Summer Food Program

A couple of reminders about Summer Food Program:

1. Only those staff members who received training from the Parks Department can sign off on lunch & snack delivery.

2. Please make sure to count all meals and snacks carefully to ensure the numbers received match the numbers on the receipt.

3. Keep all documentation in the white binder outside the manager's office.

4. Website for ordering and tallying meals is:  http://cohweb.houstontx.gov/SummerFoodOrder/Login.aspx (a link has also been added to the Stella Link Staff link list on the blog for your convenience).

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 Rebecca Denham know how many entries you are sending so she 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 Denham (Ext. 31691) or HPL.Teen@houstontx.gov.

Posted: Tim Siegel

Stella Link Staff Bowling Night! (Take 2)

Since our last reservation was cancelled....

Tuesday, June 7

6:30-8:30 PM
Palace Bowling Lanes ("Bowl on Bellaire")
4191 Bellaire Blvd, Houston, TX 77025 (713) 667-6554
We should have 3 lanes already reserved under "Edgar."
We will have one round of bowling on 3 complimentary lanes!

25 May Collection Management Mnthly Mtg

Introduction to Collection HQ for the latest hires/new staff.

Discussed Juvenile GN: weed this collection due to overflow; the velcro isn't working because certain parts of the Dewey Decimal are bulging and overflowing. Yet, try shifting, both before and after weeding. The velcro was installed to keep all titles upright. Do weed those items in bad shape. Someone is shelving according to title and not according to the spine label.

A box will be installed/located under the table next to Carol's/Alex's cubicle for titles that will be displayed, during each of the monthly decorations.

The Manga (Teen Area) will not be shelved by Dewey.

Teen Non-Fiction: this area doesn't circulate much. Please encourage teens to check these items out.

One of the Rover's duties is to shelve A/V Discs (audiobooks+CDs+DVDs).

YouTube

YouTube video accessibility issues have been resolved. Please continue to contact the HelpDesk if you still have trouble accessing YouTube videos. 

3M Work Station in Work Room is not working

The 3M Blue Box workstation in the work room is currently not functioning problem. The entire station has been shut down. Please use the other stations with the 3M pads to complete others and tagging projects.

Tim S.

FY16 Customer Survey

Team,

We have received the FY16 Customer Survey. They have been placed near the entrance with the program flyers so that all customers who walk in can see them. The survey is also available on the main page of the library's website.

Completed paper surveys should be sent to:
Mary Hammond
Central Library, Concourse Level Suite C177

 The message we should tell customers is:
"HPL 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."

Incident Reports

There is now a downloadable copy of the incident report form linked in the Stella Link Staff portion of the blog, to your right.

City of Houston Emergency Hotline Correction

The hotline number is 832-393-1550. The telephone number for the Emergency was incorrectly entered on the meeting notes.

Tim Siegel

Stella Link Team Meeting Notes May 5, 2016

Present: Patricia Tucker, Carol Wu, Jesse Farias, Jacob Hornbeak, Nhu Le, Frances Saldana, Kayren Alexander, Mark Hall, Alex Gabitto, Amethyst Taylor, Ray Williams, Jonathan McFarland, and Tim Siegel.

Not Present: Ade Odusanwo, Amy Stanley, Craig Bertuglia, and Marjorie Hackley.

Leading: Edgar Fuentes.

Thank you: Ray wanted to thank Frances for helping calm down some unruly children in the passport line.

Jacob did a great job in completing the Star Wars display and thank you to those that helped him.

Today will be tight with multiple staff members out. The schedule has been modified and please let us know if you any questions.

Manager’s Meeting Highlights

Central Passport Comment: Dr. Lawson received an email from judge complimenting the great service received at the HPL Central Passport Services office. Though the comment was specifically for the Central team, we should all celebrate in the praise for the work all of us do in providing passport services.

New Reservation System: Central is currently piloting a new system to reserve computers for customer. This system will be expanding to all branches in the near future. Please see the video showing what the system will look like: http://training.houstonlibrary.org/node/559.

IT Updates:

Equipment Salvage-Send all computer equipment such as damaged keyboards or mice to Joe Sullivan in IT. Please send him an email and CC Celeste Diaz to ensure proper delivery.

IT is currently working to resolve the YouTube issues on our computers. Videos can be watched on Chrome, but should expect a 1 minute delay. YouTube is still not working on IE or FireFox.

Children’s Book Celebration: The featured author is Dan Santat an is scheduled for May 14.

Summer Reading Program: Registration for the general public starts June 1^st.

Schools are able to pre-register starting May 1^st so that teachers can help sign kids up before they leave on summer break. If a teacher signs up students in his/her class, they are being directed to contact the youth person at their local HPL location to coordinate their prize pickup/drop-off. Nhu will work with the teacher to get prizes for their class ordered.

Prizes for this year include a bike to the top two readers at each location, and there are also prizes for families who read together and complete reviews. Visit www.houstonlibrary.org/summer.

The SRP calendar has arrived. Please note that due to space constraints our monthly calendar will not feature the SRP events.

Promotional Positions: Please inform Laurie or Edgar if you are applying for a new positon in HPL so that your application can be pulled for consideration.  Be sure to complete the supplemental questions at the end of the application. Consider the questions carefully to determine the correct answer. For example, if you have a Master’s degree please mark Associates degree or higher if Master’s degree is not an option. Also update your employment history and other information as necessary.

