VBPL Talks

2015-05-26T13:39:00.003-04:00

Youth Librarians

Question: What factors are taken into consideration when determining which libraries have a youth librarian assigned to them or not assigned to them

Answer by Katie Cerqua, Youth and Family Services Manager:
There are many elements that go into deciding which branches have youth librarians assigned to them. The top 3 factors we look at are community need, the branch’s programming load, and the number of schools and preschools in the service area. At this time all branches except Great Neck and Pungo-Blackwater have a youth librarian. Great Neck receives YFS support from the youth librarian assigned to Oceanfront and Pungo receives support from the youth librarian at Princess Anne. Once we have the new strategic plan in place it will also be used as another tool to direct future staffing plans.

Weeding Youth Non-Fiction

2015-04-02T15:21:00.000-04:00

Question: We are currently weeding like mad in preparation for pulling out the youth nonfiction. Why the rush to do this by summer? We are wiping out the youth nonfiction collection during the school year. Some of the materials pulled still had information in them that could be used (like biographies). It seems that weeding could have started the end of May/first of June with re-ordering taking place during the summer with new materials on board (hopefully) by fall. Why the rush?

Answer by Katie Cerqua, Youth and Family Services Manager: The Youth Nonfiction weeding project is directly tied to the movement of this collection to the youth area of the library. In order to avoid moving old, outdated or grubby items to the new section it was decided that now was an appropriate time to conduct this large scale and much needed weed as a part of the overall process. The summer was chosen as the deadline as this is the busiest time of the year for circulation. Last summer, circulation of the picture book collection increased over 60% from May to July! The shifting project can get messy and this large a move would be cumbersome during the influx of foot traffic and circulation during the summer months. Our goal is to have a freshly weeded and attractive youth nonfiction collection shelved in the youth area before we dive into the business of summer. In the meantime, Materials Management is ordering new and exciting youth nonfiction titles to begin beefing these collections back up. If you notice a specific gap in the collection while working with customers please speak with your youth librarian. The Youth and Family Services Team will be working with Materials Management to create a master list of subject areas that are top priority for ordering.

Interfiling Large Print

2015-03-25T15:05:00.001-04:00

Question: Since all libraries have to be the same regarding interfiling fiction and youth and teen non-fiction being separated from adult NF, will this also apply to Large Print where some libraries have both fiction and non-fiction in the same section vs some having the large print non-fiction interfiled with regular non-fiction?

Answer by Sonia Alcantara-Antoine, Public Services Manager: At this time, there are no plans to interfile Large Print. (Currently, Large Print Fiction is not interfiled, but there are branch locations where Large Print Non-Fiction is interfiled.)

It can be argued that there is a very specific segment of our population that needs access to this discrete collection. Interfiling with regular type would mean keeping Large Type out of the hands of the people who need it most.

The Materials Management Team will be asked to consider proper placement of Large Print Collections going forward. Any decision to change how and where Large Print collections are organized would need to come as a proposal to LET first for vetting along with a justification as to why we should do this and benefits to our customers.

Backdating at JUL

2015-03-24T14:25:00.001-04:00

Question: Why does the JUL not backdate their book drop on Sundays when they are closed? Do all the other libraries with AMH that are closed on Sunday also not backdate? I returned an item on a Sunday, which was due on the prior Wednesday, and got fined for 4 days late. I know it's only 25 cents, and I will pay it, but shouldn't the rule be consistent across all libraries?

Answer by Becky Day, Supervisor, TCC/City Joint Use Library: Thank you so much for letting us know of this problem! The backdating program of the AMH was not updated when the decision to close the JUL on Sundays was implemented. This has been corrected and backdating at JUL is now consistent with all other libraries closed on Sunday.

Microsoft Home Use Program

2015-02-02T11:04:00.001-05:00

Question: In the past we were able to purchase Microsoft Office when the city upgraded to a new version (for a heavily discounted price) for our home use. I tried to purchase the new Office 2013 and was told I needed to have a valid program code from my company or institutions beneficiary Administrator and a use of a work related email as well. I verified that I had a city email address. Does this mean we are no longer eligible to get this software discount any longer?

It was really nice to have the same version of the software at home as we have at work. I will be sad to hear that is no longer available.

Thanks!

