Bargain Bag Book Sale

Frances has informed staff that today is a Bargain Bag Book Sale at Stella Link. Customers can purchase an HPL bag (which costs $2) and take whatever book sale items they can stuff in their HPL bag for an additional $3.

RubberBands

We have a box on the floor of the supply room filled with rubber bands. Until that box is empty the wicker baskets will reappear at the Express Machines. The wicker baskets will be filled with the rubber bands, for customer use.
This By NO Means means that we will re-order rubber bands when the supply room box is empty.

Passport Processing Times

Thanks to Ray for finding this news bulletin on travel.state.gov:

Faster Passport Processing Times Through November

OCTOBER 26, 2015

If you're traveling internationally for the winter holidays, now is the time to apply for your U.S. passport.  As an incentive to apply early, the Department is offering faster processing times through November.

During November, passport processing times for routine service is 4-5 weeks and expedite service is 2-3 weeks. Expedite service at a passport agency is 5 business days. Expedite service costs an additional $60.

If you are traveling in more than 2 weeks and have already had a U.S. passport, you may be eligible to renew your passport by mail.   If you are applying for the first time, you should visit an acceptance facility such as a clerk of court, library, or post office.  Find out more at Where to Apply.

If you're traveling in less than 2 weeks, or you need a new U.S. passport for a foreign visa within 4 weeks, you should apply at a Department of State passport agency.  You can make an appointment by calling the National Passport Information Center toll-free at 1-877-487-2778 or TDD/TDY at 1-888-874-7793. Customers must pay the $60 expedite fee and must provide a travel itinerary when applying at a passport agency.

Biometrics

Full time staff who have Cigna insurance through the City of Houston should complete their biometrics by October 31 and enter their health screening numbers into www.mycigna.com. Once there, you will go to "Manage My Health" and choose "My Health Assessment." You will then select TAKE MY HEALTH ASSESSMENT AGAIN

Additional screening opportunities have been added:

1.       Monday, October 26^th at 8 a.m.-5 p.m. at 611 Walker Street (location-TBD).

2.       Tuesday, October 27^th at 7 a.m.-5 p.m. 1002 Washington (Basement Training Room B-2).

3.       Thursday, October 29^th at 8 a.m.- 5 p.m. at Houston Police Officers Union (1600 State Street).

4.       Friday, October 30^th at 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at Department of Neighborhoods (7125 Ardmore Street).

5.       Friday, October 30^th at 6 a.m.-2 p.m. at Houston Emergency Center (5320 N. Shepherd). 

The above additional screening locations are listed at www.houstonwellnessconnection.org.  *Flu shots will be provided upon employee request.   Employees enrolled in Renaissance IPA, Memorial Hermann IPA, and the Mayor Group must receive their free flu shots from either a nurse-only visit in their PCP’s office or at a local Cigna network pharmacy with which Cigna participates in the flu clinics.     

The COH Wellness Team Here is also offering an opportunity for you to win a COH Health Assessment prize as listed.

The Health Assessment Completion Challenge:

1.       Employees and spouses who completed the health assessment between August 3, 2015 and October 18, 2015 have five chances to win a $300 VISA gift card.

2.       Employees and spouses who complete the health assessment between October 19, 2015 and October 25, 2015 will have three chances to win a $300 VISA gift card.

3.       Employees and spouses who complete the health assessment between October 26, 2015 and October 31, 2015 will have one chance to win a $300 VISA gift card.

*Please note the winning employees/spouses of the Challenge will be notified in mid-November. 

If you have had difficulties with any area of your CIGNA online experience employees and spouses may report the issue to any one of the three options that represents the technical difficulty being experienced:

1.       Cigna Onsite Customer Service Representatives:

Last Name Beginning A-F: 832-393-6192

Last Name Beginning G-M: 832-393-6193

Last Name Beginning N-Z: 832-393-6191

2.       Call Center Support: Health Assessment Registration & Navigation Assistance

Cigna Customers – 800-853-2713

3.       Call Center Support: Health Assessment Forgot User ID/or Password and Technical Issue/Error Messages:

Cigna Customers – 800-569-5242

Author Visit

Due to the weather, the Meet the Author program with Hena Khan (originally scheduled for 2pm today at our library) has been canceled. Please apologize to customers for the inconvenience. 

