Update MY Link Account

Customers can now update or renew their library cards from home: http://houstonlibrary.org/update-my-link-account.  Customers can find the link on the library FAQ page (middle of page under 'How do I update my account info?').  Please be aware that changes made online take between 24-48 hours to process (excluding weekends and holidays).  We can still do immediate renewals in person.

New library cards and OverDrive accounts

This is a friendly reminder that when a patron is replacing an old library card with a new library card number please ask them if they are using OverDrive. If they are and they have titles checked out, on hold, or on a wish list, someone needs to be notified to merge the two accounts. Otherwise the patron will lose all his old account information. The best course is to either help the patron fill out an E-mail Reference form or show them where it can be found. Send the patron’s name, old library card number, and new card number.

Looscan Holidays- Part 2 Yuletide!

A little fun, a little food, and lots of cheer. Thanks to the Looscan & Montrose staff for another wonderful year! Let's work to make the next one even better. 

Looscan Holidays- Part 1 Halloween!

The holidays are a wonderful, stressful time. Let's look back over how the LOO staff decorated and celebrated these occasions.

Recycling Dumpsters

In the next few months, the green recycling bins/dumpsters will be removed from neighborhood library parking lots.  Please direct customers to Paper Retriever’s website and they can search by zip code: http://paperretriever.com/binlocator/index.html   

Ebsco Discovery Service

HPL will soon be offering a new service for database searching.  Training is coming, but in the meantime, follow this link to familiarize yourself with Ebsco Discovery Service.

Digital Strategies: Known Issues

Overdrive’s new web interface/app version has caused some access issues. Please refer to the Digital Strategies: Known Issues section on the intranet on how to assist customers, troubleshoot and find help.

Renewals

We have wonderful news to share about renewal of checked out items in HPL’s SirsiDynix Symphony system.  When customers renew their items, the system will now calculate the new due date by counting forward from the current due date, rather than from the date of the request.  That means that customers may request renewal of checked out materials at any time after initial check out and get the full six week period.

OneClickdigital

There was some maintenance work on OneClickdigital.  If customers are having problems, have them email support@oneclickdigital.com.

FLOAT Account

Before sending items to the LMS Float Hub, be sure to check each of the following:
1. Items that are candidates for withdrawal according to HPL’s weeding criteria, such as damaged and dated material, should not be floated.  Instead, set them aside and follow the weeding guidelines established by Collection Development.
2. If the item is On-The-Fly or No-Record-Found, do not send it with float material.  Place a completed LMS Processing Flag in the item and send it to LMS via the regular delivery bins.
3. If an item is In Transit to another location, whether for a hold or reshelving, do not send it to the LMS Float Hub.  Print the transit slip or hold wrapper, and place it in the regular delivery bin to be sent to the proper location.

For items to be floated via the LMS Float Hub that do not meet any of the conditions above, follow the procedure below.

Check out the items to your unit’s FLOAT User:
1. Look up your unit’s Float account in Workflows > Circulation > Check Out.
a. User ID matches the user profile name, per the standard pattern for agency accounts: agency acronym, dash (-), FLOAT. (LOO-FLOAT)
2. Scan each item to be checked out.
a. The current location will become FLOATHUB, which will “shadow” the item in the OPAC.
b. Handle exceptions noted above and any others that arise according to HPL policies and procedures.

Early Voting Location near LOO

The closest early voting location to us is:

Harris County Public Health
2223 West Loop South Fwy, 1st Floor
Houston, 77027

From here, take Westheimer to the 610 feeder. Take a right, and the county building is located next to (after) the Public Storage.

Voters Guides

We just received an update from the League of Women Voters of Houston that they expect the Houston Voters Guides to be ready for delivery by the middle of next week (10/26).

In the meantime, here are some helpful links for patrons needing voting information:

http://houstonlibrary.org/go-vote
The site has links to download your local ballot, know your voting rights, find your polling stations for Early Voting (Oct. 24th-Nov 4th), and more.

The League of Women Voters Guides for Texas are available online in both English and Spanish.
http://www.lwvtexas.org/Voters_Guide.html

Go to www.vote411.org, enter in your address, and you will see all the races that should appear on your ballot. For each race, the site talks through the duties of each office that is up for election, and includes statements from the candidates.

OverDrive Website Upgrade

The OverDrive website will look very different starting on November 16, 2016. You can preview the website here: https://hadc.overdrive.com/preview.  Please familiarize yourself with the new site!

League of Women Voters Online Ballot

We will be getting the voter guides in the next couple of weeks.  Here's a link to an online ballot, which can be personalized: http://www.vote411.org/ballot

OverDrive Read-alongs

Read-alongs are fun for kids and also help with vocabulary, pronunciation, and other reading and pre-reading skills.

Here is an article from Overdrive about read-alongs:
http://help.overdrive.com/customer/en/portal/articles/1749249-what-is-a-read-along-ebook-and-how-does-it-work-#nextgencontent

You can slow down the narration speed, which is handy.

Learning Link FAQs

1. What is Learning Link?
Learning Link is a virtual library account that is issued to all students in Houston Independent School District schools.