Answer by the Library Communications Team: This benefit is once again available to employees. The information needed, including the product code which is unique to the City of Virginia Beach, can be found here. From home, log into Beachnet using your Active Directory login and password. Choose the Technology Services tab at the top of the page, then select Software from the drop down menu. Microsoft Home Use Program is at the top of the list of the next menu that pops up. After clicking on that page, you can then copy the product code, use the enclosed link to go to the ordering page and you’ll have Office 2013 in no time!

SAM

2015-01-13T11:31:00.000-05:00

Question: Will there ever be a resolution to the problems customers encounter when logging into SAM?? This has been an ongoing problem for months and months. Customers will get a message saying their PIN is invalid. They often will have to try 2 to 3 different computers. Also, they will have ample funds on their card to print, but SAM will show they have no funds on their card. This is not good customer service.

Answer by Susan Morris, Library Technology Services Manager: Both TS and ComIT are aware of the ongoing issues with SAM and the invalid PIN message. Much investigation by the vendor and ComIT has not exposed the source of the problem. Without being able to catch an occurrence as it is happening, they’re not able to obtain diagnostic data needed. We’re asking staff to be our eyes and ears for noticing any patterns that might be related. Locations should document and send issues as they occur to TS. Include specific date and time, computer number, customer id, and what you did to resolve the problem (Please note that in most cases, restarting the computer will resolve this issue.). TS will follow up with the vendor again.

TS is also aware of the payment processing issues with SmartPay (perpetual spinning wait cursor, payment not processed). We are in the process of upgrading the online payment software with Comprise. Testing began this week. Once complete, TS will announce the date it will be available in the live system. If you are experiencing other issues related to account balances in SAM, please report to TS as soon as possible.

Over the next six months, TS will be analyzing the department’s requirements for PC activity management and printer control software for potential replacement or upgrade. Watch for future announcements on how you can participate in the process.

Service Awards

2014-12-15T18:13:00.000-05:00

Question: How is it determined whether you get a service award or not when part of your time served is part time and part is full time? 1 year award received as part time then moved to full time. Does it start over with another 1 year award, or does your time keep going to 5 and 10 years?

Answer by Dawn Chabrol, Library Administration: Initially, the City only recognized full-time members for service awards. When VBPL decided, several years ago, to recognize part-time staff for service awards, the Service Awards Team decided that we would only give (one) 1-year pin. This pin would be the one reflected by the member's current PT/FT status as of the November 30th deadline of the award year.

For example, if a member was part-time from September 2013 but went full-time October 15th 2014, this would mean that on November 30, 2014 (the deadline/cut-off for eligibility) they were actually full-time. They would receive a 1-year pin for being full-time at the December 2015 program. They would not receive a 1 year pin for being part-time at the 2014 program because their status had changed from part-time to full-time before the November 2014 deadline.

Mandatory Training

2014-12-15T18:07:00.002-05:00

Question: Why are mandatory trainings being held continually when it leaves a skeleton crew in the library to assist customers?

Answer by the Library Communications Team: Recently there were some mandatory trainings held for managers, IS IIIs and Supervisors that utilized previously scheduled meeting times. In addition, required EEO training was scheduled for the rest of the staff. Several training dates with varying times were available for that training to accommodate agency staffing.

Calendar Templates

2014-12-15T18:07:00.000-05:00

Question: This is more of a request than a question. I'd like to ask that our marketing department try a bit harder to be responsive to the needs of the front line staff. We have to submit items for Update months in advance but we don't get the same courtesy in receiving the calendar templates in a timely enough fashion. Templates for January 2015 were just posted Tuesday or Wednesday of this week, and with the holidays, vacation time, and not a lot of off-desk time, that's a pretty short window for staff to get all the entries made and calendars produced. (Note that 6 months of calendars are posted at one time and this problem happens each time we are waiting for the next set.) Everyone in the Library department is extremely busy, so if marketing could please realize that the front-line staff have time-sensitive needs as well, it would be greatly appreciated.

Answer by Christine Brantley, Community Relations and Development Manager: Thanks for your sharing your comments. Please know that the marketing team understands that front line staff have time-sensitive needs for materials and our goal is to get the right resources to you in a timely manner. Like all staff at VBPL, our team manages a variety of projects and must constantly adjust priorities and deadlines based on most pressing needs. So there are times when materials are not distributed as soon as intended. We apologize for the inconvenience that causes.

