CONGRATS To All Of Our 4th Qtr. Winners





JPL's new Library Board Chair Carlo Fassi, standing far right in the Library Leadership Award pictures below, had the pleasant opportunity to announce the winners at the board meeting, November 21, 2019.  Director Tim Rogers, far left, proudly posed with his outstanding staff.

Ryan Emmons, E-Services Supervisor, above center, won the Inspiring a Shared Vision Award which led to his Leadership Award for Employee of the 4th Quarter (July-September).  In March, Main library adult service supervisors brain stormed ideas to bring in at least 100 people to Main on a Saturday.  Ryan had a vision, a plan, and a way of garnering talent and experience from fellow colleagues. The plan also included appearances on First Coast Living and the Melissa Ross shows, speaking to staff, parents, and students who attend tech themed summer camp to have a Tech Fair for children and young adults.  The Tech Fair at Main, July 20, 2019, had 800+ visitors and resulted in card renewals with checkouts numbering 100+ above the number usually checked out on Saturdays.  It was a team effort that succeeded in bringing young people together to learn and share--and it will be a success again as another Tech Fair is being planned for 2020.  Ryan has been with JPL two years.    

Robbie Crabtree, Library Assistant at JB, has served 15 years with JPL.  His Challenge the Process Award was earned by finding a simple solution to a common cash handling error--selecting the wrong payment type when customers paid fines and/or fees.  Admin thought this was a good idea and changed the default payment type from "cash" to "credit card" system-wide, thereby slashing the number of cash handling errors!

A Challenge the Process Award went to Hannah Bedenbaugh, (L), a two year P/T Library Associate in Special Collections, for leading the effort to weed 25% of Government Documents in Main's Special Collections.  This allowed room for the incoming Florida Times-Union collection.  She developed a set of innovative procedures for the entire department and put in place a highly efficient process that will be replicated for future Special Collections projects.

Professional Development Lead Worker Susan Mankowski (below) received an Enable Others to Act Award. Susan developed two separate ways to enable others to succeed and grow. She worked with Marshelle Berry and the Human Rights Commission to coordinate and promote the four sessions of Inclusion Conversations. 

Susan helped demystify the study circles for staff by sharing her own experience at the first session.  Secondly, she merited this award for creating the Professional Development and Training Newsletter with eye catching visuals, links for easy registration, and a spotlight section for library resources.  Susan has been with JPL 14 years.

John Wilson, (L), a fourth year librarian in Main's Special Collections, won an Enable Others to Act Award because he helped two recent high school graduates form a book club.  They wanted a forum to discuss local history and connect the events of history to today.  John guided the two young men through the process so they could assume ownership.  Now their book club, called "The Perspective", meets biweekly in Special Collections.

Chris Tabur, Model the Way Award winner, standing next to Director Rogers, and Tamera Pritchett, Enable Others to Act Award winner, were credited for their combined efforts to replace 759 computers at six libraries in five weeks last spring.  (WHEW!) Library Associate Chris works in ILS and Technology and is in his fourth year with the library.  He was the lead worker for this project. PT Library Associate Tamera worked with Chris and the ITD/Emtec team to ensure that computers were installed on time and issues that arose were promptly resolved.  Chris, working with Tamera, created a computer inventory database that made possible creation of a computer ID card for each computer.  This will help ITD staff to better troubleshoot computer issues as they arise. 

Cheyla Scantling is a Model the Way Award winner and for a very good cause: Quick thinking and life-saving action.  July 25th, Cheyla saw a child with his hands at his throat, having difficulty breathing and speaking.
   
She performed the Heimlich maneuver which dislodged a piece of candy from his throat, allowing him to breathe freely. Cheyla has been as a Library Clerk for nine years and currently works at Brown Eastside Library.

Library Board Honors Leadership Award Wonners

Library Board Chair Ronnie King (R) proudly reviewed the accomplishments of staff who won Library Leadership Awards to Library Board Trustees at their meeting, August 22, 2019.  Meanwhile, Director Tim Rogers (L) gave the employees their awards and both personally congratulated the winners of the third quarter.

Employee of the Quarter, Marcie O'Dell, above, has been the creative mastermind behind kids' games and scavenger hunts at the Pablo Creek Regional Library.  On average, about 150 kids each month enjoy the program, "Eye Spy with My Little Eye".  For this and much more, Marcie also received the Inspiring a Shared Vision Award. 



