Happy Holidays!

All,

Thank you for all your hard work this year! It's not always easy, but we do what we do very well. I know the 2009 will be full of good things for all of us.

I wanted to take this opportunity to wish everyone a wonderful holiday season. I'll be back on the 31st. Patrick is in charge till I return.

See you soon and all the best this Christmas and always.

John

Princeton Review

Hello all,
Saturday Janurary 17th, at 1:00 pm Princeton Review is coming out to do a free SAT/ACT review test for any teen that wants to attend. The following week they will return to review the test with the teens. This is a great program, and it is free for us. If a teen was to take this elsewhere it would cost a lot. So, if you can please promote this with me. Thanks.

Time Sheets

Please make sure all changes in schedules for next week are turned into me no later than this Thursday morning.

Thanks
Renee

Staff computers in the back

Hola todos. Just a reminder, if you can please tell me, email me, write me, use ESP (Erik's special powers) or whatnot about what files we need on the computers in the back. I will back up everything that you tell me. At the end of the month Network Services will take away the log ins and the computers will be reset. This way we will not lose anything. Thanks. E

Holiday Parties

Folks,

Remember the systemwide holiday party is Friday, December 19 at 7 p.m. at the George R. Brown Convention Center. Remember to RSVP as soon as possible.

Since there have been no objections, I propose we have our party here at lunchtime on Tuesday, December 16. Do we want to do a Secret Santa? I'll check with everyone on Monday and see where everyone is on this.

Another Promotion!

More good news! Erik Wilbourn has accepted his promotion to Senior Library Service Specialist (Teen Services) here at Stella. He's actually belonged to Looscan, but now he's officially ours. Congratulations, Erik!

Booksale

We currently are over capacity for booksale donations. While we cannot declare a complete moratorium on accepting donations, we can politely decline and recommend to customers that they donate to another location, especially if they call on the phone. They can donate to any location they like, of course. Nearby locations that always need donations include Blue Ridge, Johnson, Smith and Young. If in-person customers have donations, we can accept them and then box them up, if necessary, and send them to another location via delivery.

I have offered some of our current items to some of the eastside locations that get few donations. These will also need to be boxed up and sent via delivery.

Please speak to Renee if you would like to assist with boxing items.

Thanks,
John

WWE bookmark contest

Hey all
If you receive any submissions of the WWE bookmark contest, please turn them directly to me. The deadline for the contest is Janurary 15th. The flyers have been out for a while now, but you can find them on the reference side by the printer.
Thanks, E

Thank you, Melissa!

As you all know, Melissa has been asked to serve as Acting Manager at Lakewood Neighborhood Library, effective December 1st. Thank you, Melissa, for all your hard work and dedication to our youngest customers!

New deposit forms

The new deposit forms are on the computer desktop (nearest what was Melissa's desk). Remember to write an explanation and turn in reconciliation if there is a discrepancy.

Thanks
Renee

Promotion!

Please join me in congratulating Patrick on his promotion to Librarian II. As of November 29th, he will be our Assistant Manager.

Thanks!
John

Book Drop

Please note: Our book drop is broken. It has been reported. It has been locked and a sign instructing customers to return items inside or at any other location has been placed on it.



Thanks,

John

Monthly Staff Meeting

All,

Our monthly staff meeting will be this Thursday morning. Isis from Financial Services will be our guest and she will demonstrate for us the proper way to do the daily deposit. Her presentation will begin at 11:15 a.m. To accommodate her presentation and allow us to have a period for unit announcements beforehand, we will be starting the meeting at 11 a.m. I'm asking all Thursday night crew to arrive by 11. Thursday night folks may come in at 9:30 or leave a 6:00 on Tuesday or Wednesday to make up for the 15 minutes. Please let me know what you plan to do ASAP.

Thanks!
John

New Gaps List

The newest gaps list will be at the reference desk for everyone to give their selections. This is the 000-200 gaps list.