In the case of the calendar templates you mentioned, the first 8 months of 2015 (Jan. - Aug.) were posted to SharePoint on Wed., Dec. 10. The remaining 4 months, (Sept. - Dec. 2015) are scheduled to be posted by April 1 if not sooner. Our team is always assessing our internal processes and our capacity and we'll continue to make adjustments as we can to ensure we're providing the best possible materials and information to you and for our customers.

Purchases for Local History/Genealogy

2014-11-20T14:18:00.000-05:00

Question: Who in Libraries made the decision to purchase matchbooks, pillow covers, and silver serving trays? What money was used to make these purchases? How does any of this fit with the strategic plan of the Library Department?

Answer by Pat Cook, Central Librarian, M.E.O. Central Library: Who in Libraries made the decision to purchase matchbooks, pillow covers, and silver serving trays?

Pat Cook purchased most of these items, though some were donations from customers. The local history collection needs to connect with all of our citizens whether they are natives of Princess Anne County/Virginia Beach or have moved here. This includes those whose first encounter with the area was due to military service. Most of these items were purchased using the Central Library City Credit Card, when that happens Pat gets the bill, it was approved by David, was then approved by Marcy, who then got approval from Cindy Curtis and then everything went to finance who then approved the expense.

The matchbook covers (they no longer have the matches in them J) were purchased to enhance the collection of materials about local businesses, either current or defunct, in the Virginia Beach and Tidewater area. In many cases these covers may be the only record remaining concerning a business that was well known at the time of its existence. Customers looking through the notebook that has copies of the covers have been excited when they recognized a restaurant, motel, gas station or business they had forgotten. These covers help our customers “ take a walk down memory lane” and have resulted in donations of additional local history materials.

The pillow covers were purchased as display items to help promote the local history collection. These were sold as gifts to servicemen to send to their family and friends and often say “To my Sweetheart” “To my Wife” “To my mother and father”, they list the branch of or location of service - Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, or one of the local military bases. When they were in the display cases in the local history area, we had many comments about the fact that family members still had these from servicemen from WWI and WW2. In fact we had someone come in yesterday to see the display (which is no longer there) and said they had one of these cases.

The silver plated serving tray, was purchased along with other local military base memorabilia for displays to promote the local history collection which includes military materials. This tray was given to the retiring commander of Camp Bradford (Camp Bradford was part of what is now Little Creek Fort Story Joint Expeditionary Base). The inscription is Captain and Mrs. J W Whitfield, USN, From officers of Camp Bradford, September 1944. The Information Services staff researched this officer for information to be included in the display to recognize May as National Military Appreciation Month:

James Walter Whitfield was born 25 Jan 1895 and died 31 July 1965. He was appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy (Class of 1918) from Delaware, serving from June 1914 to January 1947. He retired with the rank of Rear Admiral. In addition to Camp Bradford, he served on various ships including the Albany, Ohio, Colorado, Chester, Mugford and Calvert. He had several awards including the Legion of Merit with gold star, the Navy Commendation Ribbon and Army Commendation Ribbon as well as several campaign medals. In retirement he was a sales representative for various electronics companies. There is no record of a marriage or children. In his spare time he raised Siberian huskies, winning several prizes in dog shows

What money was used to make these purchases? Some but not all other paper ephemera including the matchbooks, also photographs, records and tapes of music from Virginia Beach residents or about Virginia Beach came from Materials Management funds last year when there was a budget for the LHGN and Archive if not from MM budget they were from the CL budget. Memorabilia such as the pillow covers and the Camp Bradford tray, purchased as display materials were typically purchased using the CL budget as are most programming and display materials. The Friends of Virginia Beach Public Library have provided funding for digitization of books and microfilm and any additional money needed for digitization comes from the CL budget. I do want to note that MM bought a FANTASTIC scanner that is used by the digitizing crew in LHGN!!

How does any of this fit with the strategic plan of the Library Department? As a City Department VBPL needs to be in alignment with City goals and initiatives. We support the City’s strategic initiatives including the following from the Cultural and Recreational Opportunity Strategic Initiative Team:

CRO 1.02: We engage the community in developing and promoting Cultural and Recreational Opportunities through mutually beneficial relationships.

Within this strategy is the initiative:

INI-04696: Invite citizens to contribute to the Princess Anne County/Virginia Beach Archives to ensure collection growth.

