News from my library in April

Spring has sprung, my pretties. If I ever have a yard, I want a few magnolia trees, 'k?

Here's what's been keeping us busy these days at work:

• Community connections: We attended the Dovercourt Recreation Centre’s Annual Social Services West lunch. We made connections with people working with over a dozen local organisations. I can't say enough about the amazing work that John does at Dovercourt. I also visited three community contacts to promote our survey for older adults and discuss partnership opportunities for programs for adults and seniors, and organised an info kiosk at the Carlingwood Mall to promote library services. We also participated in the 7th Annual Youth Business Conference.
• Special guests: Author James Bartleman and our new Ottawa Public Library CEO, Danielle McDonald, both visited the branch, and we also had a placement student from Algonquin College learning and working with us for three weeks.
• Special events: Our teens, and our teen librarian, helped emcee the Teen Tech Awards. Check out some pix here.
• We celebrated a member of our team with a Bravo card (Bravo cards are distributed throughout the city as part of the Employee Recognition Program, for managers and supervisors to recognise achievement).
• Our Children's book clubs: one watched The Librarian from the Black Lagoon and ate banana bread and berries, while the other munched goldfish crackers while discussing Edgar Allan's Official Crime Investigation Notebook. Our teen book club discussed the Louder than Words non-fiction series.
• Meetings: We had our second branch staff meeting, held on two consecutive days (same meeting; different staff present), the Children's Info team had a meeting, and my direct team at Adult Info had its first meeting.
• We were bloggers, and blogged about.

Excerpts from the March monthly report at Carlingwood

Man, I'm tired. Am I getting old or something? I find now that sometimes Fridays, capped off with a glass of wine, find me asleep before 10 pm. Other than that sad fact, things are percolating along over here, with plans for the CLA Conference becoming more concrete, and weekends full of wonderful walks and runs around in the sun, observing some very early tulips.

Here are some things I (and my amazing colleagues) have been up to at work these days:

• We finished a gargantuan weeding and shifting project on the 2nd floor (adult non-fiction), making room for better homes for our Multilingual, language learning and graphica collections. In other building news (seriously, sometimes I think it's *all* building news... ain't nobody teaching this sh*t in library school!) we re-arranged elements of our lobby (based on some unfortunate customer feedback that turned into a happy story when I saw the amazing job my team did making improvements!), and I was finally able to realise my "accountability" vision of having a real conversation via the comment and suggestion box by installing a comment board (see at right). My plan may well come back and bite me though, as the comments have increased at least threefold since the board's installation. That's a lot of answering for me to do! I mean, hooray! Meanwhile, our building maintenance team was in fine form and framed and dry-walled our new 3rd floor shared office, prompting a musical chairs-style shuffle of the magazine shelving up there, and speculation about installing a jacuzzi.
  
• My tremendous Adult Information team led a “How to Use the Library's Digital Media Collection” program on the 2nd floor in front of the Adult Information Desk. Over the course of the afternoon (primarily from 2 pm – 4 pm) all four of us helped about 15 people with digital media questions. Despite the presence of our OPL Toybox at this event, featuring different eReaders customers could try out, the vast majority of the people we helped were 55+ and had brought their own eReaders and tablets so that we could help them set up their devices to download from our collection. The rest of the participants stopped by to ask more general questions about devices, compatibility, and what would work best for their needs. A quick tally indicates that we worked in-depth with customers setting up: 2 Blackberry Playbooks, 2 iPod Touch(es?), 1 Kobo Vox, 1 Sony PRS505, and 1 Sony PR650. We also had three general questions, one customer with an iPad at home who wanted a bit of a demo, and 2 with laptops or PCs at home who also wanted to walk through the set-up steps. I am immensely proud of my colleagues for handling a pretty crazy afternoon with grace, professionalism, creativity, and humour!
• 16 teens (and our own resident award-winning poet) created spine poetry for a poetry month display!

