A Couple of items that are of interest on tonight’s council agenda.
The Manager will present a report to the Council on the Sealer (see attached)
Also the City is declaring the Smith-Baker Center has surplus and for sale. At one time this was a beautiful performance center with some great inside architecture. There is a restricted use connected to the RFP that states it needs to again be used for arts and entertainment.
I expect the “Acting” City Clerk Brian Leahey to be at his Post during tonight’s meeting.
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In Today’s Sun there is a Letter to the Editor that caught my attention regarding the Library staff, it is worth re-printing in its entirety:
Library staffers need a work adjustment
As someone who has worked library circulation desks for 16 years, I would like to say, regarding the recent descriptions of how Pollard Memorial staff members have been spending their workdays, that if a worker is writing personal emails and EChat, he cannot possibly be working. Also, if a worker is spending his work hours hacking, he/she cannot possibly be working. I assume City Hall pays these workers to work. Hacking, as far as I know, is illegal and should be dealt with accordingly. I wonder how long this staff member has been hacking and what other government hardware has been hacked into.
I would also like to say that a library job is a customer- service job. Workers are expected to be welcoming, helpful, social. So many times, I see workers doing little or no work, standing around, chatting with each other and even conspiring with each other.
What is this place? I dread going to the desk for checkout when certain workers are on duty because I know I will be given a dirty look, treated as if I am invisible, have my card practically thrown back at me. This is not professional library behavior, and some workers clearly are not suited to public service. The city needs to look into hiring people who care and who value their jobs.
LEO RACICOT Lowell
Well said Leo. Though I think the “hacking” thing has been a bit exaggerated. You don’t have to hack into a computer to see instant messages, especially if they’re being done on a common computer used by everyone in the library. And if you’re stupid enough to not erase your instant messages on a common computer, you deserve what you get.
Mr Racicot – I have been told that at one time you used to bring the library staff gifts of food and cards. Then you applied for job there and were turned down. Any truth to the story?
I hope the ladies at the library are reading these blogs and listening to what the public has to say about their behavoir. It’s not easy to get a public job and you should never take it for granted. I work in the private sector and some days we are lucky to go to the restroom never mind take a break. I think the majority of the work force does this on a daily basis especially if you enjoy your job and get that high of doing a good job. It doesn’t cost a cent to smile or show common courtesy. We don’t pay for people to chat or show rudeness and I would ask where is the supervisor who gets paid to oversee the operation? It sounds like there isn’t enough work to do or they don’t like thier job for some reason They state the place is dirty, would it be so hard to pick up a broom, wipe down a table or smile while helping someone in need? Either way, unless changes are made on everyones part you risk bringing the entire team down and it hurts the final product which is customer service. I just think a great job starts with leadership and great teammates which makes it a fun place to work and the day is over before you know it. I think everyone deserves a chance to change and remember you will always get back what you put into it, sometimes even more.
Well said Mary and Leo.
Change has to come from the top and there needs to be an example set for ‘underlings’. The director is clearly over her head and at a loss as to how to handle the people in her department.
You talking about change at the top of the library? I say the broom needs to reach a bit higher.
I’ve said it before – I think the Director is being undermined by a small number of her professional librarians including the 2 im’ers. They have both spoken out in favor of allowing level 3 offenders to have full access of the library, they and a couple of others refuse to enforce the no porn rules, and one even refused to call the police on a guy who had removed his shirt even after someone complained. Somebody has to go and the Manager is simply not addressing the issues.
The question is why. He’s proven willing to take swift action in other cases. He hasn’t here. There has to be some reason. Of course if I say what I believe it is, I’ll be accused of “wanting to bring Lowell back into the dark ages.” I’ll leave it to others to guess, since he himself keeps dancing around the issue and wanting to place the blame on the whistleblowers instead of the wrongdoers.