L/R above, Kim Bennett, Passhunate Payams, Nerresa Posey, and Noah Thomas (not pictured) combined their talents to make Firefighter Storytime at the Webb Wesconnett Regional Library a success.  Kim created flyers, Noah planned an edition of Young Children Read, Play and Learn to Match the Theme, and Passhunate got parents to sign the photo waiver.  Nerresa prepped goodies to thank the firefighters.  For this, they received the Carolyn Williams Modeling the Way Team Award.

L/R above, Greg Pierce, Lauren Lazar, Alison Pulley, and Carolyn Redmond (not pictured) pulled out the stops for Duval County Schools in April when they created a red carpet award ceremony for student art.  Alison crafted certificates, Lauren designed hand-delivered invitations to the schools, and Carolyn offered logistical support.  Greg served as the driving force.  For this, they received the Carolyn Williams Modeling the Way Team Award.

L/R above, Kat Simi, Margaret Morford, Joe Gaskin, Troy Eittreim, Jason Brown, Ryan Reid (not pictured), and Christina Pope (not pictured) displayed great professionalism when they fielded a high volume of phone calls and in-person inquiries after a negative Facebook post followed the cancelled Pride Prom.  They delivered excellent customer service in the midst of protesters.  For this, they received the Carolyn Williams Modeling the Way Team Award.


Joel Thorbs could not attend; however, Joel has been a valuable source of support for his fellow employees at the Highlands Regional Library, offering everything from back-up with disruptive patrons to help in making sure everyone gets out on time.  He even changed a colleague's flat tire one day after his shift.  For this, Joel received the Encourage the Heart Award.

Leadership Award Presentations At BOLT

Second quarter (January - March 2019  ) JPL Leadership Award winners were introduced to Library Board members and guests at the Board's July 18, 2019 meeting by Chair Ronnie King while Library Director Tim Rogers passed out awards and posed for pictures with the winners.  (Thanks to Brian Edmond for the good pics he took.)

Christina Pope (right) received the Challenge the Process Award and ultimately the Employee of the Quarter Award for her work on "As the Page Turns Book Club" and other work at Willowbranch and in the West Region.  Here she receives both awards from Director Tim Rogers.

L/R Assistant Director of Facilities and Planning Ray Albury and his team, Ezra Thomas--Director Tim Rogers stands in back--then Reed Hoteko, Thang Tiang, and Pataricia Ferranti (far right); Paul Krauss stands behind Thang and Becky Stagg is in front.  Brad Schwarzbauer could not attend.This hard working team won the Carolyn Williams Team Award.  HOW would we do the wonderful job we do w/o their individual contributions?

Callie Myatt (left) became a major force in Support Services' efforts to weed out and quality check damaged CDs and DVDs, even developing a system of organizing the results for the Collection Development staff.  For this, Callie received the Model the Way Award.

Corey Scott (right) caught a lot of balls for the Circulation Department, calmly, courteously, and proficiently handling situations large and small during a time when his supervisor had to focus on other urgent concerns.  So, Corey received a well-deserved Model the Way Award.

Justin Keiser (below) proved the library truly is open to all when a non-English-speaking customer had trouble communicating with staff.  Justin brought Google Translate into the picture, helped the customer find Spanish-to-English dictionaries, provided a charger, and even purchased a book from Chamblin's that the customer needed.  (Remember, for all his technical work, Justin is still a librarian.)  No wonder Justin received the Model the Way Award.

Jessica Carpenter (left) started an "Author of the Month" program at the West Branch and, working with Eve Harm, she contacted authors who were being spotlighted. Author Lori Foster responded with bookmarks and a post on our Facebook page about how proud she was to be featured by JPL.  For this, Jessica received a Model the Way Award.

All of the JPL Leadership Award winners received a
warm round of applause from the Board members and guests.

Library Leadership Award Winners Honored By Library Board

The Library Board of Trustees honored these Library Leadership winners for the first quarter of FY2019 (October-December) at its regular meeting, March 21, 2019.  Board Chair Ronnie King (R) and Director Tim Rogers (L) personally congratulated them and presented them with their awards.

