Phyllis Cluchey has been the branch manager for 8 years. Although Phyllis loves her staff and enjoys her work, she also enjoys working with miniature doll houses and working outside.
Most people think that working in the library would be fun because we get to read all day! That’s not really the case. We spend most of our day touching your lives by touching the books that you choose to read.
Our day begins when we get the books out of the bookdrop and check them in so that they can get back on the shelves for you to browse. We spend quite a few hours each day processing the books you have requested from other branches. Another big part of our day is spent checking books in and out for you.
The Raytown Teen Book Club met at the Raytown Branch at 3:15 on June 8. The book discussion for June was Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delaney. We had an attendance of nine. We started the group out with writing their names in Greek. Denise Bozikis, our very own library staff employee, was a special guest speaker. She is a native from Greece.
Unless you are a young child or the parent of young child, you probably haven’t heard of Miss Bobbi, Miss Jolene, or Miss Sarah. At the Blue Springs North branch, these women lead story time. They are the readers that do all the voices, the wigglers extraordinaire (yes, that’s dancing folks), and the givers of hugs. Miss Bobbi is the senior member of othe crew with Miss Jolene and the newest member Miss Sarah. With years of experience having children, babysitting, and reading behind them, we create a world full of words, images, music, and fun.
I just wanted to share a really special painting Jacqueline Howell did for the teen summer reading program.
If you visit the Buckner branch very often, you will see many of Jackie’s great works of art on our bulletin boards and displays. It is really amazing what great talents so many of our employees have, and how lucky everyone is when they share them.
What are you doing at the library today? Working! I am putting books on hold to fill Teacher Assistant requests. We can help teachers supplement their classroom books with items from our library system.
How long have you worked at the library? I have worked here 5 ½ years. I started as a sub and now am working half-time.
What is the best part of your job? Working with the customers and the staff.
Do you know the two most common mistakes library patrons make? They are: believing that patrons should not bother the clerks with questions; believing that library clerks should know everything related to books and publishing.
Let’s take them one at a time. First and foremost, always feel free to ask for help. Every library is different and each library may have new arrangements, organizational situations, or displays that can cause the casual library user some confusion. Clerks like to help. Go ahead and ask.
As you are browsing through our branch, you may notice some MCPL employees who always seem to be buzzing around with books on carts. These would be the wonderful pages here at the Lee’s Summit Branch. Pages are the backbone of the library system. They reshelve all the material in the library, making sure everything gets back to where it is supposed to be. They keep the library straight and are our muscle when furniture needs to be moved for programs. They work hard and get a lot done in a very short amount of time.
On Friday July 9th, I heard barking in the library and thought nothing of it. I knew, of course, it had to be Ms. Dennise. Sure enough twenty pairs of eyes were glued to her every word. No giggling, no wiggling, just happy listeners.
