Monday, February 27, 2017
Saturday, February 25, 2017
OverDrive Changes
To create a more seamless app experience, the OverDrive Read and
OverDrive Listen formats are no longer available within the OverDrive app. This
means users will no longer see Read
now or Listen
now buttons in the OverDrive app unless a title is only
available in the OverDrive Read or OverDrive Listen format (for example, read-alongs or graphic novels).
We made this change in order to simplify and highlight the best
in-app experience, which is to download borrowed titles. Downloaded titles can
be accessed right from the app Bookshelf,
and can be enjoyed online or offline.
If a user would like to use OverDrive Read and/or OverDrive Listen, they'll need to switch to their device's web browser, go to your library's digital collection, and select the Read in browser or Listen in browser button on their Loans page or use the Libby app from OverDrive. If the user was already reading or listening to a title using OverDrive Read or OverDrive Listen, their place, notes, and highlights are saved and will appear when they open the title from their web browser.
Thursday, February 2, 2017
January Meetings Recap
Collected from meetings held on 1/3, 1/10, 1/17, 1/24 & 1/31.
W-2
Log into ESS if you want to retrieve your digital W-2. If you don't remember your ESS password, call 832-394-4487.
Wellness
The deadline to complete preventative care has passed (1/31). If you still need to complete the requirements needed to get the full discount for your insurance, you have until March 10th. (Option B - phone coaching, Option C - onsite programs, Option D - fitness app tracking).
Monthly Reports
Monthly Reports are due by the 7th of every month. The next deadline is February 7th.
Training
The Librarian's Guide to Homelessness is due February 6th.
A to Z: Getting Along with Your Coworkers webinar. Quiz.
A to Z: Keeping up with Trends webinar. Quiz.
Service Desk Etiquette
Please be on time (better yet, a minute or two early) to relieve your coworkers. The official time is what is on the phone clock.
Please don't abandon the desk if your relief isn't timely. Call one of the phones in the back if necessary.
Please don't take your fifteen minute break when you are assigned to be on the desk.
Please pay attention to what is happening at the service desk if you step away from it. Don't let projects distract you from assisting customers queued up at the desk.
Badges
Please wear your work IDs at all times.
Schedules
Please review the Saturday Switching Guidelines.
Meeting Spaces
Please make sure individuals who sign up to use the Garden Room actually read the form they are signing. Point out that food AND drink are not permitted in the room, per the Garden Club of Houston.
The Garden Room should remained locked at all times. If the person using the room has to step out for a moment, we can unlock the door for him upon his return. The door should not be propped open under any circumstance.
It's good practice to tell customers waiting to use the Garden Room that although someone has the room booked until a certain time, it's possible the person may leave early. Those wanting to use the room should remain nearby, so that they don't miss a chance at getting into the room, especially if it's vacated early. It is not our responsibility to track people down, and we don't want to run into a situation where someone is depending on the exact time they were given to get into the room.
The door to the conference room should remain propped open when the room is in use. The door doesn't have to be wide open, but it should not be closed (and therefore locked) because any meeting held in the conference room should be open to the public.
Sprocket & Emergency Situations
Older, closed work orders have been archived into different tabs on the Sprocket Log. Please continue to add new work orders to the main tab.
The new after-hours contact for HVAC issues is Obeah Delaney (TDI), 346-400-2804.
Any time there is a major weather event, we will need to submit the Post Storm Survey.
If you set off the burglar alarm because you forgot your alarm code, call the On-Call Investigator at 832-393-8478.
The branch received a few copies of an emergency preparedness booklet that contains important phone numbers and instructions for handling situations, such as unattended children and bomb threats. One is posted on the bulletin board in the work room, one is posted in the manager's office, another is in the red HPL Staff Only Emergency Binder, and the remaining two are at Desk 1 & 2.
IT
All staff computers have an application called Log Me In on it. This is another way to get in contact with the IT Helpdesk, versus calling or emailing. This is especially useful if there is a problem with the computer you are currently using. The current hours are 9am-5pm.
Computers & Printers
Jungman has the new computer reservation system and can issue guest passes to customers who don't have or are unwilling to show ID.
