August 22, 2012 11:15 – 11:45 AM
3rd Floor Conference Room
- Updates:
- End of Summer--Horray! (with cake)
- SRP final results (Leona): record registration and completion; 8 weekly drawing winners and one grand prize winner (kids entered in drawings after logging 10 books); kids can use SRP books for HISD Millionaires' Club.
- Circulating Periodicals (Alisa): don't check-out magazines without "c" on cover--we want to keep current issues on display so everyone has a chance to read them. Current issues checked out to branch for six weeks, don't override. Past issues with "c" can be checked out. Issues older than six months automatically deleted from Millennium; don't create an "on the fly" record to check out to customer; just scan as if checked out (magazine will be discarded/recycled when returned).
- Annual Report (Karen): FY12 annual report highlights statistical trends, accomplishments and challgenges; Kendall was #1 branch in circulation for 11 months of fiscal year (#2 in April by less than 600 items after Stella Link). See below.
- Other Updates
- Nina: Smart Money incident--ran credit card twice after first swipe failed (said "try again"), customer charged twice, Business Office has to refund charges. After first failure, take customer to self-check to use eCommerce option. If transaction fails in Smart Money, make note in customer account and waive charges paid.
- Nina: Bins in sorting room--please place items in bins neatly to make better use of space, doesn't damage items (Juli).
- Albert: Desk in lobby looks junky, items scattered can't tell if books checked in or not. Space is limited--keep neat. Bring up for discussion at upcoming Open Discussion meeting (Karen).
- Pam: Volunteer party was a success Staff applause. Thanks for contributions (Nina).
- Calling in and Kronos (Karen)
- When you call in an absence, please indicate whether you are using sick leave or emergency vacation.
- When you call in a tardiness, please indicate the reason (see list below).
- This information will be used to properly code your timecard. Tardiness without a reason will be marked “unexcused”.
- Please call 832-393-1887 within 30 minutes of your scheduled start time. If you call early, please don’t leave a voice mail message; if no one answers, call back.
- Open Discussions (Karen)
- Starting September 5, we alternate informational/training staff meetings with open discussion meetings oriented toward addressing and solving branch problems.
- One staff member will moderate and one will take notes, to be rotated among staff members. Nina volunteered to moderate and Alice volunteered to take notes at the upcoming meeting.
- Bring issues and several possible solutions to the meeting. The issues will be listed and one selected to be addressed in the meeting.
- The goal is to end the meeting with a mutually-agreeable solution for the chosen issue. Tabled issues will be carried over for discussion at the next meeting.
Adjourned at 11:50 AM
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Houston Public Library
Kendall Neighborhood Library
Annual Report FY 2012
Usage Trends
In the second full year of operation, Kendall experienced an overall reduction in service numbers--11% in visitors and service contacts, 13% in hours, and 14% in computer users—indicative of the transient, highly mobile quality of life in Houston. Alief, which ranked 3rd in visitors in FY11 (behind Stella Link and Kendall), moved to first place in FY12, followed by Kendall and Stella Link. Kendall ranked first among branches in service contacts in FY11 and FY12, although this year the number dropped below 1 million to 975,857; overall HPL saw a 9% reduction in service contacts. Kendall’s total circulation of 619,027, topped all branches for 11 months (the exception being April) and matched Central’s 7% overall reduction. Kendall circulated more Juvenile items than any other HPL location—367,493, an average of 30,625 items per month—because many parents check out up to their circulation limit every two weeks.
Significant Accomplishments
In October the Kendall Book Club celebrated its twentieth anniversary. Several of the original members are still active in the group, which meets monthly September through May and reads widely from classic literature and bestselling fiction to history, biography and current issues. In January we were able to expand our computer class schedule from two to six weekly classes when a part-time trainer (hired with BTOP funds) joined the staff. The addition of a second trainer in March relieved a staff member who had been teaching many of the classes. The first week of the Summer Reading Program we were surprised by the over-capacity crowds for Toddler Storytime and the featured SRP event, leading to gridlock in the parking lot. We quickly created a plan to manage the situation, deploying staff outside to direct traffic and assist customers. We posted “Parking Alerts” to notify customers about capacity times and made signs to direct traffic efficiently. The branch has become a popular location for recycling in the community. We have three bins on site (8-ton and 4-ton general recycling bins and a 4-ton paper recycling bin) which regularly fill to capacity within days.
Significant Challenges
Last summer’s drought claimed several trees on the property, both existing and newly-planted ones. The prairie grass and flowers planted during the previous year went dormant until we received some rain last winter but when they finally sprouted and bloomed, the sight was glorious with bright green grass and colorful wildflowers covering the ground along the fence. Staffing continued to hover at minimal levels. One long-time staff member retired at the end of December, the assistant manager was transferred to a new position in February and one full-time staff member requested a change to part-time status in March. The branch received a part-time Customer Service Clerk in December, as well as a full-time CSC and a new assistant manager in March. We were helped by the temporary deployment of staff from other locations; they quickly learned how to use our specific equipment and adapted to the challenges of functioning in a three-level building. Adequate seating
on the 2nd (Adult) floor continues to be in heavy demand. In addition to computers users, lots of customers use the branch’s wireless connection and fill every available seat in
addition to the two study rooms and the conference room, which is open for seating whenever no computer class is scheduled.
Submitted by Karen Luik, Kendall Branch Manager, 8/17/12
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Kronos Standard Comments (to document any change or alteration to the employee’s schedule)
