Desk organization - Part 2

     Organize your desk and supplies according to your needs and usage.  Items that are used frequently are best put  in a convenient location. For example. I use my stapler, tape, sticky notes and paper clips often  so they  sit on my desk  between the phone and the computer .

  The rest of my desk  is clear. I pull  out folders from my desk drawer or side cabinet according  to what I am working on.  At  the end of the day ( or after lunch) I put tiems back in their correct locations so they can be found easily the next time I need to work on them.

( See more on files and filing in future blog posts and also in  the book "The Organized Librarian"  on sale above - Click  on the tab at top of the page.

Manager's meeting - part 2

   Her are some more thoughts coming from our workshop on developing a good working team.   As a manager , it should be a goal of ours to help our staff fulfill their potential. By doing this, we develop a staff who does their best  and most creative work.

  It is a process no doubt but a gradual one.  As managers / directors we need to discuss and explore with each one of our staff their strengths, talents, and  interests.   We need to observe and analyze as we go about our work with our staff to help them to identify their most positive abilities.

  Another possibility would be to create a survey asking them what they like to do best.  Then we can assign the correct person for the job and have the jobs/ tasks fall into the 'lap" of the right person.  This will help to develop the sense of team work within your staff. When they begin to think of themselves as a team  , then work and tasks at hand become more efficiently accomplished.

Managers Workshop: Discovering and Mentoring Talent-

   I attended a recent workshop for library manger's , directors, and any staff who has people to manage and direct.  It focused on mentoring  talent in staff and getting the best results.  But the speaker also addressed becoming a better leaders to help your library build a dream team of staff who will love what they do and be creative in their positions.

  Her firs big question to use was "Why are you in this job and in this field?"  We had a small group discussion to tell our story of how we got into the library field.

  As manager or directors , we need to a) develop a vision, share it, and have our staff buy into it, b) communicate regularly with staff, and c) create an environment  that allows discussion and a good communication system

  So our firs step would be to create our vision/ mission/  Then challenge staff to help build and fulfill the vision you see for your library.  As you listen to staff and their ideas , make changes . Embrace good discussions that bring up points to improve your library. Have staff become more involved in the work at hand and the vision of what your library is becoming!

Desk Organization

   Organizing your desk is a task that will help you be more efficient  at work or at home.  Planning your desk space - do you have enough room?  Do you have too many stacks? Do you have the items you need on a regular basis?

   Most of the time our desks are used for paper work or computer work,  We need to have files or supplies that are accessible when needed.  If we are lucky you will have drawer space and file storage built into our desk.

   Planning for your desk  usage, first determine exactly what is needed on a day to day basis . For example: pens, pencils, paper, scrap paper, paper clips, file folders, calculator , stapler , scissors and tape.
Now if you need all these supplies on a regular basis , figure out where to put them  , so you can get them if you need them.

  The next step is to figure out  what tasks you actually do at your desk( reports, budget work, computer tasks , letter writing, computations, etc,)  This will help you to prepare the space so that you can complete these tasks) Do you need more room at your desk? Then figure out what items can be eliminated or tucked away  in a convenient spot for quick access.

  Check out my The Organized Library  on the tab above for more information on organizing  your workspace and day.

The Staff Recommends

  This site provides recommendations to great and memorable books.  The staff receives books from publishers all over the US.  The staff then reads and decides if the title is worthy to be placed on the site. Only then does the publisher pay to have their books placed.  ( This is great advertising for great books!)

 The Staff Recommends  site reaches half a million readers and it help  readers to find a book they are bound to love.

  So to keep up with the latest and best  this is the site you want to  check out.  You can read reviews of their current picks.  Also check out their past selections which gives short review of many of their favorites

  

Calendar Part 2

Each week as you look at your calendar, you can record meetings, appointments, and other sessions  onto your weekly/ daily calendar.  The more you do this, the less chance of your missing an important meeting or task.  If you seen you are over scheduled, ( by looking the beginning of each week) then you can cancel, reschedule or eliminate certain items.

  Make it a habit to also check daily on both your monthly and daily calendar to make sure that you are on task  and get accomplish what you need to get done.

  On your daily calendar  write down items that need to be done that day or week.  In the back of my planner, I have several tabs - one of them is work.  This is where I keep a master list of items that I need to do.

  Every week I transfer items to my weekly /daily lists on days when I know I will have time to complete or at least start the project.

 Check out also The Organized Librarian  book for more tips and hints on being more organized.

  

We be reading

Webereading,com is a mother and son website that is professional looking and very intriguing.  K is a mom whose goal is to get people reading.  Z is 1 a0 year old who also loves to read and he writes his own graphic novels.  A very talented pair to say the least.

  There is a review policy and tabs that link you to Ya & Adult fiction review, non-ficition reviews, picture and chapter books, and film reviews.

  You will find very interesting review that are fair but critical.  I find this to be very helpful. I also like the film tab because they compare books to films  which is very helpful in my DVD selection.

