JPL Leadership Awards Made At Board Meeting

Director Tim Rogers and Library Board Chair Carlo Fassi had the pleasure of awarding JB's Terry Welch (in absentia) with an Inspiring A Shared Vision Leadership Award and Employee of the Quarter Award at the Board meeting, February 20, 2020.

Library Clerk Terry is often heard saying, "Fifteen years later and this is still my dream job!"  What promulgates that remark? She is an author aficionado who LOVES connecting authors with readers. Terry has coordinated author visits in person and via SKYPE at JB's monthly Flamingo Book Club for years and has set up programs with publishers such as Random House. 

Last November Terry coordinated the first "Beaches Reader Fest" with the help of the branch manager, Friends of JB, volunteers, and JPL staff.  Sixteen local authors set up tables in JB and gave readings from their books.  Cassandra King-Conroy (with whom Terry is pictured above), widow of author Pat Conroy, was the keynote speaker to an audience of 145 avid readers. Terry gave out "Reads Well with Others" totes, which included new books she received as donations. 

WHEW! And all of this Terry Welch accomplished in addition to her regular duties. 




Director Tim Rogers and BOLT Chair Carlo Fassi flank Main Library Assistant Paul Schaffner, who won the Modeling the Way Leadership Award.

Paul goes beyond what is expected in achieving goals set for the team in Main's Grand Reading Room. One specific goal is for the five members of the GRR staff to achieve 15 check-outs a week. Every week, Paul doubles, triples, or even quadruples that goal. In October, he finished with an astonishing 209 confirmed check-outs! In one week alone, he had an incredible 63 confirmed check-outs. Paul is not interested in just achieving high numbers; he masterfully promotes materials to customers while he gets all those check-outs. He truly makes a difference in people's lives. Customers even come in and ask for him by name. They appreciate the fact that Paul goes all over the building to grab books for them. His above-and-beyond performance has not gone unnoticed by anyone working at the Main Library. For this, he received the Modeling the Way Award. 

CONGRATULATIONS AND THREE CHEERS TO BOTH OF YOU.  We are proud to serve with you.

Go 365 Bet Won By JPL

Manager of Strategic Initiatives Richard Mott has a lot to brag about concerning Go365 participation he has encouraged JPL staff to accomplish and proudly shares this photo saying, "The person in the skunk mascot costume ("Stripe") is the Neighborhoods Department Director Stephanie Burch.  She wore Stripe to the Neighborhoods Annual Staff Day, December 3, 2018, to make good on the bet between her and Director Tim Rogers and congratulated JPL on having more staff receive more biometric screenings this year for Go365 than Neighborhoods."

 

CONGRATS TO ALL JPL PARTICIPANTS!  As you see, Director Rogers was well pleased with your Go365 goal having been met.

BIG THANKS from Julie Rekow

Julie Rekow gives credit to bosses and colleagues for her being awarded as the NEFLIN Member of the Year, "The reason for the award, I believe, is because JPL has given me opportunities to push the envelope and develop programs and projects that I am passionate about. I want to give a special thank you to Tamera Branam, Theresa Rooney, Sara Roberts, Rebekah Mitchell, Hongying Song, and Michael Sullivan for giving me a green light when it would have been easier to say no and to Terry Welch and the gang at the Beaches Library for being partners, and Mandy Elliott who is always there when I need her. Having the support of Tim Rogers and Julie McNeil to keep on trying new things and do it better has been golden. This has been quite an honor to receive this recognition from NEFLIN."

Winners All!

Library Director Tim Rogers (above) was proud to accept the Golden Apple Award at NEFLIN's (Northeast Florida Library Information Network) annual meeting and awards ceremony, September 14, 2018.  The award represents the member with the most staff training hours taken during the year. 

Beaches Branch YS Librarian Julie Rekow (L) was named NEFLIN Member of the Year.  She was recognized for helping her library attract new customers with its annual Comic Con, which put the library in the spotlight, bringing in people who might not otherwise visit a library.  Begun in 2013, the attendance was over 2,000 in May 2018.  (Comic Con is so popular that two other libraries now have one.)  

Julie and Fletcher High School honors art students created a Harry Potter themed lifeguard chair for the Beaches annual Deck the Chairs holiday event/contest.  The chair won community recognition.  She developed the Harry Potter Yule Ball and a six week Harry Potter Boot Camp series, which tweens and teens attended by the hundreds. 

