Staff Meeting Notes, 11-30-16

11:15 – 11:45 AM, Break Room

1. Welcome New Staff: Kitty (Acting Manager); Norma (PT-CSC); Antoinette (PT-CSC for Collier); Victor (Assistant Manager, starting 12/12).
2. Updates (Karen):
1. Cell Phone Use at Public Service Desks
1. When you’re working at a public service desk, you’re paying attention to our customers and you’re ready to respond to their needs.
2. OK--library activities, such as demonstrating Overdrive, checking wireless connection
3. NOT OK--personal activities, such as checking social media, texting, shopping.
4. Phone should be set to silent mode in public areas.  
5. No personal phone calls at the desk. If it’s an emergency, find someone to cover the desk and take the call in a non-public area.
2. Closing Issues
1. Last week the following were observed after staff had finished closing the floor: lobby lights on; conference room blinds not opened; extra chairs in study rooms; drive-up window not locked; self check and TV screens still on; phone not forwarded; front door not locked.
2. Review opening and closing checklist so you know what you’re responsible for doing.  Work with your colleagues on the floor to complete these tasks.  Don’t leave the floor until everyone is finished.   
3. Leave the building together--there’s safety in numbers!  If you leave before everyone else, we won’t be able to respond if you should need help.
3. Safety Issues: Kick Stools
1. Two kick stools are stored under the desk on the 2nd and 3rd floor; 1 is stored under the Lobby desk.  Extra stools must be kept in the workroom--if you bring one out to use, put it back in the workroom when you’re finished.
2. We don’t want any customers (especially young children!) or volunteers hurting themselves by tripping over or falling off a kick stool.,

Quick Notes

1. Tag Arriving Holds:  All incoming holds must be tagged if they aren’t already, especially Central items.  This speeds checkout and supports your team members at the public service desks!  
2. Float Items: Check out items to be floated to the KEN-FLOAT account before you put them in a floating bin under the sorter. This account will hide the item from view in the catalog until it’s checked in at its receiving location.  
3. Sorter Tasks at the End of the Day:  Clear Outgoing Holds and Bin 9 Exceptions every day. They haven’t been checked in yet and need to be cleared the same day they were returned so the customer doesn’t get a fine.  
1. Outgoing holds get labeled and go into a Delivery bin ASAP--someone is waiting!  
2. Bin 9 Exceptions need to be checked in, then tagged, floated, or returned to Central.  
3. Turn around items waiting to be tagged the same day.  The catalog shows them as “Check Shelf”--ready to be checked out--and we need to get them on the shelves as soon as possible.

Upcoming Events

• Friday, December 2: Last Day of Pay Period; Staff Training--Alice on Business Reference
• Monday, December 5: Last Day to complete Cigna Health Assessment (and save $$!)
• Tuesday, December 6: SW Managers Meeting (Karen, Kitty)
• Friday, December 9: Payday!; Youth Services Meeting (Jasmine, Leona, Shanti); Staff Training--Alice on Business Reference
• Saturday, December 10: Staff Holiday Gala
• Friday, December 16: Customer Experience Managers Meeting (Karen, Kitty, Melinda)
• Friday, December 23-Monday, December 26: Library Closed for Christmas
• Sunday, January 1-Monday, January 2: Library Closed for New Year’s Day

Staff Meeting Notes 11-2-16

11:15 – 11:45 AM, Break Room

I. Updates (Karen):

1. Quick Notes
2. Floating Collection:
3. Safety Issues: Kick Stools; Reduce Slips, Trips and Falls Poster--the #1 source of accidents at HPL
4. Holiday Gala decorating challenge
5. Upcoming Holidays: Veteran’s Day (Nov. 11); Thanksgiving (Nov. 24 & 25); Christmas (Dec. 23-26), New Year’s Day (Jan. 1 & 2).

