E-Book Handouts

Check out this really cool site: E-Books for Texans.  It offers helpful handouts on the different e-readers!

Smart Money & Credit Card Machine Troubleshooting

Theodora asks that we call the following people about any issues we are having with Smart Money or the credit card machine BEFORE we call Financial Services for help.

1. Monica Siboldi - Alief Regional Library 31832
2. Genny Robinson - Park Place Regional Library 31974
3. Tim Siegel - Stella Link Neighborhood Library 32645
4. Mary Skelton - LAK/PLE/TUT Neighborhood Libraries 32538/32335/32113
5. Nina Oliver - Kendall Neighborhood Library 31887

She adds that if those listed above cannot answer your question, give her a call and she will try to help. Theodora is the liaison between Neighborhood Libraries and Financial Services.

Library Security & Safety

Please review the following policies & procedures on library security and safety!

Library Security Policy

Library Security Procedure

Library Safety Policy

OverDrive Assistance for Patrons

The best procedure for handling a patron with an OverDrive technical issue is to fill out an E-mail Reference question or to click on the link labeled Support at the bottom right of the OverDrive web site.  The link will bring up a web page labeled “Help – Contact Support”, with the heading “Unable to find the answers to your questions in our help pages? please email your library. This is followed by a list of the OverDrive participating libraries. Houston Public customers, after choosing their library, are offered an email option that goes to the HALAN/IT HelpDesk for assistance.

Harris County Items

A note from Fred Schumacher:

We have been experiencing difficulty connecting to the Harris County Public Library Horizon system for a while now.  In order to offer our customers the most efficient check in service for their HCPL materials, please scan the barcodes for HCPL returns into a spreadsheet and send those to me daily (don’t wait to accumulate several days worth).  I will send the information on to Harris County for them to enter into the Horizon system.  Once you’ve sent the spreadsheet with the barcode numbers for HCPL items to be checked in to me, send the items (with the spreadsheet attached) to Circulation Administration for return to Harris County. 

Please handle HCPL returns in this manner for as long as the Horizon system remains inaccessible.  Once you are able to log in on the Horizon system again, you may resume normal check in of HCPL material.

New Library Card Application Procedures

Effective 12/01/12, it will no longer be necessary for customers to complete applications to renew their library cards as long as the account meets each of the following criteria:

·         There is no change to name, address, barcode number or ptype

·         The cards expiration date is greater than January 1, 2010

·         There is no change to the responsible parent information (Most juvenile account renewals will require a new application because of the change in registration procedures.  If the juvenile account does not have an ”r - Responsible Parent”  field, you will need to collect an new application and add the necessary information).

·         Second parent is not being added to the account

If the account does not meet each of the criteria above, a new application must be completed to renew the card.

For customers who do not need to complete a new application, the staff member assisting with renewal should check the customers photo ID and verification of residency to  ensure that all of the information in the account is still accurate.  If the information is still accurate, add an x note field to the record with the following: mm/dd/yy REGISTRATION RENEWAL INFORMATION VERIFIED WITH, then include the means of verifying the information (TDL, TID, etc.) and the unit acronym and staff member initials (Example: CIR/FS).  Keep in mind that the customer information needs to be verified with the same sort of documentation that we would require for a new registration.  Once the accuracy of the information is verified and the note added, the staff member may enter the appropriate new expiration date.  Here are some examples of correct registration renewal notes as they should appear in customer records:

x   11/27/12 REGISTRATION RENEWAL INFORMATION VERIFIED WITH TDL. CIR/FS

x   11/27/12 REGISTRATION RENEWAL INFORMATION VERIFIED WITH CURRENT LEASE AGREEMENT AND U OF H ID. CIR/FS

x   11/27/12 REGISTRATION RENEWAL INFORMATION VERIFIED WITH TID. CIR/FS

x   11/27/12 REGISTRATION RENEWAL INFORMATION VERIFIED WITH CURRENT MAIL AND LA DRIVER LICENSE. CIR/FS

If there are changes to name or address, ask the customer to complete a new application form, update the account information, and enter the appropriate new expiration date.