Founder and Chair of the Friends of the Brentwood Library, Sharon Coon won the NEFLIN Champion of the Year award.  It was noted she demonstrated exceptional support for JPL.  She helped organize and unite the JPL Friends Advocacy Group--comprised of nine groups--that successfully advocate for library funding.  (Sharon Coon was also honored with the Florida Library Association's Outstanding Citizen Award in May 2018.)

JPL Wins Honorable Mention In Deck The Chair Contest

CR&M Manager Chris Boivin sent these pictures of the Deck the Chair contest held December 10, 2017, at Jax Beach in which JPL won Honorable Mention, along with four other entries, with its Harry Potter Chair.  At top is the Singing Palm Trees, which won Best of Show; at bottom L/R: Treehouse Chair (Gold Ribbon); Holiday Fishing Bear (Blue Ribbon); and Little Chapel School House (Red Ribbon).  Ballots were distributed to visitors of the JBDTC on two weekend nights and winners were chosen from more than 100 votes that were cast.

Library Board Recognizes Employee Of The Quarter & Leadership Award Winners

The Jacksonville Public Library Board of Trustees recognized the following outstanding employees at their November 9, 2017 meeting.  Winners, if pictured, are flanked by Interim Director Jennifer Giltrop and Library Board Chair Ronnie King:

Main's Tamethia Billings was nominated by POP Librarian II Mia Clark for a Model the Way Award and subsequently won the Employee of the Quarter Award for the last quarter of 2017 (July-September).  Mia hailed Tamethia as "an employee who is aware that a smile is the best accessory, and shares it with customers and staff alike. She is encouraging, understanding, and supportive, treating each customer and staff member with respect. She also shows strong leadership skills when her supervisor is away from the department, often acting on issues, answering questions in a constructive and positive way.  Tammy has received several compliments from customers through Counting Opinions. One customer wrote 'Received excellent customer service from Tammy when I got my new library card.'"   

Nominated by Deputy Director Mark Merritt, Michael Sullivan received the Model the Way Award.  Mark said, "On August 8, 2017, Michael was thrust into the position of Assistant Director for Facilities Management and Planning. Michael calmly took stock of his new responsibilities. Once he was in place he faced the immediate issue of the remodeling of Brentwood Library. Michael ensured that an up-to-date and accurate project plan was put in place. Then, working with branch and Facilities staff, he overcame several issues as this project continued into September. In early September, along came Hurricane Irma Michael was now working daily at the EOC, communicating the progress of the storm and working with JPL staff to get ready. Once the storm hit, Michael worked with other senior staff to deploy JPL staff to POD training and to several PODs as requested by the City. This was the first time in our history that PODs were deployed, so Michael broke new ground here! Michael was front and center in the post Hurricane Irma building assessments and spent considerable time visiting branches to check for issues, as well as working with Public Works and Public Buildings to ensure they knew what the library needed in order to function. Michael worked seamlessly with the in-place facilities staff and they responded to Michael’s leadership by doing everything they could to support the Department as well as JPL."

Model the Way/Carolyn Williams Team Award went to Amanda Whaley (pictured 2nd from left beside Interim Director Jennifer Giltrop, then: Stephanie Boilard, James "Jay" Brasfield, Amanda Whaley, Anthony Villareal, Corey Scott, Joanna Nigrelli, and Stephanie Boilard.  Also awarded but not present: Nancy Swaine, Greg Royce, Sara Radovic, Don Carpenter, Nancy Swaine and Gary Ammons. Main's POP Librarian III Kathleen Brunner said, "Saturday, August 29, 2017, is a day that will live in infamy at Main. The gate count count was 2,625 for that day when Main's average for a Saturday is around 1.600. The gate count was mostly due to the high number of people who came hoping to get eclipse glasses. Main's eclipse program was one of the last  scheduled in the system and we had 185 sets to give away. We had to design a system of distribution that was fair as to who could participate in the program and be eligible to receive the glasses. So our staff worked for hours before, setting up stations all around the edge of the Makerspace to direct people who wanted to participate. We saw a need and took initiative to solve a problem before it happened. Throughout the day, we talked to customers, listened to their concerns, and tried to make waiting a little easier. We passed out library card applications, and after verifying the info on the ID’s, we brought the ID’s and applications to CIRC employees, who then processed them. Then staff brought the new library cards back to the customers.  At the end of the event, several customers thanked us for the efficient manner in which the event was handled and told us that we had done a great job."

