Manager of Library Operations Meeting Minutes for July 2003

Date: July 23, 2003

Location: Bethany Library

Present: Karen Bays, Barbara Beasley, Rosemary Czarski, Denyvetta Davis, Priscilla Doss, Jean Engebritson, Tim Fischer, Daphene Keys, Jack Kinzie, Dana Morrow, Mary Patton, Katrina Prince, Debbie Robertus, Debra Spindle, Phil Tolbert, Judy Walden, Randy Wayland, Lisa Weissenbuehler, and Deborah Willis.
Guest: Scott Carter, Marian LeCrone, Bob Lee, Donna Morris, and Ric Rea.

I.  Opening/Introduction

• Denyvetta called the meeting to order at 1:00 p.m. She introduced Bob Lee.

II.  Eyeglass Recycle Project – Bob Lee, DN Lions Club

• Bob discussed his first introduction to a program that took used prescription eyeglasses, refurbished them, then donated them to people in other countries that couldn't afford them. Bob organized the collection of used glasses at the libraries, through Mayfair Kiwanis. Now that group wants to get out of the project, so Bob's Lions club would like to take it over, since they have approx. 130 members, compared to Kiwanis' 30 members. Bob is getting new signs made for the collection boxes. They'd like to put a box at Choctaw when they open the new building. Edmond has a Lion's club box already, but not Bob's group. They'd like to put boxes back in at BI, DN, and RE. They will be picked up once per month from now on, by members who live in the area near that library. Lions clubs, on a national level, have many contacts to send glasses overseas. Last year they boxed and shipped 300,000 pairs, and 2 out of 3 pair were actually put into the hands of people who needed them.
• DN does have a crate for people to put glasses in, but others come along and take them as needed.

III.  Summer Reading

• Katrina said that they have had about 2,600 people attending just the children's programs. Debbie from BI commented that they have been rather disappointed in the disparity between the level of prizes for Reader's compared to Pre-Readers or YAs. Randy suggested that the amount of money spent for the Pre-Reader prizes be re-examined since there is something odd about giving books to children who obviously cannot read yet. Debbie remembered Scott talking about the possibility of T-shirts for the pre-readers. Rosemary suggested that Pre-Readers get a medal as well -- possibly a smaller medal would be more cost effective to make for all the Readers and Pre-Readers.
• Scott Carter talked about the differences between the prizes the Metropolitan Library gives out and the prizes Tulsa County gave to some 40,000 participants in Summer Reading. Scot has put together a team to work on soliciting the same level of prize donations as TCCL, such as bikes, DVD & video players, and the grand prize is a trip for 4 to some undetermined location.
• Phil mentioned that the theme for next year is potentially going to be "Olympics", but Scott said that the final decision has not been made. Scott said they will definitely continue with the medals each year, and that he is thinking about including football tickets, such as OU or OSU -- which will probably require some corporate sponsorship to pay for them, even at a reduced rate. He is also looking at doubling the purchase of commercial spots for Summer Reading next year. Next year they will probably get the materials early again, but hopefully be able to start sign-up a little later than the day after Memorial Day.

IV.  Summer Reading Promotions - Scott Carter, PR

• Scott stated that additional prizes were added this year, such as the Harry Potter #5 books, and the movie passes and gift certificates. He's working with Grube to try to time the movie premieres a little better. Priscilla thinks that t-shirts would be popular, as are the food coupons. Also, canvas book bags would be popular. Scott says the Public Services Council as been looking at the canvas bag issue, and they probably cannot fund the purchase of them without some corporate sponsorship.
• Phil said that he had spoken to a parent several days ago and she stated that they used a plastic basket, like they have at the grocery store. Scott said that he would look into that possibility.
• Scott thanked everyone for their patience with the "Name the Dog" contest. He said that they are going to have a dog costume by this fall, and will need to recruit people to wear the costume, and be part of a speaker's bureau. They will be getting new stand-up dog displays, with a strip of Velcro on the collar for putting up signs. DO NOT get rid of the old dog signs when the new ones come in.
• Tim reiterated that what the younger kids really want is something tangible to take home, and that it's the disparity between prizes that seems to be the greatest concern for parents and their kids.

V.  Early Childhood Video – Dana Morrow, OUT

• Dana shared a video of an interview with Dr. Bruce Perry, an expert on brain development. Please let Dana know if anyone would like to borrow the video to share with staff or speak to a group.