2. Can a student have a Learning Link account as well as a My Link library card?
Yes.  A student enrolled in an HISD school may have a Learning Link account even if s/he already has a My Link library card.  Likewise, a student with a Learning Link account may also register for and receive a My Link library card, as long as s/he does not already have a My Link library card account in HPL’s Symphony system.

3. What can a student do with a Learning Link account?
Learning Link provides the student with 24/7 access to HPL electronic resources, as well as allows him/her to have up to 10 physical items checked out from the Library at a time (some restrictions apply).

4. Are there check out limits for Learning Link accounts?
Yes.  Learning Link accounts are limited to up to 10 physical items checked out at any time. Additionally, Learning Link accounts are subject to the same check out limits on electronic resources as My Link accounts.

5. Are there restrictions on the type of physical material that can be checked out on Learning Link accounts?
Yes.  Learning Link accounts may not be used to check out DVDs, CDs, laptops or other electronic devices, games or Flip Kits.  Additionally, elementary school students may use their Learning Link accounts to check out physical items from the juvenile materials collection only.

6. Do Learning Link accounts accrue fines?
No.  Fines do not accrue for overdue materials checked out on Learning Link accounts.

7. Do Learning Link accounts get billed for unreturned, lost and damaged material?
Yes.  Learning Link accounts will be billed for unreturned, lost and damaged material.  Bills for items will be limited to a maximum cost of $10.00 per item, and no processing fee will be charged.

8. Will Learning Link accounts be blocked for bills?
Yes.  Learning Link accounts will be blocked from privileges when the amount owed for bills for unreturned, lost and/or damaged material on the account is $50.00 or more.

9. What do I do when a student wants to check out physical material with his/her Learning Link?
To look up the student’s Learning Link account, request his/her school issued student ID, and look the account up using the name and ID number.  The Learning Link User ID is the first initial of the last name followed by the student ID number (Robert Frost with HISD ID number 123456 will have Learning Link user ID F123456).  If the student cannot present his/her school issued student ID, get the student’s first and last name, student ID number and birthday. Use that information to look up the student’s account, confirm that you have the right account by checking the birthday against the PIN (mm/dd).  Before checking out, make sure that the student’s home address and phone number are added to the account.  Address verification is not required for these accounts, but it is helpful to do so if the parent is present.

10. Can parents/guardians use their children’s Learning Link accounts?
Some parents may wish to use their children’s Learning Link accounts to check out material for their children.  Allow them to do so.  The parent will need to provide the same information to access the account and check out as the student does.  The same limitations will apply to these check outs as apply to check outs performed by the students.

11. Can Learning Link accounts be used to check out DVDs, CDs, laptops or other restricted material if the student’s parent/guardian gives permission to do so?
No.  Learning Link accounts are not approved for checking out any of those materials.  Parents/guardians may register their children for My Link accounts, which will allow them to check out DVDs, CDs, laptops and other electronic devices, games and Flip Kits.

12. Do HISD Staff have accounts too?
Yes, HISD staff also have Learning Link accounts in the Symphony system.  The formula for the user IDs is the same as the student accounts— first letter of last name and employee ID #.  They are not allowed to check out physical materials with those accounts.  They are limited to electronic resources only.  If an HISD staff member comes in and wants to check out physical materials, they should complete an application and get a regular MyLink card.

OverDrive Renewals

Renewing in OverDrive is only an option with e-books and only if the publisher allows it. If the e-book is from a publisher that allows renewals the library customer will see a Renew or Request Again button next to the e-book title listed on the customer’s OverDrive book shelf. The Renew button appears only if there are no holds on the title. If there are holds on the title the customer will see the Request Again button which will place them on the holds list. Once the initial check out period is over, the customer will have to download the title onto their device again.

Discounts

Working Advantage employee discount and reward program:  Go to https://www.guidanceresources.com to register.  If you are a first time user, use code HOUSTONEAP. Click on Discounts and you will be directed to Working Advantage where you will create an account.
 
Visit http://cohemployeenews.com/events-activities/city-nights for other discounts including
Houston Museum of Natural Science discounted tickets
Kellogg's Tour of Gymnastics Champions on September 30th

Classics

New Classics are being cataloged with a call number in addition to the "Classic" label.  These newer books are considered cataloged paperbacks, so they will appear in the catalog under the author's last name, NOT under the category of "Paperback Classic." Because the catalog entry will not indicate that it is a Paperback Classic, these items should be interfiled with Fiction to make Paging easier.  Classics without call numbers can continue to go in our Classics section.

Catalog Updates

Searches in the public catalog now provide a tab labelled “eresources & Articles” which leads to articles about your search.  Please familiarize yourself with the feature.  Please report any issue you encounter with this product to the helpdesk or to Judith Hiott. Web pages with this feature are being tweaked for optimal presentation.  If you are using a browser where these pages look especially messy, please report it to the helpdesk.

Database Access

Houston Public Library went live on Open Athens, a new database authentication service. Please report to the helpdesk any database that does not work-- as well as any other database issues you encounter. The authentication page looks different and asks for a user barcode and PIN. Customers may ask you to help them find their PINs. Some of your customers will have databases bookmarked. They will have to go back to the database page and get a new link. Customers will no longer having to wait to access databases after getting a new card.