SS's Crystal Kadkhodaie (not pictured) was nominated by Teen Librarian II Kevin Douglas, who says, "Crystal consistently puts forth a great deal of effort and determination in regards to her story time programs. Her efforts have not only produced noteworthy programs, they have earned her the praise of many parents whose children attend story time. For example, on August 8, San Marco Branch received a customer comment praising Crystal for the positive influence on her daughter at story time. Modeling the Way for Crystal is providing outstanding customer service."

AYL Manager Kristi Dorney, who nominated Kimberly Bennett  for a Model the Way Award said, "Kim stepped up to cover the summer teen learning program after our teen associate quit. As Kim had only seen Harry Potter movies, she  read the entire series of books before summer. Kim created many props for the Dumbledor’s Army program series. She created 'potion' bottles, Dolores Umbridge’s cate plates, a Dementor and a Monster Book of Monsters. She changed the week 3 craft from flying keys to Monster Book of Monsters. She brought in snacks each week and for the final program, she made Harry Potter food (troll boogies, cockroach clusters, cauldron cakes, etc.) She took a good program and made it great. Each week, participants eagerly awaited the time to go in for the program. One child had no interest in the program until she saw Kim making wands for participants. The little girl attended all six programs. One child had never read a Harry Potter book but started reading them because of the program. Parents who observed the program have been giving Kim high praises. It has been requested that a family version of the program be presented because of this high quality program. Staff has also been impressed by all the props and activities Kim created and/or contributed to the program." 

KR's Margo Crafton, was nominated for a Model the Way Award by KR Branch Manager Mark Hohnadel. Mark credited Margo with "greatly improving the number and quality of adult programming at KR. Adult programs are up 32% this year and average attendance increased from 5.78 last year to 6.80 this year. Margo has done a fantastic job planning quality diverse programs that provide a great experience. For example, Mandarin hosted local author Mark Woods, who talked about his new book Lassoing the Sun, creating an opportunity for customers to connect with a local author and share their experiences. Another successful program featured a community expert who presented a program on Indian spices that are used in cooking and for medical needs. Attendees learned about different spices and had a chance to taste some recipes featuring authentic Indian cuisine.

Laura Minor (not pictured), who works in Special Collections, was nominated by former Librarian I Martha Smith, said, "The Special Collections Department received a bust created by local artist Augusta Savage. The piece (title unknown) had been at Graham Branch for several years when it was decided that it would be relocated to Special Collections and displayed as the work of art it is. Since the Cummer has works by Augusta Savage, Laura worked with their current and former staff to determine the best way to display the piece. She worked with two contractors recommended by the Cummer on the construction of the display box, as well as the installation.This included calling back the installer three days before the unveiling when she noticed a shadow caused by fingerprints inside the case. Laura also worked with CR&M on the wording of accompanying signage and with the Conference Center and Facilities on set up. There were numerous details and moving parts to coordinate that entailed working with other people inside and outside JPL to complete arrangements for the unveiling ceremony. Laura’s attention to detail and perseverance resulted in a beautiful and fitting display for a grand unveiling of this important Savage sculpture." 

AR's Becky Hatfield was nominated by Library Associate Lauren Lazar, for being "one of the most supportive and uplifting staff members at Regency Square Branch.  She develops relationships with all the kids, principals and teachers she talks to--inside the library and in outreaches. Becky thrives on creativity and teamwork, suggesting little things to do to bring the branch together, such as a candy making team building day at Sweet-Pete’s, Karaoke nights and Escape Rooms. She is constantly praising and telling those around her how good they are doing at their jobs, both in public and private and how much she appreciates them. Becky also talks about things we can do in the future to make the library a better place. For the kids, she wants to showcase their work so they feel a sense of ownership in coming to the library and are proud of what they’ve done. Becky is one of the best people you could work for and with. "

JPL Leadership Awards At Board Meeting, 8/10/17

The quarterly JPL Leadership Awards were presented at the JPL Board of Directors meeting at the Main Library, August 10, 2017.  Congratulations to all of our winners:

Shown above, flanked by Interim Director Jennifer Giltrop and Library Board Chair Ronnie King, JB Library Clerk Terry Welch receives two awards.

Winner of both the Challenge the Process and Employee of the Quarter Awards, JB's Terry Welch (above) regularly finds creative ways to engage customers in conversation about what they are reading and watching. The most notable example occurred when Dave Barry was Skyped at JB for 91 book lovers as he reviewed his latest book, Best.State.Ever.  

