Library day in the life, Round 8, Tuesday

• This week I seem to have lots of training going on. Today, I have Mental Health In The Workplace Management Training, at the bizarre time of 12:30 pm, at Nepean Centrepointe Branch. I can tell this is going to result in me eating my sandwich on the bus ride there (seriously? What's with the 12:30 start time? I guess it means we finish by 4, but still....). Given that I am wearing the Cursed Skirt (marked down from over $200 to $40, back when I worked at Ogilvy's, and has since managed to attract every spill in creation and paid for itself perhaps several times over in dry cleaning bills), this may not end well.
  
• Every 2nd week, The Husband and I get to walk to Rideau Centre together to wait for our buses, but this is not one of those weeks. Alas. Instead, I strategise about a Freedom to read week event all through the walk. I had a partner in crime for this event, but he has backed out, so now I'm scrambling to get something together on short notice. I think I have decided what is feasible (versus what I really want, which involves a debating team and a Banned Bookmobile).
• Read through Google Reader while waiting for the bus. Especially enjoy day one of #libday8 by amy.
  
• Arrive at work. Discover maintenance staff have vacuumed (shoe collection is moved; it's a dead give-away). Hooray! Discover bird has pooped on my window. Merde (literally). Also discover sweater is backwards. Sigh.
• Survey to-do lists made yesterday after the staff meeting. Decide that first order of business is to triage email, then hunt down said maintenance staff and ask him about steam-cleaning some repurposed chairs, washing windows, and dusting shelves. I know. I bet you NEVER thought the life of a branch coordinator was so glamourous. Jealous?
• Email, email, more email.... including emailing all Rideau contacts (book clubbers, schools, daycares, and community partners) about the new Supervising Librarian they are getting soon! Here's a sad paragraph to write first thing in the AM, though: "It has been an absolute honour to work with all of you in the Lowertown and Sandy Hill communities for the past five years. Thank you for all your support of the Library, enthusiasm about our programs and services, and for graciously opening the doors of your organisation or group to me many times. Connecting with all of you make this profession meaningful for me." Good job done (and postponed several times)
  
• OPLA Readers' Advisory Committee work, Freedom to read week, and CLA Local Arrangements Committee work, for a few minutes....
• Travelled downstairs to visit Children's staff and maintenance staff. Wanted to also visit circ but realised we were open when I saw members of the public stream in, so beat a path back to Info before they worried about me. On the bright side, I am getting a lift to training because my colleague is also attending!
  
• Reference question about Great Courses
• Help with the stupid, ancient, effing photocopier
• Re-open email at Info Desk - how the heck can I have 14 emails from the past 10 mins when I was downstairs? Argh!
• Can I borrow some headphones?
• I see Pidge has left...? (my predecessor)
  
• Email, email.... including replying to a message forwarded via our Feedback account on the website. This one is from a patron who returned items in our book drop, but they still appear on his card. I check the account, and confer with our circulation supervisor.
  
• Volunteer brings me a book with a very disgusting call # label (shudder)
  
• The dreaded ebook reference question! I always feel terrible that the whole getting started process is so complicated.
• I'm going away... If I want to renew this book while I am away, can I do that or are there other patrons waiting?
• Working with casual employee, triage Spanish-language items that came up on a zero-circ list (items that haven't circulated in x years or more.... In our case, more than one year). Some we keep, some we give a last chance on our multilingual display, and some go off to greener pastures.
• I would like to use a computer....
  
• Dealt with a very difficult client who demanded the manager
• Cross off seven items on the to-do list, easily solve-able via email.
• Page inquiring if we want to keep these multiple copies of a title?
• I need help finding a hold... (hypenated last name, so she wasn't sure where it was. Also, she was about 13, and her mum was in the background. Super cute to see parents letting their kids ask their own questions!)
• Informal meeting with circulation supervisor. Also found out one of our managers talked about our Digital media program tonight on CBC Radio this morning, so we are going to have a full house! 51 people registered, and our room capacity is 60, so this means I need to tell staff how many chairs to set up, and let the people working at Info tonight know they will have to take attendance to only admit registrants if we get close to the fire regulation limits.
  
• Do you have this book?
• My complementary copy of OLA's Access magazine has arrived, with my article in it! Fame and fortune is mine!
• Travel guides for Florida?
• Reason to love my team #1,468: Because they put Sylvia Plath books on display.
• 11:48 am: Srsly have to eat lunch before this workshop. Snarf this down, help colleague clean snow off car, depart.
• 12:30-4:30: Mental Health In The Workplace Management Training. For supervisors, coordinators and managers, this excellent session focused on when and how to intervene if you feel someone on your team is dealing with a mental health issue, what to do in the case of an issue that affects workplace performance or one that doesn't, and what options are available to individuals dealing with an issue. Great training; sad topic.
• Took the bus home with a former colleague from Rideau who I miss very much, and The Husband was waiting when I walked in the doors to Rideau Centre. Serendipity!
• Managed to only check my email twice during the afternoon; 37 messages waiting for me tomorrow (some deleted already; some replied to during break at training).
• Browsed through this great set of photos from Saturday's Human Library project in five of our branches.