Digital Media Facts

Overdrive

• 10 e-books or e-audiobooks can be borrowed at one time
• You can have up to 10 holds at one time.
• You can set your e-book checkout period to 7 or 14 days under My Account in Overdrive.
• If no one has a hold on the item, you can also renew for up to 14 more days.

Hoopla

• 8 checkouts per month.
• All titles available all the time; no holds required.
• You can check out Videos for 72 hours, music for 7 days, and audiobooks for 21 days.
• For streaming or temporary download, depending on item.

Freegal Music

• 5 downloads per week (that are yours to keep) and 5 hours of streaming per day.
• Music videos count as 2 downloads.

Comics Plus

• Comics, manga and graphic novels.
• Check out up to 5 items at one time for 7 days each.

Axis360

• Check out limit: 10 items.
• Check out time period: 2 weeks.
• Holds limit:  10 items.
• The time period a patron has to check out a hold after a hold fulfillment notification has been sent: 3 days.
• At this time there are no renewals.

OneClickDigital

• 10 e-audiobooks can be borrowed at one time.

EBSCO ebooks

• Downloadable e-books available by remote use only.

Registration by Mail

If you are a Texas resident and unable to physically come to the library to register for a library card, you can register by mail. Please print the Library Card registration form and send it, along with a good quality photocopy of your photo I.D. with your current address, to:

Houston Public Library
System Circulation Department (Library Card)
500 McKinney
Houston, TX 77002

You can also email a scanned copy of the completed application form and photo I.D. to circinfo@hpl.lib.tx.us.

It takes about 24 hours to process applications received by mail or email and prepare the card to be mailed, if all necessary information was included with the application.

Teen Writing Contest Extended

We have extended the Teen Writing Contest due date.  All entries are now due by 5:00pm on October 1, 2016. If a teen has already submitted an entry and would like to further revise their poem/short story before resubmitting they are allowed to do so.   Please email Rebecca Denham their first and last name and age so that she can pull the old entry.

New Marketing Processes

The 1st phase of our new plan begins TODAY, Monday, August 1, 2016. 

1. Use New Marketing Request form to submit for a new project. 
2. All communications for marketing requests are now through Communications - hpl.communications@houstontx.gov 
3. Use the Reprint/Outreach Request form for standard reprint and outreach material requests. 
4. Use the Marketing Equipment Rental to request any equipment (i.e.: banners, tablecloths) 

Starting November 1, 2016, the Marketing Team will promote 3 events per month for each library with the below marketing tools. Each library MUST input their events 3-months in advance in the online events module. We will follow a strict TIMELINE in order to make this process as smooth as possible. For the first run in November, we are extending the deadline to August 19.

Featured Event Marketing Tools:

• A featured event flyer 
• eNewsletter 
• Social media campaign

Available Technology

Scanners

The copiers at Central Library (2nd floor) and Shepard-Acres Homes Neighborhood Library are able to scan documents. Scanning is free, but a USB drive is required to store the document. Please see staff for instructions on scanning.

Fax

Fax service is available at Central Library (3rd floor), Shepard-Acres Homes Neighborhood Library, Scenic Woods Regional Library and Smith Neighborhood Library. Faxes can be sent but not received, and they can be sent to local and toll free numbers only. Cost for fax is $1/page.

Printers/Copiers

Color copiers are available at the Central Library on the 1st floor and in KIDS. Cost is $1/page for color.

Recycling & Trash Pickup

Abitibi Bowater (our recycling company) picks up every other Thursday (2nd & 4th weeks).
Republic Waste Services (our trash company) picks up every Thursday.

Smart Money

Financial Services wants to remind staff to please make sure that all transactions clear through Telecheck (check and credit card) before clearing things in Smart Money.  There have been several recent occurrences in which the customer signed the Smart Money receipt and the fines were cleared, but no funds were actually taken from their card or check.  In those cases, fines have to be put back on the accounts and the customer contacted.  Sometimes, the customer has not been known so HPL is out those funds.

Goodreads

HPL has recently launched a new Goodreads online book club, the HPL Reads Book Club.  We would like to promote this to all staff and to let our patrons know about its existence.  The book club is open to all Goodreads members, in Houston and beyond, but does require patrons to set up a free Goodreads account. Once patrons have a Goodreads account, they would then select to join the HPL Reads Book Club.

Books are chosen from previous LibraryReads Newsletters and are selected with the availability of the book in our catalog in mind. Voting for the first book is already open, and will close on August 11th. HPL will then announce the winning selection Friday, August 12th. Patrons are invited to read along throughout August and September and post their comments, thoughts, and reactions during the two month window. We will be posting question prompts to stimulate discussion. In October, we’ll start all over again with another poll.

For our inaugural reading, we have selected the following four books as nominees:

My name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout
Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katrina Bivald
The After Party by Anton DiSclafani
The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George

Read the blogpost and share with your library customers. Check the Book Clubs page for more info. Share with your book club whether it’s HPL or not! Share on your social media. Share with other staff members.