Weather

Stay alert for messages about the weather tonight and throughout the weekend. The HPL emergency hotline (832-393-1550) will be kept updated as needed. If you have any concerns, please contact Edgar on his cell phone 832-729-0677.

Lost & Found Phone

Stella Link customer Rebekah has lost her cell phone in the library. Another customer found the phone, and will be coming by the library in the next couple of days to return the phone. Rebekah and her mother have contacted Stella Link to let us know that the individual will be coming in to return the phone, and she left a thank you card for the individual.

When the phone is returned, please take the cell phone and put it in the safe, AND please make sure you give that individual the card from Rebekah and her mother (which will also be in the safe). Once the phone is returned, please call Rebekah's mother, Savannah, to let her know the cell phone has been returned. The phone number is on a small sheet of paper (also in the safe).

Monthly Collection Management Meeting

21Oct 15

We discussed if the children’s GN should be put in Dewey order, instead of its current alphabetical order. We arrived with a consensus of yes.

On overview of Collection HQ was given, to acquaint team members about this system wide software. A new backup came forward, Edgar Fuentes.

We discussed how the shelving of the Book sale items and DVDs interact. When the large book sale items fall they have pushed the DVDs off their shelves. Placing a piece of cardboard in between the shelves was discarded and Frances & Rex will fill and pack each shelf with the book ends.

Due to the Picture Books falling the shelves will be segmented with dividers. The aim of the dividers is to keep the tall items upright.

The Blue Bonnet books have been moved to the front of the Library, just to the left of the flat screen.

The Missing List will be addressed in the following manner: this Friday it will be printed and evenly distributed to staff. Those staff members will have two weeks to work on their portion.

Lauren – Label Repair                                                     Carol – Discards

Rex – Catalog Updates                                                  Mo – Serials, Newspapers

Patricia – AV Items, Claimed Returned, CollectionHQ

League of Women's Voters Guides

From Print Shop:

All the Voters Guides should have been delivered. Unfortunately, we are now completely out and cannot send any extra guides. If your location has more than needed please return any extra guides to the HPL Print Shop. That way we can redistribute to those locations that need more. Please let your customers know that the guides are also available electronically at the League Of Women Voters Houston Area website.

2015 English and Spanish Voters Guides can be downloaded electronically at this link : http://lwvhouston.org/voters-guide/

Adding Items On The Fly

On occasion, a customer may find and attempt to check out an item that is no longer listed in the catalog. This is mostly due to an item being listed as missing for a couple months and the system will delete the item. Please use the following procedures to correctly add item that is not found in the catalog at checkout.

1. Open the Add Item Wizard in the Items Wizard and perform a Browse Search for the Title ITEM ON THE FLY. The Index should be listed as Title and Library as All.
2. Select the highlighted ITEM ON THE FLY as it appears in the viewing window.
3. Scroll down in the viewing window that appears to find ATTACH HERE ON THE FLY HOU-LMS.
4. Select any item in this LMS location and click ADD ITEM.
5. In the note field, add a brief note describing the item with your initial identifier and the date. (ex. 10/21/2015; STE/TS; BIOGRAPHY OF JOHN WAYNE BY LOUIS LAMOUR)
6. The locations are defaulted to CATALOGING and Library as HOU-LMS.
7. Scan the barcode into the Item ID field to save.
8. Proceed to check the item out to customer.

Do not search for or add the item by its title. An item should only be added as an ITEM ON THE FLY. When a properly added item is returned by the customer the system will prompt us to send the item for full processing at Central. 

Tim S.

Kronos

Please try to monitor your Kronos timecard. Anytime there is an issue, please be sure to bring it to the attention of the person who oversees your Kronos:

Nhu - oversees Francis and Amethyst
Tim - oversees all other LA's, and CSC's (including part timers).
Edgar - oversees Sr. CSC's, LSS's, Sr. LSS's, Librarians I and II, and CS Supervisor.