Customers should call Coin Copiers directly for a refund. The phone number we use to call for maintenance is a public phone number and is posted on the machines (281-565-0805).
The laptops need to be rebooted weekly so that they don't try to update while a customer is using one. This will appear on the schedule on Friday mornings.
One of the old HP laptops is a staff only laptop and is labeled as such. It is used for programs. Please keep it charged!
Library Cards, Applications & Accounts
Temporary residents are eligible to sign up for library cards. They must provide an official letter from the housing facility or hotel to show as proof of temporary residency. Use the profile HOU-TMPRES. The card is set to expire after 30 days and the customer can only check out 3 items at a time.
Applications should only be filled out in blue or black ink.
If a customer wants to change the home location in their account, you will have to change it in Workflows AND on the public side. Updating in Workflows won't automatically change it on the public side.
Media Issues & Repair Shelf
Please check for the number of (and correct) discs upon check-in and check-out.
Items you find on a shelf missing a disc or a customer claims never had a disc should be checked out to LOO-REPAIR and put on the appropriate shelf in the back (missing parts). If a customer also reports damage to a disc, check the item out to LOO-REPAIR and put it on the appropriate shelf in the back (damaged). By checking items out to LOO-REPAIR, customers can't place holds on them, and then we won't mark the items missing because we can't find them on the shelf.
Items on Customer Accounts
These are items that were returned missing a disc or were damaged by the customer. Do not check these items in. Do contact the customer about the problem and put a note on the account. Also put a note on the item itself so we know what's going on just by looking at it.
Databases
Teachingbooks.net is a new database with information about books and authors. It's a good tool for writing book reports or creating lesson plans.
Collection Maintenance
We are only displaying Bluebonnets on the counter in the children's section. Lone Star books should be interfiled with the regular collection
All Harlequin mass market paperbacks, whether they are cataloged or not, go in the Harlequin section. Other cataloged mass market paperback romances should be interfiled with the fiction.
Programming
We will be offering a video game coding class during the Summer Reading Program. Registration will be required (limit 15 teenagers). More on sign-ups later.
This year's book for Books Alive is Kite Flying by Grace Lin. There will be a kite contest for grades K-6. More on this later.
Tax Help
Looscan is not offering tax assistance this year. You can check the events calendar on the library website to see who is and when (Central, Heights, Jungman, among others). You can also visit the library's Tax Resources page for more information.
Linking to Us
Ask customers who you know love the library or have had a good experience at the library do a video testimonial. It should be brief. People in the video must fill out a media release form (Intranet -> forms + documents -> Misc -> Photo/Media Release Form).
W-2
Log into ESS if you want to retrieve your digital W-2. If you don't remember your ESS password, call 832-394-4487.
Wellness
The deadline to complete preventative care has passed (1/31). If you still need to complete the requirements needed to get the full discount for your insurance, you have until March 10th. (Option B - phone coaching, Option C - onsite programs, Option D - fitness app tracking).
Monthly Reports
Monthly Reports are due by the 7th of every month. The next deadline is February 7th.
Training
The Librarian's Guide to Homelessness is due February 6th.
A to Z: Getting Along with Your Coworkers webinar. Quiz.
A to Z: Keeping up with Trends webinar. Quiz.
Service Desk Etiquette
Please be on time (better yet, a minute or two early) to relieve your coworkers. The official time is what is on the phone clock.
Please don't abandon the desk if your relief isn't timely. Call one of the phones in the back if necessary.
Please don't take your fifteen minute break when you are assigned to be on the desk.
Please pay attention to what is happening at the service desk if you step away from it. Don't let projects distract you from assisting customers queued up at the desk.
Badges
Please wear your work IDs at all times.
Schedules
Please review the Saturday Switching Guidelines.
Meeting Spaces
Please make sure individuals who sign up to use the Garden Room actually read the form they are signing. Point out that food AND drink are not permitted in the room, per the Garden Club of Houston.
The Garden Room should remained locked at all times. If the person using the room has to step out for a moment, we can unlock the door for him upon his return. The door should not be propped open under any circumstance.