II. Quick Notes

1. Floating Holiday:  Floating holidays must be requested 30 days in advance and used by the end of the calendar year (Dec. 31)--the deadline is fast approaching!  If you haven’t already used your floating holiday, submit your Kronos request soon--they’ll be approved on a first come, first served basis.
2. Floating Collection: Circ Admin is rolling out a new account to check out floating items so they can be accounted for during the float process (much like the KEN REFURB account for the FLIP kits).  This means all items to float are checked out and disappear from our holdings.  
3. Discard Items in Poor Condition:
1. If an incoming hold is disgustingly nasty, please don’t check it in--the customer deserves better!  Discard the nasty copy and place a hold for another one.  (If it’s the last copy, call the customer with options, including Interlibrary Loan and HCPL).
2. If an item to be floated is in poor condition, don’t float it--your colleagues deserve better!  Discard it immediately (items in poor condition are approved for immediate discard).  
4. Book Sale Donations:  We smile and accept all donations.  
1. If some of them have to be discarded due to condition, take care of it later after the customer has left.  
2. If the customer asks your opinion about the saleability of items, you can offer “We don’t see much demand for this” or “We had some of these last month and they didn’t sell very well.”  People want to support the Library--we want them to know their effort is appreciated.  
3. If a customer wants a discount, let them know the books are donations and all funds raised support library programs.
5. Donation Slips: Put them in the manila envelope marked “Donation Slips 2016“ on the Time & Attendance desk.  Don’t leave them downstairs.
6. End of Day tasks:  Please clear Outgoing Holds and Bin 9 Exceptions each day--these items have not been checked in and need to be cleared the same day they were returned.  
1. Outgoing holds need labels and need to go into Delivery ASAP--someone is waiting!  
2. Bin 9 Exceptions need to be checked in, then tagged, floated, or returned to Central.  
3. While items are waiting to be tagged, the catalog shows them as “Check Shelf”--ready to be checked out.  Let’s get them on the shelves as soon as possible.

III. Upcoming Dates

• Friday, Nov. 4: Last Day of Pay Period; Youth Services Meeting at Central; Brainfuse webinar
• Tuesday, Nov. 8: SW Assistant Managers Meeting at Frank Express; Election Day
• Thursday, Nov. 10: Weeding Workshop at Johnson
• Friday, Nov. 11: Veteran’s Day--Library closed; Payday!
• Wednesday, Nov. 16: Open Discussion Meeting
• Friday, Nov. 18: CE Managers Meeting at Central; Last Day of Pay Period
• Saturday, Nov. 19: Energy Corridor Recycling Day
• Thursday, Nov. 24: Thanksgiving--Library closed
• Friday, Nov. 25: Day after Thanksgiving--Library closed; Payday!

Open Discussion Notes 10-19-16

Break Room, 11:15-11:50AM
Moderator: Trish
Recorder: Leona
Present: Alice, Alisa, Chris, Iffat, Jasmine, Karen, Kathrine, Leona, Melinda, Nina, Pam, Trish, Valentin.

1. Pumpkin Carving Contest at CMC Fall Festival at CEN on Friday, Oct. 28.  $5 entry fee, ideas welcomed.  We have two pumpkins--one ugly one, one beautiful one--plus assorted smaller pumpkins to attach/decorate and other supplies.  The carving should be ready by Thursday evening so Karen can deliver it when she goes to the CE Managers Meeting Friday morning.
2. Staff Development Day was a win according to the KEN staff.  Esp. popular--gift cards and other prizes, presentation from HEB, info about lending hotspots, location at JIB, seeing colleagues from other locations.
3. Work at giving great customer service, as talked about in the HEB session at SDD, esp. the element of surprise and random acts of surprise.
4. Remember all books with yellow labels are not to be discarded.  Please p ut them in the float bins.  These are leased items and need to be returned when we don't need them or they're in poor condition.
5. Classics that are cataloged can be put on the the shelves with other cataloged items.  Non-cataloged classics still go on the designated shelves by the restrooms.
6. Please log all "orphan" items (those belonging to non-HPL libraries).  Do not put them in the Lost & Found bin.
7. When pulling items to float, please discharge them first to make sure there are no holds and they're off the customers' accounts.  Check the condition too--items in poor condition should be discarded, not floated.
8. When the picture book bin on the sorter fills up, the overflow will go into Bin 9.  If you can scan the book on the RFID pad, it doesn't need a new label. Karen is going to see if we can get Bin 9 changed to an overflow bin for picture books.
9. Pam asks us to save all small empty water bottles for her New  Year's Eve kids party--she's using them to make noisemakers.  She'll put a bag in the break room for collection.