now for the important part: what would I do differently? Believe it or not, the notes from the kids contained some good, positive criticism. (I told them at the start that I’d never done this before.):

1) Don’t talk so fast.
OK, I got a little excited, but it also took about 20 minutes to get the kids settled in. If this happens again, I will cut the program short rather than try to squeeze everything in.

2) Include audience participation.
This would help the kids get more involved.

Now that I’ve done this, I look forward to repeating the presentations and will improve them with time and practice. If anyone is planning something similar, please feel free to ask for help. Asking for help was one thing I’m sure I did right.

Below are some quotes from students’ thank-you notes to Don Carpenter’s presentation:

“Thanks for that amazing speech about the history fair and the note taking…”

“I want to thank you for your effort and your time to inform me about the history fair. I did learn new things and I think you did a great job…”

“Thank you for coming down to my school. You have taught me about doing different things. I did not know that the library had all those features, especially the ask the librarian part.”

Facilities Management & Planning - Maximizing Efficiencies in Difficult Economic Times

The Facilities Management and Planning group is taking a closer look at internal processes to ensure we maximize efficiencies in FY 2010. In our effort to reduce operational costs, we adopted a new strategy in delivering custodial services to JPL facilities. In October 2009, we switched from nighttime janitorial cleaning to daytime cleaning at all 21 branches and eliminated hourly day porters at 13 locations. The reduction in services will save JPL $312,000 annually, while enabling staff to closely monitor daily cleaning activities. Branch managers are reporting that the change has resulted in improved cleaning of their facilities. Another benefit of the daytime switch is the reduction of contract security staff at the Main Library saving JPL an additional $16,000.

Recently we continued our efforts to promote sustainable building practices by installing 19 electric hand dryers in public and staff restrooms at the Main library. Thirty five additional hand dryers are slated to be installed in upcoming months at AR, CW, DU, KR, NW and WBK. Once completed, paper towels will be removed from public and staff restrooms, reducing consumable paper products at those locations. We expect to see significant savings as a result of the decrease in paper towel orders.

In other exciting ‘sustainable’ news, the Facilities Management and Planning group established a partnership between JPL and the North Florida Chapter of the US Green Building Council to promote residential green building practices. The USGBC will hold workshops at seven library locations beginning January 14th at SOM. The workshops will provide information on advantages and incentives for local home-owners to build ‘green’, or remodel their homes with energy efficient products and appliances. Promotional flyers and posters were distributed to the branches to stimulate workshop attendance. Please visit http://greenjpl.wordpress.com/ for more information.

As we are continuously challenged to do more with less, FMP staff will keep working with vendors throughout the year to find cost-effective solutions for delivering services while ensuring that customer and staff needs are met.

Holmes & Smith Enable Others to Act

One of the key ingredients to enabling others to act is to get to know your co-workers. Kate Holmes and Frank Smith use a classic instrument for lubricating conversation: FOOD. Watch the latest One-minute Video Story to learn how they Enable Others to Act and Encourage the Heart.

(To play properly, you may need to click Play [>], then click the Pause button, give it a minute to pre-load, then check back and click Play [>] again.)

Everyone knows someone who models the way, inspires a shared vision, challenges the process, enables others to act, and/or encourages the heart. If you have a story to share, we'd love to hear it. Please contact jpltraining@coj.net.

p.s. If you missed previous video stories, simply click the arrow on the left side of the screen to see previous ones.

The Blah, Blah, Blah Blog

The Blah, Blah, Blah Blog

Click the link above to see NEFLIN congratulations to Barbara Gubbin!

Last Call -- FLA Poster Sessions

JPL has some of the most creative staff with some of the most successful projects and programs in the state. The Poster Sessions at the Florida Library Association's Annual Conference (April 7-9 in Orlando) is a great way to share our experiences with others.

The deadline to apply is fast approaching so please read this message if you are interested:

Poster sessions may cover an array of topics such as reports on library
projects and programs, research studies, trends, and problem analysis.
Presenters create high quality visual material to cover a 4 foot by 8 foot area
and will be present to discuss their poster session with other conference
attendees during a pre-assigned time slot.

