Staff Meeting Notes 12-30-15

In attendance:

Lauren Wilcox, Lutricia Bratton, Alice Dooley, Janalyn White, Kathrine Fan, Nina Oliver, Doug Dietrich, Temeka Doakes, Jose Torres, Pamela Officer, Shanti Rao, Jasmine Zelaya, Leona Hoegsberg, Albert Banks

Highlights
Pay Structure Change: Everyone will be receiving up to a .50 cent per hour raise starting the first pay period after 1/1/2016.  To find out how this will affect you:

o   Know your pay grade:

§  Library Assistant – Pay Grade 5

§  Customer Service Clerk – Pay Grade 10

§  Senior Customer Service Clerk – Pay Grade 12

§  Library Service Specialist – Pay Grade 13

§  Senior Library Service Specialist – Pay Grade 16

o   To see your exact gross pay and to know whether you are above, below, or at midpoint pay, log in to your ESS account (https://portal.houstontx.gov/irj/portal)

      Open Carry: “Effective 1/1/2016, citizens with a current concealed handgun license, or a person who obtains the new ‘license to carry a handgun’ will be able to carry a handgun in a concealed manner or openly in a belt or should holster in most city-owned or leased property.”

o   We are not allowed to approach a person and ask them if they are properly licensed to openly carry a weapon.  If we are concerned that someone will act violently, we are to call 911 immediately.

o   If there is a school group or school-sponsored event happening in the library, we can put up signage and prohibit the carry of weapons in the specific location of the group/program meeting (ex: if there is a program on the 3^rd floor, we cannot prohibit carry on the 2^nd floor).

      EAP: The Employee Assistance Program is a free service to all city employees and should be used if you need any counseling or guidance with any issues, including but not limited to:

o   Stress, anxiety, or depression

o   Relationship/marital conflicts

o   Getting out of debt

o   Retirement planning

o   Landlord/tenant issues

o   Contracts

o   Child and elder care

o   Home repair

§  If you get a referral number and are connected with a counselor, you will receive 6 free sessions for any specific issue.  If you have another issue you would like counsel for, you will receive another 6 free sessions for that specific issue.

§  Call 24/7 at 855-378-7485

§  Website: guidanceresources.com

§  City of Houston web ID: HOUSTONEAP

      Shelf-Reading and OnSearch: starting next week (1/4 – 1/9) Doug will begin distributing the missing (OnSearch) list to each employee.  You will be using this list as you shelf-read weekly to search for items marked as missing.  This will keep us more informed about our shelf-reading areas and keep the items marked as missing to a minimum.

      Delivery Priorities: If you are assigned to delivery for the day, you need to stay down on the 1^st floor as much as possible.  We will begin tagging items in the delivery area, as well as answering phones and helping people in the lobby if the line gets long.  We need to communicate with one another to keep the sorting and delivery area as orderly as possible and cleaned up at the end of the day.

Monthly Report: You will be receiving a Google doc that will outline your SMART goals and give you space to track your progress on a monthly basis.  These reports will also include a narrative portion that you will use to give examples of how you have contributed to the team.  These reports will be brought to the monthly one-on-one meetings with your direct supervisor so that everyone can discuss progress, issues, challenges, and successes.  

Quick Notes

• 2016 Customer Experience Meetings with Deputy Director Michele Gorman, 11:30 AM-12:30 PM (aka lunch & chat with Michele): Wednesday, Feb. 3 at Collier; Thursday, July 21, at Walter; Thursday, Nov. 10 at Alief; staff names are drawn randomly by CE Admin staff, attendance is highly recommended (mandatory).
• New Elected City Officials, effective 1/4/16 (Handout)
• Open Carry Law: Firearms Legislation Overview from City Attorney Donna L. Edmundson 12/11/15 (Handout)

