My first week at Franklin Public Library was harrowing. Now, I must be clear. Nothing untoward occurred. It was just three days of non-stop activity, a blur of strangers I really must get to know, and travel routes that are not yet familiar.
Did I mention I only worked three days? The days were packed and long. My first day, I attended a Friends of the Library meeting in the evening. My second evening was filled with a Common Council meeting. The City Budget was on the agenda. The third day was shorter -- just nine hours. I met a business man whose company sponsored an event from which a sizable donation was made to the Friends of the Library.
And I was given a whole bunch of logins and passwords. Now if I can remember which login goes with which password -- and the sites to which those combinations will give me access. I don't have high hopes.
I think I know my way around the library, though I don't yet know everyone who works there. I've smiled at patrons, and even helped a couple, but there is so very much to learn.
I am grateful that the calendar is helping me out with a couple days to reflect. It is the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles, a Jewish Thanksgiving, and I have so many things for which to give thanks! Next week, too, will be a three day workweek as we celebrate Shemini Atzeret and Simchas Torah, the first simply, the Eighth Day Festival because it is so difficult to reach the end of a holiday period, and the second, a day to rejoice in the Torah, rejoice in the Law, and all that we have been given by G-d. And I certainly think G-d has had a hand in all the good things happening in my family now.
So now it's Saturday night. I'm trying to get a handle on the week that's passed and try to plan the week ahead. Sunday I'm attending a lecture at the Milwaukee Public Library, then another short week at Franklin Public Library. There are several things I want to accomplish, but I know better, at this point, than to plan. Maybe it's best that I continue looking and listening, and trying to integrate a new way of doing things.
I've worked under five directors, but all at Manitowoc Public Library. I though the variety of leaders gave me a variety of organizational experiences, but what I did not consider is that while the directors changed, the infrastructure remained the same. What I am finding in Franklin is that the budget is organized differently, the relationship between the library and the library system is different, and the relationship between the library and the city is different. I have a lot to learn.
Different, not wrong. Monday is my first Library Board of Trustees meeting, and I am so looking forward to seeing some of the trustees again and meeting the rest for the first time. And learning from them. This is an exciting time. I've been given an exciting opportunity. I plan to make the best of it.
Now if only I can find a way to get to work that does not involve following a school bus.
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Adventures in moving
I officially rented an apartment, three rooms to call my own about a dozen minutes from work. Even more important, there's a Starbucks about 2 minutes away and a Kwik Trip (for which I have a credit card) just down the block from the coffee shop. The gas station even has decent coffee for those mornings I do not want to make two stops.
But I digress. . .
We rented a small truck from a friend. Though not huge, this truck is certainly large enough to accommodate all the furnishings needed for a one bedroom apartment. This truck is also conveniently outfitted with a lift. We rented the truck, we loaded the truck, we drove the truck. It was not a particularly comfortable truck. The fan only worked when the truck was at a standstill. To get any air on the highway, we needed to open the truck's windows. The truck's seats did not allow for any adjustments. And the truck was incredibly noisy. Patrick and I shouted at one another throughout the entire trip.
You may have noticed the repetition of the word "truck." One would think we would have been quite conscious of the fact that we were in a truck. Nevertheless, when we saw the flashing red and blue lights in the rearview mirrors, we could not fathom why we were being chased. Patrick dutifully pulled over and a Wisconsin State trooper approached the driver's side window. He greeted us and asked if we knew why he stopped us. We, of course, were baffled. He asked us about the truck and what we were carrying. Still baffled.
Then he told us that since we were driving a truck we were required to stop at the Truck Weigh Station. Oops! Yes, we knew we were driving a truck and we knew there was a Weigh Station in the southern part of the county, but it never occurred to us that the sign meant we had to have our truck weighed.
(In our defense, we drive that route a couple of times each week and the Weigh Station is seldom open, but that was not worth mentioning.)
We got out of the truck and opened the back. He saw that, indeed, all items were of a personal nature: mattress, box spring, sofa, chairs, table, footstool, Baker & Taylor boxes labeled with such telling words as "misc. office stuff" and "fleishig dishes." Then there was the basket of yarn and bags of knitting projects. We certainly weren't transporting anything suspect. I imagine the trooper's only question (unvoiced) was, "How did these two fools manage to get driver's licenses?"
He sent us on our way with a warning to replace the missing mudflap and that when we are driving a truck, we really must stop at Weigh Stations.
It's really amazing the vast array of things that escape our notice -- no matter how obvious they may be. Did we learn a lesson? Probably, but that came several hours later when we decided the officer's warning was a mute point -- because we are never moving ourselves again! The lesson: the money saved by not hiring a mover does not compensate for the pain. I spent this morning trolling my colleague's offices for Tylenol.
I like that. Trolling for Tylenol, a reality show for baby boomers!
But I digress. . .
We rented a small truck from a friend. Though not huge, this truck is certainly large enough to accommodate all the furnishings needed for a one bedroom apartment. This truck is also conveniently outfitted with a lift. We rented the truck, we loaded the truck, we drove the truck. It was not a particularly comfortable truck. The fan only worked when the truck was at a standstill. To get any air on the highway, we needed to open the truck's windows. The truck's seats did not allow for any adjustments. And the truck was incredibly noisy. Patrick and I shouted at one another throughout the entire trip.
You may have noticed the repetition of the word "truck." One would think we would have been quite conscious of the fact that we were in a truck. Nevertheless, when we saw the flashing red and blue lights in the rearview mirrors, we could not fathom why we were being chased. Patrick dutifully pulled over and a Wisconsin State trooper approached the driver's side window. He greeted us and asked if we knew why he stopped us. We, of course, were baffled. He asked us about the truck and what we were carrying. Still baffled.