Gaming

Several locations have received new gaming systems or gotten gaming systems for the first time.  Youth Services is developing a comprehensive guide/rules for gaming at HPL and Rebecca will share them as soon as they are finalized but in the meantime these are the two hard and fast rules of gaming:

1.       Game ratings:

a.       Players under 13 years old are NOT allowed to play T rated games.  Players 13+ can play T rated games.  No one under 18 years old can play an M rated game. (i.e. No M rated games for youth programs)

2.       Tracking controllers:

a.       If a staff member is actively running a gaming program or physically facilitating game play then controllers do not need to be checked out.  If gaming is occurring on the floor without direct staff supervision, then controllers must be checked out using a valid My Link card.

Pokemon!

Software Updates

Staff computers will be updated tonight with the following software:

Adobe Air
Adobe Flash for I.E.
Adobe Flash for Opera
Adobe Flash for other browsers
Adobe Reader
Google Chrome
Java 8 101-b13  32bit
Java 8 101-b13  64bit
Microsoft Silver Light
Mozilla Firefox 47.0.1
Opera 38

In order to receive all the updates, computers must be left powered on and logged out of Windows. If tomorrow staff computers are still being prompted for updates on any of the software above please contact the Help Desk.

Books from Other Systems

Books returned that belong to other library systems should be sent to ILL.  Please remember to add these items to the log on the blog.

Yoga Classes

One of our new volunteers, Jean, will be teaching yoga classes in the meeting room on Mondays from 11:30 am-12:30 pm: July 18, August 1, August 8, August 15, August 22, and August 29.

Stamping Guidelines for Friends/Discards

Items for Friends or Discards should be stamped only once from now on: top edge of the book if possible, next to the HPL property stamp. HPL items lacking a stampable top edge should be stamped in 1 place where you find an HPL property stamp or label, typically on the back interior label/book pocket.

OverDrive

Marianne Lorio is currently cleaning up our OverDrive collection. Over the years we have lost access to items that are no longer available for purchase. Unfortunately the record for the item stays on the OverDrive website and nothing prevents customers from placing holds on these records. Records for items that are no longer available and were not on hold have been deleted.

Now Marianne is going through the list for items no longer available with holds. Often we have purchased, or can purchase, the same title and format in a different version. For example, we had purchased access to the 10th Anniversary Edition of the Alchemist by Paulo Coelho in the e-book format. This version is no longer available for purchase and we are almost out of access. We have purchased another version of the title, not the anniversary edition, for our collection. When we have lost access to the 10th  Anniversary Edition we will move the holds on that version to the version to which we do have access. We will have to go through this process for a large number of items.

This will affect the customer experience. A patron may find that their hold has been dropped and they can no longer locate the title on the OverDrive website. This is because we can longer provide access to this title and it is no long available for purchase. Other patrons will find that their position on the wait list for a title has changed. Some might even notice that their hold is on a different version of the title than they originally placed. This will happen when one version of a title is no longer available and we have moved the holds to a version that is.

This involves thousands of titles with multiple holds so we cannot notify each customer directly. If you get questions about this or a specific title please direct them to Marianne.

Donation Boxes

The KHOU "Turn the Page" donation box (for children's books), which is located near the elevator, should get picked up sometime after June 30th.  We are getting a second box delivered this Thursday from the Trotter Family YMCA for "Operation Backpack".

Managing Summer Reading Accounts

The following describes how adults can access their reading logs to log their reviews:

If an adult is a member of a youth account (if the child/teen signed up first, and the adult got attached through the Add Member button), an adult must log in on the youth Summer Reading page from the public side (houstonlibrary.org/summer), and then select the adult’s name in the drop down menu where it says Manage. Remember, all members that are managed by one account have the same user name and password.

This will take the adult to the Summer Reading for Grownups (SRG) page, and they can log their books and write their reviews there. If a child is attached to an adult’s account (the adult signed up first for SRG, and then attached a child by clicking Add Member), to access the child’s account, a customer would have to log in on the SRG page, and select the child’s name from the Manage dropdown menu.

Camp Wonderopolis

This year, as we have done in past years, a child/teen can do a Camp Wonderopolis program on their own computer at home, or in the library, and they can receive an activity badge sticker for it to place in their SRP log.

In order to claim a sticker, they should either show you a printed out Wonder Card, or if they like, they can complete it on a computer in the library, and show you the card. If they completed one at home, and didn’t print it, they can access completed Wonder Cards on their dashboard. When you give them the activity sticker, please go into the patron notes in Evanced and put the date and the word “Wonderopolis”. We want to keep statistics about how many kids are doing Camp Wonderopolis, and this is the way to make it happen. Kids/teens can do 1 Camp Wonderopolis activity for the sticker, but they can do more for fun.

Prizes for Groups

Please remember that we are not giving out our prizes to groups who come in to collect them.  Instead, we need to see documentation such as a school employee ID, Daycare license, or similar.  Then get the group's contact information, number of children, and ages and leave the information with Donna or Marlena.

Shake Challenge Bloopers

Click here for the Blooper Reel!

Looscan Neighborhood Library Shake Challenge!

Click here!!!