Thanks

Election Day polling places

Folks,

A list of Election Day polling places by precinct can be found at:
http://www.harrisvotes.org/English_pollinglocations.aspx

If a customer does not know their precinct number, the Houston Chronicle has a search available at:
http://www.chron.com/news/politics/

Remember that voting for Precinct 175 is at Mark Twain and Precinct 232 at Pershing.

Thanks!
John

Pirate day pics

Hey Peeps, these are a few pics from Thusday.

The Day The Tree Stood Still

Here is a pic of the tree after it was declared "off limits" after school for the rest of the week.

John

Adult audio books

I have placed non-fiction and oversized fiction on the audio book stand. The audios on the wall are alphabetized. The oversized music cds are in the middle of the wall.

Thanks,
Renee

Another Gaps List

The newest Gaps List has been put at the reference desk for your input. The list is due in early November.

Patrick

Election news

Folks,

I have just heard from Election Specialists that we will not be a polling place for Election Day, November 4th. Precinct 175 will instead vote at Mark Twain Elementary School.

Some reminders about the election:

* Early voting began yesterday and runs till October 31st.

* Voters may vote at any early voting location in the county in which they are registered, but must vote in their home precinct if they vote on Election Day.

* The nearest early voting sites are:
Fiesta 8130 Kirby
The Power Center 12401 South Post Oak

* The only HPL location offering early voting is Henington-Alief.

Thanks!
John

Space for holds (2B or not 2B)

As you know, we have been asked to keep all holds on the hold shelf till October 31st, regardless of hold expiration date. With the large number of holds we receive, this has led to some rearranging:

• Holds from September are in the workroom, near the discards shelves. Staff will have to retrieve these items. There is a sign posted on the hold shelf instructing customers to ask at the reference desk.
  

• Current holds now continue on to row 2B.

• Spanish-language reference has been moved to 10A.

• The I-69 Trans-Texas Corridor Study has been moved behind the reference desk, in the bottom drawer on the left side.

• The City's 2008 Consolidate Action Plan, the League of Women Voters' Harris County Handbook and the United Way's Community Resource Guide are now behind the reference desk on the left side, by the meeting room binder.

Other items, including juvenile audiobooks and the business directories, remain on 2B.

Thanks to Renee and Tim for their help with this project!

Thanks!
John

Test guides

Please note that all test guide books are now on 11A, before the 000s.

Thanks,
John

Fun Stuff!

Hi everyone!

Thanks for all your hard work these last few weeks. These have been tough times and you've all risen to the occasion as always.

I have a few reminders about some fun things coming up:

*Monday is Staff Development Day. I understand it's going to be a lot of fun. Per Greg Simpson:
Staff Development day is still scheduled for Monday, October 13th, from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at the George R. Brown Convention Center. Parking will be available at the Hilton America’s parking garage, and tickets will be validated. Please be there early to register as the program will promptly start at 8:30. As a reminder, all of our locations will be closed so all of our staff can attend this event.

*I've reserved a room for us for Friday evening, October 24th at Spotlight Karaoke, 5901-P Westheimer (at Fountain View, about a block from Jungman). Please let me know if you're attending.

*Thursday, October 30th will be our first annual Dress Like A Pirate Day--Halloween is the next day, but it's Friday, so half our folks won't be here.

Thanks again for being such a great team!

John

Short Scary Story Contest!

Hello my peeps...For anyone under 18, in October we are having a short scary story contest. All storys have to be under a page, and you can give them to the dork of a YA person we have. This will end at the end of the month.

Thanks

Me gusta hablar a los gatos.

Expired Interlibrary Loans

Since we opened on September 18, all expired ILL loans have been sent back per Iona at ILL.

Renee

Thank you!

Thank you all for your hard work these past two weeks! This has been a difficult time for all of us, with so many of us working hard and going home to houses without out power or friend's houses. Thanks to all our special guest stars. You've all been awesome!

I'll be back on Saturday, the 4th.

Thanks again!
John

Post-Ike Fines and Fees

All,

Please see the below notice from Fred Schumacher regarding circulation fines and fees.