Within this initiative is the activity:

ACT-04713: Ensure there are unique and appropriate items in this collection that when used in presentations will pique citizens' interest and encourage them to explore the collection further.

The citizens of Virginia Beach have become more and more involved with this collection and are starting to take an active part in enhancing it! We have gone from a tiny group of materials to the need to expand our facilities AGAIN! This is a wonderful way to use the past to provide for future generations! I hope this has answered your questions, if not I would be happy to discuss the LHGN collection and LHGN Archives with anyone who interested and would love to come and talk at any staff meeting!

Duplicate copies of Inside VBPL

2014-11-17T10:24:00.001-05:00

Question: For the past month, I have been getting the new edition of Inside VBPL at 8pm and then again at 10pm. I have not made any changes to my account that would give me two copies. Is there a way to stop receiving this extra copy? Thanks!

Answer by Lennis Sullivan, Digital Services Librarian: I will need more information to troubleshoot this issue. Please contact me so I can investigate this further.

3D Printers

2014-10-20T10:12:00.000-04:00

Question: What is the status of the 3D printers? Why aren't they being used?

Answer by Susan Morris, Technology Services Manager and Nicole McGee, Emerging Technologies Librarian: When can you expect to see 3D printers in use at the library? Since the 3D printers arrived this summer, Technology Services, along with the programming librarians, have been testing their capabilities, gaining 3D experience and knowledge, and exploring ideas for practical use in the library. The first implementation phase involves developing and offering programs for the public. Starting in January 2015, customers will begin to see programs available to learn more about this technology. An implementation plan is being presented to LET this month. The November virtual LCT will provide more information about the 3D printers, and additional in-person staff trainings will be available in the next few months. Watch for a preview of machines at the “Block Party” on November 4^th!

Movies in Workflows

2014-10-20T10:06:00.000-04:00

Question: I noticed that movies on Overdrive show up in Workflows, but movies on Hoopla do not. Is this going to change sometime in the future?

Answer by Sean O'Connell, Materials Management: The reason we have catalog records in elibrary for Overdrive movies but not Hoopla movies is we own the movies and all of our content on Overdrive. With Hoopla, we do not own the content. Hoopla uses a subscription model where they own and control what is available. Hoopla is continuously changing the content, not just additions but also deletions. For these reasons we have decided not to add records to the catalog.

Update

2014-09-25T14:57:00.001-04:00

Question: So here is another question about the Update. Why does marketing place programs/classes under headings that do not make sense, or reduce programs to links that may or may not be new? I am also discovering with each Update that some program descriptions submitted to the Marketing Department are changed by the Marketing Department. What is the point of going through detailed processes at the branches if the marketing department is going to change what the branch supervisors and programmers decided?

Answer by Christine Brantley, Community Relations and Development Manager: The community relations & development team (aka marketing) - and system program coordinators, Katie Cerqua (Youth & Family), James Giangregorio (Teen) and Ashley Barrineau (Adult) - make edits to program descriptions in Update for many reasons. Most often it’s to reduce length, improve clarity and streamline style and format. With each issue, about 20% more program content (2 – 3 pages) is submitted for Update than will fit on its pages. We must make decisions about what can be edited, or maybe changed from a detailed description to more of an "ad" that refers customers to the online calendar or website for details.

As for why a program might appear under a heading that “doesn’t make sense” – without knowing what you’re referencing – it might have been a simple mistake, or, maybe the blurb was vague and we misinterpreted the program. Feel free to let us know when you feel a program is grouped incorrectly, especially if it’s recurring one, so we can resolve the issue.

The point of the detailed process is to enable the system program coordinators and the marketing team to efficiently compile and manage content from 9 branches (168 proposals in Fall, many with multiple date listings) into one streamlined VBPL publication with a consistent voice. The content is used in Update, the online calendar, sent to external press and repurposed in a variety of other ways.

Tips to avoid excessive editing:

1. Please keep program titles & descriptions concise; avoid unnecessary/redundant info

2. Ensure that descriptions clearly explain the program so that a person with no knowledge of it can quickly understand what’s happening

3. Format paragraphs as outlined in this link to formatting tips & guidelines on our SharePoint site, sent on Sept. 5 to all library staff, in an email about the Update process

The Update content is sent to contacts at each branch for proofing before layout, and once again in layout form. Please take that time to proof the content and report edits to your Update contact. If you’re unsure of who the Update contacts are at your branch, please ask your manager.

