, won the third quarter Model the Way and Employee of the Quarter awards--and for no small accomplishments. Both Jane Harris, WST's Branch Manager, and Ron Block, Circulation Services Coordinator, recognized her proficiency in cash handling procedures and asked Marilyn to illustrate them to JPL employees who need training in balancing accounts for all monetary transactions.Ron Block asked her to illustrate and explain her cash handling procedures, processes, procedures and financial paper work to City auditors. She was appointed chair of the Cash Handling Committee and worked diligently to develop written procedures that can be clearly and accurately conveyed to library personnel. Marilyn has trained all WST staff and those from other JPL locations in reading and correlating audit reports with daily financial statements, but let's hear the story in Marilyn Jordan's own words:
Q: You saw a need for JPL staff to have a uniform way to account for monetary transactions. How did you propose to solve this need and get supervisory approval to use your cash handling methods?
A: I was approached by a member of JPL Administration and asked to work on a team with other JPL employees, both from Public Service and JPL Finance, plus team members from ASD to create a uniform way of handling money at all JPL libraries. The team members--Charlene Ovshak, Donna Crowther, Cindy Chism, Bill Schaefer, Renee Frederick, Mary Namala--and I worked very hard to create a JPL cash handling manual that was manageable and would account for all the ways that the library is unique as a City agency. We also made sure that our manual was in line with the City's cash handling policy.
Q: Did you write cash handling procedures "from scratch" for JPL based on City cash handling policy, or revise procedures that were already in place?
A: We used the old JPL cash handling manual as a guideline. After we revised and added everything we thought was pertinent we compared our proposed manual to the City's cash handling manual to make sure we were not violating any City policy. We had to make some changes and additions; overall, however, we streamlined what was already in place.
The biggest challenge we faced was writing VCA and copier procedures. From Bil Schaefer we realized the old copier form we had always filled out really did not tell us what we needed to know. Bill created a new copier log form and instruction guide that makes copier collection much easier.
Q: What advice, if any, did the City auditors have for your proposed guidelines?
A: The auditors advised us that our manual should be in sync with the City's cash handling manual and to be sure we had policies in place that would ensure that we are good stewards of the taxpayer's money.
We implemented checks and balances on all cash handling duties so JPL staff can see at a glance if there is a problem. The new copier log sheet, the VCA report, and the daily audit are some of the tools provided to help employees with daily cash handling responsibilities.
Q: Which branch employees have you trained in cash handling and do you plan to continue this training for JPL?
A: I have worked with all of the reference staff at West Regional on proper cash handling. I've also worked with employees from several other branches on general cash handling duties and how to use the daily audit as a tool to see if your money is really balanced. I am a huge proponent of consistency throughout the system, so if I am asked to provide training, I will be happy to comply. Employees I have worked with thus far seem to have benefited from the training I have provided.
Q: Who is your favorite author and why?
A: My favorite author is Janet Evanovich because she makes me laugh out loud. When I'm reading her books I always have a smile on my face.
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