For more information, tips, and examples see http://www.flalib.org/conference_2010.php and click on Poster Session - Information, or click Online Application to apply.

The deadline is Friday, January 22, 2010.

Any questions please contact patty@neflin.org.

Patricia Morris
Chair, FLA Continuing Education Committee

Center for Adult Learning's Sharon Jaskula Shares Plans for Efficient Department

The Center for Adult Learning is managing and conserving resources in a variety of ways. A few years ago, all literacy students were given consumable workbooks and other materials free of charge when they enrolled in the program. As the program grew, this became too costly. Today, each CAL location has a “classroom set” of materials that are used (and reused) on site. Students are given ISBN numbers and ordering information if they want to purchase personal, consumable copies of materials directly from the publisher.

CAL also strives every year to secure grant funding for staffing, equipment, and materials that will enhance adult literacy services. An LSTA grant currently supports two full-time Special Purpose Employees who train tutors and instruct students. We are also constantly recruiting and training volunteer instructors to help serve more students - not an easy feat since CAL volunteers are asked to consistently commit at least 3-6 hours per week for a minimum of six months. We have recently established a relationship with the Florida Coastal School of Law that will provide up to four interns each week to help with testing, tutoring, and front desk coverage. These interns are scheduled to begin later in January.

Even small things can add up to big savings. CAL used grant funds to purchase an ELMO digital presenter and projector. Having this equipment allows CAL staff to train literacy tutors around the state without having to prepare/photocopy hard copies of manuals and student materials. Trainees leave with a CD of materials (to print as needed) rather than hundreds of pages of paper provided by JPL. We are working to reduce travel expenses as well by developing online tutor-training with the help of Richard Mott and Kate Holmes.

No dollars are well-spent if they fail to meet the needs of the customer. While CAL can’t be all things to all people, we have developed relationships within the community that keep us abreast of service trends and unmet needs. For example, our community college’s transition to a state college has eliminated many courses for lower-level readers. CAL staff researched the educational requirements for new G.E.D. and vocational programs at the college and now help adult learners reach those specific targets. Knowing whether or not other agencies are providing a service prevents duplication and allows us to direct resources where they are most needed.

In these times, we are all struggling with limited resources. CAL is proud to be part of the Library’s effort to provide a lifeline to another adult literacy provider, Learn to Read, Inc., the city’s oldest and largest provider of one-to-one tutoring for adults. JPL administrators, board members and Learn to Read are currently exploring the possibility of temporarily sharing space to ensure the continued survival of that organization. In my opinion, these efforts define what it means to be good stewards of JPL assets, sharing existing resources and maximizing their benefit to the community.

Staff Profile

Belinda Campbell, Library Assistant in Support Services, was recognized as Employee of the Quarter and congratulated by Chair Mark Wood and Director Barbara Gubbin in the November Library Board of Trustees meeting. Ms. Campbell, who has worked for the Jacksonville Public Library for 38 years, was presented with tokens of appreciation.

Q: You have been with the City/JPL a long time. What has kept your interest in working for JPL?

A: My longevity with JPL is because of the relationship I had with my coworkers in the Art and Music Department for over 30 years; we worked and played as a family. Over the past five years or so I have worked as a copy cataloger in Support Services and I like my work and I thank God for the friends I have made.

Q: You have a reputation of being diligent, thorough, and positive and a quick learner. How have these characteristics helped you through the years?

A: Having a positive attitude is the key to achieving everything.

Q: You enable your colleagues to perform their jobs better by providing work-related information and instruction. Why do you consistently take time to do this?

A: If there is a need, I am willing to assist. I believe in treating people the way I would want to be treated.

Q: What is something that most people don’t know about you?

A: I Love Football.

Q: Who is your favorite author or book and why?

A: Lately, I’ve been reading lots of children’s books, such as SpongeBob, Thomas the Builder, and Dora the Explorer. I have a seven-year-old grandson and we read together. I read to him or he reads to me, which is a joy!