Above L/R former JPL Deputy Director Carolyn Williams, for whom the team award is named; Interim Library Director Jennifer Giltrop, Foundation Development Director Dr. Jamie Self; YS Librarian III Rebekah Mitchell, behind her: Coordinator of Lifelong Learning & Community Engagement Lisa Buggs, Library Clerk Terry Welch, Manager of YS&CO Amber Holley, SE Region Manager Keli Likins, Interim Assistant Director, Facilities Michael Sullivan, and CR&M Manager Chris Boivin.

This was the first presentation of the Carolyn Williams Team Award: Challenge the Process. The award winning team is pictured above (not pictured are Urban Librarian IV Stephanie Miller and CR&M Coordinator Olga Bayer and Graphics Artist Bryan Thomas.) These employees worked tirelessly to make this year's Jax Book Fest a success. Amber focused on recruiting youth authors, working with Stephanie and Rebekah; Lisa focused on recruiting adult authors. Keli was project manager, coordinating the event and she worked with Chris, Bryan and Olga.  Michael worked with Keli coordinating zine programming in Makerspace and with Terry, who pulled together gift items and baskets. On the Foundation's end, Dr. Self did the honors.   

Below are pictured recipients of the Carolyn Williams Team Award: Model the Way.  (Not pictured are PCR's Library Assistant Siu Yam, P/T Clerks Illesa Massline, Arlin Estes and Kristina Mikhedok, P/T Associate Shirley Holcomb.  Stephanie Harley received their awards for them.)                        

 L/R above: Carolyn Williams, P/T Associate Nicole Denton, receiving for absent winners: Library Clerical Supervisor Stephanie Harley, P/T Clerk Alicia Dottery, and Library Clerks Danielle Linnen and Kimberly Washington, then Interim Director Jennifer Giltrop.
At Pablo Creek’s June Turn it Up Thursday event, this "human jukebox" group chose four songs, created props, and set up a table in the lobby. If a customer agreed to make a donation to the High Five for Reading program, the group sang whichever song the customer chose.  

Nicolle Burton, Assistant to the Deputy Director, coordinated the Volunteer Recognition Program held at the Board Meeting during National Library Week, liaising with a wide range of parties. In her absence, Nicolle's Encourage the Heart Award was received by Andrew Herron. 

CW's Library Assistant Dana Curry (not pictured) created posters, characters and displays for the library’s Comic Con, going the tenth mile to ensure the project looked its best.  For this Dana received the Model the Way Award.

More Accolades For Library Director Barbara Gubbin

Director Barbara Gubbin recently received  a bouquet of spring flowers, along with the Folio edition acknowledging her being named the winner of ALA's 2017 Ernest A. DiMattia, Jr. Award for Innovation and Service to Community and Profession. She will be presented the award in June in Chicago. 

CONGRATULATIONS, DIRECTOR GUBBIN, FROM ALL OF US!

NS Honors Chess Club Participants

The Brentwood Branch Library and the Friends of Brentwood Library hosted the Brentwood Bishop Honors, February 11, 2017,   This was an awards ceremony to recognize all active participants of the Chess Club.  Billy Allen reports, "The event was a huge success and we hosted over 50 people including chess club members and families."

Pictured (L/R) are David Stevenson, Part-time Library Clerk, Jeanette Ali, who is on the board of FOBL and assisted with the awards, and Billy Allen, YS Librarian I.  Ms. Ali holds a beautiful plant NS staff gave her in appreciation of her assistance with the awards. 

JPL Board of Trustees Honors JPL Leadership Award Winners

For the 3rd quarter, JPL's Katie Guarino, Library Associate in the Main Library's Teen department, was approached by Region Manager Michael Sullivan about a Young Adult Job Fair.  For five months of meetings and community contacts, Katie led the charge, resulting in a job fair with 1070 teens and 29 vendors participating.  For this, she received the Inspired a Shared Vision Award.  She is also JPL's Employee of the Quarter and Katie and other employees named below were honored by the JPL Board of Trustees at their August 8, 2016 meeting.  Read explanations of these staffs' accomplishments in JPL Neighborhood; look in the blue menu at left of page and click on Awards.

