Public Services Minutes - April 08, 2021

Meeting began at 1:30 p.m.

Training for All: Milissa Copeland

• Recent feedback from both exit interviews and to Training express concerns that part-time staff are being left out when it come to attending career-developing trainings.
• Currently Library Aides on average only spend 2.5% of work time completing trainings.
• Milissa recommended Edu minutes as a possible means of getting career developing trainings.
• Discussion followed. Factors that could prevent more time for career expanding training are the increase in mandatory trainings as well as scheduling constraints due to COVID operations coverage.

Tailor Skills: Tim Spindle and Katherine Hickey

• Tailored Services is an expansion of our current Tailored Titles.
• Tailored Services allows customers to become connected to training, TED Talks, and other community resources outside of our regular library materials.
• MLS Librarians and Engagement Specialists would create a tailored list of these resources and can create either a prefabricated list based on topic or a more tailored list per customer request.
• Social media and posters/half sheets will be used to get the word out about this upcoming service.

Surveys: Kimberly Boldt

• Surveys to all Access and Engagement staff are going out gauge what staff have done in the past year to meet the needs of their community.
• A separate survey with additional questions will go out to public service managers.
• Kimberly also announced that she will visit locations to both get a feel for the communities as well as solicit feedback from public services staff.

Summer Reading 2021: Emily Williams

• The Summer Reading training went live on April 1^st and is required for all staff. The deadline for completion is April 30^th.
• Prizes for this year’s Summer Reading will include tote bags and books, but not fine waivers.
• Advertisements for Summer Reading will go out soon.
• Teen volunteering will be virtual this year and will include components which do not require Internet access.
• OKC Public Schools signed an agreement with Beanstack this year to auto-create accounts for all their students. Once a tandem agreement is made between MLS and OKCPS, students will be registered for both OKCPS and MLS Summer Reading programs.
• Refresher trainings for public service managers will be held April 29^th.

Topics for PD in May? LaVetta Dent

• LaVetta solicited ideas for the upcoming Planning and Development in May.
• Ideas included ways to better help staff with mental well-being, integration of breakout rooms and ice breakers, and question prompts.

Donations: Mark Schuster

• Mark offered a clarification regarding our current state of accepting donations.
• If donations are brought in person, then locations should accept them.
• If someone calls to ask if we are accepting donations, then give them the address for the Surplus building.
• Make sure to ask customers to omit items that the Friends are not accepting (VCR cassettes, medical books, and other textbooks).
• Discussion followed. A request was made to create a half-sheet listing the items that the Friends could and could not accept.

MTC Reminders: Erin Bedford

• When MTC is at our location, we should not ask them to do any additional work from the ticket which brought them out in the first place.
• A separate MTC request should be made for any additional requests so that the request may be queued.
• A list ranking MTC priorities should be posted at each location. If not, please request one from MTC.

Sit and Stay Poster: Risa Jensen-Jones

• MAC has draft posters for Sit and Stay features and services.
• PC sessions will go to two one-hour sessions per day.
• Study rooms will become available again for up to two hours each day.
• Child toys will still not be available.
• Tables will return to the floors, but with only one chair per table.
• Time frame for Sit and Stay is estimated to be around mid-May. Potential full reopening with in-person programming as early as the end of Summer Reading.
• Some outdoor programs, at the discretion of the Library Manager, are okay during Sit and Stay.

Location Sharing

• Mask mandate expirations at multiple cities within the county was discussed by the attendees. At ED, most customers were still wearing masks at the time of the meeting, with a relative few not doing so since Edmond’s ordinance expired. Laura at WA, Randy at MC, and Angel at DC reported the same. Rondia at BE stated that Bethany never had a mask mandate, but most customers still wore masks. In Choctaw, most of the City Council was voted out due to voter anger over the mask mandate there, yet the majority of library customers wear them.
• Tricia informed the PSM that Access workshops would be updated in May to integrate scenarios. Access Managers are updating their local handbooks at present and should wrap up in May. Tricia will also recommence site visits shortly.
• Tim requested that if locations cancel a program, to please email [email protected] to inform his team.
• Lindsey reported that she and Chris K. reviewed art for exhibit in the newly expanded and renovated BI. The are also working through temporary staff shortages.
• Angel reported that DC has received and installed new caretaker PC stations for parents with small children.
• Chris S. reported that CH will begin Library Aide interviews soon, and that their vacant Engagement Specialist II position will be filled soon.
• Brandon gave an AL design update. The layout of the building is in the works, along with ideas for the exterior. Phase I of planning will end in April, and Phase II (costs estimates and finalization of square footage) will run from May-August.
• Kimberly reported that RE is planning a poetry program, and is planning planting program kits in collaboration with Grow OKC. RE also has a Pride program coming up shortly.

Meeting ended at 3:30 p.m.