3/24/14 Staff Meeting Notes

Meetings Notes

Kashmere/Lakewood Grouping

March 24, 2014

In attendance:

Pedro Fonseca (Manager)

Melissa Ryans (Assistant Manager)

Dionne McLaughlin (Senior Library Service Specialist)

Juan Lopez (Senior Customer Service Clerk)

Dee Hunter (Library Assistant)

Tandi Pierson (Library Assistant)

Latoya Chase (Customer Service Clerk, Part-time)

Jennita Thomas (Customer Service Clerk, Part-time)

Not in attendance:

Twanna Wade (Senior Customer Service Clerk) – conducting outreach

Marissa Baltrip (Customer Service Clerk)

Karl Beck (Library Assistant)

Topics of Interest:

·         Daily schedules

·         Staying informed

·         COH Open Enrollment

·         Shifting at Lakewood

·         Laptop applications

·         Lakewood’s closure and new hire

·         Greeting/Roving feedback

·         Saturday Switching Guidelines

·         Open Discussion

First Topic: Daily Schedules

• Staff should notify P. Fonseca and/or M. Ryans if he or she needs time for special projects or other duties.
•    Since it is on the individual to meet his or her HEAR goals, he or she needs to let a supervisor know the workflow/tasks so that it can be added to the daily schedule (e.g., time for outreaches).    
• Let managers know how much time is needed for certain duties.

Second Topic: Staying Informed

•  Staff should check their emails and the group blog at least twice a day. This can be done at either off the desk or at the CSD when it is slow.

Third Topic: COH Open Enrollment

•  P. Fonseca reminded staff that this is an active enrollment and that staff are required to make selections or else they will be defaulted into the Open Access Plan on May 01, 2014. If staff previous waived medical, dental, or vision coverage, they do not need to do anything to retain waived status.
• All elections must be made electronically using Choicelinx (www.yourbenefitschoices.com/coh) now through Tuesday, April 16^th.
• P. Fonseca handed out information packet.
•  Staff need to earn a minimum of 500 wellness points by March 31 to save at least $300 on 2014 city health plan contributions.
• Staff should check ESS to verify points. Staff should turn in physical activity and reporting forms via fax to 832-393-7212 or 832-393-7211 or email wconnection@houstontx.gov. No forms=No points.

Fourth Topic: Shifting at Lakewood

• Major shifting project was completed at Lakewood.    
• All items on spin racks have been removed. They will eventually be removed from building to acquire more space. 
• Adult CDs are now in the new Adult A/V area with the adult DVDs and audiobooks.     
• Adult paperbacks also have a section next to the adult fiction, which has been shifted over to the adult side.
• JUV CDs are now in a new JUV A/V area along with JUV DVDs.         
• JUV paperbacks have a place on the shelf as well (behind the JUV chapter books).     
• ADU and JUV Spanish items have been separated to their corresponding places.      
• JUV picture books have been shifted down to the bottom three shelves so that kids have easier access; top two shelves will be used for displays.  
•  There is a new kids’ corner that provides board books and toys for small children.
• YA paperbacks have been interfiled with the rest of the YA books. (Should be shelved by author’s last name.)
• YA section has been expanded.

Fifth Topic: Laptop Applications

• Staff should fill in all the fields on laptop applications at the time of check-out and check-in.       
• The following fields need to be filled out: time out, time in, staff initials (for both time out and time in), date, and library card number.
• Staff should print two receipts: one goes on the laptop/to the customer, the other is attached to the application along with the identification.
•  Staff should notify customer if laptop is late so that customer is aware of fines.
• Staff should print out a receipt and give it to the customer when the customer is returning an item/items.
• Applications can be thrown away if there are no fines when laptop is turned back in. Applications with fines should be kept (along with receipts) until fine is paid off.
• Staff is responsible for catching fines.
• L. Chase stated that staff is finding that some laptops are not being checked in and fines are accumulating. Staff are having to check in laptops and waive fines. P. Fonseca stated that staff should be careful because this process is bad customer service and staff should not be waiving these fines.