VI.  Open Discussions

A. Cool Zone Locations

• Denyvetta pointed out that all the libraries are designated as “Cool Zones” during the summer months. OG&E has the list of all sites in the city posted on their website.

B. Internet

• Katrina has had problems recently with customers expecting the staff to handle personal information (like credit card numbers) to help them with something they do not know how to do. Tim mentioned that they have the same kind of problems DN, and do what they can to limit the situations, but will sometime help people on an exception basis. Katrina is really uncomfortable with the potential for problems with confidentiality.

• Deb Willis wondered whether our Internet Users Agreement covers anything about liability for situations like this. Donna and Judy said that the form is currently being revised to combine the Library Card application with the User's Agreement and make it just one form.
• Judy brought up another Internet issue that was discussed in Ad-Team this morning -- customers accessing the Internet through one of the other programs. They would prefer that the staff not stress out too much over the issue, since the access through that route is always filtered.

C. Spanish Collection signage

• Randy thinks all signage should be similar, so when customers go from one building to another they can tell where the materials are located.

D. Patriot Act

Karen had some questions about the Patriot Act -- there seem to be some conflicts between what everyone's been told and what they are hearing now. Donna says they are working on something regarding inquiries from law enforcement agencies. She said that she will have Bill Comstock look over the papers before sending it out, and she will ask him if he can provide examples of a Subpoena and a Warrant.

VII.  Civil Rights Policy – Ric Rea, Human Resources

• Ric handed out copies of the Civil Rights policy, along with copies of the overhead sheets that were use in the full-scale presentation. He then discussed the most important points in this policy.
• He stated there are several different kinds of discrimination: Racial, Ethnic, National Origin, Age, Religious, Sexual, Physical, or Mental Ability. There is NO TOLERANCE. Any kind of Quid Pro Quo or creating a hostile work environment based on any of the protected categories is illegal.
• If an employee feels that discrimination is taking place, there is a procedure to follow that is different from the grievance procedure. In this situation the complainant can speak to their supervisor, or any Ad Team member. All complaints MUST be investigated, and the person who is told MUST pass along the complaint to Ric. If the information is not conveyed to Ric, then the library becomes personally liable for any action. So, NEVER guarantee that it can be kept quiet.
• Firearms are also covered under this policy. Concealed firearms are prohibited in the libraries, whether the person has a Concealed Carry permit or not. The only exceptions are for police officers or library employed security guards.
• Violence in the workplace is covered as well, and again, there is NO TOLERANCE of physical violence or verbal abuse. Obviously self defense is an exception to this, but it is the only one.
• Anyone who does not abide by the spirit of these policies, as well as the letter of the policies, are subject to disciplinary action, including termination. Obviously there can be no retaliation if someone makes a complaint - justified or unjustified.

VIII.  Friends of the Library project – Marian LeCrone, MLS Friends

• The Friends are getting ready for the annual membership drive and they would like to come up with some ideas to increase membership. Marian is interested in possible displays, or competitions between libraries to sign up new members, or even a drop box where they can fill out the form and drop their check right there. Tim mentioned a customer's comment that she's visited libraries across the country and seen lots of them that have little gift shops with t-shirts, book bags, and other kinds of memorabilia. Donna suggested a "virtual" gift shop on the website.
• Debbie Robertus reminded everyone that it is possible for us to take memberships and checks, and forward them down to Marian at the Friends office. Debra Spindle suggested bookmarks as a way to advertise the Friends, since they are so popular. Donna suggested that if they do bookmarks, they use card stock because they hold up better.
• Marian asked if it would help to have something for the Clerks to use to explain how to join the Friends. Debra Spindle suggested putting "bullets" on a half sheet of neon paper.
• Karen suggested having a "recruiting" table that goes to each library with volunteer members to explain what the Friends are all about. Dana mentioned that many of the big programs that are scheduled out of her office are funded by the Friends, and those would be a perfect opportunity to get more members.
• Let Marian know if you have any more ideas.

IX.  Sharing

A. ALA highlights - Denyvetta

• Denyvetta stated she saw no visible signs of SARS; she attended a number of good programs; took a tour of the Toronto library, which is primarily Reference; she picked up some things from the Swap and Shop; she picked up a books for Babies packet from Cuyahoga library in Ohio.

