What do you do, and how can we help?

I am still being asked how the work we are doing is different from what library service areas have always done in the past.  Recently, I came across a couple of quotations in my notes from the Harwood Institute training, and realized they describe the situation perfectly.

If you take the first quote, "Here is what we have, and how would you like to use it?" and put it at one end of a continuum, you have, in varying degrees, a fairly typical  description of what libraries have been saying to schools, day care centers, senior centers, and other organizations for a long time.  We do outreach, and do book talks and speak about databases and ebooks and all of the other wonderful resources they could have access to either in the buildings, or electronically.  There is NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT! It's our message.

On the other end of the continuum, is the second quote.  "What do you do, and how can we help?"  It's a much different message.  It sums up what embedded librarianship is.  Embedded librarianship, according to many is the way of the future.

In the work of the cluster, we have been moving, albeit slowly, from the first quote towards the second.  It is less about "come see us" and more about let us come to you (either literally or figuratively).

We are actively involved with the North Philadelphia Community Science Network with the Franklin Institute and other local organization. And, we are in the process of building a collaborative working relationship with Temple University Libraries.  Relationships with a number of other community organizations are being strengthened or formed.  All of this in addition with our traditional relationships with schools, etc.

It is subtle, but it is a change.

Computer access in the North Philadelphia Neighborhood Libraries.

This is another post written by Rebekah Ray from Lillian Marrero Library.  Rebekah worked with a group of LA's and Librarians from the cluster libraries to come up with these guidelines.  The goal is to have consistent standards across all six libraries.  The staff at LMB and KEN labs will set their own less restrictive guidelines for use. Please remember that these guidelines are what we have determined are best for our communities. Your community may have different needs.

The computers at our libraries are heavily used, and recognized as a valuable community asset.  Our staff is sometimes stressed by the need to provide maximum fair access to the computers.  In the interest of offering the best possible customer service to the people who use all of our libraries, the staff of the Free Library/ North Philadelphia Neighborhood Libraries have come up with the following plan:

“Computer access plan”:

All people desiring use of the Public Access Computers will have either a Free Library Card OR Out of state picture ID.

Clear instructions for using the PC RES station will be posted, and individual instruction also offered by any staff so that customers can access PC RES independently.  It would be useful to have standard instructions for PC RES signup and also for printing.

All Philadelphia/Pennsylvania residents are entitled to a FLP library card.  If a previous lost card has outstanding bills on it, the customer will apply for a new card with ID, and that card will be blocked, so it is for computer use only.  If the customer has ID that is inadequate per AG, including children, a blocked card will be created.   A note indicating the customer has a replacement card, or card created with limited id will be placed in the record.  After one replacement card, a standard replacement fee of $1. will be charged and indicated in the notes.   Children, teens, and some adults will be offered the option of keeping their cards on file at the circulation desk.  We want to encourage all customers to use and value their library cards: “Don’t leave home without it”.

Out of state visitors will present their photo id to any staff with access to PCRES.  The staff member will enter the last name and as much of first name as possible.  

The "Welcome Kit" committee

This blog post was written by Rebekah Ray, Library Manager at Lillian Marrero Library regarding our attempts to make it easier to move between the cluster libraries when necessary.

In early discussions about how the cluster model might enhance our work in North Philadelphia, we talked about the goal of moving between our libraries more effectively, and with more enjoyment.   We already shared staff to keep our libraries open, and we wanted to make this experience less stressful, and even fun.  We also wanted to encourage sharing the talent of our library workers among the neighborhood libraries.  We formed a committee to explore how to better define this goal, and then how to make it happen.

The committee is called “The Welcome Kit” committee.  At our first meeting, and in follow-up discussions, this is what we came up with:

“WELCOME KITS”:

The welcome Kit for each Neighborhood Library will include:

• A floor plan map with location of materials.
• A job description for visiting staff by job category.
• A list of recommended nearby food vendors.
• A supply of coffee/tea/sweetener/milk and canned soup and other long keep snacks maintained by the local staff, with an invitation to use them.