Halloween at Looscan

Discards Reminder

All materials withdrawn from HPL collections should be stamped “DISCARD.”

-Uncataloged paperbacks should be stamped on the top edge of the book only.
-Cataloged books should be stamped in 2 places: top edge of the book and the back interior label/book pocket.
-Other items should be stamped where you find an HPL property stamp.

Please do not stamp “DISCARD” anywhere else as it detracts from the book’s appearance and is thus much less valuable.

Whenever possible, box similar books together and label the boxes with that information. For instance, if you are weeding a specific area and all of the books are biographies, state that on the label. It would be particularly helpful if all adult fiction was boxed together and labeled as such to make initial sorting at the Friends easier. If you cannot be that specific, even a label of adult or juvenile would be helpful.

Boxes labeled DISCARDS should only contain items intended for recycling or trash:
-Items that are severely damaged, mildewed, disfigured, or ripped.
-Paperbacks with yellow or loose pages
-Tax guides and magazines (Note: old magazines may also be discarded in the City recycle bins. Please tear the covers off beforehand.)
-AV that is non-functioning.

Empty AV cases should simply be thrown in the trash.

Door Count

Don't forget that Door Count is this week!  We need to get the gate count for every hour and count all items used in-house.

Route 66 Update

New due dates for the Route 66 pocket cards:

September 24, 2012
October 1, 2012
October 8, 2012
October 15, 2012
October 22, 2012
October 29, 2012

Send via delivery to Gwen Walter @ CEN

Route 66 Wellness Challenge

Here is some information from Gwen Walter regarding the Route 66 Wellness Challenge:

1. Pocket Log Cards - All library locations and groups will receive a supply of pocket logs this week. Record your daily steps on this card.

2. Review how to earn “Bonus Steps” on the Route 66 Brochure. Participate in Bonus Step activities. Record these points on your tally pocket card. Total your points on your card for the week, Monday through Sunday.

3. Every Monday send your pocket logs to me [Gwen] via interoffice mail for tallying. You can also email me a copy of your log entrees as well. Our scores will be tallied by our COH HR Wellness Team and published every Thursday.

Pocket Log Cards are due for the month of September on …

· September 17, 2012

· September 24, 2012

3M Key

In case you are asked for it, the key for the 3M gates is located in the top desk drawer in the office.  It is on a 3M keychain.

Float Labels

We have received float labels to use on items we float to other locations.  They are in the supply closet.

Telephone Doctor

By now, everyone should have received a password for Telephone Doctor, a series of online training courses. Please note that there are monthly deadlines for your various courses!  If you have questions, please direct them to Melissa, who is in charge of assigning our coursework.

Meeting Room Booking Procedures

Reminder!  To avoid future conflicts, we all agreed to no longer take tentative meeting room reservations. Anyone who wishes to book either room must submit the application in order for the reservation to go into the Google calendar.

Other things to remember: Do not manually change the colors for each reservation. Instead select the appropriate room, Meeting Room or Conference Room, from the drop box.

Finally, remember to add your initials to each reservation so that we know who to ask if there are questions!

Thanks!

New Substitute Request Procedure

In order to request a substitute, we need to use the form "Substitute Request Form" found under the "Useful Links" menu on the right side of the blog. In some cases, we will have to justify why we need a substitute. Funding is running out for the substitute program, so we will only be able to request subs when we are severely short-handed.

Door Count

From the NL Blog:

WHEN: Sunday, April 15th – Saturday, April 21st

Visitors are measured by recording the P number on your gate each hour. Doing so gives us a general idea of what times of the day are busiest at your location. Please check your gate to ensure that it is ready for Door Count.

In-house material use gives us a general idea of print materials that are being used within the library. This count is used by libraries nationally by tallying the number of materials returned to carts each hour. Please make sure you have proper signage to notify your customers.

SRP Incentives

Michaela sent out an email regarding this summer's SRP incentives. Here's what readers will be getting:

Level 5: Certificate, Entry into daily prize drawing (arts & craft kits, games, etc—we did this in 2010)

Level 10: One free book

Level 20: Additional free book, Circus ticket voucher (they will be pre-stamped!)

