More Communication with Staff

The following was written in '92: I'd be more friendly and less formal and stuffy if I were writing it today.

921012

To: All Library Staff
From: Shirien Chappell, Chair, Shifting Task Force
Subject: Shift Plans for Knight Library: a brief overview

It is the Library's goal to have service desks and collections available to the public by the first day of classes, winter term. Due to the shipping schedule of shelving and the schedule for vacating oldKnight, timing for this enormous project is very tight. The moves are complex and interrelated, but in general the collections and services will be moved in the following order:

1a. Shift Reference into area on 3rd level newKnight, while at the same time
1b. Shift Documents collections into area on 2nd level, newKnight.

2. As soon as those tasks are completed, music collections (from Dougalss Listening Room) can be shifted into their new space (formerly Documents, 2nd floor, oldKnight).

3. Other collections and service desks which must be in place on January 4th are:

Newspaper collection and service desk
Microforms collection and service desk
Oregon Collection (partial shift)
ILL service desk
Reference Desk
Music Services Desk
Documents Desk
Circulation Desk.

4. Other collections which must be moved from oldKnight before January 18th (date we must vacate oldKnight space for renovation) are:

Technical Services offices and backlog collections
general collection now located on 3rd floor and in storage areas (Deck I, Aux. Stacks)
Newspaper microfilming project
Collection Development collections and offices
Circulation and Stacks offices
Interlibrary Loan offices
Adminstrative Services
Systems
some IMC areas

We will finish tasks 1a, 1b, 2, and 3 by January 4th. We also hope to finish much of task 4 (with the exception of the shift of 3rd floor and stored general collection materials) by January 4th. In order to do this, there will need to be a maximum of effort on the part of all library staff.

To plan these projects, the Shifting Task Force is asking department heads to inventory the availability of permanent and student staff. We want to know the numbers of available staff, their preference of work schedule during the intersession, and their ability to participate in the shift.

Staff will be asked to shift collections for one 4-hour shift per day and, if possible, an additional 2-hour shift per day. The shifting schedule will be:

4-Hour shifts:

8am-noon (Documents and Reference collections)
noon-4pm (Docs and Ref)
4pm-8pm (Docs and Ref)

2-Hour shifts:

9am-11am (all other collections)
1pm-3pm (all other collections)

Staff may indicate the work schedule they would prefer during the intersession. (Branch staff will need to consider service desk scheduling.) We will try to meet everyone's preferred schedule; please be as flexible as you can in cases where we are unable to do so. Your intersession work schedule will be sent to you as soon as possible.

When you fill out the staff availability form which indicates the work schedule you prefer, please remember:

you may work no more than 8 hours per day
you may work no more than 5 hours without an unpaid break of (at least) one half hour
the shift will not occur Dec. 25 or Jan 1
the shift will not occur after 5pm on Dec 24 and Dec 31
Classified staff should take their Gov. Day on one of the following days: Dec 24, 26, 31, or Jan 2
work schedules will not begin before 7:30 am nor end after 8pm.
The University work week begins on Monday and ends on Sunday. If you wish to work Sat, Dec 19th, or Sunday, Dec 20th, you must take off the number hours worked on that weekend during the previous week, with permission from your supervisor.

We will schedule a library-wide meeting to train staff on shifting materials, proper handling of books (for staff safety and book preservation), and to discuss the project in more detail. All staff should attend.

In the past, Library staff have participated in this type of major project with enthusiasm, energy, and humor. The Task Force will do everything it can to ensure that this project too, is productive and rewarding to all staff who participate. Thank you in advance for your help.

Maintained by: SChappell, chappell@uoregon.edu
Last Modified: 10/10/2006