Then he told us that since we were driving a truck we were required to stop at the Truck Weigh Station. Oops! Yes, we knew we were driving a truck and we knew there was a Weigh Station in the southern part of the county, but it never occurred to us that the sign meant we had to have our truck weighed.
(In our defense, we drive that route a couple of times each week and the Weigh Station is seldom open, but that was not worth mentioning.)
We got out of the truck and opened the back. He saw that, indeed, all items were of a personal nature: mattress, box spring, sofa, chairs, table, footstool, Baker & Taylor boxes labeled with such telling words as "misc. office stuff" and "fleishig dishes." Then there was the basket of yarn and bags of knitting projects. We certainly weren't transporting anything suspect. I imagine the trooper's only question (unvoiced) was, "How did these two fools manage to get driver's licenses?"
He sent us on our way with a warning to replace the missing mudflap and that when we are driving a truck, we really must stop at Weigh Stations.
It's really amazing the vast array of things that escape our notice -- no matter how obvious they may be. Did we learn a lesson? Probably, but that came several hours later when we decided the officer's warning was a mute point -- because we are never moving ourselves again! The lesson: the money saved by not hiring a mover does not compensate for the pain. I spent this morning trolling my colleague's offices for Tylenol.
I like that. Trolling for Tylenol, a reality show for baby boomers!
Monday, September 2, 2013
Boxes and boxes
Sunday afternoon I was the manager on duty. I was at work to handle
any unusual situations. Since the Manitowoc Public Library staff is
adept at handling most anything, this meant that I had four quiet Sunday
afternoon hours to tackle some projects best done without interruption.
So I wrote some press releases, worked on a report, and started
cleaning out my office.
Yes, with only five days and a few stray hours left at MPL, it was time to clean. I did the easy stuff first. I took down photos from the wall. I put my MLIS degree in a box. I added some personal books.
I have accumulated quite the collection of odds and ends in 13 years. There's swag from assorted conferences, and magnets, mousepads, and other miscellany from folks who've tried to sell me stuff over the years. There are copies of articles that have long since outlived their usefulness and greeting cards from holidays past.
So I'm packing and tossing and redistributing, and all the while wondering what will actually make the trip to Franklin with me. My dictionary and copy of Robert's Rules of Order are long out of date. I can't find my AP Style Guide, though I know I replaced my 1976 edition sometime this millennium. I'll take my coffee mug, though I think it will live at my apartment and not my office. It's a mug I actually remember my dad using. He passed away 26 years ago, but I like using his mug because it reminds me of him (not that I need a mug by which to remember him).
Then there are the 13 years of business cards and six years of name badges, all with different titles. I'll pass along the magnet backs for others to use, but I think I'll toss the cards and badges. I don't need those mementos to recall the growth I've experienced at Manitowoc Public Library.
Yes, experience is what I most cherish and what will accompany me to Franklin Public Library and wherever else I may roam. I've grown a great deal during my tenure at MPL. I started as Public Relations Supervisor, confident in my ability to promote the library. After all, I had promoted a variety of industrial, professional and educational concerns.
Little did I know I'd come to love libraryland. I love that a library is an essential service available to everyone in times of calm, as well as times of crisis. Libraries let everyone read, watch and listen to whatever they'd like. We try to make sure everyone can find something of interest on our shelves. Then we let people take the material they want and simply ask them to return it in a timely fashion. It's fun -- and fulfilling -- to help people. Yes, I stumbled on a great career in 2000.
Now it's time for the next step in my career, fortified with more than a decade of library experience in addition to my business experience, but the question remains: How much stuff should I take with me? I think I'll consider that while I'm packing another box.
Yes, with only five days and a few stray hours left at MPL, it was time to clean. I did the easy stuff first. I took down photos from the wall. I put my MLIS degree in a box. I added some personal books.
I have accumulated quite the collection of odds and ends in 13 years. There's swag from assorted conferences, and magnets, mousepads, and other miscellany from folks who've tried to sell me stuff over the years. There are copies of articles that have long since outlived their usefulness and greeting cards from holidays past.
So I'm packing and tossing and redistributing, and all the while wondering what will actually make the trip to Franklin with me. My dictionary and copy of Robert's Rules of Order are long out of date. I can't find my AP Style Guide, though I know I replaced my 1976 edition sometime this millennium. I'll take my coffee mug, though I think it will live at my apartment and not my office. It's a mug I actually remember my dad using. He passed away 26 years ago, but I like using his mug because it reminds me of him (not that I need a mug by which to remember him).
Then there are the 13 years of business cards and six years of name badges, all with different titles. I'll pass along the magnet backs for others to use, but I think I'll toss the cards and badges. I don't need those mementos to recall the growth I've experienced at Manitowoc Public Library.
Yes, experience is what I most cherish and what will accompany me to Franklin Public Library and wherever else I may roam. I've grown a great deal during my tenure at MPL. I started as Public Relations Supervisor, confident in my ability to promote the library. After all, I had promoted a variety of industrial, professional and educational concerns.
Little did I know I'd come to love libraryland. I love that a library is an essential service available to everyone in times of calm, as well as times of crisis. Libraries let everyone read, watch and listen to whatever they'd like. We try to make sure everyone can find something of interest on our shelves. Then we let people take the material they want and simply ask them to return it in a timely fashion. It's fun -- and fulfilling -- to help people. Yes, I stumbled on a great career in 2000.
Now it's time for the next step in my career, fortified with more than a decade of library experience in addition to my business experience, but the question remains: How much stuff should I take with me? I think I'll consider that while I'm packing another box.
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