The schedule of activities and plans for the day will be updated and displayed, and part of the orientation.

Visiting staff will be welcomed and oriented by the person who meets them first, or that person will introduce the visiting staff to the person who will orient if they are urgently occupied.  It is the responsibility of all staff to welcome visiting staff.

At the Cluster meeting where this plan was presented, staff commented how important it is to be welcomed and oriented, and know what is expected, and where things are located.  Because staff have gotten better acquainted at our monthly cluster meetings, when we need to go to another cluster library, we are not only seeing familiar people, but we are better able to help our customers because we know where things are.

Impressions of the Cluster from within

Last week I was working on a proposal to present at a conference, and sent an email to all the cluster librarians asking for insights.  It didn't matter if it was a word, a sentence, or a paragraph.  In response I received the following very thoughtful and insightful response from the librarian at Widener Library, Christina.  It needs no other explanation.

Team Building-  I think that the monthly staff meetings encourage team building on across our individual branches and the cluster. In these meetings, I often find myself talking to a librarian sitting nearby. These starter conversations usually lead to a good idea about cross branch programming and resources for our communities. Once the fire is lit, we can flesh out the details electronically via email. For example, Chera, Mieka and I were discussing that the kindergarten registration programs are great for the cluster. We agreed that a program was needed for 7th graders to decide on their high school choice. Chera did the leg work to contact a representative from a local organization. I believe he attended the last cluster meeting and that we intend to each host a workshop at our respective branches (MPS, LMB and WID). Also, the cluster meetings bring together employees of job classes within the cluster and allow an open forum for discussion of policies and procedures. The meetings also serve to ensure that all branches within the cluster are offering consistent, excellent service to our communities.

Community Collaboration- There are always organizations who’d like to collaborate with us. Often, budget is the greatest barrier. Many of our local organizations are non-profits and have limited resources. Many, if not all, of our cluster branches do not have Friends’ Groups to fund supplementary programming and supplies. We rely heavily on grassroots money from the sale of flash drives/Books-To-Go/donations and TOPSS programming, which is given to us based on either a first come first serve model or a geographic model. A steady funding stream through the cluster via fundraising/targeted grant writing will allow us to bring free, innovative programming to our communities that they do not have access to currently. Another barrier is technological devices. STEM programming often requires the host site to provide the tech needed for the program. Some of our branches have labs, iPads and smartboards. However, I’d like to see a laptop cart for the cluster which will allow each branch to host a variety of STEM workshops including computer coding, video game coding, forensic science and architecture.

Shifting Duties and Responsibilities- I don’t see a shift in my job duties, per se. I have always tried to maintain a balance between reference, outreach and programming. However, juggling three duties can sometimes mean that one is falling through the cracks. The cluster model helps me plan accordingly both individually and collaboratively.  In order to balance the workload of the duties and responsibilities, my supervisor and I have weekly meetings during which we discuss outreach/programs/staffing/meetings/anything that is relevant to the daily operation of the branch. We try to ensure that at least one of us is in the building while the other is conducting  outreach into the community. We have created a list of targeted groups that we’d like to connect with in our zip code and will begin to do in the near future. This list includes seniors, children with learning disabilities, mental health organizations, new moms, 55+ job seekers, and incarcerated individuals among others.

March 2014 Cluster Meeting - Let's Have Some Fun

Thursday, March 6, 2014, was our sixth all-cluster meeting.  Technically speaking it was the last meeting of the "pilot."  By all indications, the pilot was a success, and we will be moving forward as an official cluster.

We started the meeting, as always, with introductions and other news and items that needed to be shared, including an update on the Mango Languages contest.  We found that several of the staff ran into a snag with the Mango Languages contest.  Mango requires the use of a microphone connected to the PC.  Since none of the library's PC's have them, several people tried to start and could not get past the first lesson.  In order to solve this, we have ordered two headsets with built in microphones for each library.  I have "swag" from Mango Languages that will be used for prizes once people get underway with their language-learning.

