Staff Training Notes 1/21/15

Kendall Staff Training

Reader’s Advisory for Kids                                                                 January 21, 2015

Presented by Leona 

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Overview: Ideas for providing quality reader’s advisory to kids and their parents

Resources for quality reader’s advisory:

·         ASK QUESTIONS!!!

            Nonfiction- What do they need? The specific assignment? Biography or certain facts?

Fiction- What grade or reading level? What have they read they liked? What type of book interests them?

·         KID’S PAGE

BOOK LISTS- Books by Grade, Award Lists/School Lists, Books About…, If You Like…

            NEWSLETTERS – Kid’s Books, Picture Books

·         DATABASES

Under HOMEWORK RESOURCES- *Novelist K-8 Plus* (Great resource for advisory)

                        Also- Lexile Book Search, 50 States of the US, Handbook of Texas Online.

·         REFERENCE BOOKS

A to Zoo- for finding picture books on certain topics

            Best Books for …

·         ONLINE RESOURCES

http://www.the-best-childrens-books.org/

http://www.guysread.com/books/

http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/notalists/ncb

Getting patrons to the right place:

Know each section and the levels for each

            Picture books are for parents to read to babies & children & for confident readers to read. Recommend books according to attention span and what the child likes.  

Examples- Children under 2 need books with simple pictures, a few words and some rhyming like Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Martin. A 4 year will like a book with more story and humor like The Bear Snores On by Wilson.

            Beginning Readers have limited vocabulary for kids starting to read. The higher levels will be considered first chapter books. Example- Little Bear by Lobel,  

            Chapter books (Fiction) are for children in 2^nd-5^th grade according to the child’s ability. You can usually tell the level by the length of the book or the size of the type.  

            Teen books- older elementary and middle school kids can read some teen fiction but the parent must take their child’s maturity level into account. Good author is Erin Hunter.

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Practice/Assignment (due in two weeks):

·         Using the reference book A to Zoo find a picture book we have on any behavior and send me the title and author.

·         Using the database Novelist K-8 Plus, find a title to recommend a child. Send me the book they like (The Lightning Thief, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, etc.) and a “If You Like…” recommendation you can give.

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Kendall Staff Training

Adult Reader’s Advisory                                                                              January 21, 2015

Presented by Alice

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Overview: Reader’s advisory is a fundamental library service which involves suggesting fiction or non-fiction titles to a reader.  This can be done through a direct approach that is talking with the customer, or indirect such as, book displays, bookmarks, or booklists.

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How to:  Easy and Quick

1. Ask customer what titles or authors they have read and liked.

• Catalog
• Type title or author that customer has given you

• Click on title
• Scroll down until you see Reading Recommendations, Ratings, and more
• Click

Move your mouse over the word, “Why?” to read a brief summary about the book and “why” it was recommended.

• At the bottom of your screen you will see, “Sign Up for Reading Recommendations by Email.”  Then click on “Sign Up for Newsletters.”

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Practice/Assignment (due in two weeks):

1. Lookup your favorite author/title, fiction or non-fiction, and send me two of the titles that are recommended reading.
2. Signup for a newsletter and email me the name of newsletter.

Alice's Complete Handout

Customer Phone Inquiries about Accounts

From Alisa Baker, 1/8, 3:19PM:
Fred,

We wanted to clarify what information can be given over the phone about patron accounts. We had a staff meeting yesterday and many of the staff were unclear as to what info can be given out if the patron knows their library card number, i.e. pin, name etc. Would you please clarify what information can be given out over the phone?

From Fred Schumacher, 1/8, 6:08PM:
If the phone customer provides his/her library card number, you may give checked out item information, fine information and the like.  You should not give out PINs.  I would be suspicious of a customer calling to get the name for a library card.  Likewise, I would be suspicious of someone calling to get personal contact information on a library card.  if it is the customer’s card, s/he should know that information, shouldn’t they?

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Staff Meeting Notes 1/7/15

Kendall Staff Meeting, 11:15 – 11:45 AM, Breakroom

1. Updates & Reminders:
1. New Year’s Resolutions (Karen). Discussed shared resolutions for staff: keep sorter room and public service desks neat; have a another dance party; help all customers use self check. Handout: 15 things to make time for in 2015 (from The Container Store).
2. Work Flow/ Daily Tasks (Karen): Michele Gorman has asked managers to compile a list of daily tasks. Karen will post on blog so everyone can review and contribute. Due Jan. 23. The List. The Blog post.
2. Circulation Updates (Alisa): Train-the-Trainer meetings with Circ Admin coming up soon.

Quick Notes

• Deputy Director of Customer Experience Staff Chats: Michele Gorman wants to meet monthly with public service staff and will be hosting lunch chats (with pizza!) throughout the system.  Kendall is in the region with Alief, Robinson-Westchase, Walter and Southwest Express.  Our meetings will be Wednesday, March 11, 11:30-12:30, at Alief, and Thursday, September 17, 11:30-12:30, at Walter.  You are welcome to attend either meeting--let Karen know in advance so she can add it to the schedule.
• Building lights on 24/7:  Following the string of library break-ins, Michele and John Middleton asked each location to leave all lights on overnight.  GSD came Monday and turned of the timing, so the interior lights will stay on unless you manually switch them off. Please pay special attention to the lobby, sorter, delivery, and meeting room lights on the first floor, since this area is the most visible (and accessible).  
• Meeting Room Reservations: Every customer using a public meeting room must fill out a room reservation form, even if he or she is just studying.  There are two reasons why this is necessary: 1) the rooms are public meeting rooms and events (even personal study) must be open to the public; 2) if something happens (the projector was stolen out of the 1st floor meeting room), we have contact information for the person reserving the room.  The meeting rooms on the first and third floors should be locked when not being used for security reasons; because the 2nd floor room is glassed in, it’s easy to see what’s going on in there.  The study rooms on the 2nd floor can only hold 2 people, so they’re not considered public meeting rooms and don’t require a room reservation form.
• Window Blinds: You can close or adjust the window blinds during the day to block sunlight, but they must be fully opened (at least, those that are operational) at the end of the day so interior of the building can be seen from those passing by.  We want them to notice what an attractive and appealing space the library is.
• Credit Card Sales: When ringing up a credit card sale, please make sure the amount on the charge slip is the same as the amount entered in SMM.  We had a customer recently who was  charged $1.80 for $18.60 in fines credited to library account--a bargain for them but a disaster for us.

Upcoming Staff Events

• Friday, January 9: Pay day
• Friday, January 16: Last day of Pay Period
• Wednesday, January 21: Staff Training Meeting: I. Readers’Advisory for Kids (Leona); II.  Readers’ Advisory for Adults (Alice)
• Wednesday, January 28: Open Discussion Meeting