B. False Alarms - Denyvetta

• Choctaw and Edmond had no false alarms, as well as Nicoma Park and Luther for July - December; for January - June Bethany and Edmond had no alarms. So sometime in August Scott will treat the Edmond staff to lunch to celebrate their year without a false alarm.

C. Managers' Training Highlights – Karen, Deb Willis, & Phil --

• All 3 attended a recent SkillPath seminar for Managers
• Deb went to a session on how to fight negativity in the workplace (internal and external factors.) She handed out a Leadership Proficiency Profile, which could be used by agency or office staff to evaluate their supervisor. “Lunch-n-Learn” sessions were discussed, where a topic would be chosen, and whoever is interested in learning about or discussing that issue was welcome to join in. Peer recognition programs were also discussed, and Deb suggests that anyone interested in this idea do some online research, since that is where she found a great deal on the topic. Finally, Deb expressed some frustration that in these types of workshops, when the facilitators talk about any kind of recognition program, they are almost exclusively talking about plans that are based on measure like sales – not things that apply easily to a non-profit agency. When Denyvetta asked if she had mentioned these concerns in the session, Deb replied that she always makes a note of it on the evaluation form.

• Karen attended sessions on Coaching, and passed out several handouts on Coaching Tips, primarily from her detailed notes. One handout on “Avoiding Triangulation” shows how to deal more effectively with an employee complaining about a problem with a co-worker – getting them to take more responsibility for fixing the problem, rather than expecting you to fix it for them. The other handout (the green sheet) emphasized the importance of open communication when working with employees, and explains the relative value of pre-set rewards and privileges for accomplishing goals.
• Phil attended a session on Time Management that proved to be very helpful to him, and he shared some of the most valuable tools he brought back. The Time Management Matrix he passed out, for assessing the relative Importance and Urgency of tasks, should be familiar to anyone who has read any of Stephen Covey’s work, and the two other tools Phil provided will help prioritize duties, and gave a way to visualize how much time is being spent in Zone II – tasks that are Important, but not Urgent – the best place to be. Phil also attended a session recently in Dallas on Conflict Management that was very similar to Deb’s session. As a result of this seminar, Phil purchased a book titled Relationship Strategies: Using the Platinum Rule to Create Instant Rapport by Anthony Allessandra, in system on cassette, Bib # 583 0617.

D. Staff Recognition Ideas – Katrina Prince, DC

• To reward/recognize the Circulation Clerks for a perfect score on library card entries for the last year, Katrina found some items in the Successories catalog that have been very well received, and they were not that expensive. They are available in acrylic or in a granite look, these stars of Excellence include a solid brass medallion in the center, with a matching base and a brass plate for personalized engraving. Katrina also gave each Clerk a lapel pin with the same Star of Excellence, and they have been seen wearing them attached to their ID badges.

E. Staff Meeting / Picnic – Karen Bays, ED

• The Edmond staff recently had a staff meeting/picnic that drew about 60 attendees, between staff and family members. Held at a local park, there was a brief meeting, followed by lots of good food, some swimming, and a rousing game of Library Manager Dodge Ball (ask Karen for all the details on that one!)

F. Suggested Literature List – Priscilla Doss, BI

• Barb Johnson at Belle Isle has taken suggested reading lists for different ages of children, gone through our catalog to identify titles held in system, and categorized them according to the specific reading skill that is worked on in each title. If you’d like a copy of this, let Priscilla know, since they have it in a database and can send it out fairly easily.

G. Land Being Cleared next to Bethany – Barbara Beasley, BE

• Barbara stated that the land being cleared next to the library is for a new Police Department and Court Building.

H. Staff Self-Appraisals – Deb Willis, MC

• Deb handed out some forms she has started using for staff to do self-appraisals at regular intervals. Done at the 2-month, 4-month, Probationary, and Annual conferences/evaluations, these forms give the employee a chance to evaluate how they feel they are doing in relation to job performance, and also lets the supervisor know in which areas they would appreciate some help in improving their skills.  For the Probationary conference employees are asked to create a Personal Mission Statement.

I. Program Flyers - Denyvetta

• Denyvetta shared copies of recent program flyers from Village and Choctaw.

The Meeting was adjourned at 4:40 p.m.
Minutes submitted August 4, 2003