HomeMy WebLinkAboutFebruary 2, 1996COLUMBIA HEIGHTS
PUBLIC LIBRARY
820 - 40th AVENUF_
COLUMBIA HEIGHTS, MN 55421-2995
PHONE: (612) 782-2805
FAX: (6t2) 782-2304
II.
III.
CITY OF COLUMBIA HEIGHTS
TO:
FROM:
Mark Winson, Acting City Manager
M. Rebecca Loader, Library Directori
SUBJECT:
January operational report
DATE:
February 2, 1996
Significant Accomplishments
A. The Friends met on 1/8 with nine members present.
B. The Board met on 1/9 with all members in attendance.
C. Senior Citizen Time on 1/10 drew 14 people.
Departmental Goals
A. The frame relay proposal was approved by Council on 1/22.
The circuit has been
installed and the hardware ordered.
B. Becky, Mary, and Marsha attended Corvel training on 1/9.
C. Becky attended the public service meeting on 1/11 for the County.
D. The planters purchased by the Beautification Committee were delivered on 1/12.
E. Becky met with Joanne Meyers, president of the Anoka County Genealogical Society,
on 1/22. She is interested in compiling an inventory of materials available at
the library for use by members of the Society. She also donated a name index
to Goodrich's History of Anoka County to the library.
F. Two page review classes were held in January: paid fors/refunds and patron cards.
G. Becky, Marsha, and Jeanine taped "Your Gateway to Information" on 1/24 for
broadcast on channel 16.
H. Jeanine and Kelly attended Municipals on 1/25.
I. Marsha presented a talk on selecting books for preschools to two sections of ECFE
parents on 1/30.
Issues and Problems
A. The library's server over-heated on 1/19.
B. Phone lines and heat were down on 1/31.
December
Circulation 1994 1995
Adult 5308 4453
Juvenile 3497 2963
8805 7416
Working days 24 23
LIBGIS
Reference
Dir. A
Dir. B
Working days
1994
1787
122
49
24
1995
1645
132
38
23
recycled paper
On Thursday, January 25, 1996, I had the opportunity to attend the Municipal's Winter
Workshop. We had three speakers cover a diverse range of topics that day. The morning
session consisted of two topics. The first topic was "Desk for Success", presented by Pam Hix
and Louise Kurzeka. These two women gave a very informational program on how to make your
desk and workspaces neater and more efficient. They covered ideas on how to set up a filing
system and how to prevent clutter. I was presented with many helpful hints that I will implement
in my work area. The second set of speakers dealt with information relating to the Minnesota
Government Data Practices Act. A great deal of information was given to us in a short period
of time. Donald Gemberling, Director, Public Information Policy Analysis Division, Dept. of
Administration, State of Minnesota, was the first presenter. Mr. Gemberling gave a quick
overview of what the law states and also gave examples of questions his office deals with.
Dianne Krough and Desyl Peterson did a short roll playing skit about giving out personal
information within the workplace. After the speakers, there was a question and answer period
of about 45 minutes. Judging by the questions asked this was not nearly long enough. This
presentation raised many questions in my mind and also heightened my awareness of what
information we can and cannot give out and the vulnerable position everyone is in.
The final speaker of the day was Karl Malle, he was very upbeat and interesting. He provided
us with ideas on how to energize ourselves by having an energized attitude! He emphasized
that realistic thinking has to be what we base expectations on. He also spent a portion of his
allotted time talking about how to communicate effectively with the opposite sex. He cited many
examples from the book by John Gray Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus, on how men
and women think differently and gave suggestions on how to respect the differences, reframe
your ideas and readjust your language to deal effectively with one another.
I appreciate the opportunity to attend this workshop and feel that it was extremely pertinent and
beneficial to my being a more effective employee.
~leanine M. Schmidt
On Thursday, January 25, I had the opportunity to attend the Munici-Pals Winter Workshop. Our first speakers were Pam
Hix and Louise Kur'zeka, from Everything in its Place, Inc. Their presentation was entitled: Desk for Success: Improve
Your Work Environment and Outlook. They provided creative ideas to eliminate clutter, both on the job and off. The first
thing you need to do is: Think organized! Think in terms of progress, not perfection. When a piece of paper crosses your
]esk, determine immediately what needs to be done with it. Using calendars was another important point, and then add
closure to the end of your day, getting ready for the new work day tomorrow. I immediately put some of these things to
work, and found that it was contagious. This can be done.
The second group of speakers included: Donald A. Gemberling, Director, Public Information Policy Analysis Division, Dept.
Of Administration, State of Minnesota. Dianne Krogh, Assistant City Manger/Clerk, City of West St. Paul, and Desyl
Peterson, City Attorney, City of Minnetonka. Their topic was Data Practices: Issues and Updates. We could have easily
spent an entire day on this, I felt. There were a lot of questions and concerns on the type of information that can be given
out to people. Basically, all government date is assumed retrievable unless protected by a statute, a person is entitled
to free inspection, unless there is a cost for copying. They stressed that there should be a policy/procedure established
so that requests for access to government data maintained are received and complied with in an appropriate and prompt
manner. There was a lot of information to digest in such a small amount of time, but very interesting questions were raised
and addressed by this talented panel.
The last topic: Equal Yet Different - How to Communicate with the Opposite Sex. Karl Mulle, of Bruce Christopher
Seminars presented an interesting approach on the differences of men and women as far as .communication goes. He
talked about the contrast of how men and women speak to each other. Women speak in paragraphs, with drama and
much detail, and then finally getting to the bottom line (he says). Whereas men usually tend to want the bottom line first,
without getting into a lot of the details. In order for us to be able to communicate better, you need to be able to readjust,
to "learn the language" of the opposite sex. Instead of trying to change the other person to be more "like me", you need
to try and accept the differences, because you won't be able to change them. Another item he touched on was the power
of attitude. Attitude not only predicts success and shapes your mood, but is actually contagious. Now this is something
that could use a little spreading around.
An interesting group of speakers/topics not only made this an educational experience but an entertaining one as well.
Kelly Olson
Clerk-Typist II - Library