If you have any questions, please let  one of us know.

Door Count

Door Count Week begins next Sunday, October 25^th and will run through Saturday, October 31. Each hour, please remember to count items left throughout the library and to write down the gate count number so that we have an accurate measure of how the library is being is used on an hourly basis.

Added by Tim Siegel:

The P-Number is found on the electronic display window on the right side (workroom side) of the center 3M gate barrier. Several numbers will be displayed for several seconds before cycling to the next. These numbers include I=P: 123456, O=P: 123456, and _=P: 123456. The number to be recorded is the last one that has no letter before the =P:

Also, we need to keep a tally of the items used in-house, but not checked out, and left on tables and elsewhere in the library. This number will be taken throughout the day during pickup and also recorded on the same spreadsheet.

It would really increase our ability to ensure this number gets recorded if the staff member scheduled for rove to review and record this number on their way out to the desk at the beginning of each hour.

If we have volunteers doing pickup, please get a count of the items picked up and record on the spreadsheet. 

Learning Link Info

From Fred:

HPL recently delivered 7,214 Learning Link Cards to HISD for distribution to 3^rd graders at the 63 elementary schools participating in the NCAA Read to the Final Four program over the next year.  The list of participating HISD schools (includes school name and number) is attached.  We are excited to participate in this program by providing each of the participating 3^rd graders with a free Learning Link Card with the following privileges:

·         Full access to HPL’s collection of electronic resources.

·         Check out of up to 10 physical juvenile items at one time.

·         No fines, no fees

·         No parent signature required for card replacement

There are a few limitations on the Learning Link Card that are different from other cards:

               ·         Laptops and gaming equipment cannot be checked out on the Learning Link Card.

               ·         Adult and Teen physical items cannot be checked out on the Learning Link Card.

               ·         No more than 10 physical items can be checked out on the Learning Link Card at one time.

               ·         The cards will each expire on August 31,2016.

So here’s some information and a few guidelines  you need to know and follow when assisting one of our new Learning Link customers:

               ·         This is a pilot. We are tracking data this year so that we can make a case for expanding the program next year to all HISD pre-K-3^rd grade students. This is one of the many reasons we need staff to adhere to the guidelines of the pilot and be careful about who gets replacement cards. Also, we want to make sure the cards are not being abused by parents or siblings so it’s incredibly important not to override anything (item limits, JUV materials only, laptop or gaming checkout availability) because that will negatively impact the data and potentially impact the future of this program for all students.

              ·         Learning Link Card accounts all have the HOU-HISD  as a user profile name.  This profile is only assigned to 3^rd graders at the 66 HISD schools participating in the NCAA Read to the Final Four program this year (the list of schools is attached).  The HOU-HISD profile is not and should not be assigned to other users.  HISD will update our user files regularly for students transferring into the participating schools.  Cards will be created for those students as we receive the files.

               ·         Replacing a lost Learning Link Card does not require the completion of a registration form or the signature of a parent or guardian.  If a third grade child from one of the participating HISD schools requests a replacement card, you need his/her name and student ID number in order to look up the existing record in the Symphony system.  If there is a Learning Link account in the system for him/her, you may simply issue a new card to the child by overwriting the User ID with the new card number and saving the change.  You will not need to attach a Learning Link label to the replacement card.  Remember, this is only acceptable for Learning Link accounts already in the system.  Cards with other user profile types still require the completion of a registration form and the signature of a parent or guardian for customers under the age of 18.  Do not change the user profile in an existing account in order to issue a replacement Learning Link card.

               ·         The Alt ID for each Learning Link Card is the student’s seven digit school ID number, preceded by the letter ‘S.’  So the Alt ID for a Learning Link Card will be S#######.  This format is consistent for all Learning Link Card accounts and should not be changed.  To find a student account using the Alt ID, go to the User Search widget in either Display User or Modify User, do a Keyword Search on the Alt ID index in the Search Index field and input S plus the seven digit student number in the search box.

               ·         The default PIN for each account was set to the last four digits of the student’s HISD Student ID number. 

