Staff in Focus
New employees of the University Libraries Team, promotions, and members who have left and will be missed.
New Employees
Departing Employees

Staff Highlights

A Word from the University Librarian
Orbis2 Training Announcement

Tea Schedule

Wellness Now
Stress Reduction
Stress can be a result of allowing daily irritations
and frustrations to take command of your life.
It doesn't have to be like that. You can anticipate difficulties, plan your time carefully, and be aware
of how you react to problems.

Yale's Administrative Professionals'
Appreciation Day 2002!
Yale University will be holding its second annual Administrative Professionals' Appreciation Day celebration on April 24, 2002.

Staff Events
New Employee Orientation
ORBIS 2 Migration Celebration
1 Millionth Book at LSF

Professional Mentor
Adjusting to Change

http://www.library.yale.edu/training/promentor/

I tell you, women drivers are a hazard to traffic. Driving to work this morning on the freeway, I looked over to my left and there was a woman in a Mustang doing 65 miles per hour with her face up next to her rear view mirror putting on her eyeliner! I looked away for a couple seconds and when I looked back she was halfway over in my lane. It scared me so bad I dropped my electric shaver in my coffee, and it spilled all over my cell phone!

HR Updates

Yale Holiday Calendar

Calendar of Events

Find It

HR News

Think Now
Planning for Taxes

Suggestions and Comments
If you have something you would like post in Library Links please forward the information to me. Send all comments to the Editor, Jessica Linicus.

jessica.linicus@yale.edu

Yale Photos
Photos taken on Yale Campus

Library Jobs Available

http://www.library.yale.edu/lhr/jobs/

Staff Highlights

Laural Bliss Awarded Scholarship
Laural Bliss won the 2002 EBSCO/ALA Conference
Scholarship. This award provides up to $1000 to reimburse her for the expenses to attend the annual conference.

Gisela Noack Honored with The Decorative Arts Trust Award of Excellence for Service to the Field
Gisela Noack,Chief Conservator for the Yale Libraries, was honored with The Decorative Arts Trust Award of Excellence for Service to the Field. This award was presented by the Trust at their 25th annual meeting in New Haven on March 24th.

OCLC Completed the Retrospective Conversion Project
The OCLC has completed the retrospective conversion of the Official Catalog and the Serials Catalog. These projects have resulted in the conversion of approximately 2 million titles over the last three years. The project converted more than 10,000 boxes of catalog cards weighing tons. When we began three years ago, less that 40% of the collection was online, now more than 95% is online. We will complete the conversion of the Near East and Hebrew collections in the next year. The East Asia Collection will be completed in 2003. The catalog department is praised for their dedication to this project.

 

Retirement Party
A retirement party was held for Rose Marie Sirignano and Joseph Pacelli on Monday, March 25th in the Sterling Spoon. Both Rose and Joe left the Library Security staff at the end of March to enjoy their retirement. Many people stopped by to say good-bye to Joe and Rose. They will both be missed

Rose wrote an Ode to John:
Sure going to miss you Mr. John
Now I can read and carry on
From the first day I met you,
I knew I wouldn't forget you.
Eloise thought that we were kin,
Was it the white hair or the size of our chinney chin chins
You've been a good Boss for that I'll attest to,
It's been smooth and I can say I'm glad to have met you.
So Mr. John you are on your own
No more phone calls from Rose I'm staying home.
To all here today-staff friends and all
adieu all you people, I'm making a beeline down the hall.
I've come to the crossroads of my life.
Here's hoping it's health, happiness and not strife.

Thanks-
Rose

Official Yale Holidays 2002

Memorial Day
Monday, May 27
Independence Day
Thursday, July 4
Labor Day
Monday, September 2
Thanksgiving Day
Thursday, November 28
Recess Day
Friday, November 29
Recess Day
Tuesday, December 24
Christmas Day
Wednesday, December 25
Recess Days
Thursday, December 26
Friday, December 27
Monday, December 30
Tuesday, December 31
New Years Day
Wednesday, January 1, 2003

Adjusting to Change

Today, people don’t just fear change— they fear the pace
and magnitude of change. We are actually getting used to the idea that we are sometimes going to have to
change the way we do things in some areas of our lives.
The first, and I believe most important, step for preparing oneself
for change is to adopt a stance of Getting Ready For Change.

For more on this topic and others
Click on
Professional Mentor

Join Alice,
The University Librarian
for Tea Time @ Spoon

Tea with Alice
May 6, 2002, 10:00-11:00
Sterling Spoon

Tea with Alice
June 12 2002, 3:00-4:00
Sterling Spoon

Remember Alice has Office hours
every Monday between 8:30-9:30.
Please call Katy for an appointment @ 21810.

Orbis2 Training Announcement

We are about to embark on a major training initiative with the implementation of the new Orbis2 Voyager Library Management System. There will be a learning curve for all of us as we continue to provide high quality service to our readers, using the new system. Everyone on the library staff who uses the Library Management System for their work will be challenged to learn new skills and knowledge. Each one of us will need to be as committed to the success of our co-workers as to our own achievement, as we undertake this major change in the Library's way of working.

In order to be successful, staff members will need to practice the new Orbis2 skills on a daily basis right up until the Orbis2 go-live date of July 15th. Each staff member is recommended to take practice time of between 5 and 7 hours per week, to assure mastery of these skills. Managers and supervisors will have to adjust expectations about the level of departmental outputs during this critical training period, and Library HR will be offering support and advice to them as their staff members master the new skills.

