Congratulations to the employee of the month – Minh!

Minh's customer service can be considered the Gold Standard. Every patron is greeted with a smile, every patron query is met with a 'we can do that' attitude. He is never too busy to stop what he is doing and assist a patron. Many patrons know Minh by name and specifically request to be helped by him. He builds a personal rapport with all the patrons he works with, and it is reflected in how many of them know him and want to work with him. Circulation questions, tech questions, any question, Minh can help with it, and does so with a smile and a sincere desire to help. His sincerity and deep dedication to helping others shines through in is interactions with the public and have earned him a dedicated fan base among our patrons. 

Just as Minh is never too busy to help a patron, he is never too busy to assist a fellow staff member. Minh is the first to volunteer to take on a task, the first to step up if a staff member needs someone to cover a shift for them, the first to take on a task that he sees needs to be done, but that no one else has noticed yet. Minh's constant good cheer, his joy in helping others, and his ready smile can brighten anyone's day. He is constantly working to keep up staff morale. Minh is an exemplary example of what OCPL hopes for in an employee. 

Prior to the pandemic, Minh was involved in supplying tech help to many of the Seniors at the Garden Grove Senior Center. Minh continues to offer tech assistance to our Seniors, in person at the branch, and over the phone. Minh never shows frustration or impatience with any patron's tech questions or skill level. He works with the patron until they have accomplished what the patron needs. Many patrons needing tech help, ask for Minh specifically. 

Congratulations to the employee of the month – Kayla!

Kayla was the chair for the Centennial committee, overseeing all the programming and campaigns that celebrated OCPL's 100th anniversary. She organized the committee and guided them in the creation of the 100 Book Challenge, 100 Voices, 100 Books social media campaign, 100 Things posts, scavenger hunts, and the limited edition Centennial Library Card. She also completed the 100 Book Challenge herself! With Kayla's leadership and optimism, the Centennial was a success during a year that was out of the ordinary. Her enthusiasm and passion for this milestone in the library's history made the yearlong observance a smooth process that also brought joy to thousands of library patrons. 

As part of her duties at the branch, Kayla has strong marketing skills. She has created and submitted multiple posts that were shared on social media, including literary tropes for InstaStories and Bookface Friday posts. Kayla is a great proofreader! She is frequently asked to review flyers and documents prior to sending. She has a great eye for detail.  Additionally, Kayla is very data oriented. She takes care of all entering all the MAR (Monthly Activity Report) data as well as the information for the AWE stations. Kayla enjoys statistics and is genuinely interested in data, she is great with Excel and can be counted on to fix excel formula errors. Kayla is Tustin’s go to person for budget tracker help! Kayla is creative and intelligent. She is an avid reader, and she brings her love of reading to collection development.

OC Public Libraries is pausing in-person programming until further notice. Enjoy virtual programs and 24/7 resources at ocpl.org/virtualprograms.

Per the State of California’s universal indoor masking guidance, face masks are required to be worn in all indoor public settings, regardless of vaccine status, between 12/15/21 and 2/15/22.

Congratulations to the October employees of the month, the Community Relations Team, Jason  and Carol !

The Community Relations team is an integral part of OC Public Libraries’ operations. They work on daily monitoring and updating of the library’s website and social media networks, in addition to ensuring library signage is up-to-date and presentable for the public. Internally, Community Relations supports branch operations by coordinating reprographics, ordering staff business cards, and maintaining outreach equipment. During the pandemic, Community Relations worked beyond expectations to ensure virtual programming was accessible to patrons and the website had necessary information and service updates. 

Jason has been part of OCPL’s Community Relations department since 2007. Since joining Community Relations, Jason has assisted with major systemwide efforts such as rebranding, OCPL website migration, and staff trainings. Additionally, Jason has served on numerous committees that expand his responsibilities and provides valuable insight on social media practices and content creation. During the pandemic, Jason went into overdrive to ensure OCPL remained steadfast in its mission to provide quality programming and services to the community by working with committees to organize digital content on the library’s website and social media. Jason has an important job, one that requires attention to detail, rapid response, and flexibility—and he does it all with a smile and optimism. 

Carol joined OCPL in 2021 as the library’s resident graphic designer. Since arriving at OCPL, Carol has designed hundreds of marketing materials for systemwide programs and services and in response to the pandemic. When Carol joined OCPL, she hit the ground running on major marketing campaigns and has been instrumental in the marketing development of Fine Free, Author Connection, Curbside, OCPL’s Centennial, Summer Reading, Mobile Library, Career Online High School, OC READ, among countless others! Beyond her graphic design responsibilities, Carol wears many hats as part of OCPL’s Community Relations department. She assists with website maintenance, social media content creation and scheduling, and is an intermediary in branch signage and other reprographics. Carol is always available to provide her keen eye for marketing and she drives OCPL to continuously improve its branding excellence. 

On behalf of OC Public Libraries, you are cordially invited to join us as we celebrate the Grand Re-Opening of Cypress Library.

Thursday, December 16, 2021

Ceremony begins at 10am followed by storytime and a chance to meet Elephant and Piggie.

Cypress Library

5331 Orange Ave.

Cypress, CA 90630

On behalf of OC Public Libraries, you are cordially invited to join us as we celebrate the Grand Re-Opening of Westminster Library.

Monday, December 13, 2021

Ceremony begins at 10am followed by storytime and a chance to meet Elephant and Piggie.