• We had 153 adults, 66 teens and 1282 children at our programs this month.
• I continued my ongoing meet-and-greets with local community partners. I was reading today in Vanity Fair about a movie director who meets with one person who is NOT in the entertainment business every two weeks: what an interesting goal. I might steal it. Anyway, I have been discussing potential future partnerships / common interests left, right and centre these days.... Not to mention I am shilling the planned Carlingwood Older Adults Advisory Committee to everyone. We are hoping to get that group off the ground in the fall.
  
• News EMC West wrote a piece on the Carlingwood Branch, prompting a childhood friend to stop by. Turns out she lives a few blocks away now. Small world!
• Stay tuned on April 16th for the announcement of the CLA Book of the Year for Children award winner, and some interesting cross-promotion between OPL and CLA this year.
• Bonus image above: our Titanic display was picked over by one enthusiastic child almost immediately, forcing P and I to get all silly with it, sticking up some seafood titles and speculating about Leo DiCaprio bios or books about swimming technique. Note new location of pillar displaying DVDs - great team suggestion!
  

Library day in the life, Round 8 wordle

I'm really happy that "staff" is largest: they are most important. I'm pleasantly surprised by the size of "book," and not surprised at all by "email."

See my previous #libday wordles here.

Library day in the life, Round 8, Friday

Friday! Hooray! I have a massage scheduled tomorrow that I am desperately looking forward to!

• Google Reader on the bus (favourite items: "On my best (greatest) skirt," by the lovely Jean, and "day four of #libday8," by Amy.
• Random tasks when I first arrived, pre-actual-workday, including posting the Seen reading on OC Transpo entry here, managing my own holds and loans, etc.
• OK, an explanation of the pic at right. If you blow it up, you can see that we name our cat every day. This (and the cat calendar itself) is a long-standing tradition dating back to a colleague at Carlingwood, now gone, but fondly remembered. I think of it as our daily laugh now: one day, my colleague named the two cats pictured as William and Kate, and I practically died laughing. Yesterday's cat (at right) was Haughty McGee, named by me for her demeanour.
  
• Approved leave for colleague.
• Printed out some performance appraisals (we call them Individual Contribution Agreements) that I have to review.
• Printed out some "If you like" bookmarks to cut and display.
• Work on next week's Person in Charge schedule.
• Email external colleague for info-gathering about best practices....
• Registered four people for our February Cuba lecture (events database FINALLY back up)
• Made some displays look pretty.
• Checked the Info voicemail.
• Consultation about moving collections with circulation supervisor and a page.
• Maintenance staff check in re. finishing a task I asked them to do!
• Meeting with Corporate Security and two supervisors regarding branch safety.
• Approved the minutes from Monday's staff meeting and sent to all staff.
• Responded to slightly rude email from external partner - have you heard of putting a greeting at the beginning and end of a message? Jeesh.
• Belatedly skim request from colleague in another city to scan a translation (sorry!)
• Photocopy a chapter of a marketing book that I have had checked out for far too long.....
  
• Close email. Work offline for the rest of the morning (which is really only about 30 mins). In order to do this, physically remove myself from computer desk to small table in my office.
• Aaaand we're open!
  
• Two French suggestions to purchase from one of our regulars
• Do you have any books about Glee?
• I think my holds expired... Can you check and re-order?
• It says a copy of Bossypants is here but I can't find it? (turns out it's on Express, but the patron has never heard of Express, so I take her downstairs. Only it's not there. Hasn't been out since Dec 23. Probably lost. I order it for her. Her card is expired. I rope in a circulation person to renew for her.... etc!)
  
• Patron having problems logging in to wireless on his Playbook. Long story short, it's an issue with clicking on the words "I accept" when he logs into our wireless page, instead of the radio button beside the words "I accept." GAH! Stupid small buttons! I taught him that motion that is the opposite of pinching, to zoom into the page and click carefully.
• Mystery involving people waiting for an item that we don't seem to have any copies of... until we discover they are "hidden" in the catalogue because they are at Hazeldean, which is closed! We email the HA Coordinator to "liberate."
• Do you have a book about interpreting blood test results? (no, but there is this and this. Also mentioned that normal ranges can vary greatly, and the best thing to do is consult your doctor...)
• On my break, I read about a seminary librarian whose library has a large collection of puppets!
• Email, email....
• I brokez the OLA website. I also threatened homicide and started talking to myself... so my colleague let me leave.