               ·         The Group ID for each Learning Link card will be the three digit school number + a dash (-) + the three digit homeroom number provided by HISD.  000 is assigned as a homeroom number on accounts for which no homeroom was provided in the data set.  Additionally, each account includes a note field in which the school number and school name is recorded.  Please do not alter the Group ID or the note fields with school number and name in any way.

               ·         You should not override the block to check out a laptop, electronic device or any non-juvenile materials to the card. 

               ·         You should not override the block to check out more than 10 physical items to the account.

               ·         No fines assess to the account when overdue items are returned.

               ·         The accounts will not be sent to collection for unreturned material.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the Learning Link cards, please do not hesitate to contact Circulation Administration at 832-393-2222 (option 3), Fred Schumacher at 832-393-1567 or fred.schumacher@houstontx.gov, or Kallie Benes at 832-393-1428 or Kallie.Benes@houstontx.gov . Any of us will be glad to help in any way we are able.

Thanks.

Fred Schumacher

8 up Paging (Holds)

Paging should be completed using the new 8 up system instead of pulling the list from the intranet. The new name for it is the "8-up" because it contains 8 holds per page. If you are scheduled to do paging, please make sure you are familiar with the new system:

To Print the Paging List

To generate the list follow the steps below:
1. Log in to Workflows; username: HOLDLIST / password: HOLDS
3. You will see a long list of reports for all the different libraries. Find Stella Link (HOU-STE) and highlight the current date's report (don't double click).
4. Click PRINT

2. From the Common Tasks menu on the left, select Finished Reports.

5.  A window should come up with "Report to Print" at the top. Make sure only "Print Result" is checked (see the image below) :

6. Click Ok to print.

To Count Number of Holds Received
2. Click VIEW
3.  A window should come up with "Report to view" at the top. Make sure only "View log" and "Format Report" are checked (see the image below) : 4. The next screen will show "Report Log for Pull Onshelf Holds." Look for the number at the bottom indicating ___ ascii record(s) selected. The number shown there is the number of holds received at our location.
5. Enter that ascii number in our daily stats sheet for holds pulled.

Labeling Items

All labels should be placed one inch above the book, just above the call number. Cover up any Mystery Stickers or YA Stickers so that only the call number is shown. When the items are on the hold shelf, they should align evenly as shown on the picture above.
- For A/V (CDs, audiobooks, DVDs) make sure you wrap the new hold label on the front of the item. This means that you have verified that all discs are inside. NOTE: Please continue to check inside the cases when receiving delivery AND at the point of checkout.
- For FLIP Kits, make sure you place the sticker over the side of the tag that does not have the item barcode on it.
- For oversized books, make sure to put the sticker on the top edge one inch from the edge of the book (see picture below).

1. Repeat steps 1-3 in the Paging List instructions above OR if you are already on the finished reports list for all locations, simply highlight our location.

 

League of Women Voters 2015 Guides

The League of Women Voters Guides to the 2015 elections have arrived. I've put one stack each of Spanish and English guides beneath the announcement TV in the lobby; the second stack of English guides is next to the camera viewing monitor behind the desk. There is also a "Desk Copy" of the guide at the desk, in the paperwork holder. People are free to borrow it, but remind them to return it so we have a copy, even when everything else is gone.

Remember that the guide is available on-line as a pdf from http://lwvhouston.org/

-Mark

Scream In

Youth ages 11 to 15 are invited to experience Houston Public Library's first ever Scream-In and Haunted Library Ghost Walk at the historic (and haunted) Julia Ideson Building!

Highlights:

   ·         Costume Contests

   ·         Prizes (including a GoPro camera)

   ·         Relay Races

   ·         Crafts

   ·         Zombie Make-up 101

   ·         Haunted Library Ghost Walk (to take place at HPL’s very own haunted JIB)

Details can be found here - http://houstonlibrary.org/learn-explore/library-events/scream

Space is limited to 40 participants and everyone must have signed permission forms to attend.

If you have questions please contact Rebecca Denham at Rebecca.Denham@houstontx.gov or 832-393-1691.