SRG Registration Prize

Customers who sign up for the Summer Reading for Grownups program will see this message:

Congratulations! You have successfully signed up for the Summer Reading Program for Grownups. Please visit your neighborhood library to collect your registration prize, a voucher for free admission for two to the Museum of Fine Arts Houston (MFAH).

Additionally, The University of Houston School of Theater and Dance is offering a special buy one, get one free ticket offer that can be used for any  1 show in the 2016-2017 season.  Both tickets must both be used for the same show. To redeem, please call 713-743-2929 and use offer code HPLRENEW2016.   Please note that tickets are based on availability and can sell out quickly.

Summer Reading for Grownups

Summer Reading for Grownups (SRG) is a separate program that can stand on its own. In other words, adults who are not signing up with kids can sign up fore the Adult program: http://houstonlibrary.org/learn-explore/library-events/summer-reading-grown-ups

If adults do want to do “Family Registration,” there is a little box to check when they are registering for SRG. Checking that box will let us know that they are registered as a family.

Family Registration has additional benefits. 100 Families will get a Family Summer Reading Prize Pack, which includes museum tickets and Raising Canes vouchers for free meals.

Whether they register as a family or individually, they are entitled to the incentives for the SRG which are:

• With Registration
• A Museum of Fine Arts pass that admits two for free admission. These went out to locations. Please let Jennifer Schwartz know when we are running low. 
• A special Buy One, Get One Free offer from University of Houston School of Theater and Dance. These are coming early next week.
• Weekly Drawings for Theater Tickets
• As noted on the SRG page, we are encouraging participants to submit mini-reviews. We will do weekly drawings for pairs of free theater tickets to a variety of local venues. The more reviews one submits, the more chances to win. We will handle the weekly drawings from the Programming Office and contact winners. 
• Cool Programs to Attend and More Chances to Win
• For every program a participant attends (from the program offerings linked from the SRG page, they will receive a chance to win a grand prize of a season ticket subscription package to Theater Under the Stars. We will sign people up for this onsite at the program, capturing their email as an added benefit, for future marketing opportunities.

Teen Summer Writing Contest

HPL’s Teen Summer Writing Contest runs from June 1^st to July 30^th and is a chance for teens passionate about creative writing to showcase their talents.  Details can be found here: http://houstonlibrary.org/learn-explore/library-events/teen-writing-contest

There are four categories:

1A – Poetry: Grades 6-8

1B – Short Story:  Grades 6-8

2A – Poetry: Grades 9-12

2B – Short Story: Grades 9-12

Contestants are allowed to submit up to one poem and one short story in their grade division.  There is no writing prompt for this contest; teens can let their imaginations run wild!

A submission consists of 1 entry form attached to 3 copies of the original work. (If a participant submits in two categories, they should have two Entry Forms.)  All submissions must be typed (see site for details).

3 Ways to Submit Entry:

·         In Person, at any HPL Location

·         By Mail: Houston Public Library | Attn: Rebecca Denham - Teen Room | 500 McKinney St., 77002

·         Online. Use the fillable PDF form - http://houstonlibrary.org/learn-explore/library-events/teen-writing-contest

Please send any entries submitted at locations to through interoffice to CEN Teen – Attn: Rebecca Denham.  Email to let me know how many entries you are sending so I can make sure to be on the lookout.

After the close date of July 30^th, a panel of judges will read all of the submissions and select winners who will be announced in August (details forthcoming).

Questions can be directed to Rebecca (Ext. 31691) or HPL.Teen@houstontx.gov.

Book Lists

We have been getting requests for the new Name That Book lists.  There is a Book Lists Binder at the desk with copies of the new Name That Book, HAISLN and other popular book lists.  These are staff copies only, so if you loan one out to a customer, be sure to get it back!

Fold3

Our subscription to the Fold3 database now includes remote access. Our genealogists will be very happy. Keep in mind that it is also a good source for primary documents regarding wars in which the United States has participated.

SRP Training Posted

Sara Pope has posted the PowerPoint which explains how to use the SRP portal to register customers for this year's program. As you all know a few minor changes have been made, i.e. the "Family" option for registration. Please familiarize yourself with these changes before June 1 as that is our launch date for the program. If you have any questions please let your youth staff, or supervisors know. Thanks!
http://training.houstonlibrary.org/system/files/Learning%20Resources%20Materials/Summer%20Reader%20Program%20Training.pdf

YouTube

YouTube should be working on all public computers now.  If not, contact IT.

Residency

Residency is based on the physical address, not the mailing address.  So, if a customer has a P.O. Box with a Houston address but the physical address is in Pearland, the residency should be NR-WAIVER, not RESIDENT.

Renewing Library Cards

When renewing a library card, patrons do not have to fill out a new application if:

• 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
• 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.

Freegal

Freegal Music has increased the number of downloads available per library card holder per week from 3 to 5. Since these downloads can be kept indefinitely it is a pretty good deal.

Public PC Slowness

IT is working diligently on resolving the public computer slowness issues being reported across several locations. In order to better diagnose the problem and identify a solution, contact IT (call or email) when customers report slow computers: give the G#, what application is being slow (MS Office, Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, YouTube etc.), your location, date and time. This type of information will help in detecting patterns with certain models, specifications and software that may be causing or contributing to the issue.