Calendars- A tool for Organization

   Use your calendar to be more organized in both your home and work life.Calendars come in all shapes , sizes , and types.  One of the first major tasks is figuring out which kind works best for you.
There are also month at a glance, daily planners, weekly calendars, and personal size calendars.

  When a Calendar is used regularly and effectively it becomes an important tool to having a well organized life.  You want a calendar that you can  carry with you .

  Some tips on using a Calendar to be more organized.

1. Use only one calendar! Make it a size  where you will take it with you- especially if you are a working person!

2. A good calendar may also include : a telephone directory , an expense record, and extra pages for additional  places to take notes, makes lists. ect.

3. Write down EVERYTHING!  Even if you have an appointment the same day and time each week- write it down!

   In my planner, I have a monthly calendar, and a weekly calendar. Each week I check the appointments / meetings, and activities  and then write them down on my weekly sheet.  I will also add other activities and tasks that need to be done , both at home and at work. In this way, I keep ton top of all important items that need  attention.

Becky's Book Review Blog

   Becky's Book Review Blog is a site that offers many reviews of her favorite types of books.  She provides reviews of books from children to adults, mostly Ya to Adult. Becky loves to read and her mission is to promote reading/ Her focus on reviews will help Ya's , parents, teachers, and librarians to keep up with the best books.

   She gets books from publishers, the library, and the bookstore. She updates her blog at least 5 times a week.  She writes a review for every book she completes. She does not however complete every book she starts.  Her claim is promote the  love of reading and to connect books with readers. And yes, she has a library degree.  There is an extensive book review policy. She also offers tips on "operation Actually Read Bible" which encourages all to read the bible verses and keep track of it.

Gnooks- Discover New Authors

  Gnooks is a community bases system of the gnod engine.  On this site you can discover new authors , discuss your favorites and learn new titles that are similar to your favorites.

  The gnod engine also provides similar links to music, movies, and art.

  There is a search block for Gnods suggestions when you can impute your favorite authors. The site will give you a list of  suggestions of authors and titles to try.

   Under the "Map Of Literature" block you can type in an author. The site pulls up a 'wordle" of authors that write similar styles to your favorite.  The closer the name is to your favorite the more similar they are to the style and genre. When you click on an author it takes you to another 'wordle" of authors.

  The literature forum gets you into a discussion of a certain author and their works  The latest discussions are listing on the right hand side of the main screen.

  If you want to participate in all the functions of the site you need to be registered and logged in. They use Florke as the systems that provides members with the discussion community.

Manage your time with a Kitchen Timer

     Using a kitchen timers can help you manage small blocks of time. It may sound silly, but it does work.  Once you turn it on, then you have two goals: Finish your project before it dings or try to get done before it dings.  Then when you are done, you can cross off the job that has been completed.

  Use your Timer

1. To remind yourself to make a phone call.

2. Promise yourself to work on something for say 10 minutes on something you do not want to do.

3. Use  your timer to go off when you need to be reminded to do a specific task.

4. Divide yo your time/ day . Spend say 30 minutes on one project and another 15 on another.

5. Play ' beat the clock" and set your timers and try to get all your tasks done in that time period.

6. Use your timer to control length of meetings or discussions.  Each person gets a certain amount of time to speak / present their points.

7. Use your timers to work out length of time for specific regular tasks. Then continue to use  the timer to make sure you stay on task and complete items in the time frame required.

RA For All - great Blog!

   The blog I  just discovered is "RA for All" and it is a great resource for public librarians who want information on good reads for their patrons.  Part of the mission of this blog is to help librarians in their quest to provide advice to both fiction and non-fiction readers.

  The author provides links, lists , and news about Readers Advisory.  He teachers a class in Readers Advisory( Dominican U- Graduate School of library and Information Science.) so he also shares some of his students work.

   There are also book review,s and links to other book review blogs to provide even more reviews.

 On the right hand side, three are links to book discussions, links to ideas for elementary librarians,( Sturdy for Common Things)  and other blogs with interesting content and book reviews.

The content here is interesting , informative , and addictive. I think you will find a lot of content to give you ideas and inspiration!

Managing Interruptions

  How do you manage interruptions?  Do you get interrupted  and then lose your focus to the job at hand?  Does your day seem like a feeble attempt  of getting your to do list and mostly a series of one interruption after another?

  Here are a few strategies  that may help you

Phone interruptions- the worst

  1. Ask your clerk or secretary to hold all calls. ( while you are working on a specific project during a specific time period.  ) If there is an emergency then of course  they would interrupt you.

2. If you take phone solicitations- again ask your clerk/ secretary  to get details . In my building, it is easy as we do not take phone soliciations as part of our policy- so the clerk / secretary can simply tell the telemarketer.

3) Let  your answering machine  work for you. Even easier if you have phone number id.

Work Interruptions

1) When you have a block of time for a special project ( and you have an office or cubic) shut the door and put up a sign DO NOT DISTURB !

2) When interrupted by a patron , student , or co- worker ask: How Can I help you?  Have them get right to the point. Help them with whatever- then get back to work!