Challenge the Process:  Shirdella Grouix; David Stevenson
Enable Others to Act:  Greg Pierce; Julie Rekow
Inspired a Shared Vision:  Katie Guarino; Alison McCarty
Model the Way:  Erin Tuzner and Kathy Tekin

Congratulations to all of you from all of us!

JPL Leadership Award Winners Honored

The Library new Board Chair (right) and Director Gubbin congratulated winners of the JPL Leadership Awards at the Board's November 9, 2016 meeting. PCR  Manager Jackie Spiritas, center below, won the Challenge the Process Award and subsequently the Employee of the Quarter Award.  Jackie won her awards for her successful Turn It UP Thursday programs that bring together not only customers but also different organizations, businesses and other City departments. PCR started with about 40 in attendance and now about 200 attend this popular third Thursday monthly program.

Other winners who received JPL Leadership Awards were:

Challenge the Process: Charlene Ovshak, Katie Bark, and as mentioned, Jackie Spiritas.
Inspire a Shared Vision:  Lynne Baldwin, Greg Royce, James "Jay" Brasfield, and Ryan Fix.
Enable Others to Act: Justin Keiser.
Model the Way: Linda Eckerson.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF YOU FROM ALL OF US!

JPL Scores Wins At NEFLIN Awards Ceremony

JPL was well represented at NEFLIN's (Northeast Florida Library Information Network) annual meeting, September 23, 2016, at the Thrasher-Horne Conference Center in Orange Park.  Lasting most of the day, a good lunch was served with a gold rimmed NEFLIN 2016 Olympic plate as the centerpiece on each table.  Awards were presented by NEFLIN's Executive Director Brad Ward.

To celebrate unity as an organization, everyone who registered received a pair of red Converse All Stars tennis shoes with NEFLIN embroidered on the sides.

JPL's Manager of Strategic Initiatives Richard Mott is President of the NEFLIN Board.  He introduced new and retiring board members and announced all of the winners and Olympic Game participants.

Library Director Barbara Gubbin, pictured below with Brad Ward, received the Innovation Award for the Student Library Card Initiative.


JPL's Manager of YS & CO Amber Holley won the Member of the Year Award for her excellent management of the Student Library Card Initiative.

JPL's Bibliographic Systems & Access Manager Lynn Jacobson was a semi-finalist in NEFLIN's Olympic Games and she, along with other contestants, had the "honor" of being wrapped in toilet paper.

JPL donated two of 22 gift baskets that were auctioned off at the event.  Proceeds go to the Jim Morris Continuing Education Fund, which sponsors members' attendance at worthwhile training events and conferences.

Pictured below are all of the winners of 2016 NEFLIN awards: (L/R: Elizabeth Curry, Distinguished Career Award; Director Gubbin, Innovation Award; President of the Friends of Fernandina Beach Library L. Dee Torre Kaufman, Library Champion Award; and Manager of YS & CO Amber Holley, Member of the Year.

Additionally, Director Gubbin was pleased to receive NEFLIN'S Golden Apple Award.  The Jacksonville Public Library had the most employees, out of all of NEFLIN's members, who attended their professional training and conferences.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE WINNERS FROM ALL OF US!

Congratulations To Susan Mankowski!

Main's Early Childhood Specialist Susan Mankowski was presented with the Sherwood H. Smith Award for Advocacy by United Way during the Partners in Philanthropy luncheon at the Omni Hotel, September 15, 2016. Susan was nominated for the award by Manager of YS & CO Amber Holley.

Susan had her own cheering section led by Director Barbara Gubbin, Amber, and Deputy Director Jennifer Giltrop, who took pictures.

ALL OF US ARE VERY PROUD OF YOU, SUSAN.

2nd Quarter FY 15/16 Leadership Winners

JPL Board Chair Erin Skinner (Left in pic below) and Director Barbara Gubbin (far right) were on hand at the Library Board Meeting, June 9, 2016, to present the following Leadership Awards and offer congratulations, along with all the Library Board members, to some very deserving employees.

Luis Terron, SST E-Library Specialist (above, 3rd from L), won both the Employee of the Quarter and a Challenge the Process Award for the 2nd quarter of FY 15/16. Carolyn Wiltse (2nd from L) of Vision Education &; Rehabilitation Center at FSCJ, who developed the idea for bathroom tactile maps that were 3-D printed by JPL, also cheered Luis. Talking Books Librarian II Chris Eaton (2nd from right) hailed Luis' creation of the 3-D model for restroom accessibility guides for visually impaired library customers and said Luis' ideas will be spread to a wider audience.  