Please feel free to contact Kevin Carobine, Katie Handerhan or me, or the system coordinator for your program’s target age group, if you have further questions about the Update process. We appreciate you asking the questions and providing us the opportunity to explain.

Local Authors

2014-09-18T12:29:00.000-04:00

Question: Months ago the question was posed to this forum asking about the creation of a local author collection flyer or bookmark to give to customers. Why has this question never been answered? Why has something not been created so that staff can give something to would-be authors?

Answer by the Library Communication Team: There is currently a policy (and procedure) for the Local Author Collection which has been on SharePoint since March 2014. It's short and clear and could be printed for anyone asking about the collection. When events promoting the Local Author collection occur, appropriate PR will be created.

(Diane - Oceanfront Library: I must apologize for missing your earlier question. It totally fell through the AMH installation crack. I'm very sorry for your wait and I want to thank you for re-submitting your question. )

Rocket!

2014-08-25T11:31:00.000-04:00

Question: We've been getting questions about what happened to Rocket. Is there a plan to return the stuffed animal to each library?

Answer by Katie Cerqua, Youth & Family Services Manager: The Rocket dogs are still at the libraries and will remain there. They can be used for storytimes and programs.

Update

2014-08-21T18:15:00.000-04:00

Question: Wow - numerous problems with incorrect program information in the fall 2014 Update! This not only is problematic for staff, but is poor customer service. What is being done to ensure this doesn't happen again?

Answer by Christine M. Brantley, Community Relations & Development Manager: There was an exceptional number of errors in the Fall Update. We're sorry for the inconvenience to staff and especially our customers. Much work and care goes into creating every issue of the publication and we will continue to make process changes as needed to ensure we continue producing the most accurate publication possible. The Fall issue is an anomaly, attributable to several factors which are being addressed.

We have several solutions to minimize the impact of the errors for Fall 2014. We've asked library managers to have staff review the publication and email all program errors to my attention. We will create a system-wide corrections sheet based on one created at JUL. Branches can print and post, rather than having staff or volunteers spend time updating individual copies of the magazine. Additionally, we will list the erroneous programs in Trumba, and mark them as cancelled, so when customers try to register, they will find some information. This should lessen the confusion.

Again, sorry for the inconvenience.

Online Training Classes

2014-08-13T15:43:00.000-04:00

Question: Many of us who went to the LCT on Aug 12 were unaware of this service (p. 10 of presentation): "Online training classes available 24/7." What are these? And where are they listed on the home page? (The only item under Programs and Classes is SRP). Thank you.

Answer by the Library Communications Team: There are online training classes listed on the homepage under Services > Technology Education > Self Paced Learning. Topics include computer basics, internet safety, Microsoft products, email, social media, and more!

There are also tutorials under Services > Technology Education > Help with Research Sources that teach how to use research sources available through the Virginia Beach Public Library through help files, videos and demonstrations.

Youth & Teen Large Print

2014-07-15T09:18:00.001-04:00

Question: Now that all the youth and teen large print are catalogued under adult large print, is there a way in Workflows to do a search and see the youth/teen large print titles we have?

Answer by Materials Management: In response to this question, Materials Management has made a change to how these materials are linked in the catalog. From now on, youth and teen large print titles will have the appropriate age level coded in the Audience field in the item record. In either Workflows or eLibrary’s Power Search, you can perform a search using the item type of Large Print and an audience level of either Youth or Teen in order to see all of the large print titles for each age group.

Time to Answer Questions

2014-07-10T07:54:00.001-04:00

Question: Is there a timeframe that questions are answered?? A question about the reassignment of the youth librarians was submitted, but has not been answered.

Answer by the Library Communications Team: A question was received that was agency specific. Agency specific questions are typically sent to the manager(s) of the named agency and this one was referred to the management team of the agency mentioned in the question. Those managers spoke with the staff of that agency. They did not feel the situation required a broader, system-wide response. If you have any questions about how the situation was handled, speak with the Manager or Supervisor of that agency.

Staff Association @ Work

2014-07-10T07:43:00.000-04:00

Question: I see the staff association is busy preparing for our first event. I am confused though because I understood that being on this team meant volunteering your time. Being a member meant donating your money. And the events are scheduled when the library is closed. Why are the team members meeting and working on this event on city time?

