[Michlib-l] Shifting the conversation

Wed Mar 18 09:51:45 EDT 2020

This is the time to think creatively. Are there plans you’ve been meaning to work on, i.e. marketing plan, collection plan, policies? Now is the time.

Wondering how to start an online book club? Now is the time.

If you are a Polaris user who uses LEAP, you can connect from home and start working on cleaning up your database, standardizing addresses, i.e. St vs Street vs ST vs whatever other abbreviation someone put in.

Readers Advisory! Read some books and post “Cathy’s top 5 recommendations while you are at home”. Film a little video of yourself booktalking them and post on social media. All librarians could do this.

I don’t know about the rest of you but there are so many things we at TPL don’t get around to, because we don’t have the time. Now we do. So we are doing them. The City of Troy currently has the policy that if part time staff don’t work, they aren’t paid. So my department heads and I brainstormed tons of ways we can keep them busy so we can keep them at home and still keep their paychecks coming. If full time staff don’t work, we have to use our personal time, and I am not going to do that while there is so much that can be done at home.

So think about what you have been meaning to/wanting to get around to, and do that. If you can delegate any of it to staff to keep them busy as well, please do it. I have a huge list of things we are working on, which I can share if you are interested, but this is a good start and I don’t want to bore you.

Good luck, everyone.

[/var/folders/c4/pn04drv965q2qlqx52sjgnvdhktm0j/T/com.microsoft.Outlook/WebArchiveCopyPasteTempFiles/cidimage001.png at 01D4C2D2.9B24D4F0]<https://troypl.org/>

Cathleen Russ | Library Director

510 W Big Beaver

Troy, Michigan 48084

248.524.3544

[/var/folders/c4/pn04drv965q2qlqx52sjgnvdhktm0j/T/com.microsoft.Outlook/WebArchiveCopyPasteTempFiles/cidimage002.png at 01D4C2D2.9B24D4F0]<https://www.facebook.com/troylib/> [/var/folders/c4/pn04drv965q2qlqx52sjgnvdhktm0j/T/com.microsoft.Outlook/WebArchiveCopyPasteTempFiles/cidimage003.png at 01D4C2D2.9B24D4F0] <https://www.instagram.com/troylib/>  [/var/folders/c4/pn04drv965q2qlqx52sjgnvdhktm0j/T/com.microsoft.Outlook/WebArchiveCopyPasteTempFiles/cidimage004.png at 01D4C2D2.9B24D4F0] <https://twitter.com/troylib>

From: michlib-l-bounces at mcls.org [mailto:michlib-l-bounces at mcls.org] On Behalf Of Stanczak, Cindy via Michlib-l
Sent: Wednesday, March 18, 2020 9:40 AM
To: Julie Meredith <juliem at cidlibrary.org>
Cc: michlib-l at mcls.org
Subject: Re: [Michlib-l] Shifting the conversation

This is a wonderful idea, Julie.  I'm looking forward to the conversation.  Realistically, I think we'll see closures of schools and libraries extend until at least the beginning, but possibly the end of May.  I want to make sure my staff feel productive and engaged, even if they have to work from home.

For those without resources, there have been suggestions on other sites or groups suggesting circ staff read and develop book, audiobook, and film recommendations to put up when the library service returns. I haven't seen much else for those without devices or reliable internet in their homes.  There are still hotspots available throughout our community, but for some, that's a scary proposition if their health is such that they are at higher risk.  With a shelter in place order, I doubt this would be considered essential travel, too.

I'm eager to see what can be done outside the building's limits by staff, especially those who's primary responsibility is patron-facing.  Thank you for kicking this off.

Cynthia Stanczak, MLS
Library Director
Albion District Library
501 S. Superior St.
Albion, MI  49224
(517) 629-3993

Albion District Library: Transforming Minds, Changing Lives.
Proudly serving our community since 1919.
Online at www.albionlibrary.org<http://www.albionlibrary.org/>, or find us on Facebook!

My working day may not be your working day. Please do not feel obligated to reply to this email outside of your normal working hours.

On Wed, Mar 18, 2020 at 9:33 AM Julie Meredith via Michlib-l <michlib-l at mcls.org<mailto:michlib-l at mcls.org>> wrote:
Hello Everyone!

This whole situation is daunting and unprecedented. I don’t know how you’re feeling but I’m ready to shift the conversation. Our profession wants to be seen as essential and innovative. In a world where millions of people work from home, I want to talk about that!

Yesterday we sent out a survey monkey to staff which included the following questions:

What are your tasks that can only be done at the library?
What tasks could you do from home given the appropriate resources?
What resources would you need in order to work from home? (WiFi hotspot, laptop, specific software, logins, passwords)

Supervisors were asked to call anyone on staff that might not have internet access in order to fill it out for them, so we have everyone’s input.

This afternoon I have scheduled a Zoom meeting with our department heads to brainstorm about the following: Given a shelter in place situation, what CAN we do?

Can we forward phones so staff can still help our patrons?
Can we offer email or Skype reference to help troubleshoot our online services?
What can we do in our ILS to assure our patrons don’t inadvertently lose access to our online services due to expired cards, etc.?
How can we still be a lifeline to people when they are stuck at home?

Perhaps your library is doing some or all of these things. If you are, please help us! Share what you do and how you do it.

Thank you in advance – this listserv is always a wealth of information and so inspiring!

Be well!
Julie

[Julie - Signature with phone #]

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