This meeting was the first of the six that I "allowed" an "outsider" to come in to present a topic.  I really felt it was important for the staff to become a more cohesive unit before I honored any requests for observation or time on the agenda.  In this case, it was Sarah Levin-Lederer, from TOPSS, who is the Library Project Coordinator facilitating the partnership between FLP and the  Philadelphia Department of Public Health..  This was the first presentation of DPW's Dispense Assist training.  We all learned about how the library might be asked to help in the event of the city's needing to distribute some sort of vaccine and medication to all of it's citizens in a very short period of time.  (Let's hope we never need to use it.)  

The third portion of the agenda was planned by the cluster's "Fun" committee.  At their suggestion, we arranged to have "Trivia with Bob."  The staff from each library played as a team.  We did two rounds of questions with a few shout-out type questions between.  Everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves.  Our thanks to Bob Rubenstein for coming out to do this.  

Finally, I decided to get another "barometer" reading by having staff weigh-in using stickers on a target.  It seems we are really hitting the mark with the monthly meetings.

More to come soon.

February 2014 Cluster Meeting

February's meeting was held at the Widener Library.  Most of the staff from all of the North Philadelphia Neighborhood Libraries were in attendance.  I find that there is very little absenteeism at these meetings.  I'm going to be optimistic and believe that is because everyone sees the value in the meetings.  I actually have a small indicator that this is the case.  I put a "target" and some stickers up at the December meeting and asked about the value of the meetings, as well as the level of the morale of the staff.  There was a small response that indicated some enthusiasm, but nothing dramatic.  In February, I brought the same "target" back to the meeting, with different stickers, so we could differentiate December's feedback from February's.  There was a slight increase in the number of respondents.  And, it warmed my heart to see that the folks responding did feel the meetings are improving the morale in cluster.  There also was general agreement that the monthly meetings are helpful.  Here is a photo of the targets.

We have two committees made up of representatives from each of the six branches.  One is looking to standardize, as much as possible, things like PC use.  It has taken some compromise, but we believe we have a workable solution to the chronic I-would-like-a-guest-pass patron.  In a future post, I will have an image of the sign that is being created to post at each of the six libraries.  This committee is also looking to have a Welcome Kit, of sorts, at each branch.  In this way, visiting staff will have one place to look for information about the layout of the branch, particular issues that may crop up, and where the best places to get lunch may be.

The other committee, is the Fun Committee.  They presented their ideas at the February meeting.  Things like ugly sweater days, and contests were discussed.  At the March meeting we will be having a very short session of "Trivia with Bob." 

At one of our earlier meetings two separate suggestions came up.  One, was a request for another contest similar to the gadget contest that Jamie Wilson ran in the fall.  Another was a suggestion that it would be a good idea if we had more Spanish speaking staff.  I took those two ideas and mashed them together.  

I announced a North Philadelphia Neighborhood Libraries Mango Languages contest.  More than half of the group indicated interest in this.  I'm anxious to see how many actually are doing it.  In this first month, I've requested that each person participating take a screen shot of the Mango Languages page that shows how many lessons you have completed, and email it to me.  There will be some prizes for lessons completed, etc.

It will be an interesting experiment.

A word about this blog.

Greetings.

If you are reading this because you are curious about the formation of the first cluster of the Free Library of Philadelphia, I suggest you start at the bottom with the posts from December 2013.  This really a chronological account of events from the first meetings to discuss what a cluster should be to the current time.

The cluster, and the blog are both works in progress.  We're still not really sure where we are going, but we are finding our way and continue to discuss the directions we should be taking.  Also, the blog was written primarily for co-workers at the Free Library so they can follow along with the progress.  There has been much curiosity and speculation about our process.  So, I apologize if language is used that is not familiar to anyone outside of the Free Library.

With all of that being said, I hope you learn something about us.  And, I hope you enjoy the posts.

Marion
Leader of the North Philadelphia Neighborhood Libraries  (The Cluster)