Nicolle Burton:  Employee of the Quarter:

 

 Nicolle first won the Encourage the Heart Award and ultimately the Employee of the Quarter Library Leadership Award.  Along with her many job responsibilities, Nicolle works hard and is positive and encourages staff to contribute to various citywide initiatives such as the Daniel organization's Thanksgiving baskets and Salvation Army's Christmas Drive for Children, etc.  Promoting participation by JPL staff while cooperating with other city departments running charitable campaigns, Nicolle has done a superb job--and always with a smile.  She is also appreciated for coordinating staff celebrations and get-togethers which take effort, patience, and passion.  Nicolle is a bright light in JPL!

 

Carolyn Armstrong - Inspire A Shared Vision:

 

 On Saturdays at Dallas Graham, each child is asked to do some reading before logging on to the computer. They check with staff on their reading, either relating elements of the story or reading along with a staff member. Part-time Clerk Carolyn Armstrong takes this mission seriously and spends significant time with each child, usually reading with them for several pages and ensuring they comprehend what is written. Her patience and determination serve as an example to other members of the team and reinforces the sense of purpose staff has in developing young readers.

 

Catherine Currier - Encourage the Heart Award:

 

Catherine formed and strengthened partnerships with local community organizations during the first quarter. She coordinated the exhibition of two Jacksonville Historical Society displays, ensured all paperwork was completed, and managed the installations. Catherine worked with Cummer Museum staff and library staff to develop adult and children's library programs to complement the Cummer Museum's Augusta Savage exhibit and to cross-promote institutions. She attended Memorial Park events and distributed library information. She established a partnership with Alliance Francais which resulted in the planning of a series of tours of Special Collections and English language instruction for a group of French visitors in the Main Library's Center for Adult Learning.  The partnership also resulted in promotion of the "Mapping Our Past" event on Alliance Francais's website and an email blast to Alliance Francais's email distribution list of 750 people.

 Mandy Elliott (not pictured) - Enable Others to Act:

For the 3rd year in a row, JPL has participated in Jacksonville Beach's Deck the Chairs by sponsoring and decorating a lifeguard chair. Each year, Pablo Creek Library's Mandy Elliott has stepped forward to give her assistance in this endeavor. This year, the library didn't have the help of the carpenter and an area school that had participated previously. The call was put out for regional staff to help assemble the chair and Mandy offered to chip in again. She studied the chair design, grabbed a string of lights, climbed up the lifeguard chair and within a few hours she led a JPL employee and a group of teens successfully through setting up and lighting the chair. Mandy brings this can-do attitude into every project and her willingness and talent are admired and appreciated.  (Region Manager Michael Sullivan accepted the award for Mandy Elliott.)

 Sylvester Rease - Model the Way:

Sylvester consistently goes above and beyond as he pursues and executes his duties at JPL's Conference Center.  He takes the initiative to look for improvements needed, projects to make our work more efficient, and to get started on tasks needing to be completed without being prompted or waiting for direction.  He prepares for event set-ups prior to his shifts by printing and reviewing floor plans and asking questions.  He exceeds expectations by being precise and taking measures to ensure safety and attendee comfort.   He sets up equipment properly and submits ideas and recommendations for improving working conditions and methods.  Sylvester models a strong work ethic, kindness, humility, and dependability.  He absolutely models the way for Conference Center helpers and is a huge part of the Conference Center's success.

 Stephanie Boilard (3rdd left) and Nicole Rivera (2nd left) - Challenge the Process:

Stephanie Boilard and Nicole Rivera 'Challenged the Process' in their efforts to develop, launch, and facilitate the first Girls Who Code Club at the Jacksonville Public Library.  With the idea to host a club for 6th - 12th grade students, they began meeting in the spring of 2018, along with volunteer Alexandria Lewis.  They established milestones, prioritized their tasks to launch the first club meeting, September 15, 2018, with 20 students in attendance.  Over the semester, they held a total of 11 sessions with an average of 13 participants in each session.  Since then, they have held regular planning meetings, attended webinars hosted by Girls Who Code, and reviewed the program tutorials and curriculum.  Although both Stephanie and Nicole have coding experience, they dedicated time to improve their skills and researched other Girls Who Code Clubs for best practices. Stephanie and Nicole developed the course and scope of the group project for the club.  In addition to the club curriculum, they compiled passive coding activities in the event of participant overflow.

They then worked with CR and M to develop promotional materials and reached out to local schools and organizations to generate interest and potential participation in the club and promoted it at outreach events.  Stephanie and Nicole also developed the parameters of the club, including holding club sessions in Main's e-Classroom and they set the semester schedule.  They are still working to improve the processes for the next semester.