Upcoming Staff Events

• Thursday, December 31: Last Day of Pay Period (before New Year’s Holiday).
• Friday, January 1: New Year’s Day - Library closed
• Tuesday, January 5: SW Managers Team Meeting, 9AM-12 Noon at Frank (Karen)
• Wednesday, January 6: Program Planning Meeting (Karen, Nina, Leona, Shanti, Jasmine, Alice, Pam, Jose, Doug)
• Friday, January 8: Pay day!
• Friday, January 8: Staff Training: Intermediate Word with Pam
• Tuesday, January 12: SW Assistant Managers Team Meeting, 9:15-11AM at Stella Link (Lauren)
• Wednesday, January 13: Open Discussion Meeting
• Friday, January 15: Youth Services Meeting, 8:30AM-12 Noon at CEN (Jasmine, Leona, Nina, Shanti)
• Friday, January 15: Staff Training: Intermediate Word with Pam
• Wednesday, January 20: Staff Meeting
• Friday, January 22: Customer Experience Managers Meeting, 8:30AM-12 Noon at CEN (Karen & Lauren)

Open Discussion Notes 4-23-14

Break Room, 11:15-11:50AM.  Moderator: Meg; Recorder: Jose

Today we discussed…

1.  Shelve reading:

      --Divide the library in different sections

      --Rotation of the sections too (sign up for shelve reading, whatever you prefer)

2. Any worker that comes to fix something  has to sig in: name- last name & ID # [notebook at Lobby desk. KL]

3. If you refer anyone on the 2nd floor to the 3rd floor for computer use, please remind patrons that 3rd floor it’s a kid friendly zone.

4.  Anyone is welcome to check out a laptop as long they don’t have any fines on their record and have had their library card for at least 30 days.

5. Don’t  turn off 3M pads, please.

6. During delivery time make sure you do it the right way (don’t get confuse with drive up and normal holds).

7. Meeting Room Reservations:           

     --Always fill out forms for reservations

     --No double booking

     --No adults sessions in 3rd floor

     --Always give spare time to groups to leave (don’t do back to back reservations) [30 minutes           between events. KL].

     --We don’t do reservations for birthday parties aka “child gatherings”, nor is food allowed either [meetings must be free and open to the public—no private parties. KL]

     --No multiple reservations

     --One reservation = one form (also check forms for correct information).

8. Keep the closet in the 3rd floor locked all times.

9. Assist Westside volunteers to keep their personal stuff, Tuesdays from 10am-12noon.

10. Monthly report of library apps would be excellent in the future to avoid any inconvenience at the time of evaluations.

Remember Lights Out Houston Thursday, April 24 - Sunday, April 27, turn off all not essential lights before we leave during those days

Open Discussion Notes 3-19-14

Open Discussion Meeting with Kendall Staff and Shammi Gill

• Regarding the continuation of the Open Discussion Meetings: Most staff agreed that they liked having a non-structured meeting in which we could bring up issues and thoughts. So we will continue to have these meetings. (MH)
• We have a new repair/missing items spreadsheet that staff can access on Google Docs. The link is on the blog under “Quick Links”. (JK)
•  Delivery Reminders:

o   Please shelve holds throughout the day when on assigned to delivery. Don’t leave wrapped

hold items on a cart in the back or for someone else to shelve. (AB)

o   Do not set aside drive-up items – do all KEN and KENDRV items in one batch.

o   Do ILL items first if you see them.

o   You can use the DRV UP holds template for any drive-up holds.

•  In May and this summer, Jose and Pam will have a “planning for college” session as one of the computer classes. Jose is hoping to have an academic adviser in the session to offer advice.
• Signs for April programs need to be sent in for approval. (KL)
•  Leona is preparing for outreach for SRP. As of today, we haven’t received the information regarding our SRP programs. (LH)
•  Alisa & Nina are planning to conduct outreaches at middle and high schools to help bring more teens into the library. (AB)
• Saturday A-Team has been working really hard together, even with such a short amount of staff. Kudos to y’all! (KL)
• Shammi encouraged us to request for substitutes when are below are minimum staffing level. They are taking requests up to two weeks in advance, so we can plan ahead. (SG)
•  There will be a representative from a security company coming on Friday to assess the security situation in our building. (KL)
• Donna Jackson (HPL’s graphic/visual specialist) will be visiting soon to look around the building and gather ideas for further enhancing our space. (KL)
• March 31 is the deadline to submit your Wellness points to avoid the $25 monthly fee. (SG)

Open Discussion Notes, 1-22-14

Breakroom, 11:15-11:45

General Reminders

·         Remember to un-forward the phone on 2^nd floor in the morning. (AEB)