The end.

• 
  

Library day in the life, Round 8, Thursday

• This morning, I had training on our new City-wide eRecruitment process. The training was 9-1 at 100 Constellation, so off I went on the packed #95 bus.
• But first, I checked email from home and forwarded a message from an employee cancelling a shift today to someone who’s actually at Carlingwood to deal with it... On the bus, I scanned Google Reader news.
• I am allowed an extra coffee if I am going to a meeting. Unfortunately, I had a thermos + milk fail (at right). Meh. Black is OK.
• The training was really interesting (basically, the eRecruitment tool will allow us to manage and modify competitions online from start to finish – I’ll spare you the details).
  
• Here’s the thing with me: I hate, hate, HATE webinars in general, so I made sure I signed up for the in-person version of this training because I know webinars this long about finicky tools like this bore me to tears, and as a consequence, left to my own devices in the office, I will get distracted by real work and forget to follow along. At least with others around me, I am generally embarrassed enough to stay off email and ignore my to-do list.
  
• That being said (you knew there was a “but” coming here, didn’t you?), I did manage to send out the monthly report (completed), sign up for some training http://www.ala.org/pla/onlinelearning/webinars/dynamic (I know, a webinar, but it looks so interesting! And I’m going to get a group involved to keep me on track), sent a quick email about FTRW planning, scheduled a few 1-on-1 meetings with my team, set up a few reminders in Outlook, and put in a Grand and Toy order. I did all this either during the break or when everyone was working on exercises during training (I always finish first).
• I also received an email saying the day-long workshop I was presenting at on Saturday has been cancelled. Oh well, I was starting to get stressed about not finishing my presentation, anyway, so one less worry this week!
• Meeting with colleague upon arrival to branch
• We’re screwed for the schedule tonight so I called around for a replacement. The lovely JC stepped in (shout-out!) She will also soon be appearing in an article for Feliciter with me.... Mwha haha!
• Faxed some timesheets and met with circulation supervisor
• Followed up on a few things that came up in conversation with my team.....
• Hacked away at the to-do list.
• Had to call a patron about program registration and ended up having a great, if somewhat depressing, conversation about patron privacy and ease of use of library cards by spouses. Basically, in order to pick up your spouse/partner's holds, you must have their library card. Which is kind of inconvenient, but intended to protect people's privacy. There is no other option as yet to assign someone permission to access your account... Anyway, we debated a bit, and I promised to pass on the patron's feedback.
• More hacking. Several draft messages from earlier this week were sent!
• Wrote some quick reviews for our CLA BOYCA shortlist
• Sorted some more email, made some lists.....
• wandered over to Info desk to drop something off and got sucked into elaborate ebook download question. I'm a bit worried about that patron .... His eyes glazed over with confusion.... I kept asking if he was following ok, and he kept saying yes.... I sent him home with some handouts, too, because Ididn't think he was totally with me
• Clarified some more policy
• Succeeded in completing very few tasks to my satisfaction today. GRR.
  

Library day in the life, Round 8, Wednesday

Another out-of-the-ordinary thing about this week is that one of my team is off right now. I've managed to replace some of her hours, but I am alone on Info this morning until lunch-time. And so, here we go....

• Read Google Reader items while waiting for bus. Very slippery in my 'hood this morning....
• I get in, check voicemail (x3 - two phones at Info and two messages on my phone), have to empty my entire handbag to find my office door key (sigh).
• A member of my team left me a note about my article in Access: "Cool, awesome and sick!" I love my peeps.
  
• Boot up laptop and check network connection on the third floor. We are planning to put a spare office up there, and we need to know what kind of access there is already. Verdict: none.
• Email galore.
• Finish the monthly report. Am temporarily foiled trying to look something up in our programs because our events database is down.
• Run our Position Incumbent Report for the branch so I can check all the full-time and part-time staff have alarm codes for the branch security alarm. Submit names and codes to Corporate Security.
  