CAL Program Manager Katie Devanny (above center) was awarded the "Inspired a Shared Vision" award for researching innovative ways to improve all adult programs so JPL remains current with national standards. Her instrumental lead in the development of Pre-GED/GED programming, a new path for CAL, opened the way for CAL to expand and include the Smart Horizons Career Online High School Scholarship program, funded through the State of Florida as a pilot program for eleven libraries.  Out of those, JPL holds the honor of saying JPL has the first high school graduate through this program.  Katie's staff boasts, "She is a wonderful guide for her team". 

Librarian II Lilia Simonton (above center)  "Encourages the Heart" of San Marco Branch staff.  She prints out recognition of the increased self-checkout (SS had two weeks of error free transactions).  Lilia prints out rewards for staff to sign so the whole branch can celebrate, has reward parties, brings in cookies for staff meetings and sends e-mails about balancing transactions to congratulate employees for a job well done.

As project manager for the JPL 50+ grant program, Librarian III Margaret Morford (above center) "Inspired a Shared Vision" as she coordinated funding, staffing, programming, outreach, and reports. She increased the number of surveys taken by promoting JPL 50+ at local events and held interviews with WJCT Stereo 90 and American Libraries magazine. The finale, March 30, featured Jeannie Blaylock, First Coast News, and CM Sam Newby as guest speakers.

Southeast's Library Associate Anjelica Bencomo (center above) "Challenges the Process" each month as she assists her Teen Advisory Board in creating the large scale decor for a themed wall display at SE.  Additionally, Anjelica's innovation is used to assist in system wide programming and initiatives.  Her creative programming has caused a surge in Teen Advisory Board and other teen program attendance.

Library Assistant Felecia Battle "Modeled the Way" at the Highlands Branch by involving other employees in issues with Oceanway lockers and, consequently, staff began to get positive results.  Felicia is credited with being patient and kind as she instructs others in the mechanics of everyday operations.  In Felecia's absence, Julie McNeil accepted for her. 

JPL Leadership Awards Made At Board Meeting, 11/12/15

Bibliographic Systems and Access Manager Lynn Jacobson, is a winner of the Enable Others to Act Award and was voted the Employee of the Quarter. Lynn received her JPL Leadership plaque from Board Chair Erin Skinner and Director Barbara Gubbin, during the Library Board meeting, November 12, 2015.  Lynn had to quickly develop a strategy and plan for her department to facilitate JPL's Educator and Student JPL cards project.  Working closely with DCPS and JPL staffs, Lynn used her expertise well and JPL successfully and speedily transferred their data into our database. SLP had its heroes and Cataloging and ILS has theirs.

Others receiving JPL Leadership awards at the board meeting are:

Mandarin Library Assistant David Foster, an all time favorite with customers, is a winner of the Model the Way Award for his creative approach to SLP's "Every Hero Has a Story" theme.  He marketed SLP by wearing a different hero T-shirt every day. Customers caught the whimsical spirit and began donating different T-shirts for David to wear. David is a real SLP hero.

A Youth Services Librarian II at Main, pink coiffured Eve Harm won an Enable Others to Act Award for creating an appealing Prezi presentation, demonstrating an interactive and engaging story time with staffs, sharing her favorite websites and resources in a handout and distributing an easy to use manual.  Now staffs can be successful presenting regular story times, as well as those for DCPS tours.  

A Librarian III at Main, Stephanie Miller also won an Enable Others to Act Award (pic not available).  Amber Holley, Manager of YS and CO, received the award for Stephanie, who did a great job coordinating DCPS visits to Main.  She built cooperative relationships with JPL and DCPS; trained her staff on how to contact each school for confirmation of their visit; worked with circulation employees to ensure a smooth check out for students; and she worked with Roberto Ortiz and JPL Security to provide a smooth, safe traffic flow at Main. 

The Library Board also acknowledged Chris Eaton, who posed with Board Chair Erin Skinner and Director Gubbin with the Spirit of the ADA 2015 Jack Gillrup Award he recently received.  The full story was posted on this blog, November 4; just scroll down to read the article.

Chris Eaton Wins Award

Chris Eaton, Talking Books' Librarian II, is one who consistently gives his best and not one to vie for a spotlight. However, the spotlight finds him sometimes unexpectedly.                              
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     About the Spirit of the ADA 2015 Jack Gillrup Award he won, October 25, Chris said, "I didn’t know I was going to win until I did. I knew I was nominated but there were two others also nominated."