We will be giving a great deal of support to library staff during this period and for some time to come. Staff may use their own workstation if they wish, to practice Orbis 2 skills alongside coworkers. In addition, special practice areas will be designated. A program of training is being provided for us by the library consultants Nelinet. In addition, I am delighted to announce the appointment of Audrey Ho as Technical Training Coordinator on the library staff for an eighteen-month period. Audrey will work with library staff in a variety of ways to ensure that nobody is left behind in mastering the new skills, and that any problems can be sorted out readily.

I would like to pay tribute to the Orbis 2 implementation team under Audrey Novak's leadership for their careful and intensive work designing this phase of the transition. I believe Yale's migration to the new system has been managed with the highest possible level of professionalism and attention to detail. We can all feel a high degree of confidence in the process, as a result. The training program that is now being put in place is designed to reinforce that confidence for each member of staff, so that the benefits of working with the new system will be realized for everyone, and above all of course for the library's patrons, as quickly as possible, and with a minimal problems.

This program is intended to form part of a continuing enhancement to the training and development offered by the Library to all staff.

Funny Signs
Funny signs that people have actually seen.

Parking for drive-through window only.
Location: McDonald's in Pleasant Hill, CA

se habla englis
(we speak English)
Location: An automotive shop in Dallas TX

|Bargain basement upstairs
Location: Sign in a London department store.

Would the person who took the step ladder yesterday please bring it back or further steps will be taken
Location: In an office.

After tea break staff should empty the teapot and stand upside down on the draining
Location: In an office.

Soothing Exercises To Relieve Stress

Here are some exercises for your mind, so you relieve your stress, even when you can't remove the stressors.

Breathe for relaxation

Most of us take breathing for granted.
But in stressful situations, our breathing can go
out of whack and we don't even notice.
This can lead to anxiety, muscle tension, and headaches.
Something as simple as a deep-breathing exercise done 1 to 2 minutes
several times a day for 5 to 6 weeks can relieve many stressful feelings.

Slow Breathing Exercise

1. Make sure you are in a comfortable position.
2. Inhale slowly through your nose for a count of four.
3. Exhale slowly through your mouth for a count of eight
4. Let go of any tension you feel.
5. Relax your shoulders, chest, and stomach muscles as you exhale.
6. Repeat these steps for a few minutes.
7. Breathe smoothly and comfortably. You will feel your body relax.

Relax your muscles

When you're stressed, your muscles tense. Without even knowing it, you may spend your
days with hunched shoulders or clenched fists. With progressive muscle relaxation, you can
teach yourself to recognize muscle tension and to relieve it.

1. Find a comfortable position, either sitting or lying down.
2. Starting with your hands and continuing on to the biceps, shoulders, head, and face, then down the back to the buttocks, thighs, and lower legs,
3. Tighten or clench each muscle group for 5 to 10 seconds.
4. Release for 20 seconds while you breathe normally.
5. Repeat this exercise on the areas where you notice the most tension.
   (Be careful with the neck and back muscles--tensing and releasing should be slow and sustained.
   Twisting, jerking motions could result in muscle or spinal damage.)

Use imagery.

You were great at it when you were a kid--
remember daydreaming during history class?
Imagery is just another way of saying "use your imagination."

Receptive imagery exercise

1. Sketch a scene in your mind, such as a day at the beach.
2. Now you're actually there.
3. You can feel the ocean breeze and hear the seagulls.
4. Dig your toes into the sand and let yourself relax.
5. Let your thoughts come naturally.

Imagery for achievement exercise

1. Imagine in full detail something that you want to accomplish (such as winning a race).
2. Visualize yourself on the racecourse,
3. Visualize yourself reaching deep for a second wind on the big hills,
4. Then visualize yourself crossing the finish line.
5. Feel your mood and attitude improve.

Tip of the Day

BREATHE

The Basics
4 ways to plan now for next year's taxes
It's never too early to start thinking about your tax situation. Plan, prepare and project now so you won't have any IRS surprises next April.

Tax planning is a year-round process. Here are four ways you can plan today to minimize your contribution to the IRS.

1. Know what you expect to earn.
Look ahead for the next several months. If your income is going up from a big raise or the recognition of a huge capital gain, then plan for it. You might end up in a higher bracket or be liable for estimated taxes.

2. Know what you expect to pay.
Our tax system is a pay-as-you-go system. If you receive wages, your employer withholds income taxes from those wages. If you have any other kind of income from self-employment, dividends, interest, rents, etc., you may have to pay estimated taxes.

3. Accelerate or defer your deductions.
Certain expenses, such as medical expenses and miscellaneous deductions, can only be deducted after you exceed a certain percentage of your income.

4. Prepare for the audit.
Anybody can get audited. No matter how careful or conservative you may be, your number just might come up under random selection. But this audit tax terror can be tamed by planning ahead. Whenever you have an expense that might be deductible, get a receipt and put that receipt in a box or special file.

For more by Jeff Schnepper:
Click Here

Library Links is published throughout the year to acquaint the Library Employees and others of events in the Yale Libraries. Please direct comments and questions to Jessica Linicus, Editor, Library Human Resources, Sterling Memorial Library phone: 432-1810, email:jessica.linicus@yale.edu

Copyright 2001 Yale University Library
A Library Human Resource Publication

Jessica Linicus, Editor