Wednesday Hint 11/26/08

Germ warfare

This Wednesday’s hint is about taking care of yourself amid all of those patrons who are coughing and sniffling and telling you about how sick they are.

If a patron takes a card out of his mouth, or the baby’s mouth, and hands it to you, it is OK to ask him to lay it down on the counter, barcode up. If they are insulted, smile and say that you’re just trying to stay healthy.

It’s OK to point out to a mother that her child is licking the countertop. After that, it’s out of your hands.☺

There are antiseptic wipes on the back counter close to the cash register. Use them every now and then to wipe down your checkout area, your keyboard, the phone, etc.

There is a dispenser of antiseptic gel next to the lost and found area. Put some of that on your hands periodically while out on desk. And then wash your hands when you get off desk.

Take the time to do these things. You’re worth it.

Wednesday Hint 11/19/08

What is Recall?

At times it is necessary for library staff to place holds on items, rather than titles, in order to replace parts or sort out mixed up pieces, not often but it does happen.

When you place an item hold, Millennium may ask you if you wish to RECALL the item. The answer to this question should always be no.

The RECALL function in Millennium was meant for academic libraries that may need to retrieve items for professors or staff working on projects. In our system nobody should get preference over the next person, so the recall is not needed and, because it is not part of out normal procedures, using it creates confusion in other system libraries that have no idea what the intentions were.

While we are talking about equal access for all patrons and staff, it should also be mentioned that we should never be altering the hold queue for items except in very limited circumstances. The main circumstance would be if you need to get the item back in order to make it usable to the next patron.

Wednesday Hint 11/5/2008

When someone tells you they are someone's guardian, that is enough. We do not need to see documentation. We believe them.

Please be sure to get the guardian's name, address, and phone number, as well as the patron's.