Shout-Out to the Denmark Staff

Submitted by Lorraine Lane, Elise Rodriguez, and Amy Szvetecz

The Denmark supervisors want to say a very special thank you to our wonderful staff. They have been incredibly flexible and patient while waiting for Denmark to open. Last-minute schedule changes have been the norm. “Can you report to SF tomorrow?” “Can you cover a dinner shift at PR on Thursday?” They have met every request with a smile and a can-do attitude. We are amazed at the tenacity and flexibility of this team of both seasoned and brand-new employees. They have all shared how valuable it has been to work in the branches. We are incredibly excited to have trained and seasoned staff moving into our new home. 

Youth staff remained positive while the programs planned for December, January, and February were postponed. Primarily located at Post Road, this fabulous team works regular daily desk shifts, assists in programs as needed, and has even filled in to facilitate solo programs when staff were out due to illness. The team also took on extra newsletter editing tasks to help the other branches, as well as recording several new puppet shows to add to our collection. 

Our CSAs have had the opportunity to assist at every branch of the system. They have graciously accepted whatever special tasks have been given to them, from completing the inventory of 49,000 items at Denmark to unloading book drops, shelving, shelf reading, weeding, cleaning board books, handling snags, and pulling patron holds. Additional projects they have tackled are cleaning carts, learning how to use the RFID wands, and creating organizational tools for the Denmark collection and AMH.  

The Denmark Information Specialists have been absolute rock stars as well. Their flexibility and willingness to assist any branch that needs help have been admirable. Even as their planned programs get postponed and canceled, they continue to work at the highest level. We know that all their hard work is laying a strong foundation for when our doors open. They have learned so much by working throughout the whole system, and we are excited to see how all our varied experiences come together under one roof as a unified team.

Inspections are scheduled, and paperwork is moving through county departments; however, we do not have a firm timeline for the next steps at this time. But things are happening, and we are so excited about the future. We cannot wait to share this beautiful building and staff with the community! Hang in there, folks—it’s going to happen! And it will be amazing thanks to everyone dedication, hard work, and flexibility. We got this!