Answer by Neva White, Library Staff Association: Formation of an All Staff Association will be an important tool in getting staff members from around the library system to get to know each, learn about each other's work, and work more as a system. Because Eva Poole recognizes that this can only lead to more effective working situations and relationships, she has approved work time for the formation of the team. Events are held outside of working hours so that the maximum number of library employees can have the opportunity to attend them. You'll be happy to know that this team has been very efficient in use of work time and in three meetings has drafted a charter, developed cash handling processes, formed job descriptions for board members, researched non-profit organizations, and has planned an opening event that will be free of charge to employees. It is our hope that everyone can recognize that a small amount of work time spent to pull us all together as a team is certainly time well spent.

Training Catalog

2014-06-13T16:19:00.000-04:00

Question: Can you please provide the link to the 2014 Library Training catalog. The Library training sharepoint page only has the 2013 catalog up which is not helpful.

Answer by Angie Davis, Staff Development Coordinator: The 2013 VBPL training catalog has been removed from the Sharepoint site. A training catalog for 2014 was not created. Instead, we have taken the ‘Just-in-Time’ approach. This approach allows us to identify, develop and deliver training based on the immediate needs of staff and service demands of the customers. Monthly training opportunities are announced through email to all staff. Please contact the Staff Development Office (x8243) if you are not receiving the announcements. Thank you for your interest in training.

New ID Cards

2014-06-11T11:39:00.002-04:00

Question: Does anyone know when we will be receiving our new ID cards? I have asked many management level individuals and even they can't answer the question. It has been months since I had my picture taken for my new card.

Answer by Library Administration: Issuing new smart ID cards is a long process. Taking the pictures was only step one. Initially the cards, when issued, will only be activated for fuel dispensing. It will take additional time for all the cards, city-wide, to be dispensed. At that time, more updates will be done to the access system allowing the new cards to be used for both building access and fuel dispensing. Library Administration has decided to hold all new ID cards not needed for fuel dispensing (delivery drivers, Bookmobile drivers, etc.) until the final activation for building use has been done. At that time, ID cards will be distributed to library staff.

If you have further questions, please contact Library Administration at 385-4321.

Programming Consistency

2014-05-24T11:05:00.001-04:00

Question: Why are some branches permitted to do programs and registration and other things differently from the way the rest of the Library operates? It seems unfair to the people who follow the guidelines and procedures when we find out others are held to different standards and don't do online registration or they have a program that is supposed to be the same at all locations but one agency does it differently.

Answer by David Palmer, Public Services Manager: The program coordinators, in partnership with managers, supervisors and program providers have worked on procedures that create a clear process for staff and a clear message for our patrons. Therefore, all programs must be approved, well in advance by the agency manager and program coordinator via the Program Proposal form, and then put into the Trumba calendar by the appropriate staff member, and a marketing plan developed in conjunction with the Christine Brantley. If a staff member notices that an agency is not following those procedures please notify your agency manager. They must report the issue to the appropriate program coordinator (Ashley Barrineau for adult, James Giangregorio for teens and Katie Cerqua for youth programming) or to the Public Services Manager. All agencies and their staff members are required to follow these procedures.

Clarifying the Policy!

2014-05-16T16:32:00.004-04:00

Question: Can you please expound on the "No Solicitation" addition to the Acceptable Use policy? Are we talking patrons walking around trying to solicit stuff from other patrons or asking co-workers if they want to buy something from your child's PTA fundraiser? (No Solicitation is a part of the Picketing, Petitioning and Other Expressive Activities In City Buildings Administrative Directive AD 3.01.)

Answer by David Palmer, Public Services Manager: Customers are not allowed to solicit in the library or on library grounds. Selling by approved vendors, such as farmer’s stands, is not the same as solicitation. Some expressive activities, such as solicitation for voter registration, is allowed on approved petitioning areas (except at the Joint Use Library).

Staff may also not directly solicit members of the public or other staff members in person or by email. However, it is acceptable for staff members to put notices of cookie/candy/wrapping paper sales for non-profit groups/organizations/schools and announcements of charity walks/events on a table or bulletin board (the location should be chosen and announced by the agency manager) where staff members can see it and decide privately whether or not they want to participate.