• Send out an emergency email to fill a shift at circ tonight as someone there is sick. If I don't get a reply from someone in an hour or so, I will have to bite the bullet and start calling around.
• Packed up some sign holders for another branch that needs them (we have extra)
• Called IT about a frequent crash we're experiencing on one PC when opening Outlook.
• Can I reserve that Nixon book by Conrad Black?
• More email
• Realise the Bolshoi Ballet falls on the same weekend as Race Weekend, making it all a few days before CLA Conference. Too much on at the same time! Argh!
• Have to re-schedule some shifts because employee who has most seniority and accepted them now has shifts elsewhere.
• Found someone to work this evening but not this afternoon.....
• I can't log in to the Express computer... (turns out the issue was the Numbers Lock button being off)
• I can't download my ebook (I think it's because our website is down right now...)
• I want to sign up for the Cuba program on February 13th....
• Long-winded person with ebook
  
• First book by Louise Rennison
• I'm on hold for Emily the Strange : piece of mind... How long will it take?
• Do you think the Library's ebook collection will be compatible with a Kindle one day?
• Do you have this book by Erica Spindler?
• Do you have The Devil's Footprints by Amanda Stevens?
• Am I still on hold for this book?
• Do you have any books by C. J Box here? Two in HC mystery, 1 in HC Fic, and 2 in mystery PBs. Sometimes, our collection drives me BATTY. Also, I want to integrate the paperbacks but they take up almost half the third floor and I don't know how I'm going to ever do it. Patron and I divide and conquer and retrieve all the Boxes.
• Meanwhile, the phone is ringing off the hook with three new messages and I have seven new emails just while I was serving those people.
  
• Triage email
  
• Respond to one of the voicemails, which is from a colleague. The other two are ebook and events-database related, so I can't do anything right now while the website is down.
• Went on a massive treasure hunt for a book that says it is on display at Carlingwood.... Ended up not finding it. It's a last copy, so I emailed all Info staff to have a look around for it. Drat.
• Finally get around to re-assigning those shifts.
  
• I want to use the Internet (I explain how it works). OK, so where on the computer do I put in my library card? (Oh, I love seniors....).
• So, I hear you are the boss here? Turns out this man heard me serve the previous patron (who wanted to put her library card in the CD drive), thought I was great, and wanted to tell the boss, so he asked who that was at circ. Then he realised it was me. We had a chuckle. I offered to tell my boss! He says we are undervalued and that all the staff at CA are great. I had to agree, obvs.
• Enlisted a page to check the thermostat because it's super hot near the public PCs.
• Question from staff about the Person in Charge policy at OPL
• I have totally lost my train of thought re. tasks I wanted to do this morning. It is now about 11 am and I think I need to just write this morning off.
• Call Digital Services to inquire about how to return an ebook early. The helpful staff member explains that if it's a Kobo 1st generation or similar, the return is done through Adobe Digital Editions; if the book was downloaded through an app, click on the title, hold it down, and wait for the - button to appear to remove it. I have to call back the patron to ask, but it turns out it's a digital audiobook. Another call to Digital Services confirms that these cannot be returned early. Good to know!
  
• Do you have Caine's Reckoning by Sarah McCarty? (little old lady patron + ripped dude on the book cover = awesome)
  
• Staff bring me a copy of Secret Wife Of Louis XIV by Veronica Buckley with missing pages. Only one remaining copy, so I emailed Collections to order more if possible, and advised staff to withdraw this copy.
• Question from one of the pages regarding shelving we are shifting.
• Where is your photocopier? (We've moved it recently in anticipation of getting a massive new fancypants print management device)
• Little old lady returns. She found her book on the shelf. I missed seeing it in the catalogue search. She pursed her lips at me. Ouch. I appologise and smile and say, good thing this had a happy ending! She's not having any of it, though.
  