Investor's Business Daily

IBD is now being published weekly.

Kronos

Make sure you have your bookmarks updated to the correct Kronos links.

·         Kronos Navigator

https://coh.kronos.net/wfc/navigator/logon

·         Quick Time-Stamp

https://coh.kronos.net/wfc/applications/wtk/html/ess/quick-ts.jsp

Summer Reading Program

http://houstonlibrary.org/summer

What are the prizes?

Register for SRP and earn a free book

• 5 books read - HPL ribbon and a Chipotle meal coupon
• 10 books read - Houston Dynamo or Dash game ticket
• 20 books read - Houston Astros game ticket
• 30 books read - HPL Summer Reading Amazing Reading Trophy
• Keep reading and be one of the Top 2 Readers per location to earn an AWESOME BIKE (provided by Cycle)
• Attend 5 programs for a Children’s Museum of Houston coupon

Families Can Win Prizes Too!
Parents and caregivers can read this summer too! Sign up for the Summer Reading for Grown Ups and get a chance to be the top 100 families to win a FAMILY SUMMER READING PRIZE pack.

To win a family prize, the kid or teen must reach the 30 book badge level. The parent or caregiver must complete 1 adult book review and 1 children’s book review.

Family prizes include:

• Two tickets to the Health Museum
• Tickets to the Houston Museum of Natural Science Cockrell Butterfly Center*
• Raising Cane’s coupon
• Tickets to the Bike Museum

*while supplies last

Registration to Summer Reading Program begins June 1!

Collection Changes

Holiday books have moved to where Reference used to be.

Reference is now upstairs!

OverDrive Accounts

What happens when a customer who has an OverDrive account gets a new library card number? Unfortunately the checkouts, holds, and wish lists from the customer’s OverDrive account do not automatically get transferred to the new library card number. This means it is important when you are helping a customer obtain a replacement library card that you ask if they have been using OverDrive with their old library card number. If so, their OverDrive account under their old number needs to be merged with their new library card number.

Please send a message to E-mail Reference including the customer’s name, old library card number (if necessary we can look up their old number), and new library card number. If customer prefers to do this themselves, make sure they are aware of how to find the E-mail Reference form on the library’s website. This information should be sent as soon as possible. Both the IT Helpdesk and Marianne Lorio can also merge OverDrive accounts if there is an issue getting hold of E-mail Reference. Once the changes have been made in the administration website they should go into effect immediately. 

FY16 Customer Survey

The FY16 Customer Survey is being conducted in partnership with Rice and is a continuation of their study into how people are using our libraries; because of that, its’ focus is on usage at our neighborhood libraries.

The survey will initially be sent out to the emails of adult cardholders in Sirsi, and be made available on our web site and our app. It will then be distributed to Citizens’ Net recipients. Marjorie Gonzalez will post the information on our social media accounts. Finally, bi-lingual print copies will be available at all our locations. There is a cover sheet going out with the surveys asking that the staff:

* Make the surveys available at the front desk or some other high-visibility spot.
* Return completed surveys to Mary Hammond @ Central Library Concourse Level Suite C177.

The message below is what will be accompanying the link to the Survey.  You can click on the link to view the survey.
_____________________________________________________

Houston Public Library Wants to Hear from You!

The Houston Public Library is committed to providing excellent customer service. Each year we ask for feedback to learn more about library users, what services they use and how to make their experiences with us even better. You are invited to respond by completing a brief five-minute survey that focuses on our Neighborhood Libraries.  Even if you do not consider yourself a library user, we still want to hear from you.

You can access the survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HPL2016

Thank you for helping to improve your library.

Daily Deposit

Fines - Bags, Replacement Card Fee
Booksale - Earbuds, Flash Drives

04/18/2016 Flood Damaged Items

Fines and Fees:
• The Symphony system has been set to see 04/18/2016 as a closed date for fines purposes.  No fines will accrue for those days.
• Fines that accrue for other overdue days are legitimate and should be collected.

Items damaged/lost as a result of the 04/18/2016 flood:
• Check in the item from the customer record.
• Check the item out to your locations 160418FLOOD agency record.
• Dispose of the damaged item.

Accounts in Collection:
• Items reported as flood damaged on accounts In Collection will not be forgiven.
• Charges remain owed on these accounts.
• Refer customers in collection with concerns about flood damaged items on their accounts to Circulation Administration.

Flood Damaged Item Discards:
• Look up your location’s Flood Damaged Item account:
o In Check Out, use the User Search Helper to look up the account using the following name: 160418FLOOD, then select the account with your agency’s acronym (ALI, CEN, BLU, etc.).
o Or look the account up by using the following pattern: 160418FLOOD- followed by the agency acronym, such as 160418FLOOD-ACR.
• Check the flood damaged item out to your location’s Flood Damaged Item account.
• Dispose of the flood damaged item.

Holds:
• Items set to expire from the Holds Shelf on 04/19/2016 will be extended to 04/21.

If you have additional questions or concerns, please contact Circulation Administration at circinfo@hpl.lib.tx.us or at 832-393-2222 (choose option 3).