Westminster Library

81830 13th Street

Westminster, CA 92683

OC PUBLIC LIBRARIES ELIMINATES LATE FINES TO FURTHER PROVIDE FREE AND EQUAL ACCESS TO SERVICES 

SANTA ANA, Calif. (November 17, 2021) – On November 16, 2021, the Orange County Board of Supervisors approved to indefinitely eliminate library late fines. Beginning November 23, OC Public Libraries will take its 100 years of service in a new direction by removing late fines for overdue items.  

“Public libraries play an essential role in providing safe, accessible, and free educational resources for every member in our community,” said Chairman Andrew Do, First District Supervisor. “Eliminating late fines will incentivize residents to take advantage of county library resources once again and not be hesitant to take a book home during their next visit.” 

In the past, OC Public Libraries has offered systemwide special fine-free events inviting patrons to return to the library. OC Public Libraries wishes to reflect its vision of ‘Open Doors, Free Access and Community’ and welcome back patrons that have refrained from coming to the library due to outstanding fines. The implementation of a late fine-free library system positively impacts the continued use of community libraries and offers library patrons a fresh start. This is also an opportunity to be relieved of any financial obstacles preventing them from continued use of valuable library services. 

“OC Public Libraries makes their users a top priority by providing free and equal access to  materials and services,” said Vice Chairman Doug Chaffee, Fourth District Supervisor. 

In Orange County, cities with a high percentage of children under 18 years of age living in poverty also see a higher number of patrons blocked from using library services because of overdue fines on their accounts. In 2019, The American Library Association passed a resolution asserting that library fines create an economic barrier to access library materials and services and urge libraries to actively move toward eliminating fines. 

“During the COVID-19 pandemic, OC Public Libraries implemented the longest removal of late fines to lessen financial disparities experienced by the Orange County community with no negative impact on the library budget. In reality, the fine system costs more to implement than the fines recovered, and it deters residents from using the libraries. It’s time for change.” said Supervisor Katrina Foley, Second District. 

On November 23, all overdue fines will be waived for all library cardholders. Those with outstanding items are invited back to the library to return overdue or lost items and will be given a fresh start at enjoying library services once again. Library items will still have due dates, and eligible items will continue to be auto-renewed. If an item is returned beyond the due date, no overdue fines will be charged. The library will still collect fines for lost or damaged items. 

“Eliminating late fines helps eliminate the costly burden of fine collection and relocates staff time towards their primary purpose -- guiding all patrons to the numerous resources OC Public Libraries has to offer,” said Supervisor Don Wagner, Third District. 

“Library users across Orange County will be excited for this new era of library services,” said Supervisor Lisa Bartlett, Fifth District. “Now is the time to come back to the library!” 

Libraries that adopted fine-free policies have seen several positive outcomes including increased patron access to materials and services, reduction of the inequitable impact of overdue fines, improved patron relationships with their library, optimization of library staff time and increased staff efficiency, growth in library card registrations, and 200% increase in returned library materials. 

For more information on OC Public Libraries and the elimination of late fines, visit ocpl.org/nolatefines or visit any OC Public Libraries branch. 

Congratulations to the September Employee of the Month!

Jenny understands local community needs but is also dedicated to the success of the OC Public Libraries’ system. She has demonstrated exceptional service to the public through her leadership and contributions on various committees, including the Job Seeker Series, Summer Reading Program, and Literary Orange. For the Job Seeker series, Jenny assisted with the implementation of the Workforce Partnership Initiative (WPI) grant. She was instrumental in coordinating staff meetings, scheduling workshops, and, most importantly, connecting relevant resources with job seekers visiting the mobile unit. As part of her efforts, she also assisted with assembling tote bags for the public, which included materials for individuals searching for employment. For some of the workshops, she volunteered to facilitate them after hours and took on additional sessions when coverage was needed. 

As the lead for the Summer Reading program, Jenny has worked with the committee to successfully plan a series of summer programs, collaborated with Community Relations for social media posts, and created reading lists for the Orange County Department of Education. To date, the Summer Reading program has welcomed nearly 3,700 participants. This year, the Literary Orange event was held virtually. Jenny assisted with the registration process and communicated with the attendees to make sure they had the information needed to successfully access the event. In her communication, she delivered excellent customer service and the attendees expressed their satisfaction with the event. Finally, through her work on Rita Recommends, anytime an organization requests a reading list, Jenny is always available to help and happily sends her recommendations.

In her role with various committees, Jenny displays exemplary collaboration with colleagues. She is a great leader who listens to the feedback of her peers. In her efforts to offer a robust, virtual summer reading program, she collaborated with other committees such as Kindergarten Readiness and Charlie Cart to create content promoting the summer reading program. For Literary Orange, she worked closely with OCIT to change and troubleshoot the registration page. She also worked with the Orange County Public Library Foundation for any ticket issues and book ordering.

Jenny has done a fantastic job, while maintaining a positive, can-do attitude. She has willingly led various projects to meet the needs of the community served. It is evident that she takes great pride in her work and is willing to step in and help when needed.

Facilities Management staff handle both ordinary and odd building and landscape issues 24/7 to ensure libraries are safe and welcoming for our patrons and staff!  Not only do they oversee the routine maintenance of 32 facilities, they have also gone above and beyond assisting OC Public Works and library staff on the libraries currently undergoing tenant enhancements.  They coordinate multiple projects simultaneously and do so with a customer centric, positive attitude.  Their planning, budgeting and scheduling saves OCPL money, fixes problems before they escalate, creates efficiencies and reduces closures. 

Their work makes it possible for branch staff to open the doors each day and serve the public.

Thank you Facilities Management Team!