Customers may be coming into branches to turn in their paperwork for the Scream-In.  If a customer turns in paperwork at your branch, please send their paperwork via in-house delivery to:

CEN Teen Space

Subject: Scream-In

Attn: Rebecca Denham – Teen Services Coordinator

Learning Link Info

Learning LINK

Below is a reminder of the procedures for the new Learning Link card. If you have any questions, please ask Tim, Edgar, or Nhu. (Click images to enlarge)

FAQ’s for HPL Staff

Who will receive a card? 
Cards will be given to all 3rd graders at participating schools listed above (approximately 7,000+ students). This is a pilot program for the 2015-2016 school year and we hope to expand the program to ALL K-3 HISD students in the 2016-2017 school year.

How will students receive their cards?
During the launch of the NCAA “Read to the Final Four” Program at your child's school, he/she will be given a Learning Link library card. It’s set up to begin using immediately. A parent or guardian signature is not required for activation.

What are the limitations to the students?
- No laptop checkout allowed
- No gaming checkout allowed
- No ILL - Only juvenile materials allowed to be checked out (books, DVDs, CDs)
- 10 item limit - Card expires July 31, 2016. What are the special perks of this card?
- Unlimited virtual access
- In-house computer use allowed
- Holds allowed - Renewals allowed
- Card cannot be sent to collections (no fines)
- Card replaced free of charge (student needs to tell staff their name, school, and ID if they know it) 

What will participating locations need to do? 
Create an NCAA display that includes the provided bracket of competing schools, provided NCAA poster, suggested book list, & a fun, enticing look. Brackets will need to be updated (more to come on how this will be done) every 6 weeks as schools progress.

Who should I contact if I have more questions? 
Please contact our Youth Services Advocate, Kallie Benes (832-393-1428, Kallie.benes@houstontx.gov) with any additional questions. We will be in contact with the participating libraries with more information as it becomes available.

FAQ's for Parents

Benefits of the Learning Link card?

• Access to more than 1 million books, e-books, DVDs, magazines and research materials that make up the

Houston Public Library (HPL) juvenile collection.

• Access to more than 150 electronic resources which include streaming music, videos, images, audiobooks,

and countless other subject-based websites and databases.

• FREE Wi-Fi and computer access at all 43 HPL locations.

• Access to Brainfuse, the Library’s FREE online tutoring programing for students of all ages.

• There are no fines/fees for materials checked out on your child's Learning Link Library card.

How will this card help my child?

• Stronger reading skills - the more students read, the better their comprehension, fluency, and vocabulary.

• Academic success - the more students read for fun on their own time, the higher their reading scores AND

math scores.

• Good communication skills - readers will be armed with the vocabulary they need to better communicate

with their peers, teachers, and parents.

• Critical thinking skills - readers improve their general knowledge, and more importantly, are able to spot

patterns quickly and identify solutions.

How does my child get a Learning Link card?

• During the launch of the NCAA “Read to the Final Four” Program at your child's school, he/she will be given

a Learning Link library card. It’s set up to begin using immediately. A parent or guardian signature is NOT

required for activation.

How many items may my child borrow?

• Your child may borrow up to a total of 10 juvenile items at one time for FREE. These can be print items, or audiovisual

items, including juvenile DVDs and books on CD. Your child will also have unlimited access to digital materials

with their Learning Link card, including e-books, e-audio books, and streaming video and music.

If my child loses their card, how do we replace it?

• If your child loses their Learning Link card during the 2015- 2016 school year, you can stop by the Central Library or any Neighborhood Library. Staff will verify their participation in the NCAA “Read to the Final Four” Program by asking them to verify their School ID and name of school. They will then replace the missing card with a new card. This

card will be good for the remainder of the school year. All Learning Link cards will expire July 31, 2016.

·         All locations will receive Learning Link stickers to place on MY LINK cards when issuing replacements.

·         New students will be issued cards by CEN, LMS staff ONLY.

How long can my child keep library materials?

