Public Services Minutes - March 03, 2022

Breaking News 

• Security Manager Kevin Hammond was introduced. Managers are welcome to invite Kevin to staff meetings to discuss security-related topics. 

• The travel budget template has been updated to lump all non-registration expenses into one line item. Conference numbers are expected to be released on Friday, March 4th. 

Exempt Expectations 

• Overtime exempt employees are expected to adhere to the posted schedule. If they arrive late or leave early, they must make up the shortfall using leave or having their supervisor adjust their schedule. 

• They can be asked to work more than 40 hours a week according to the needs of the library. 

• Supervisors must be involved in all schedule adjustments 

• All employees are expected to be on-site and ready to work at their scheduled start time. Therefore, scheduling supervisors should not hesitate to schedule desk shifts at the beginning of a shift as a way to encourage punctuality. 

• As library operations return to normal, managers should consider resetting expectations for exempt employees at staff meetings to counteract bad habits picked up during various phases of reopening 

Core Values Update – Mark 

• The Core Values survey saw a 35% participation rate. The Core Values work groups will now analyze the feedback and any resulting proposed changes will be forwarded to the steering committee. 

• The five core value work groups generated around 100 proposals. The Core Values steering committee will evaluate these proposals and winnow them down to a core number of initiatives and changes. 

Circ Forum recap – Tricia 

• Circ Forum meetings now include representatives from CIS and IT 

• A survey about the future structure of Circ Forum will be sent to all staff next week. Managers should complete the survey and encourage their staff members to do so as well. 

Hot Spots – Erin 

• The system is in the process of confirming that all hot spots are in the correct cases. IT shared a spreadsheet to keep track of the process. Managers should make sure staff can access the hot spot spreadsheet and are labeling hot spots and cases according to the new system standard as they are returned. 

Safe Place – update – Mark 

• Training is now live. All staff members should complete the training by the end of March, including the Edubrite component and an interactive discussion with the library manager and one or two designated co-trainers.  

• We are waiting to hear a firm delivery date for the Safe Place signs. 

• Any questions about the Safe Place program should be sent to [email protected] 

Guest Experiences – Larry 

• Guest Experiences is a new perspective on customer service and building community relationships.  

• Libraries across the state are seeing a 30-50% drop in customer interactions. The metro is down 37% compared to pre-pandemic numbers. 

• The Guest Experience is going to look different each library depending on the needs and preferences of their community. It should be based on gathering customer feedback at each location and acting on it. 

• The process is designed to be less prescriptive than previous customer service models. The goal is to give staff members the tools to choose the best customer interactions based on the situation and empower them to make that choice without having to ask permission. Rules will be respected, but staff should feel as though they have the latitude to interpret those rules based on their own understanding. 

• Bethany has been selected to be the first library in this process.  The new customer service model is planned to begin July 1st and run for 90 days. Representatives from other libraries will visit and observe. Lessons learned from this experience will then be applied to the Guest Experience models of other libraries.  

• Larry has had 6 departments volunteer to be the first department in the Guest Experiences process. The first department has not yet been selected. 

• Evaluation of the Guest Experience model at each location will be based on results, not processes. One necessary component of the new model is a reduced separation between Access and Engagement, depending on the needs of each location and community. 

Location Sharing 

• Belle Isle is gearing up for the grand opening. Shelves and furniture are being installed and painting is almost complete. The grand opening is scheduled for April 8 at 3:30 PM. 

• CIS will notify staff of same-day room reservations via email. Staff should make sure the room has been paid for before granting access. 

• Capitol Hill is restarting in-person computer basics classes, which have been a popular community resource in the past. The new CH sign has been installed, making the library more visible from Walker Avenue. 

• The trolley check-in system has greatly streamlined the delivery check-in process at Edmond and Northwest. 

• Almonte has received a 95% plan from the architect and the furniture selection process is underway. The city should be selling bonds in May, with groundbreaking possible as early as this summer. 

• Del City is planning to distribute 120 Tinker Kits through Spring Break classes thanks to a Friends Grant. 

• Wright is being renovated to provide more computers and more usable space for customers. The decoration is being updated to match the district-wide refresh the Stockyards is currently undergoing. 

• Oklahoma City has Ralph Ellison slated for a remodel/addition, LaVetta believes it is for 2025, or soon after Almonte is completed.