Once a Manager - Never Again!!

Well - my career as a library manager is over.  It was interesting and, I must admit, fun.  There were parts that weren't fun or even enjoyable but for the most part I had a agood time and learned a great deal.  It's a lot harder than it looks!  For 3 1/2 months I feel that I haven't been in the building at all - there were weeks I didn't work my regular schedule at all - and so much of my work was falling by the wayside - but somehow it all got done (at least no one has come asking for something that wasn't done!!). 

In the meantime, we're settling in with our new manager.  Things will be different but I know we'll be fine and do well.  In October we'll be celebrating our 5th anniversary in the "new" building - have to get started on planning our party! 

Meetings

We, in the library, have SO many meetings! This week I had 4 scheduled but one was cancelled. (Actually one of what I'm calling a meeting is truly a training - but the result is the same - I'm away from the building.)

Today there were two meetings and I have to admit they're two of the most fun! It's always good to have a good laugh and I can usually manage that in these meetings! What can possibly be wrong with a meeting with accomplishments, laughter and chocolate??!!

Phases of the Moon

I need to go to a friend's blog and check the phases of the moon (or I suppose I could go get the gadget myself!) because we're starting to have problems we haven't had for a while! I'm attempting to try to justify the activities by moon phases!

Actually I think it's more realistic to say - teenage boys hanging together without supervison and with a computer adds up to a problem every time!! In any event, we're going to have to be stern and "offer some correction"!!

Some days I feel like we're the "Teen Whisperers" - and, to borrow from Caesar Millan's "No touch, no talk, no eye contact" - ours is: no touch, all talk, constant eye contact!! They will just have to learn that we can't and won't accept their behavior in the library - and we're in charge of the building - they're not.

Wish us luck! It has the potential to be a long few days! Luckily we have a policy and procedure to follow!!

Just another day at Oceanfront

Today was a good day for me - tired and all!! I got lots cleaned up - shredded, recycled, filed and generally cleaned. I also got an evaluation written (YEA!!) and have plans for some others that need to be written.

But along with all the good things that happened, we had the rescue squad twice (for the same person) today!! One of our homeless customers had a seizure outside the building (the first time) and we called the rescue squad. However, when they got to the library, the customer was awake and refused treatment. Unfortunately he had 3 other seizures during the day and after the last one we again called for help! This time he was taken out on a stretcher.

On another note: we discovered that some ingenious folks have discovered a way to circumvent the software we use to log people onto the Internet. We require a library card and PIN to log into one of our computers. These busy people found a way around that (and our session timers!). Luckily for us, some of them were willing to tell us how they did it!

A call was made to our IT department - and we're waiting for the fix to close this new loophole!!

SIGH!

To the Rescue . . . . .

It was our Little Green Machine to the rescue today as a customer's LARGE bottle of liquid laundry detergent spilled! Luckily it was in a spot normally covered by the legs of a table so it will be able to dry, luckily it smells REALLY nice and luckily I was able to stop the customer from trying to pick up the gooey stuff with paper towels!

Unfortunately, the liquid laundry detergent is extremely thick and didn't get into the machine but stayed in the non-detachable hose!! (Note to Bissel - please make the hoses detachable!!). SO, after getting all the detergent out of the carpet, I took Little Green to the lounge - ran water into the sink and repeatedly sucked up water and emptied suds from the intake container!

Took a little while but eventually the hose was clear, the intake container didn't have suds and the lounge smelled REALLY good too!!

And they say there's no fun in libraries!!

Book Review

I'm not sure where I read about this book - either a blog or one of the library journals that get routed around the building! In any event, I put it on hold and promptly forgot about it!!

It came in the other day and I've thoroughly enjoyed it! While it has many amusing parts, it's not just a funny book about working in a library - there are thoughtful and thought provoking sections too.

"Pages occupy the bottom rung of the library hierarchy. . . . A library will continue to function nicely without every other position, but without the pages it would grind to a stop within a quiet afternoon." (p.17)

Although written by a librarian from California (with some specific situations), this book could easily fit into Virginia Beach! Put it on hold and enjoy it too!

PS - FYI I started 22 years ago as a Page!!

Best Laid Plans . . .

I was tired - it's been a long, trying week and I have a full day on Friday. So . . . I headed off to bed early Thursday and settled in for a nice, long sleep.

But it was not to be - I was almost asleep - in that quiet area where you're really not totally asleep but you're not awake either - and the phone rang! Scared me!!

It was someone wanting to schedule an interview (I'd left messages for this person much earlier in the day)!! It was also 9:45 p.m.! SIGH

Interview scheduled, I tried to get back to that quiet place, but, as you can see by the time on this post, it just wasn't to be. It's now Friday - EARLY Friday - and I'm hoping to get to sleep soon. Going to be a long day . . .

Interviewing - from My Side of the Table

Interviewing is one of the most difficult things in the whole world (in my humble opinion)! I'm a very introverted person and don't have a great deal of self-esteem (I'm working on it!!) so putting myself on display AND bragging on myself is very difficult!

HOWEVER, what many people don't realize, until they have to do it, actually asking the questions is hard too!! I've just spent two days asking the same questions and listening to talented people give me answers! I'm always impressed with the calibur of people we have applying (and working) in Virginia Beach!

My hat is off to all the applicants who gritted their teeth, conquered their fears and put themselves on display - thank you for coming, listening and answering the questions!

Thanks too, to my teammates - it was wonderful working with y'all again - lunch yesterday was good - today a tad rushed!! All in all a good experience! And I can safely say that I'm glad I wasn't the one having to answer the questions!!