• I forgot my library card at home but I want to use the computers? (I look up his accout after he provides photo ID; his card has expired, so I direct him to the circulation desk to renew it first)
• Opened a service desk call....
• Holy s%&$ I have 16 messages saved as draft. AAAAHHHH!
• ... and now it's 17.
• Help patron with photocopier.
• Faxed my old boss something that might be helpful when training a new employee. Talked to maintenance staff while waiting for fax to go through re. hanging a banner promoting the Foundation.
• Request for a Harlan Coben book; patron is also having trouble accessing our new catalogue online, so I give her some tips.
• Timesheets!
• Can I request The Book of Negroes?
• Can I request the two previous volumes in this series? (en français!)
  
• I run a book club and I need to order multiple copies of these books.....
• Staff report ice falling from roof. I ask maintenance staff to take a look. Kind of a fact of life, but sometimes maintenance staff go up and knock the biggest pieces off.
• Clarification of policy regarding reporting absences with staff at all levels
• Phone call with staff member regarding request for IT to install speakers in our program room.
• Another phone call from a patron wishing to register for a program online, but the events database is still down (website is back up, though!), so I take down his information.
  
• I lost my pen! (I explain lost and found). No, can I borrow one?
• Do you have books that are, like, based on movies? Where would these be shelved?
  
• One of my former students stops by and inquires if I know of anywhere in Ottawa offering language courses for a certain language. I offer to investigate with our Newcomer librarian....
• More email......
• And that was just the morning. Insert lunchbreak here. Pizza was involved.
• After lunch, I passed on instructions to the casual employee I had working, went downstairs to check in with circ and children's staff, and then tackled my to-do list until I went back on Info at 4 pm. The to-do list included a debate with various levels of OPL staff regarding social media policy, following up with patron complaint from Monday, and all those emails.
• Can I reserve these three books? (points haphazardly on a sheet with at least 40 book titles)
• Do you have La boheme with soprano Anna Netrebko on DVD? Can I get it via ILL? Can you ask Collections to purchase it? After all, if it's out there, it's in here, right?
• Any other books by the author of The Kite Runner? What do you mean, you can't find it on the shelf? Where is it? (people's righteous indignation, and their absolute faith in us, amuses me....)
• A bunch of Algonquin students looking for the documentary called 3rd world Canada by Ottawa filmmaker Andrée Cazabon.
• 12 new emails during those last four bullet points... GAH!
• Question in French: Avez-vous Les mots de ma vie?
• Next question is re. picking up a hold (can't find it on the shelf). Also in French!
  
• Do you have The Social Animal The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement?
  
• Is this DVD part of a series? (not really, but I can find some others....)
• Same patron: Stever Irwin is in this DVD, and he mentions he also went on a trip to save the elephants? (had to break it to her that he's dead, but the ship in her movie was named after him, and his work is continued by the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, and no, we don't have any DVDs about them working with elephants, but we have one about their Antarctic expedition)
• Same patron: two most recent Jude Devereaux in large print.
  

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.
  

Library day in the life, Round 8, Monday

OK, I really want to do this, but I am totally swamped this week, so you are getting whatever I can throw up. Sorry, kids!

• I was off this morning, so I read, drank coffee in PJs, and had a phone conversation regarding the upcoming CLA Conference, and my role as chair of the Local Arrangements Committee.
• Today was a bit atypical at work as we were having the first (in a long time) branch staff meeting. Circulation (Borrower Services staff), several pages, and Information Services (Children's and Adult) staff all sat around a table for 2 hours! More on this below.
  