The award was presented to a very surprised Chris at an event at the Jacksonville Zoo by Beth Meyer, Division Chief of COJ Disabled Services, and Tyler Morris, Director of Marketing and Development at the Independent Living Resource Center (ILRC).

Talking Books was nominated  for hosting the Braille-a-thon (a first and a real win for JPL and reported here earlier this year). Ms. Meyer mentioned in an earlier letter to Director Barbara Gubbin, "...The Library’s Talking Book Program and Chris Eaton were unanimously voted by the Mayor's Disability Council (MDC) as  the recipient of the 2015 Jack Gillrup Community Award!..."

The award reads: "The ILRC of Northeast Florida and the City of Jacksonville's Disabled Services Division recognize Chris Eaton of the City of Jacksonville's Talking Books & Special Needs Library as the 2015 Jack Gillrup Community Leader Award Winner for his assiduous leadership within the disability community of Northeast Florida." 

See, Chris, we're not the only ones who know you do your best--and that for some who need it the most.  THANK YOU!

Folio's Flowers Go To JPL

In its current issue of Folio Magazine's "Brickbats and Flowers" the Jacksonville Public Library was awarded this beautiful bouquet, which is displayed on the Main Library's first floor for all to admire.  In case the print is too small, the sign reads, "As a result of a $l million budget increase, the libraries will increase operational hours by 10 percent in locations where residents depend on the libraries' resources the most.  Thank you, Mayor and Council."

Director Gubbin Receives ULC Innovation Award For JPL

Library Director Barbara Gubbin (far right facing audience) received one of the Urban Libraries Council Innovation Awards given to JPL at ULC's conference in San Jose just before she and others attended ALA in San Francisco this past week.  JPL won the award in the category of Customer Experience.  Ms. Gubbin said, "Our application was for recognition of a different approach to marketing our online products such as Transparent Language...as part of a 'learn a language' free series at JPL ..."  Ms. Gubbin congratulated everyone on the team for this success, including SST/E-Services, SST/Collections, the Marketing team and everyone in a JPL library where we are holding or promoting classes to learn a language.

In the application to ULC, Ms. Gubbin noted, "The 'learn a language' series sign-ups far exceed our expectations...In September 2014, prior to the new promotional approach, 251 people used the database.  In December, usage more than doubled, with 600 people using it."

Karen Walker, Manager of e-Services and Digital Access, gives these 2015 monthly figures:
January – 513

February – 501

March – 559

April – 396

May – 481

Karen added, "This is an average 80% increase in usage.  We had language learning programs all of these months except February."   

Library Board Presents Awards & Hails Ed Lein's 28 Years

The Library Board made several awards at its August 14 meeting, and Board Chair Dr. Brenda Simmons-Hutchins and Deputy Director Carolyn Williams proudly made the presentations.  KR Library Assistant Robert Moseley was named the Employee of the Quarter (3rd quarter) and he received a Challenge the Process Award.  He is responsible for JPL's reprogrammed cash registers so customer receipts now itemize what they are paying for.  (Read more about his accomplishment in the September 5 "Staff Profile"). 

Beverly Brown, PCR's Clerical Supervisor, won the Enable Others to Act Award for her recognition of the need for a training class for clerical staff and pursuing that need to a successful reality.  (You can read more about that in the August 5 "Staff Profile".)

Ann Fridl, DU's Manager, won an Encourage the Heart Award for giving "Caught in the Act" awards that recognize staff that demonstrate exceptional team work.  The awards also encourage cooperation and assistance among staff.

Chelsea Partridge, a Shelver at WST, volunteered to present a monthly science program at WST and is working on a notebook to assist other branches in this endeavor, and she is the winner of an Inspired a Shared Vision Award. (Not pictured.)

Winner of the Challenge the Process Award, Gail Blumberg is a Library Associate at JB.  She created and trained a team to implement her plan of a uniform JPLVolunteer program.  (Read more about this accomplisment in the July 5 "Staff Profile.) Gail could not be present at the awards.

Last--but most certainly not the least--to be honored was the indomitable Librarian Ed Lein for his 28 years of service to JPL's Main Library.  Ed was presented with a gold library card, a plant, and a letter of appreciation from Director Gubbin. (Read about his work and organizing concerts at Main, which remain among the best attended adult programs at JPL in the May "Staff Profile".)