It's good practice to tell customers waiting to use the Garden Room that although someone has the room booked until a certain time, it's possible the person may leave early. Those wanting to use the room should remain nearby, so that they don't miss a chance at getting into the room, especially if it's vacated early. It is not our responsibility to track people down, and we don't want to run into a situation where someone is depending on the exact time they were given to get into the room.
The door to the conference room should remain propped open when the room is in use. The door doesn't have to be wide open, but it should not be closed (and therefore locked) because any meeting held in the conference room should be open to the public.
Sprocket & Emergency Situations
Older, closed work orders have been archived into different tabs on the Sprocket Log. Please continue to add new work orders to the main tab.
The new after-hours contact for HVAC issues is Obeah Delaney (TDI), 346-400-2804.
Any time there is a major weather event, we will need to submit the Post Storm Survey.
If you set off the burglar alarm because you forgot your alarm code, call the On-Call Investigator at 832-393-8478.
The branch received a few copies of an emergency preparedness booklet that contains important phone numbers and instructions for handling situations, such as unattended children and bomb threats. One is posted on the bulletin board in the work room, one is posted in the manager's office, another is in the red HPL Staff Only Emergency Binder, and the remaining two are at Desk 1 & 2.
IT
All staff computers have an application called Log Me In on it. This is another way to get in contact with the IT Helpdesk, versus calling or emailing. This is especially useful if there is a problem with the computer you are currently using. The current hours are 9am-5pm.
Computers & Printers
Jungman has the new computer reservation system and can issue guest passes to customers who don't have or are unwilling to show ID.
Customers should call Coin Copiers directly for a refund. The phone number we use to call for maintenance is a public phone number and is posted on the machines (281-565-0805).
The laptops need to be rebooted weekly so that they don't try to update while a customer is using one. This will appear on the schedule on Friday mornings.
One of the old HP laptops is a staff only laptop and is labeled as such. It is used for programs. Please keep it charged!
Library Cards, Applications & Accounts
Temporary residents are eligible to sign up for library cards. They must provide an official letter from the housing facility or hotel to show as proof of temporary residency. Use the profile HOU-TMPRES. The card is set to expire after 30 days and the customer can only check out 3 items at a time.
Applications should only be filled out in blue or black ink.
If a customer wants to change the home location in their account, you will have to change it in Workflows AND on the public side. Updating in Workflows won't automatically change it on the public side.
Media Issues & Repair Shelf
Please check for the number of (and correct) discs upon check-in and check-out.
Items you find on a shelf missing a disc or a customer claims never had a disc should be checked out to LOO-REPAIR and put on the appropriate shelf in the back (missing parts). If a customer also reports damage to a disc, check the item out to LOO-REPAIR and put it on the appropriate shelf in the back (damaged). By checking items out to LOO-REPAIR, customers can't place holds on them, and then we won't mark the items missing because we can't find them on the shelf.
Items on Customer Accounts
These are items that were returned missing a disc or were damaged by the customer. Do not check these items in. Do contact the customer about the problem and put a note on the account. Also put a note on the item itself so we know what's going on just by looking at it.
Databases
Teachingbooks.net is a new database with information about books and authors. It's a good tool for writing book reports or creating lesson plans.
Collection Maintenance
We are only displaying Bluebonnets on the counter in the children's section. Lone Star books should be interfiled with the regular collection
All Harlequin mass market paperbacks, whether they are cataloged or not, go in the Harlequin section. Other cataloged mass market paperback romances should be interfiled with the fiction.
Programming
We will be offering a video game coding class during the Summer Reading Program. Registration will be required (limit 15 teenagers). More on sign-ups later.
This year's book for Books Alive is Kite Flying by Grace Lin. There will be a kite contest for grades K-6. More on this later.
Tax Help
Looscan is not offering tax assistance this year. You can check the events calendar on the library website to see who is and when (Central, Heights, Jungman, among others). You can also visit the library's Tax Resources page for more information.
Linking to Us
Ask customers who you know love the library or have had a good experience at the library do a video testimonial. It should be brief. People in the video must fill out a media release form (Intranet -> forms + documents -> Misc -> Photo/Media Release Form).
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