2020-12-18 SPLAT Curiosity Report: Volume 7, Issue 3
Featured Story
Message from the editor
Do you enjoy reading the Curiosity Report? Do you see change as an opportunity to learn and grow? Do you find yourself going with the flow when things don’t go as planned? Great, you should apply to be part of SPLAT!
The SPLAT team is composed of a diverse group of Idaho library staff that seek to have representation from all geographic areas, all types of libraries, all sizes of libraries, and individuals in differing stages of their careers. These varied perspectives strengthen the group by enabling members to address a multitude of needs that are found within our library communities.
We will be opening applications for new members in February 2021, and will host an online information session in January. Stay tuned to this space, LibIdaho, and the SPLAT Facebook page for details!
I now return you to your regularly scheduled Curiosity Report.
– Deana Brown
If you can’t find a door….try a window!
One of the common sentiments that has come out of the current COVID-19 status quo is that adversity leads to innovation. When libraries are forced to rethink the way they are providing services, great things can happen. I believe one of the best things to come out of the pandemic is the rise of Curbside services. Curbside is something that our library had talked about doing in the past but scheduling and location problems always seemed to dominate those conversations, and we were never able to implement it. Now, even though our library is opened to limited numbers of patrons at a time, Curbside is still one of the most desired and well utilized services we are offering. For our patrons, one of the bright spots in the pandemic is that Curbside pickup is a service that is not going away after things get back to normal due to some out of the box thinking.
One of the challenges for our library is the location of Curbside pickup. The two most likely locations are located about 30 yards from the exit door, requiring staff to cover a lot of ground for each Curbside delivery. Each delivery required a staff member to walk a little over half a football field! This was attainable during the time when our library was closed, but the fear is that once normal functions were happening then Curbside would again be something we would love to have but could not find the resources to offer. For the last several months our Circulation Manager and I would joke about knocking a hole in the side of the building and adding a new door even bringing it up to our Director just for the reaction.
As we prepared for our phases of reopening, we talked a lot about how our patrons were using the services even when we were closed. The conversation came up with members of other city departments as they came in the library most just assumed that when our building was closed then our services were closed too. I talked about the response to Curbside, and how many people were using it. I even brought up the idea of our Dream Door, talking about how much easier it would be to provide Curbside if only we didn’t have to go so far between each patron. Instead of laughing off the idea of the Dream Door, our city Facilities analyst gave it some serious thought and came up with an amazing solution. Instead of knocking a hole in the wall for a door, he suggested we replace one of our windows with a Bank teller window. This would allow us to pass items through the wall, instead of constantly running them out to patrons when they arrived!
Fast forward 2 months later and in October we opened our walk-up curbside service window. Now staff can directly help patrons from our processing area. Items are delivered in a safer manner for both patrons and staff
no longer leaving items on a table and backing away before the patron leaves their vehicle. The new area is protected from the elements and will allow Curbside services to continue no matter the weather. One thing we have learned is that people will show up for their holds, no matter what is happening outside. The adverse situation
along with a generous helping of wishful thinking and hope, led us to implement a solution that would have never come up without the events of the last Spring/Summer.
– Mike Sloan
Fail Forward
We’ve all been there. You pour your heart into a program, and no one shows up. You try something new, and you fall on your face. Sound familiar? Fail Forward is the place to share your failures, and give you the opportunity to share what you learned from them. Did you promote your program in a different way after no one showed up? Maybe you took a new approach to the new thing you were excited about? Awesome! Share your story via our online form so others can learn, and realize that failure is often part of the process.
Perception of online meeting tools
One of my responsibilities is to train new school librarians in my school district. Since they are usually in another building across town this means I have to be out of my office, sometimes for days at a time. I finally realized this year, after having to do so many Google Hangouts or Zoom meetings, that some training can take place virtually. I can stay in my office, connect with the new librarian over Google Hangouts, and share my screen while I am instructing them how to do things. This is especially useful when the librarian only has 10 or 15 minutes at a time free. I had failed for many years to see a real use for online meeting tools. Now they have become a necessary and very useful part of my job.
– Gretchen Perkins
Crush Corner
Is there a library you follow on social media who is always doing new and exciting things? How about a blog you follow that inspires you? What about a new idea, book, or resource that you want to share? Library Crush Corner is a place for those working in Idaho libraries to share what inspires them, and who or what they’re crushing on… in a professional sense. Share your story via our online form so we can publish it in a future issue!
School librarians rock!
I just want to take a moment to commend all those working in school library settings during this unprecedented time. Whether your school district is having in person classes and you are dealing with either classes coming through your library and having to disinfect between classes or you are taking books to individual classes on a cart so that children still have access to books or you are helping teachers and students navigate the challenges of online learning known that all that you do is appreciated. I know that my child is attending school in an isolated pod and his wonderful school library is taking requests from every child and bringing books to every class by request. I just want you to know how much these simple acts are appreciated by the students you serve. Thank you!
– Jackie Wood
SPLAT explores the ever-evolving library world and supports library folks as they adapt to meet the needs of their communities. Library folk throughout the state of Idaho volunteer to serve on the Special Projects Library Action Team (SPLAT). Learn more about SPLAT at splat.lili.org
SPLAT is brought to you by the Idaho Commission for Libraries and was made possible, in part, by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (LS-246156-OLS-20). The views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent those of the Institute of Museum and Library Services.