There Will Be Cookies

With Brooke’s graduation last semester, we no longer have any February birthdays. However, since I don’t want everyone to have to wait two whole months between birthday goodies, I have decided we will have a Birthday Wednesday anyway. You can have the cookies (and some bite sized brownies) on behalf of whatever theme, person, reason, you wish! Although in honor of Black History Month, I would ask that everybody take a look at this link and scroll down to February, which is kind of an incredible month. I was amazed by how many truly outstanding people, indispensable cultural and historical figures, were born in the month of February. So, in honor of them, and anyone else you may know and love who has a birthday this month, There Will Be Cookies.

Head on a Swivel

If you aren’t at the Captain’s Chair, it’s easy to get so focused on what’s in front of you – homework, research, stupid stuff your friends are saying online – that you completely miss people who are waiting to be helped. We’ve all been there. But it has come to my attention that this has happened several times recently, where a line has formed without the First Mate pitching in. For whatever reason, patrons rarely think to go anywhere but the Captain’s Chair, and that means it’s up to the rest of us to remind them that they can get help at both stations. Nobody should be sitting idly by as long as people are waiting to be helped.

So this is a gentle reminder to be like this:

And don’t be like this:

Bias Incident Reporting

You may have seen these cards at the circulation desk and wondered what they were about. The Division of Student Affairs has created a platform to record incidents of bias and discrimination that occur on the IU campus.

From the Division of Student Affairs website:

“What is a Bias-based Incident?

Any act of discrimination or harassment based on:

• Race
• Ethnicity
• Religion
• Gender
• Gender Identity
• Sexual Orientation
• Disability

What is the Purpose of Reporting Bias Incidents?

1. To document bias-based incidents on campus in order to better understand the reality of discrimination in the IU community.
2. To assist and help provide resolution to bias-based incidents for those who request a response.”

You can report these incidents through the following means:

Online: biasincident.indiana.edu

Email: incident@indiana.edu

Mobile app: IU Mobile App (m.iu.edu)

Phone: (812) 855-8188

Noah Caught in the Act

Noah was Caught in the Act of being a good Samaritan. To me. I was preparing to work on the new book display when Noah came up to me and, without any prompting, asked if he could help. New books is one of my favorite little side tasks, and usually I comb through the books currently on the shelves to decide which ones should be switched out in favor of the most recent arrivals. In this case, however, it was time to pull ALL of the current books off the shelves and replace them with the (new) new books. Seeing as I had many other things to attend to, I happily accepted Noah’s kind offer. Thank you Noah, for making my job a little easier!

Sara Caught in the Act

Sara has been Caught in the Act of having a great attitude even when running the desk by herself. Early Friday afternoons are a busy time around here and there is a gap between 1pm and 1:30PM where Sara has to be the Captain and the First Mate. According to Kate:

She’s such a champ, working Fridays at 1pm (which gets uber busy). She’s spending a quarter of her Fridays by herself at work and is always happy!

So, thank you Sara, for being such a pro, and being part of why this is a great place to work!