A weird worrying story

I broke my wrist falling in the library
back room over some wires which ran across the floor.
The next day they had been run under the carpet.
Why could they not have been like that in the first place?
Then, people wondered why I cried at that point!

Thoughts of training

We are going to a new system
so everybody needs to be retrained.
Added homework time helps to get the
concepts down. I think for us old folks
it is going to be slightly difficult, just
because we have been used to a system
for so long. But it is onwards towards
something new, whether you like it or not.
It is all in the attitude.

Scale-down dare!

In these hard times where the government do not hand out as much as we would like to see in the libraries it may be better to take a close look at how you manage your collection!
Say a library system has a main branch with 3 larger branches and 3 smaller ones.
You can no longer have all the magazines that you want, but may only have them at the larger branches. You may want to add some more electronic magazines, preferably team up with the local community college, and share the expenses, that way you get most for your bucks. Perhaps add some dumb terminals only to handle the electronic newspapers/magazines. Depending on how many terminals divide the opening hours up so that you have at least 3-4 terminals at the bigger branches and give 1/2 hour slots.

Best sellers and other deemed necessary books/cds/dvds and other media should be at all branches, but should one really have that many copies of say James Patterson. After a mere 3-4 months the interest has dropped drastically and you now have an overflow of duds. I know that some libraries "rent" from book companies and maybe a larger percentage should be allocated to these "rentals".
If not then maybe the customers need to wait a little bit. Or, horror of all horror
maybe we need to explore the electronic books more.

Non-fiction books and materials should be of the categories,
1. what all branches should have, popular of a loose kind
2. at the central and at the bigger branches - more specialized non fiction
3. each branch should be designated a certain specialty, say foreign fiction and nonfiction, depending on the population around the branch
4. the Central Branch should be the one with the deepest possible collection
and the other branches should be designated as specialty branches, meaning the the East branch has science, nature, biography, plus magazines in their field
West branch has religion politics, education,plus magazines in their field
North branch has art, science, travel, plus magazines in their field
the smaller branches could be allocated some kind of sub specialty if needed depending upon where the branch is, (thinking of a local museum, township, historic marker)

That way you could get more bang for your buck, and even add more titles to your collection and add depth. Granted, patrons have to wait a little longer, and the reserves list will be much larger, so you have to weigh the pro and cons.

Why not ask the the customers, after all if you would put it out there, I am not sure that the customers would not be after more titles, even though it meant waiting longer!

Scalding opinion - Leaders should lead

I am of the opinion that leaders should be the first
to recognize the following:

Friendly environment is preferred

When you ask your employees to be courteous to your
customers it is sine qua non that you should apply
the same rules to yourself towards your employees.
Whether you are the top dog and your employee is
a humble hourly. They do the dirty work at less pay
and are easily worn out. After all they are your
customers in the sense that you have to show them
the way.

Say hello the first time you enter a room every day
or when you see an employee enter the first time.

Talk with your employee - not to your employee.

If you have a problem with the employee deal with
him/her directly, do not relegate to the "supervisor".

If two employees have problems with each other -
have them talk it out with you, after all you are
the boss, that's why you get paid.

Show that you can handle whatever it is you are
required to handle, after all you get the big bucks
and that's why you are a manager.

Managers please adhere to these simple rules!

Morning walk

I have finally picked up my old habit of
walking for 1 hour in the morning so I set my
alarm clock to 6:30 and I walk after breakfast
from 8 to 9. That way I can beat the heat before
it gets to wild. This morning was odd, the sky a little
bit cloudy and the flies which I normally don't see
(in Danish we call the Thunder flies) indicated
that we would have a shower later on, and sure enough
one hour after I had hung my clothes out to dry
in the alley I had to rescue them before the rain.
Almost a tropical storm for a little while.

I have had men coming looking to see what kind of
work needs to be done. They all knock on the walls
and depending on where it is in the house they make
funny noises just like in Frances Mayle's Under the
Tuscan Sun.

Time

Sometimes it flies, sometimes it slows -
it just doesn't stop and when you walk
along a country road in the morning it
is of the languishing variety and when you
run down to the market before noon it runs
For a friend of mine here it is not an
easy time because he just got diagnosed
with a cancer - so for him it runs and he
wants it to stop - just like all the ones
that have died, unless it is painful.
The passengers aboard plane or in a car
just before the crash - time is an eternity.
This afternoon I am going to swim in
friends' pool and enjoy the sun which is very hot at
the moment. So my afternoon will be long and lazy
and for that I am thankful.

Concert?!

Walking down in my little village this morning
I had almost forgotten that I had been invited
to listen to preparations of a concert. It was
almost 11 before I remembered, or to be honest it
was one of my numerous acquaintances who reminded
me. The only other lady who was the one who originally
had told me was there and waved at me.
Three dedicated musicians the organ player, the trumpet
player and the soprano were working on the repertoire
for the concert they are going to give in honor of
two priest retiring. (Can priest really retire?)
What a morning feast for the ear. The trumpet
player sang on his trumpet, and once in a while they
had to go over their stuff. Sometimes they joked but the
music - Bach - Mozart - some French stuff I had not heard before
and then Vilja from the Merry Widow by Lehar was the
feast for my ears this morning.