Sixth Topic: Lakewood’s Closing and New Hire

• New hire Cristal Nino, part-time CSC, will begin March 31^st.
•  Lakewood will be closing on April 7^th and will open sometime early May 2014.
•  Staff deployment is still being evaluated.

Seventh Topic: Greeting/Roving Feedback

• Con (per J. Lopez): older customers walk past greet because they already know what they want.
• Pro (per T. Pierson): customers at LAK reacting well; staff have received strange looks when customers first arrive, but customers later feel more comfortable with greeter when exiting the library. P. Fonseca reminded staff to monitor how they approach customers when greeting.
• Pro (per. L. Chase): makes it easier to prioritize customers’ needs.
•  Pro (per J. Lopez): greeting works for new customers and those that do not come as often. Older customers that get stopped sometime do not acknowledge greeting because they already know what they want.
• Pro (per D. Hunter): greeting useful for customers needing to do something quick such as making copies; greeting/roving makes the interaction quicker since staff is there to quickly assist and answer questions as needed.
• Suggestion (per D. McLaughlin): wearing the earpiece and roving can be confusing: should staff assist the customer in front of them or answer phone? P. Fonseca stated that staff member at CSD should answer phone. Use your best judgment. If the person at the desk is busy and the greeter is not then the greeter can answer the phone and vice versa.
• P. Fonseca stated that staff should not be holding conversations with customers while helping them. Staff should focus on helping customers (getting to the point) so that they do not fall behind in assisting other customers.
•  J. Lopez was concerned about staff divulging personal information to customers through the earpiece while it is in use. P. Fonseca stated that staff should always be professional while on the floor. Earpiece can be muted or microphone can be lifted away from mouth. As always, staff can redirect customers to the CSD for information about their accounts, etc.
•  If needed, staff can go to the CSD to assist customers with account information, but they should then go back to the floor to continue greeting/roving.

Eighth Topic: Saturday Switching Guidelines

•  P. Fonseca distributed Saturday Switching guidelines for FT and PT staff.
• This is still a work in progress and will be discussed at the next managers’ meeting.

Ninth Topic: Open Discussion

• T. Pierson asked whether or not customers could drop off books at Lakewood when it is closed. P. Fonseca stated they could, as he will be picking up bookdrop and bringing it to Kashmere NL to be checked in.
• P. Fonseca alerted staff to PACE ending next week (April 5^th). Planning and Facilities should be delivering 50 chairs for the graduation ceremony.
• Ceremony will be set up in the children’s area, so the furniture over there (including the flip kit station) will have to be moved. Food will be housed in the meeting room.
• Possibility of hosting a computer class with tablets at Kashmere NL as a continuation of the PACE program. Would take place on Thursday evenings. J. Lopez would facilitate class. Would possibly be from 5:00PM-7:00PM.
•  J. Lopez has been given an instructor’s laptop at KAS for the computer class. Computer lab now has twelve computers for the public to use.
• Third computer at CSD moved to a cubicle in the workroom.
• Delivery at KAS: should be completed at front desk. Since delivery times are inconsistent, delivery will not be scheduled to anyone; rather, the person at the CSD when delivery arrives should do delivery. If the bin is sat down in the workroom, staff should take bin to CSD for staff at desk to complete it. If staff at CSD swap out while delivery is being processed, incoming person at CSD should complete delivery.
• Delivery will be scheduled on Fridays since staff can switch duties as needed (e.g., delivery scheduled for 11am but arrives at 10am, staff can do delivery at 10am and complete another assigned task at 11am).
•  Monday – Thursday: staff at CSD when delivery arrives should process delivery. It will not be assigned on these days.
• Greeters should be assisting at CSD when the desk gets busy.
• Staff should be communicating with one another about their duties.
• P. Fonseca discussed the book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni and outlined the five dysfunctions: absence of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability, inattention to results. Recommended that staff read it.