• I arrived at work at 12:20ish, read and responded to some e-mail, checked in with the casual staff replacing my colleague and I so we could attend the meeting, and assigned some tasks.
• I checked in with the circ and children's teams, and checked the room set-up for the staff meeting. I wanted to make some adjustments to make it look like more of a round-table, so several people who had arrived early helped me move things around.
• 1 pm: I decided to open my first meeting as the new coordinator by asking everyone around the table to share something they had read or watched recently. We then moved on to discuss everything from new and revised policies (I'll spare you the details, but food and drink was a lively discussion, as was branch security/safety and difficult patrons), our new booksale area (prices increased and criteria for receiving donations tightened up a bit to be more in line with this), updates on ongoing projects (weeding, shifting the collections, expanding the Teen Zone), and items for discussion (shelftalkers coming soon to Carlingwood!).
• P.S. Managing a team of 8 is very different than managing a team of 30+!
• 3-4 pm: Honestly, I don't even know what I did. The meeting ended, I had a few one-on-one follow-up conversations, I snarfed a granola bar, I covered Info while my colleagues were on break, and answered a million emails.....
• 4-4:45: Alone on the Info desk. Signed some timesheets, served some patrons. Went hunting for nonfiction DVDs that were all over the place.....
• 5-6: Food!
• 6 -8:30: On Info again, with a colleague. Checked in with circ and children's teams, replied to emails, did some scheduling for upcoming training of members of our team, finally faxed all those timesheets, etc. Also introduced and thanked our evening speaker, Dr Surjit Herr (speaking about "The 3 Secrets to Stress Management.") Don't know where the time went!
• 8:31: Responded to a patron comment card regarding additional shelving for the DVDs.... Something I was thinking about, too (which I told the patron quite honestly). He appreciated my call, and said that the Library is the best value for tax dollars in the city. Great way to end the evening!
• 8:32: Positive feedback from staff member re. meeting!
• 8:35: Emailed manager for advice re. vague wording in the collective agreement
• 8:45: Out the door!
  

Upcoming programs at Carlingwood Branch of OPL

I'm still just getting settled in my new home, and dealing with a flurry of projects and nice juicy situations to sink my teeth into. Here's a run-down of what we have on the agenda, in terms of programs, in the near future.

Carlingwood has two book clubs, one on the first Wednesday of the month from 2 - 3:30 pm (reading Colm Toibin's Brooklyn this month - I just met them today!), and one on the second Wednesday of the month at the same time (reading The Bishop's Man by Linden MacIntyre this month).

We're also hosting one of the visits by our fabulous Digital Services staff, who will present what I call the Digital Media Petting Zoo (stolen from Lora), but is technically called Digital Media: Downloading Audiobooks , E-books and Music from the library. This session focuses on how to find and download our e-books, audio books, digital music collection, exploring supported devices and OPL policies. The session will be on Tuesday Jan 31, 2012 (6:30 pm - 8:30 pm )

Other fun programs:

• Monday Jan 23, 2012 from 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm - Protecting your computer: It only takes about 15 minutes for an unprotected computer to be compromised after connecting to the Internet. Don't let it be yours. Chris Tayler, from the Ottawa PC Users' Group, will give you tips to prevent hacking on your computer.
  
• Monday Feb 27, 2012 from 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm - Have you been diagnosed with fibromyalgia?: Dr. Joseph Lawrence, a chiropractic neurologist, gives a lecture on one of the most controversial topics in chronic pain. He will discuss lab values, contributing causes, innovative approaches to give results - and much more.
  
• Wednesday Feb 22, 2012 from 7:00 pm - 8:15 pm - Knowledge is Power: Ovarian Cancer Canada representatives will discuss the signs, symptoms and risk factors of the disease.
  
• Monday Jan 30, 2012 from 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm - The 3 Secrets to Stress Management: Is stress having an overwheming impact on your life? Dr. Surbjit Herr offers safe and effective ways to manage the 3 diffent types of stress, so that they don't take over your body and overall health.
  
• Monday Jan 16, 2012 from 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm - Cuba - beyond the beaches and resorts: Join traveller and photographer Alex Bissett on a journey through Cuba, visiting colonial cities, beautiful countryside, revolutionary headquarters and the hideouts of Castro and Che Guevara.
  
• Wednesday Feb 15, 2012 from 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm - Memoir Writing Workshop with Alan Cumyn (MASC): Alan Cumyn’s books include the Giller Prize finalist, Burridge Unbound, and the acclaimed Great War novels The Sojourn and The Famished Lover. Join him for this workshop on memoir writing. Offered in partnership with MASC. For Adults 50+.
  