Edited Items from LMS

Items that are sent as Item on the Fly to LMS are returning to branches in "INTRANSIT" status.  When you discharge these items, the item location remains INTRANSIT.  To clear this, check the items out to yourself and then discharge them.  The item locations should then say FICTION, MEDIA, PICTUREBK, etc.

ILL Status Explanations

From the QMS Interlibrary Loan Items file:

New: request was just placed. If an item is in “New” status for more than one day, there may be an issue with the item requested.

Pending: request is working its way through the list of owning libraries

Shipped: a library responded yes to the request and has shipped the item

Received: Item has been received by ILL. This status remains on the account until the item is returned and has been received back in ILL.

Returned: item has been received and processed by ILL and is on its way back to the owning library

eResource Central (eRC)

eResource Central (eRC) allows customers to place holds or download eBooks from the public catalog rather than going to the vendor site. eRC also allows you to see what ebooks you have checked out and what ebooks you have on hold inside your HPL catalog account.

eRC currently works with the following vendors: Overdrive, Recorded Books, Axis 360, and Hoopla.

When eRC is implemented the ebook records in the catalog will be coming from a separate SirsiDynix eRC server that keeps track of our holdings with the participating vendors.

There are significant changes to the electronic resource check out process. See this document posted to the HPL Training Portal.

Library Card Creation Date

Did you know you can see exactly when a customer signed up for their library card by clicking on their name when in Display User? Customers who had cards before we transitioned to Sirsi will have a 7/5/2013 user date created.  This is a handy tool to use when making sure new customers have had their cards for at least 30 days when checking out laptops.

Open Enrollment

Open Enrollment is from March 16 - April 13

Open Enrollment is your chance to evaluate your current plans and make changes accordingly. If you have previously waived coverage, log on and choose a reason. You can also re-enroll in the Healthcare Flexible Spending Account, add or drop dependents, elect voluntary life insurance and designate beneficiaries.

Enroll through Employee Self Service (ESS)
portal.houstontx.gov

Temperature

If the temperature according to the digital thermometer is above 76 degrees or below 72 degrees, put in a Sprocket (or call 832-209-0564 if it is after 4:30 pm on a weekday or any time on Saturday). If the temperature is below 60 or above 80 degrees and TDI is not already in the building working on the system or will not be able to come into the building in a timely manner, the building should be closed. If TDI is currently working on the air conditioner and thinks that it can be resolved soon, the building can remain open. Call CE Admin 32707 regarding closing the building.

Incident Reports

How-To

Save the Incident Report according to the standard naming convention:

Date_Location_Initials_type of problem_subject involved

(EX: 041615_COL_JD_Theft Smith.doc)

Create HPL

What is Create HPL?
Create HPL is the area of the 455 workroom on the 4th floor of the Central Library where butcher paper, die cuts, colored paper, fancy scissors and so much more can be found and used! This space is being redesigned to serve as a central space for all HPL locations to access materials for bulletin board and display creation as well as craft preparation.

How Do I Use Create HPL?
Staff are welcome to use Create HPL any time there are staff in Central. When you arrive please sign in on the clip board and indicate what project you are working on (this will help us determine supply purchases). Don't forget to sign out when you leave!

Housekeeping:
Please let Children or Teen staff know if you need access to the Create HPL area.
Please be aware of noise levels as Create HPL exists in a shared work area
Please do not leave projects out on the table when you leave.
Return all supplies to their home locations when you are finished.
Please let Sara or Rebecca know if you use the last of a supply.

Voters Guides

We will not be receiving League of Women Voters Guides for the Primary Election. Customers can view the guide online:

Direct Link to Voters Guides: http://lwvhouston.org/voters-guide/

Early voting is Tuesday, 2/16/16 – Friday, 2/26/16

Election is 3/1/16

Problems with the recent iOS app update

A note from OverDrive:

We released OverDrive v3.5.0 for iOS on Monday, February 1, 2016. Among other things, this updated version of the app resolves longstanding issues related to saving audiobook position and syncing. Unfortunately, it also introduced a new bug that prevented some users from opening or using the app after updating.

On Friday, February 5, 2016, we released v3.5.1, which resolved the initial errors and allowed most users to open the app. However, we’re now finding that some app users are encountering new problems.

Note: These issues are also recapped in this help article.

Who is affected?
iOS users who read eBooks and have installed v3.5.0 and v3.5.1 of our app could potentially see these errors, but many aren’t. Audiobook users are not affected, and neither are Android and Windows app users.