Level 30: Astros ticket voucher (K-12). Entry into grand prize drawing (IPod Touch for 13+, DSi, LeapPad Learning Tablet)

Handling Non-HPL Items

Please note the following information from Fred Schumacher:

In order to ensure that all returned ILL items are properly checked in and returned to the right institutions, please send all non-HPL items you receive through your book drop and/or at the return desk to HPL’s ILL Department. The ILL staff members will make sure that any items acquired through their system are properly checked in on Navigator and returned to the owning institutions. Items they determine were not borrowed through them will be forwarded to Circulation Administration for return to the owning institution. This includes Harris County Public Library items returned to your location.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Circulation Administration or HPL ILL.

In-Transit Items

Please be advised about this new catalog feature about in-transit items:

Items will now have a status of “in-transit” for up to 7 days. This should be plenty of time for Delivery to get the item from one location to another and for it to be checked in at the receiving location.

If an item is “in-transit” for more than 7 days, the system will change its status to “long in-transit.” If the “long in-transit” item is in transit to fill a title-level hold, the system removes the hold from the item record and replaces it at the top of the hold queue on the bibliographic record for which the hold was originally placed. (Note: If the item is in transit to fill an item-level hold--a hold for that particular copy only--the hold remains on the item record and can be filled only when the item is found and checked in).

Logging into your email

With the computer upgrade, we now have to log into our email accounts differently. The domain name is houtx\e# and the password is the new one you set up and hopefully can remember! To set up your new password, you have to log into a computer using your e# instead of staff. Need help? Let me know!

Monthly Calendar

Please refer to the Monthly Staff Calendar (found on the right under Schedules) when considering vacation requests. If there is a scheduling error, please let me know!

Volunteer Services Blog

Starting March 1st, volunteers will sign in and out for their shifts using an online form. The new time sheet can be found at the Volunteer Services Blog. I added a link to the blog under the Library Blogs heading in the menu on the right.

eBook Instructions

Step-By-Step guides for downloading eBooks (including for Kindle) can be found under the Useful Links heading of the blog. Feel free to print them out for customers who ask about downloading eBooks.

Laptop Procedure Change

Please take note of this important message from Mike Van Campen:

Effective immediately, no customer who has any fines on their record will be allowed to check out a laptop. This practice should be implemented at all locations. We are working on changing official policy to reflect this new practice but this directive needs to be followed by all as of this communication. Staff must make sure that a customer’s account is clear of all fines before checking out a laptop.

In addition, it is crucial that staff check to confirm the name on the library card and the name on the provided identification match when checking out laptops. If these names do not match, the customer should not be permitted to check out a laptop. Please ensure that all staff are following this important practice.

2012 Tax Help

A list of locations offering tax help this year can be found on the Montrose blog. Check it out: Tax Help Locations for 2012

Paging Lists

Edgar at Montrose created a tutorial on how to print out the paging lists. Check it out: Paging List Tutorial

Substitutes

Information on obtaining library substitutes can be found at the Customer Service Substitute Blog. This is FYI in case Melissa and I aren't around!

New Meeting Room Calendar

Welcome back, everybody!

Instead of using the old spreadsheet meeting room calendar, we're going to try something new. The link in the menu on the right will take you to the Google calendar for looscan.library. If you don't remember the password to log in, it's the usual one for staff.

To make a reservation for either the meeting room or the conference room, click on the appropriate date and time and then click on "Edit event". It's pretty straightfoward after that. Name the event (group name, usually), make sure the starting time and ending time are accurate, and under description put a contact person's name, phone #, and your initials.

The most important thing you must do before you save the entry is choose the correct room. You do this from the drop down menu that says "Looscan Library". There are 2 options, "Looscan Conference Room" and "Looscan Meeting Room". Select the correct room and then click on save.

Back in calendar view, you'll notice that events taking place in the meeting room are turqouise and events taking place in the conference room are purple (we can change the colors if we want!). There's a legend on the left side of the calendar in case you forget which is which.

Tip: If you are booking the conference room for the same time the meeting room is booked or vice versa, click in the white area outside (right next to) the colored box. If you click in the colored area, it will bring up the existing reservation for editing.