• The standard loan period is three weeks. Most items may be renewed for one additional three week period. The

renewal period is calculated from the date the items are renewed. DVDs cannot be renewed. The maximum loan

period, including renewal, is six weeks.

How can I learn more?

Visit www.houstonlibrary.org/learninglink for

more details on the Learning Link Library card.

Bluebonnet Books

Bluebonnet books have been moved to the front entrance slat board display located near the television. Please familiarize yourself with the new display so that you may be able to direct customers when they ask.

New Job Opportunities

   ·      Customer Service Clerk Full-Time (General or Youth)  We currently have CSC Full-Time (General) positions available at the Shepard-Acres Homes/Oak Forest Library grouping, the Pleasantville/Tuttle Library grouping, and the Fifth Ward/Flores Library grouping. We also currently have CSC Full-Time (Youth) positions available at the Heights Neighborhood Library and the Moody/Dixon Library grouping. Additional opportunities at other locations may become available. All interested parties should apply.  https://www.governmentjobs.com/jobs/1209602/customer-service-clerk-general-or-youth  Position closes Thursday, 10/22/2015 at 11:59 PM.

   ·      Customer Service Clerk Full-Time (Circulation Administration)  This position is to specifically work in Circulation Administration.  https://www.governmentjobs.com/jobs/1265592/customer-service-clerk-circulation-administration  Position closes Thursday, 10/22/2015 at 11:59 PM.

   ·      Customer Service Clerk Part-Time (Neighborhood Libraries)  We currently have positions at various neighborhood library locations.  https://www.governmentjobs.com/jobs/1265959/customer-service-clerk-part-time  Position closes Thursday, 10/22/2015 at 11:59 PM.

   ·      Customer Service Clerk Part-Time (Teen Room)  This position is to specifically work at the Central Library in the Teen Room.  https://www.governmentjobs.com/jobs/1265835/customer-service-clerk-teen-room  Position closes Thursday, 10/22/2015 at 11:59 PM.

Team Stella Link

I am proud to be joining the Stella Link team. Stella Link is known for having some of the best (if not the best) employees in the system, and you all should be proud of yourselves. I hope we can continue to drive our success as a team.

During these last couple days, I met with some of you one-on-one, and I will be meeting with the rest of you one-on-one today and tomorrow.

Thank you for welcoming me into the family, and I look forward to doing great things together.

Some Fun Projects for October

Hi Team,

Each branch has been tasked with decorating a mask to be put up for display during our Masquerade Ball themed HPL holiday party. This project is like the display board we did for the Staff Development Day. As you guys will remembered, we did a monopoly themed board to represent Stella Link.
If anyone is interested in assisting in brainstorming/decorating the mask, please let Amethyst or Frances know as soon as possible. I will be sure to set aside time for Masquerade Ball Mask team to meet to plan and work on the project. If you would like more information, please check out the shiny red envelope placed behind Tim's desk.


As you have seen in your e-mail, Candece Beverly, our CMC Coordinator, mentioned a Fall Festival event done by HPL at Central library in the Plaza. Each library location will have a booth (table) to sell, auction, raffle, etc. to fundraise money for CMC, Combined Municipal Campaign.

"Our plan will include a Fall Festival  on the Plaza scheduled for Friday, October 30, 2016 @ 11 AM - 2 PM--Dr. Lawson has approved a one hour opening delay so all staff can enjoy the festival.  It is our hope that all departments and locations will participate with the festival by sponsoring a booth for fundraising."  

STE's table will be selling several different items. I will be making flower pens. Amethyst and Frances will be working on masquerade mask. There's also talks about making duct tape lanyard and a bake sale. If you would like to make items to add to the table or would like to help in the process of making any of the above items, please let me know. 

Thanks,

Nhu

Monthly Narratives

September Narratives are due on Friday, October 9. It is strongly preferred that the google form on the blog is used. If you are still using a separate document it can be accepted in email. The link on the blog is on the right side beneath the Stella Link Staff heading. It is much easier to keep track of these stats by using this document. Over the course of this month, please start transferring your record keeping over to a format than is compatible with the google form as listed.

Thanks,

Tim S.