City of Houston Employee Emergency Hotline: Please call 832-393-1550 (corrected 05/6/16) for updates regarding closures during inclement weather or disasters. The hotline will updated whenever libraries will close when an emergency is declared by the Mayor. Edgar will also call around once this information is known.

Cell Phone usage: Several managers presented scenarios on using phones or personal communication devices at the desk. Please remember that if your phone prevents you from doing your job or if it gets in the way of customer service, it’s an issue. You can use it on breaks and on lunches, or away from the desk if it’s an emergency (but please let Edgar know). The Municipal Employee Guidebook states that you can use these devices “provided it is limited in duration and does not have a detrimental effect on your productivity.”

Notaries: Please email a copy of your notary certificate to Laurie if you have not done so already. HPL is working on a FAQ for library staff and developing a training program that will include a way for everyone to receive the oath of office and the materials needed for Notary Service to begin. 

Sprockets: When putting in Sprockets, make sure that the code for the issue of correct. This field is pre-filled with information from a previous sprocket. For Example: The last sprocket entered may be for pest control and now you need to send a Sprocket for the AC not working. Incorrect codes will delay repairs.

Summer Intern: STE is expecting to host two summer interns for work from June 13 to August 5, 2016.  They will work 32 hours a week and will be helping us with duties ranging from shelving, cleanup and setup for Summer Food, to helping with registration for the Summer Reading Program.

Posted: Tim Siegel

High Table in Teen Lounge

A table in the teen lounge area is missing a foot peg. The issue has been reported.

Thanks, Tim

Outreach Opportunity - 5/23

Shearn Elementary School, which is down the road from Stella Link, is having a literacy night on May 23 from 4:30pm - 6pm. They are looking for 2 staff members to come out to talk about library services and help sign people up for a library card. If you are interested, please let me know.

-Edgar

Stella Link Team Meeting Notes April 27, 2016

Thank you: The past couple of weeks have been real difficult with a shortage of staff due to TLA, training, and illness. Everyone did a fantastic job and played an important role in providing customer service and keeping up with the heavy workload. Thank you for your combined effort.

The passport team has received several compliments the past week or so. Ray and Ade were described by two customers as efficient and making their experience pleasant. A third customer commended Ade with being “really quick” and nice. Great work.

Laptop Checkouts: If a customer desires to renew (check out again) a laptop, please use the original form that the customer signed and have them to initial the new check out and return time so there is a record of a second consecutive check out.

YMCA: The YMCA is sponsoring a run this weekend and the parking passes were emailed out to team members working this weekend. Please display them in your vehicles. Please send Edgar an email if you did not receive a pass.

New Books: Please stock the New Book display with items with a release date up to 6 months. The current window is 12/2015 through 05/2016.

Bluebonnets: 2017 Bluebonnets and Lone Star titles sometimes end up on the shelves due to mislabeling or are placed by volunteers unaware of the proper display location. If any are found while shelving please remove them and place them in the display. This can also be done while positioned as the Rover.

Debit Card Transactions: A debit card can be run as a credit card by hitting the “X” button on the keypad. If the card is run as a debit card, the customer is required to enter a PIN number and they will not need to sign the receipt. Place the merchant copy receipt (signed if credit card or unsigned if debit card) in the register after being into Smart Money.

Display Item Holds Wizard: Patricia has been using the Display Item Holds wizard under the Holds wizard group to identify items with a hold. This wizard is useful in the event a customer has an item checked out and has maxed out renewals and wants to check in the item to check out again. By checking for holds we can give the customer the option to return the item and offer to place a hold on the item or to simply keep the item past the due date and pay overdue fines when returned.

Claims Returned: If an item is checked out at Library A (let’s say Meyer) and later states that the item was returned to Library B (let’s say Stella Link) and is still on the account. When the item is marked as Claims Returned, the item will only appear on the list generated for Meyer and not Stella Link.

Please follow these steps for Claims Return:

1.       Identify the item and the date in which the item may have been returned.

2.       Check the shelf at Stella Link for the item.

3.       Determine which library the item was checked out from. Call another location for a shelf check if necessary.

4.       Enter notes in the Extended Info pertaining to the shelf check and the result.

5.       Mark the item as Claims Returned.

6.       Encourage the customer to continue to search at home for the missing item.

7.       Inform the customer that the item will be searched for by the library, but if not found then the item will be billed to the account.

      A more refined procedure for handling claims returned is in the works.

Notaries: If you were designated to be a notary, you should have received a certificate in your email. We will be receiving more information shortly and you will be notified as it becomes available.

Children’s Book Celebration (CBC): This Saturday is the deadline for entries into the Children’s Book Celebration. Children in grades K through 6 are invited to submit a photo strip of themselves with their Imaginary Friend inspired by one of the many books written by featured author Dan Santat! Imaginary Friends can be created by using any art medium and participants will then take creative photos with their imaginary friend and submit a digital photo strip for consideration. Read  contest rules and submission guidelines on the library’s website: http://houstonlibrary.org/learn-explore/library-events/books-alive-contest

SRP Registration

For this year's Summer Reading Program (SRP) since we are giving books away as registration prizes, we want registration and prize pickup to happen simultaneously.  Therefore registration for the public won’t start until June 1^st. 

Only schools will be able to pre-register starting May 1^st (only schools have been given a registration link to evanced). We are opening up registration early to schools so that staff can help sign kids up before they leave on summer break. If a teacher signs up students in his/her class, they are being directed to contact the youth person at their local HPL location to coordinate their prize pickup/drop-off. Nhu will work with the teacher to get prizes for their class ordered.