July 2016 Staff Meeting Notes

Meeting Notes

Kashmere/Lakewood Grouping

July 18, 2016

In attendance:
Melissa Ryans (Manager)
Jose Santoyo (Assistant Manager)
Juan Lopez (Senior Customer Service Clerk)
Twanna Wade (Senior Customer Service Clerk)
Linda Adams (Customer Service Clerk)
Ann Perry (Customer Service Clerk)
Karl Beck (Library Assistant)
Dee Hunter (Library Assistant)
Joseph Asberry (Customer Service Clerk, Part-time)
Alena Lee (Customer Service Clerk, Part-time)
Ana Santana (Customer Service Clerk, Part-time)

Not in attendance:

Dionne McLaughlin (Senior Library Service Specialist)

Topics:

Managers Meeting

In-house Discussion

First Topic: Managers Meeting

Link to June 2016 Managers Meeting Notes

Handouts from Meeting

• Helena Stokes is the Assistant Chief at Central. Curator Danielle Wilson is now manager of Gregory School.
• Dominick Spinelli is the new manager at Jungman Neighborhood Library.
• CE Administration will be sending out an email regarding staff interest in working at Jungman. Similar emails will be sent regarding Blue Ridge and Young (the new building is twice the size of the old building). 
• Locations must be staffed using current staffing levels. There are no additional funds for staffing.
• Staff will see HOPE pay increase on the July 22nd pay check. 
• For information regarding the pay scale and how to calculate the change per hour, please refer to this post.
• HEAR reviews for non-supervisory staff are due by July 31st. 
• Staff should start thinking about what they would like to see on their 2017-2018 HEAR plans and/or submit any suggestions for SMART goals. 
• The Customer Experience blog has a suggestion box for all employees that want to share their suggestions. 
• There will be staff appreciation fund for the new fiscal year. Details to follow.
• Please be vigilant about the permanently banned customers (there are two; both branches have the notices posted in the workroom). Familiarize yourself with their pictures. If you see them, alert a supervisor. Do not give them new library cards or give them permission to use the facilities.
• United Way will be donating refrigerators to locations participating in the Summer Food Program. Details to follow.
• HISD and HPL are getting closer to finalizing details regarding the new Learning Link cards that will be going out to HISD students and employees. 
• Mandatory training for juvenile staff and mangers will take place at their respective meetings in August.
• This grouping will have an in-house training for all staff. 
• Digital Strategies
• New reservation system is being piloted at Central
• New system interacts with Sirsi
• New system will link the PIN in Sirsi to the computer/library card number (so the PIN in Sirsi will be the PIN for the reservation system)
• Computer cards will have to be renewed
• There is an automatic time extension for customers if two computers or more are available.
• Staff can send messages to customers at computers, and customers can send messages to staff from their computers.
• Old passwords will not work, and it will take 1 day for changes to be updated in the new system. Staff will have to use guest passes until the change takes effect.
• DS is considering transitioning from computer cards to guest pass numbers written on strips of paper (staff would provide on to customers - would work for 1 day)
• Customers will have to enter card number plus PIN to reserve station
• Computers will reboot after a customer signs out
• There will now be a five minute wait between each session on the express computer.
• New system will show reservations that were not accepted or logged in as "No Shows" (should help when customers claim they were skilled or that staff deleted their reservation)
• In the new system, staff should not make the reservation for customers. Print out a guest pass and redirect customers to kiosk and assist them with logging on.
• Customers can no longer select a specific computer.
• Looking into laptop dispensers; RFP for new printing contract includes request for system to accept credit/debit cards
• Looking to have scanners that will scan documents to USBs
• Looking to have Windows 10 on public terminals but will not have the Windows 10 display (e.g., tabs, cards, store, etc.)
• Youth Services
• Staff should have back-up programs in place in case SRP performer is a no-show.
• Remember: do not award group prizes. 
• Group prizes are packaged by Central; we do not distribute the prizes we have at our locations because then we would have nothing for individual kids. Twanna and Dionne communicate this information to Youth Services.
• For groups (schools, daycares, community centers, etc.) refer to Twanna or Dionne. If they are not available, take a message that includes contact name, phone number, and date
• You can also get a supervisor so we can speak with the group
• Remember to award programs/activity prizes in Evanced.
• Library Foundation
• Houston Public Library Foundation: vote on Charity Navigator so that they can be rated by the company.
• Looking for impact and outcome statements from customers.
• If a customer comes to you saying that they found a job or they accomplished something because of the assistance you provided, see if they would be willing to go on the record with it.
• Get the customer's name and contact information and provide me or Jose with the information so that we can kick it up the chain of command.
• The foundation is looking at having people participate in Amazon Smile, which donates a percentage of purchase costs to a charitable organization (in this case, it would be the foundation).

Second Topic: In-House Discussion

• Reminder; There are new Flip Kit procedures. Be sure you are checking out returned Flip Kits to the KAS-REFURB or LAK-REFURB accounts before sending them to CMH. 
• For information about the procedure, please view this blog post: New Flip Kit Procedures
• Reminder: There are also new discard procedures. Please make sure to review these procedures before discarding any items. You can find the procedures here. 
• Summer Food: Due to high program attendance at on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, staff should order 34 lunches and 34 snacks on these dates. On Thursday, staff should order 24 lunches and 34 snacks.
• KAS: Please make sure the plug for the iPad kiosk is inserted securely and fully.
• Wellness and Floating Holiday: Wellness hours have to be used by August 31st or you will lose them. Floating Holiday requests must be submitted 30 days in advance. They need to be used by December 31st.