Find a full list of Carlingwood's programs for all ages (we have fabulous children's programs, too, and more exciting adult programs in future months, including sessions on decorating, dog training, and Latin American Percussion!) here.

THINGS CHANGE

Well, that was quite the month.

I've been writing fewer original posts about life in general recently, not from lack of news, but from a surfeit of news, really. I needed to let the dust settle (both in life and inside my head) before I distilled some things in print here (wow. Mixed metaphor. Sorry).

One of my favourite professors from Marianopolis, Dr. McKendy, had several "bits" he used to employ in class as humourous reminders of salient points in our course. One of these was a piece of tongue-in-cheek advice: if you are ever writing an essay piece for a final exam, on a piece of literature you have never read, or you have run out of time, scrawl down "THINGS CHANGE." This will always be applicable to any novel.

I often think of Dr. McKendy, and of THINGS CHANGE (it's always in capitals, ok, and it's always in his voice, too). My entire month of December can be thus described. It was a month in which I found myself contemplating two roads diverging in a wood. It was a month in which I had to give up several dreams, but found another I perhaps needed to fulfill first. It was a month in which I discovered that people I thought were enemies were perhaps at the very least receptive and friendly, and people I thought were friends developed a more complicated, troubled relationship with me. It was a month in which I packed up offices in three libraries, and moved into a cozy one tucked under a staircase, with a bay window. It was a month in which I was able to use extensive knowledge about grief in the workplace. It was a month in which I broke down leaving a thank-you voicemail for a wonderful City of Ottawa employee, with whom I had developed an unexpectedly great rapport with on a City-wide committee this year. It was a month in which I made some mistakes, and was saved only by the generosity and support of my team. It was a month in which I moved beyond projects and external goals, and saw for the first time in my career that maybe I really influenced a team for the better.

It was also a month in which I tabulated the final grades for my Acquisitions class, read voraciously for BOYCA, accepted the role of the Chair of the Local Arrangements Committee for CLA Conference in Ottawa in May 2012, agreed to be on the Ottawa IMPAC committee, trained an employee, coached another, sat on an interview committee, judged some poster sessions, went to Toronto, and fêted the retirement of our City Librarian (one of my own mentors, and a friend).

Maybe I should be clear now.

Late last month, I accepted a new position as the Coordinator of the Carlingwood Branch of the Ottawa Public Library. Carlingwood is one of our larger branches, with some of the highest circulation of material in the entire system (Q3 2011 circ was 145,888, surpassed only by Beaverbrook, Main and Nepean Centrepointe). I'm really pleased to be back in a large branch for the first time since I left Westmount, but I do miss the community feeling in a smaller branch. I already miss doing storytime and find myself lingering in the children's department like a pathetic loser, but I enjoy having more time to focus on supervisory tasks. I am worried about leaving the downtown marginalised populations I have grown to love and admire so much, and with whom I see so much more to be done, even as I know I will discover other groups in my new neighbourhood in great need. I am getting to know the teams I work with, and I continue to be amazed by the great people we have working at the library, full of ideas and ready to go out of their way to support each other and serve our patrons. Everything this month has been a bit like Elizabeth Bird's Fortunately, Unfortunately blog post of last year (brilliant, btw). I am finding myself paralysed when people ask me how things are at Carlingwood: no one really wants the full answer... it would take too long to list all the good things, and all the things I am sad to lose! There is so much going on! THINGS CHANGE!

I'm just getting my bearings, still exhausted from wrapping up a multitude of projects at Bookmobile, training my replacement there, and saying goodbye to three teams: Bookmobile, Homebound, and Rideau Branch (for the first time in five years, no longer my substantive job, my home base amid renovations and repairs and mat leave replacements....). I've hardly even started to make a list of the ideas for Carlingwood swirling in my head. I still have at least three boxes hiding under my desk that I have to unpack.

Here's to turning the page to an exciting new year.