 Shirdellah Grouix (not pictured), Kim Kirkland, Mary Fletcher (not pictured), Margaret Esposito (4th left), Doug Fair (3rd left), Akeem Adell (5th left), and Albina Akramova (not pictured) - Inspire A Shared Vision:

Murray Hill Branch Library celebrated its 50th Anniversary, Saturday, December 15, 2018, along with a name change and dedication to the late local attorney and library activist Bill Brinton. Over 300 people attended the event. The celebration was a perfect example of inspiring a shared vision and collaborating with others to achieve a successful community event.  MH staff organized and hosted the event, led by Branch Manager Shir Groulx and Assistant Manager Kim Kirkland with support from Library Associate Doug Fair, Library Assistant Margaret Esposito and Library Clerks Mary Fletcher, Albina Akramova and Akeem Adell.  Staff began planning in June and reached out to community groups and businesses for support. They decorated the branch with the theme Flashback to 1968 and the holiday season. Staff and many customers dressed in 1960's attire and 1960's games were played at the event. The team did a wonderful job working with other JPL departments, the Friends of the Murray Hill Library, community leaders, and area businesses to ensure that the celebration was a success.  Bedside this fabulous team, CR and M, Conference, and Facilities staffs, many local businesses, City Council members, our Director and Admin team all made this anniversary/renaming of MH a tremendous success.  Please see the December 19, 2018, article in this blog to enjoy fuller coverage of this event.   

Library Leadership Awards Given At Board Meeting

Director Tim Rogers (L) and Board Chair Ronnie King proudly introduced last quarter's Leadership Award winners at the Library Board of Trustees meeting, November 15, 2018, at the Main Library. 

Tricia Larrabee, (above left), Main's Clerical Supervisor, accepted the challenge to take over Interlibrary Loan and volunteered to take on daily activities in Talking Books, leading staff through a boatload of streamlining work.  All this--in addition to managing Main's Circulation department! Tricia won a Model the Way Award AND she is JPL's Employee of the Quarter.

Deborah Wainwright (above right)  of the Southeast Regional Library has been so diligent in creating and maintaining the location’s exhaustive property notebook that it’s become a model for how to keep such records system-wide.  For this and many other accomplishments, Deborah received the Model the Way Award.

Marcie O’Dell, above, Library Associate in Main’s Children’s department, created a sensory-focused program for DCPS students from Mount Herman Exceptional School.  These students have mobility challenges, so Marcie turned the usual tour of murals into an “I Spy” game, making large magnifying glasses out of laminated card stock so each student could find everything from Curious George to Harry Potter’s owl to reading mice.  For this, Marcie received the Challenge the Process Award.

Sara Radovic, (above), has led the Jax Makerspace Team to present over 450 programs with 3500+ in attendance and 1600+ activities with over 3800 in attendance.  Her research was exhaustive, and she leads the team in coming up with creative ways to get folks making things at the Library.  For this, Sara received the Challenge the Process Award.

Yvonne Jones, (left), Library Clerk at the Bradham-Brooks Branch Library, dressed up for each decade represented in the Teen "Rock the Ages" program.  By the end of the summer, teens did not need any encouragement to join in the dancing.  For this, Yvonne received the Model the Way Award.

William Thiers (below), part-time Aide in JPL's Finnace Department did a lot of legwork to figure out why Staples wasn't getting our online supply orders, ultimately fixing the problem.  William also made significant improvements in expenditure tracking, general fund, and Foundation spreadsheet accounting.  For this, he received the Challenge the Process Award.

Library Leadership Award Winners Recognized By Library Board

Library Board Chair Ronnie King (R below) had the privilege of introducing the third quarter (April, May, and June, 2018) Library Leadership Award winners to the members of the Board, August 9, 2018, and he and Director Tim Rogers (L below) enjoyed giving the awards to:

Monte Latham (center abpve), Associate at the San Marco Library, was recently noted by customers for the quality computer assistance he provides and for staying with children after hours.  For this, Monte received the Model the Way Award and subsequently was named EMPLOYEE OF THE QUARTER (April - June.)

Erin Tuzuner, Stephanie Harley, Mina Figuerrez, Mildred Roton, Leona Cain, and Theresa Bascom, (L/R above) created Customer Appreciation Day at University Park.  Over 150 customers came out to enjoy refreshments, music, and fun.  Erin and Leona created a scavenger hunt for kids and Mina allowed the teens to have a dance off.  For this, they received the Get to Yes Carolyn Williams Team Award.

