Walking For A Good Cause

Sunday morning Jody (blue sweats) and Harry (front and center) joined a bunch of Brockton Rotarians in the Steppin' Up Walkathon to support the Rotary Community Corp Adult Day Health Program. We walked about 5k (3.2 miles) from and back to the Striar Health Center in Stoughton, Mass.
Later in the afternoon I met Renaissance man Arnie Danielson at the Library and we began scraping and spackling (OK, Arnie worked and I held the ladder and talked) the Driscoll Gallery to prepare for the exciting photo exhibit to come. More about that soon.

ONLY IN YOUR ENTERPRISE: Stoughton library shows its age - Brockton, MA - The Enterprise

ONLY IN YOUR ENTERPRISE: Stoughton library shows its age - Brockton, MA - The Enterprise I was pleased to see this story on the front page of this morning's [Brockton] Enterprise. Unfortunately I cannot post the article itself, as it is an exclusively hard-copy story. But here is the gist as summarized on the link above: Forum planned on library expansion "The 41-year-old Stoughton Public Library is showing its age. The elevator does not meet codes for handicapped accessibility. The roof is 10 years beyond warranty. With no attic or basement, the building has no storage space. There aren’t even enough electrical outlets for laptop computers. At 6 p.m. Monday in the library’s Wales French Room, patrons will have a chance to diacuss expanding the library." I tip my hat to Library Director Pat Basler who has inspired colleagues with a host of imaginative library services.

Governor Patrick at Brockton Public Library

Governor swears in Angel Kelly-Brown as Brockton court judge - Brockton, MA - The Enterprise (Photo by Marc Vasconcellos/The Enterprise.)
This was an opportunity to show off our beautiful library to Brockton court officials and workers who didn't realize what a gem was around the corner, and to many from across the state who were stunned by its grandeur. Thanks to the hard working staff we were able to create open seating for 100 in the lobby, so the event could take place among our sweeping staircase and beautiful balconies. Special thanks to Brenda R. and Steve L. who joined me Saturday morning to reassemble our six-station computer catalog station in the middle of the lobby. A special treat for me was to get a personal introduction to Governor Deval Patrick. I told him how much I had enjoyed his speech at the Jean Sullivan breakfast in Brockton last Sunday, and showed him my library tie, like the one often worn by Lieutenant Governor (and former Worcester Public Library Trustee) Tim Murray.

Maxine Kumin at the Brockton Public Library

Three years ago today I had the great honor of interviewing Pulitzer Prize winning poet Maxine Kumin before she read at the Brockton Library Poetry series.

Leading By Example (Or just sounding pompous?)

After taking the time to answer an emailed question, I posted this message (names of patron and libraries rendered generic for privacy) on the Library Staff Home Page: CUSTOMER CARE: At the risk of sounding like I'm "Tooting my own horn," I will share the reply I sent to a "Contact Us" question sent via OCLN [our network.] (They come to me and I forward to appropriate departments - often Circulation. However, just as I will leave to the office to check on a hold if Circ is busy, or take a message when the office staff are away from their desks, I sometimes use these questions as a chance to provide good customer care. I want to "walk my talk" and not just tell everyone else they should be providing good customer service. Question: Once I pressed on the Place Hold box, the next page stated: Hold Not Allowed. Would you please inform me as to why my request was denied? HW's Reply: Hello Ms. Patron, If you go back to the online catalog and check the list of libraries that own the recording, you will see that each one has the indication, in capitals, "Local Holds Only." That means the the copy owned by the Acme Public Library can only be reserved by borrowers who live in Acme, and the same is true for the other five. Of the six libraries that own it, as of right now four of them are either checked out or on hold. In most cases if you are a walk-in customer from out of town with an OCLN card, and find a "Local Holds Only" item on the shelf, you are allowed to check it out in person, but the system is programmed to reject holds for out-of-towners. Of the six, it looks like two of the copies are on the shelf right now. Because of the holiday weekend you may want to call and see if either of the owning libraries are open, should you wish to drive there and try your luck. (Obviously this is popular and could be checked out by the time you get there. Also, since both are on the coast Hurricane Earl could make this a less desirable option.) The libraries and their phone numbers are: Acme (555) 555-5555 and Anytown (555) 666-5555. I hope this is helpful. Please feel free to contact me if you have any additional questions. Thank you. Harry R. Williams III, Library Director September 3, 2010.