A New Year

Big changes are coming at the Library - we have a new Public Services Manager who starts mid-month. We have a new Service Development Manager (and we're thrilled!). We have a new Staff Development Coordinator - and, of course, we're all working hard on Library 2.0 and our 30 Things! Whew - lots of changes!!

A Fitting End!!

Ok - it's New Year's Eve - and the Library is closing early. It's five o'clock, the last two customers are checking out (of course they both have problems that prohibit using self-checkout!!), the man who left the empty LLBean backpack in the lab comes running back in at the last second to get it (YEA!) and I'm ready to lock the doors

WHEN

the security guard calls that there's ONE MORE IN THE BATHROOM!

I vaguely remember seeing a tall man (actual size and race, etc. undetermined) enter the men's room but I hadn't really been watching. Now I ask if he's still in there and if he knows we're closed. She said he's not responding to her calls, so she and I venture into the public men's room - an adventure devotely to be missed! - and I yell and she bangs on the locked stall door. No reaction at all - all I can see are feet!

Back out to the Help Desk where a cold wind is blowing - OH NO - the automatic door isn't automatically closing!! - and a call to 911. The dispatcher and I chuckle over the fact that there's a man locked in the men's room stall who won't respond to banging or yelling. At her request I have a male staff member check over the door to ensure the man is breathing - he comes back to say the man's passed out with his pants around this knees!

Minutes later the fire department and the police arrive - firemen with sledge hammers and various tools to break down the door. Luckily that's not necessary - the police are able (somehow) to rouse the man, get his pants up and out the non-working automatic door!

I turn off the automatic door, pull it closed, secure it with our high-tech bike chain and lock and we're FINALLY off for New Year's and 2008!

It had been such a quiet day! Goodbye 2007!! A fitting end!

Take_a_seat

I want these chairs!!

Human Filtering

In this case, the library won!

Director's Station & JAVA

Whew - three hours of an on-line training and an 80+ page manual! But what a fascinating program! It's going to be interesting to get in and play with it and see exactly what kind of information is living in our ILS database! That's Director's Station!!


The Java Client is up and running and doing well - there are some glitches - but they're small ones and relatively easy to work around. The display is wonderful and so much better than the old C Client! And scrolling!! We now have REAL scrolling!!

Lots of training and changes this week! (I just need to remember to configure the printers at each computer I log into!!)

Relaxation

We had a fantastic relaxation 1/2 hour today! A very nice woman came and spent a large part of the day with us - giving up to 3 staff members per 1/2 hour a warm neck wrap, hand massage, rejuvenating eye pads, and lip exfoliation!

It was GREAT!! And truly relaxing!! I'm hoping she can come back in late spring!! I was able to get several Christmas gifts too!

Everyone, including some of the men on the staff, enjoyed the change from our usual routine and everyone said how relaxed and refreshed they were afterwards!

SIGH!!

Library Land - Part 2

Another interesting day, yesterday, at the Library!! Not unusual, not really a bad day - just interesting!

It started with a co-worker looking out of the window at the drive-up. "Oh NO" she said - "I don't believe he's doing that!" Of course the rest of us in the workroom said "WHAT?" "He's going to the bathroom in the bushes!!"

Good grief - there he was standing between the drive-up and the delivery entrance with his back to the window - but it was very obvious what was happening!! A quick call to the dispatcher, a really good description (especially after he completed his toilet, turned and nodded when he saw us in the window!!) and our day began!

It was pretty quiet the rest of the day - 2 hours of IM reference - NO QUESTIONS!!

I'm sure that will pick up - and I did get other work done during that time!!

IMing

Tonight I'm "manning" the virtual library desk - I'm the IM person from 5-7 tonight! We've only been doing IM reference a little while and it's going to take some time to catch on. I did have a question from someone who wanted to know who I was and how I happened to pop up in his IM!! (I'm assuming this person was a HE - could definitely be wrong!!)

Anyway - I gave the Library's name and said I wasn't sure how I just popped into his IM but I'd be happy to help answer any question I could! Apparently the name meant something because he just said OK, Thanks!

Other than that it's been a slow IM night! Maybe next time it will pick up!!

It was simply a beautiful day today - warm, sunny with a light breeze. A great day to be alive!

Library 2.0 Kickoff!

It's started! Today was THE day! The first day to register for the Library 2.0 Training at the Beach! My number is 19!

Learning 2.0 at the Beach

Click on "30 Things" from the list on the right of the Learning 2.0 @ the Beach blog and join in on the fun! All VBPL staff who complete the training will receive an MP3 player! Should be fun - I always have fun learning new things and exploring technology!

Library Land

It's fall and, unlike most of the area libraries, we're slowing down. Our busiest season is the summer - when all the tourists and foreign workers come to Virginia Beach for sun and fun. After Labor Day they all go home and we get back to a slower paced "normal" until spring. Our "regular" customers come back in force and our computer use slows down (a little)!!

Most people wouldn't believe the stories that can be told about public libraries - the people and the situations are just to bizarre and would probably be called fiction!!

For instance - last Monday evening - not long before closing - we discovered that we had sewage backing up into the drive-up bookdrop room from the floor drain there. More exploration found more backups in the public restrooms - all in all a terrible smelly mess!! It was fixed and cleaned successfully the next day!!

BTW - note to all renovating or building libraries - do NOT put carpet in the same room as a floor drain!! Our book drop room is carpeted - not a good combination with sewage backup!!

See I told you no one would believe Library Land isn't fiction!!