I was going to do a post about the most memorable moments (good and bad!) at the various RPL Staff Development Days/Staff Conferences I’ve attended over the years (including five years on the planning committee and three years as Chair) but I don’t really have the energy for it because as I type this, it’s actually Friday evening after our first Staff Development Day in three years and there were two things today that would likely be contenders for both the best and worst moments ever which I’m still processing.
So anyhow, here’s a pic from the stage before I facilitated a panel on “Fake News” at the RPL Staff Day back in 2017 that would likely make my list of “Most Memorable Moments” more for the conversation that happened after the session than anything said during it.
One of the great ironies of the working world is that we often questions like the one above in interviews of new staff but then hire people who don’t feel empowered to actually go “above and beyond” to help people.
This can be for a variety of reasons – too time-consuming, confusion or mixed messages about what they can and can’t do within the scope of their jobs, some people think they’re customer-service oriented but really aren’t, things that may fall in legal grey areas, etc.
I had an amazing interaction today to help both a mother and daughter with separate issues, going to lengths that I suspect very few in the org would go to to help someone.
I won’t go into details as I share those same worries about being told you’re doing too much (hi to everyone reading this from RPL!) but it involved helping a young girl get music on the new, very inexpensive MP3 player she got for her birthday (broke my heart to hear her say “I’ve only been able to listen to the radio on it since we don’t have a computer at home”) Then I went above and beyond to help her mom with a separate issue.
Anyhow, sorry for being so cryptic but sometimes you get a problem that seems almost insurmountable but you put your mind to solving it, no matter how complicated and/or how many steps the solution might take. And when you succeed and leave someone beyond happy, you know you’re doing what the library is really for.
(Still haven’t gotten around to it but want to do a post about the best advice I’ve gotten from various managers over the years – one tip on that list will be “Lots of people think we’re in the book business in public libraries but we’re not; we’re in the helping business!”)
We signed up for a six week puppy training class that the entire family can attend. They call it a “puppy” training class but its very clear that the purpose is to train the humans in how to work with their dog, teach it good manners and tricks and so on. 😉
Believe it or not, there have been a few good things to come out of Covid.
Here’s a few…
* greater acceptance of work-from-home in many sectors
* I’d say that it’s caused many people to reassess their work-life balance
* many people are also saving money by going out less for restaurants, entertainment, shopping.
* general acceptance of masking/hand sanitizer may result in less illness overall (though it doesn’t feel like it these days)
* increased limit for tap on debit and credit cards is convenient (especially given the rising price of groceries!)
* so many events that you had to attend in person are now online – from workshops to courses to funerals. Shea works with pregnant women and previously, they would have to make an effort to get to the hospital, possibly find care for other kids at home, pay for parking, etc. to take her classes. Now they are all offered online. Or if your Uncle in Hawaii passes away, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to watch the funeral without having to be there in person as would have likely been the case only a few short years ago.