Caroline Williams, Stacey Van Hoy,  and Kenya Coleman(L/R below) and Hurley Winkler (not present) investigated ways JPL could help customers facing homelessness and mental health issues. The result was the Social Services training model at the Main Library.  For this they won the Challenge the Process Carolyn Williams Team Award.

Caroline Williams, Stacey Van Hoy, Kenya Coleman(L/R below) and Hurley Winkler (not present) investigated ways JPL could help customers facing homelessness and mental health issues. The result was the Social Services training model at the Main Library.  For thisthey won the Challenge the Process Carolyn Williams Team Award.

Gio Linatoc (above), Graphic Artist for Community Relations and Marketing, created the eye-catching JPL exhibit on the Duval Street side of City Hall.  For this, Gio received the Model the Way Award.

Christine Rogers (below) planned the South Mandarin ComicCon program, which was a fine success.  For this, Christine received the Model the Way Award.

Tia Samuels (above), Library Associate at the Graham Library, has provided book readings and word puzzles to elderly residents at the Mary Eaves Apartments, gaming for the after-school crowd at Graham, and basic email and ebook instruction for others.   For this, Tia received the Challenge the Process Award.

Alexandra Bishop (not present), Library Associate at the Main Library, partnered with others to help the homeless and transient populations at Main and created the Care Cart--where staff donate personal care items that teens can pick up, no questions asked. Between April 10^th and today, about 202 teens have been helped.  For this, Alexandra received the Enable Others to Act Award.  

From all of us to all of you: WAY TO GO!

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 Award Winnrs Honored By Library Board

At the May 11, 2017 Library Board Meeting, these winners of the 2nd quarter of JPL's Leadership Awards were recognized for their accomplishments:

Shawana Brooks, Library Assistant at the Main Library and curator for the JAX Makerspace, was the point person for the exhibit, KESHA: A Black Female Experience of Identify and Race.  This show, exhibited in the Main Library Makerspace Gallery, drew over 1,800 attendees.  For this, she receives the “Inspired a Shared Vision Award.”  She is also JPL’s Employee of the Quarter:

Robin Cumby, Library Assistant at the Argyle Library, thought a clerical manual of all off-desk responsibilities would be of benefit, and she’s already updating and adding sections.  For this, she receives the “Enable Others to Act” award. (Ms. Cumby was not present and Interim Region Manager Kathy Tekin accepted the award for her.)
NOTE: At July 6, 2017, a pic of Kathy Tekin, who is now CW Manager, presenting Robin with her award:

Kimberly Hamilton, Library Assistant at the University Park Library, noted that story times in the children’s department were becoming too crowded and took charge of the new story times in the multipurpose room.  For this, she receives the “Model the Way” award:

Pertoria Kennedy, Library Clerk for Support Services, proposed an alternative procedure for marking new books as new without ripping off labels and risking tearing the book but simply erasing the label and leaving the tape on it.  For this, she receives the “Challenge the Process” award:

Tricia Larrabee, Library Clerical Services Supervisor, developed cash handling procedures for the new Point of Sale system, creating cash reconciliation forms, updates to daily/monthly reports, and procedures to implement the new system. For this, she receives the “Challenge the Process” award:

Danielle Linnen, Library Clerk at the Pablo Creek Library, recognized that the library’s movie programs weren’t getting good attendance and created “Throwback Thursday,” a retro movie day with added activities, special guests, and crafts.  For this, she receives the “Challenge the Process Award:”

Pam McClellan, JPL’s Resource Development Coordinator, searches for grant opportunities to meet the strategic goals of JPL, often thinking outside the box.  As the library’s sole Resource Development coordinator, Pam is responsible for the timely submission of grant applications, including the LSTA, NEA Big Read and AARP Foundation grants.  For this, she receives the “Challenge the Process” award:

Alfreda Whitfield, Library Assistant at the Southeast Library, showed customer service skills with a disgruntled customer who did not want to show her ID.  By the end of it, Alfreda was having a conversation with the customer about Brainfuse and other JPL programs.  For this, she receives the “Get to Yes” award:

Tyhedra Wilson, Library Clerical Services Supervisor at the Highlands Library, took it upon herself to figure out how to combine financial transactions on the new cash management system so it was no longer necessary to run a customer credit card twice.  For this, she receives the “Get to Yes” award:

        
                      CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF YOU!