What are the problems? And what are the solutions?
There are a few different problems that iOS app users may be encountering presently:

• When attempting to open an eBook, an error is displayed saying that the eBook has been downloaded or fulfilled by another user or account
• This error is displayed when you try to open an eBook that was already opened using another OverDrive account, library card, or Adobe ID. To work around the problems presented by v.3.5.0, users could simply uninstall and reinstall the app. Many did so, but elected to sign in to the app using their library card number instead of their OverDrive account. This created a mismatch with the authorization for any previously downloaded eBooks.
• To resolve this issue, please follow these steps:
• 1. If the eBook is not on your app bookshelf, skip to step 3. If the eBook is on your app bookshelf, tap Edit in the upper right corner.
• 2. Tap the Delete button below the problematic title.
• 3. Tap the icon in the top left corner and select the library from which you originally downloaded the eBook.
• 4. Sign into your library account and download the book again.
• When attempting to download a book, a “Fulfillment failed” error is displayed
• This error can typically be resolved by deauthorizing the app and then reauthorizing it with the same account. Please follow the steps listed here to resolve this error.
• Library card information is not remembered even though the “Remember me” option is selected
• We’re addressing this issue in our next update, v3.5.2. For the time being, please reenter your library card number (and PIN, if required) and accept our apologies for the frustration.
• A user’s reading history is lost upon updating the app
• Because of the major code changes we made for v3.5.0, a user’s reading history was lost when they updated the app. There’s no way to retrieve the lost history, but it will be maintained in the app in v3.5.0 and up.
• An “Unknown error” is displayed when attempting to download a title
• We’re investigating this error presently and will address it in a future update. In the meantime, you can select the “Read” option from your Checkouts page to read the eBook in your Safari browser instead.

What is OverDrive doing in response?
-We’ve made copy updates to the signin and signup pages to help users decide how to sign into
the app.
-We’re presently investigating and working directly with users who are receiving “Unknown Error”
and “Fulfillment Failed” errors. We’re looking for ways to resolve these errors without relying on
users to take action.
-We’ve resolved the library card information bug, and it will be included in the next app update,
v3.5.2.
-We’ve also received many reports from audiobook listeners who miss seeing the part number in the audiobook player. We’re adding that back in with the next version of the app.

When will the next version of the app be released?

We’re actively investigating these problems and updating our code. We’ll keep you posted on our
progress. Please know that we’re working hard to address these problems, and we’ll release an update to the app as soon as possible. In the meantime, we sincerely thank you for your patience.

Sirsi Email Notifications

For several days last week, AT&T blocked emails from all SirsiDynix hosted servers. This resulted in library customers with the following email addresses not getting their overdue and hold notices:

@att.net, @ameritech.net, @bellsouth.net, @flash.net, @nvbell.net, @pacbell.net, @prodigy.net, @sbcglobal.net, @snet.net, @swbell.net, @wans.net

Once SirsiDynix fixed the problem, we worked with them to extend the holds for customers with affected email addresses to February 19th and resent the hold notices to customers. However, some holds expired on the shelf and did not get extended.

Please direct customer inquiries about this issue to the Circulation Admin department (832-393-2222, option 3 or circinfo@hpl.lib.tx.us)

Axis360 Technical Support

There is a form that staff can use to contact Axis360 with technical issues. The link to it can be found on the Staff Training Portal Axis360 webpage at http://training.houstonlibrary.org/Axis360. Marianne Lorio recommends contacting Axis360 when there are issues (we have very little control over the service), but you may always e-mail her for assistance or follow up.

Juvenile Fiction

Juvenile interfiling and shifting is complete.  Thanks, Yolanda!

CDs, Large Print and Audiobooks

Some items have been moved around in the collection:

Music CDs are now where the uncatalogued paperbacks used to be.

Large Print books are where the CDs were.

Audiobooks are moving to where Large Print used to be.

Thanks for your hard work, Marlena!

AARP Free Tax Help Locations & Times

Appointments are not necessary. All sessions are offered on a first come, first serve basis.

Central Library: Mondays and Thursdays, 2 PM - 6 PM; Saturdays, 10 AM - 2 PM (Assistance available in Spanish only on Saturdays); no tax help during the rodeo on February 27.

Heights Neighborhood Library: Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 12:30 PM - 4 PM (No tax help during April 13 - April 15)

Hillendahl Neighborhood Library: Wednesdays, 11 AM - 3 PM and Thursdays, 1 PM - 5 PM (Assistance available in Spanish only on Thursdays)

Johnson Neighborhood Library: Wednesdays and Thursdays, 12:30 PM - 3:30 PM

Kendall Neighborhood Library: Wednesdays, 12 PM - 4 PM and Saturdays, 10 AM - 2 PM

Looscan Neighborhood Library: Tuesdays, 12 PM - 4 PM and Thursdays, 11 AM - 4 PM (Assistance available in Spanish only on Thursdays)

Oak Forest Neighborhood Library: Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 11:30 AM - 3:30 PM; Saturdays, 10 AM - 2 PM

Scenic Woods Regional Library: Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, 10 AM - 2 PM (Assistance available on Saturdays only in February)

Vinson Neighborhood Library: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 12:30 PM - 3:30 PM

After-Hours HVAC Issues

In the event of an after-hours HVAC emergency issue, please contact David Nicholson of TD Industries (TDI) @ 832.309.0564. Also, please email Karrington Burnett if there is an HVAC after-hours issue.

Tax Forms

Customers seeking tax forms can find them a number of ways:

Online - view and print

Order online - standard forms (1040, etc.) and business forms (1099, etc.) by mail

or by calling 1-800-829-3676

The local IRS office phone number is 281-721-7021. Nearby offices are located at:

1919 Smith St.
Houston, TX 77002

8701 S. Gessner
Houston, TX 77074