Thanks!
John

Fines and Fees:

• Fines will be forgiven for all overdue items until further notice. Loan rules will be adjusted to assess $0.00 fines for overdue materials, regardless of when the items were checked out or due.
• Fines that accrue from September 13 until further notice should be waived. Include the note that fines accrued as a result of Hurricane Ike (include date, your unit and initials). Fines and fees that accrued prior to September 12 are payable.
• Collection agency fees assessed to accounts prior to Hurricane Ike are payable, whether or not items are claimed as lost or damaged as a result of the storm.
• No fines will be assessed for the late return of laptops, although the loan period remains 2 hours with no renewal.

Items damaged/lost as a result of Hurricane Ike:

• Highlight the item, right click and display item. Click the Edit button and change the Icode 1 field to 903.
• Check in the item (no fine should accrue). Fines that accrue to these items are to be waived until further notice. If a fine is waived, include that the item was reported damaged as a result of Hurricane Ike and the charges and fines were waived. Include date, your unit and initials in the note.
• If the account was in Collection prior to Hurricane Ike (September 13, 2008), the Collection Agency Fee is payable.

Accounts in Collection:

• Items reported as damaged/lost – Highlight the item on the checked out items tab; click “View this item;” click the Edit button and change the Icode 1 field to 903.
• Check in the item.
• If an overdue fine accrues at check in, waive the overdue fine until further notice.
• Include the following note:
• Mm/dd/yy – Item (include barcode) reported damaged/lost as a result of Hurricane Ike. Replacement charges and fines forgiven. Collection Agency Fee is payable. Unit/Initials

Holds:

• Do not clear Holdshelf in III until October 1, 2008.
• Locations should print Title Page List and Item Paging Slips as soon as they reopen.
• When customers request to have items that have filled their requests sent to other locations:
• Modify hold pickup location in customer’s hold, if possible.
• If hold pickup location cannot be modified, cancel customer’s hold.
• Replace cancelled hold on bib, and change priority to place customer’s hold at the top of the queue.
• Scan the item that originally filled the customer’s hold, and send it to the new pickup location.

Constable contact

I've posted the number for the constable below:

713-755-5200...ask for dispatch

Renee

Book Order List

There is a new Gaps ordering list that I will print out and place at the reference desk. Thanks for your input on the previous list.

Patrick

Stella Link Video.

Hello everyone, here is the video for Stella Link.

The link to the YouTube site is

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9uHS-P0hNg

Thanks. E-pac

OCE problem log

Please document all problems with the money and card reader machines. Use the "IT Log" link on this blog and go to the new OCE problem log page. IT needs to be notified at the end of the day of all problems including having to unplug for reset and continuous recyling errors.

Thanks,
Renee

Book order lists

In order to solicit more input from staff in our COMS book orders, we will be printing a copy of each Gaps list and leaving it on the reference desk. All reference staff are asked for input. Circulation staff may have give suggestions as well, but it is not required. As you have time, please look it over and initial each item you recommend us ordering. When you're finished, please check by your initials on page one.

Several other locations, including Alief and Collier, have been using this system and it works very well.

Thanks!
John

Staff Meeting

Team,

We will have our August staff meeting on Thursday, August 21st, at 11:15.

Thanks!
John

A New Look!

I think it's time our blog got a face lift.

In addition to some cosmetic changes, I've added some new links and tweaked a few things here and there. Please let me know what you think.

Thanks to everyone for making the last two months so great! I'm looking forward to getting to work with everyone more and getting to know you all better.

Thanks again!
John

Policy changes

Just in time for the start of the new school year, some changes have been made to HPL policy.

To wit:

Beverages (non-alcoholic) in covered containers are now allowed at all library locations except HMRC and Clayton.

Unattended children:
Children under 6 may not be left unattended at any time and must be supervised by someone at least 13 years old.
Children between 7-12 should not be left unattended for more than 1 hour or at closing time.
Parents are responsible for making sure their children under 18 years of age leave the property before closing time.
Children under 13 will be considered abandoned 30 minutes after closing time and the police will be contacted.
Children will be suspended from the library when a parent fails to pick up a child at closing time.
A child 13 or older may be asked to leave the library for breaking Library rules.