·         Tax Help starts on February 1 – Saturdays 10-2; Wednesdays 12-4 (MH)

·         When assigned to the book drop, please help the sorter clear the bins before leaving the first floor. (NO)

·         Report to Bookdrop and Sort at the top of the hour. If you’re the sorter, let the Lobby/DU team know if you’re taking a break. (NO)

·         If possible, as a courtesy, call and let the person you are relieving know if you are caught on another desk. (TD)

·         When checking in delivery, use TRAP HOLDS. Many DRV-UP items are still not being made available properly. (AEB)

·         Check the schedule often because changes are sometimes made throughout the day. Meg will make an effort to communicate these changes as well. (AB/MH)

·         Via Juli and Jose, we have Spanish/English translation for instructions for logging onto the computers, as well for general information to use at our reference desks. See Juli if you would like something added to the list. (JK)

Circulation reminders

·         Remember to check for existing accounts. Pay attention to middle names and DOBs. Search by both Alt ID and Name! (NO)

·         Please use the Lost Card wizard to mark a card lost and issue a new card. See Nina if you need additional help with this. (NO)

·         ALWAYS put a note in the customer’s account, and remember to READ notes that are already in accounts. (NO)

·         When you are assigned to clear holds, clear the Hold Shelf completely. This means clear the D/U carts and the A/V cart, too. (AEB)

·         When noting a lost card, please put the date AND time the report was made (or new card was issued). (AD)

Children’s updates and reminders (LH):

·         Please make sure FLIP kit surveys are filled out completely before giving out the CMH pass.

·         There are additional FLIP kits inside the yellow dog house. Replenish as necessary.

·         SRP scheduling will be soon – if you have any performer suggestion or would like to assist with a particular event, let Leona know.

·         A copy of the Name That Book list for K-2 will be placed downstairs in the sort room so we can try to catch a few of those holds.

09-05-12 Open Discussion

Open Discussion Notes

11:15 – 11:45 AM, 3rd Floor Conference Room

Moderator: Nina

Recorder: Pedro

1. Issue presented:

a. Workstations with items left behind by previous staff members.

Issue Discussion:

a. Staff has been leaving either personal or library items at workstations and is causing

others to pick up after them.

Resolution:

a. Clean up after yourself.

b. Leave notes on items that must be left at certain workstations.

c. Put items in proper locations. If they belong on 3rd floor, please place items on its      corresponding shelf. ie. Missing or Repair or Damaged shelf with a note on it.

2. Issue presented:

a. Address change on library cards.

Issue Discussion:

a. When changing an address on a patron account notate the old address using code

(x) and insert new address with code (a).

3. Issue presented:

a. Issuing a juvenile library card.

Issue Discussion:

a. When issuing a juvenile power card insert the parents birthday along with their name

and TDL/ID number.

4. Issue presented:

a. Process for damaged items.

Issue Discussion:

a. For a damaged item always notate the patron account.

b. Add the item charge with the title and barcode. Add the $10 processing fee or $5 for uncataloged.

c. Making a photo copy of the item when it is about to be taken off the shelf for disposal

is still to be determined after Nina peaks with Fred.

5. Issue presented:

a. Patron notification.

Issue Discussion:

a. Please ask patron if they would like to be notified by phone or email on any holds

they place.

b. If they contain long distance number please ask if an email is available to be able to contact them.

6. Issue presented:

a. Full delivery bins.

Issue Discussion:

a. Please place items going into delivery bins correctly to be able to fit more items in

one bin.

7. Issue presented:

a. Checking out of magazines.

Issue Discussion:

a. Please only check out back issues of magazines.
b. Pay attention to the pop-ups and do not override to check out the item.

8. Issue presented:

a. Items left at self check-out machines.

Issue Discussion:

a. Please check in any items left at the self check-out machines to make sure they are

not checked out to anyone.

9. Issue presented:

a. Hold-shelf items.

Issue Discussion:

a. There have been a number of instances where items have been wrapped with the

wrong names or they are being shelved.

Resolution:

a. Double check when wrapping holds. The barcode on slip should match the book.

10. Issue presented:

a. EPE

Issue Discussion:

a. Everyone is evaluated on their problem solving and decision making.

Resolution:

a. If you are not sure on what to do in a particular situation you can always ask.