Thanks,
John

My Vacation

Hi all,

Just a reminder: I leave for San Diego Wednesday afternoon. I'll be back in town Monday night and back here on Wednesday. Melissa will be in charge in my absence. I know you will all do everything you can to help her.

Thanks for being such a great team. I look forward to seeing you all again next week.

John

City General Plan

Houston’s General Plan is a compilation of plans, regulations, strategies, projections and resources that provide the direction and guidance for Houston’s growth and development. The goal of the General Plan is to provide decision makers with the most up-to-date, useful information and tools to manage our growth. The General Plan provides a way to view and conduct planning efforts in a more cohesive, integrated manner.

It is available at:
http://www.houstontx.gov/planning/GeneralPlan/GPHome.html

This link will also appear in the "Important Links" list to the left.

Thanks,
John

Holds cover sheets

All,

A reminder: When processing holds, after printing the cover sheet, please wrap the item before printing the next sheet. We've had several mis-wrapped holds and wrapping them one at a time should reduce that number.

Thank you!

John

Thank you!

Thank you all for your warm welcome. I have had such fun! Please be patient with me as I get accustomed to all things Stella Link. And please let me know what I can do to make your jobs easier.

John

Security Update

For McGovern Stella Link staff only....Constable Cavitt's direct line is (713) 755-7628.

Security

Hi!
Call Houston Police Department at 713-884-3131 for non-emergency unattended; or disruptive customers.

Constable James Cavitt's number is (713) 697-3600; PGR (713) 841-0372; or (281) 932-4597.

Carrizal Security's main contact telephone line is (713) 451-2050. 713-884-3131.
If there is a problem with a security officer's performance, then contact HPL's Frederick Lee at (832-393-1674) and Carrizal Security Field Supervisor Bob Rose; or Lt. Samuel at (713) 437-6847.

Please try to remember to keep a Suspension Log with you as you leave the building. For youth on the property after closing hours, please complete a Suspension Log. The log will be forwarded to the school. Please follow up by completing an Incident Report the next morning. This will help us track and document unattended and / or abandoned youth.

Thank you so much for the great job you are doing! I hope I can offer the tools you need to make your jobs easier. Just let me know what you need.

Best regards,
Mary Wagoner

Thank you!

I would like to take a moment to thank staff for welcoming me to the McGovern Stella Link NL. I look forward to learning new things daily and to sharing my experience with you. This is a great community library and we have many exciting possiblities to foster new partnerships and build on old ones. Once again, thank you for your daily smiles, jokes and very hard work!
Best regards,
Mary Wagoner

Goodbye!

I just wanted to let everyone know how much I enjoyed working with all of you the past three months.

I am now going to be the manager at Looscan so since I'm just down the road, I know that I'll be seeing most of you on occasion.

Thanks and good luck with everything,
Brandon

Random Gaps

Ok I have another list on the ref desk.. I wanted almost everything on the list... I need your help to narrow it down... Tell me what you want!!

~robyn

400-800 GAPS

Hi guys,

Please look at the reference desk there is a packet of papers with the COMS list on it. Look at it, tell me what books you have been asked for recently. I want to know how many and what books to buy. It looked like a pretty boring list. I have $1000 to spend, but I can save it and move the leftover $ to another list.

I generally only buy one copy of each book, unless it is very popular and/or stolen a lot like how to do your own divorce.. etc.
~robyn

Computer Issues

The computers in the 'igloo' have been separated from the main queue. All rules about these computers now apply no matter what time of the day.

-Job hunting, Homework, or Research only
-No Games
-No Chat
-No MySpace
-Only one person per computer

Also:

Several people have wanted to know how they can select a specific computer, or why they can't.

If a patron has never registered a password for the computer, they won't be able to select a specific computer. Have them register and then cancel their reservation. They should be able to select a specific computer after that.