Open Enrollment

Open Enrollment for benefits started on Monday March 16.

This is an active enrollment system.  Every full time employee must log on and make the decisions they would like.

 NOTHING IS CARRIED OVER FROM LAST YEAR!!!

Please check your email for this important matter.

Thanks,
Brandon

Next week

A reminder -

I will be unavailable from Saturday through Wednesday of next week.  I will be back at my regular time on Thursday.

If you can wait for an answer, please send me an email and I'll respond when I return.  If it is an emergency, either call Tula, Pedro, or if neither is available, call the Neighborhood Library Administration line.

Thanks!
Brandon

Friday, March 6 staff meeting Notes

 Staff Meeting

March 6, 2015

Place: Tuttle

Attendance: Brandon, Tula, Jeremy, Rosa, Nadine, Wendy, and Courtnie

Absent: Brittany

1)      Manager’s meeting information:

a)      Houston’s Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO)- We cannot stop someone from using the restroom based upon their outward appearance of gender. Anyone can use the restroom of their choice to which they identify with. If another patron starts to become disruptive about someone using a restroom, then we need to call security or police on the one causing the disruption. If someone wants to question or bring up the fact that the ordinance is in the courts then staff are encouraged to use the Executive Order 1-50, this order is not in the courts and it also is about non-discriminatory restroom use.

b)      Staffing – Ashley is starting on the 16^th of March. We are also getting a full-time staff person from LMS on the 18^th of March. We are still going to be getting a part-time replacement for Lori’s position but that will be at a later date. When the new staff start, Ashley will go to PLE and the LMS person will be primarily at Tuttle along with Jeremy, to help jump start the Juvenile program.

c)       Shelving consistency – The CE wants all the NLs to shelve the books identically. Right now they are starting with the concept books (shapes, colors, ABCs, 123s); they will need to be interfiled with the regular picture books. As of right now, Holiday books and other special sections, can stay separated until further notice.

i)        Quick Note: Josh Norris has resigned from GSD security. If he does come into the library, please remember to treat him courteous and just like any other patron. He just is no longer a City Employee.

d)      Incident Reports – I, Tula, will start to pass out training guides for incident reports. I will send a scanned copy of what an incident report should look like. It is requested that anyone who witnesses an incident should make a report; do not just delegate it to the highest person. Since most of the staff isn't used to writing incident reports, I will come up with a weekly example and send it to everyone which then people will write up a mock report for me and Brandon to see only as practice. This way when something does happen, you will all know what to do and can simply send it in; especially if we both might be out of the office for a few days.

e)      Comment Forms – all the previous comment forms that are printed up and stored at the front desk(s) need to be recycled. The new and updated comment forms can be downloaded and printed from the reference guide on the intranet. When filling out the forms be sure the “Staff Comment” portion is filled out. Find out from the patron if they want to be contacted and if so how; this information is what you would put in the staff portion, yes, they want to be contacted; no, they do not want to be contacted. Forms need to be viewed by the manager first unless they are out on vacation will not return in a timely manner, then they can be sent on to admin. Comment forms can be scanned and emailed to Pedro, if you send it into CE then please send it to Yolanda and label it as Comment Form on the envelope; otherwise it will remain on the desk unopened for a while. Also remember that if the comment is about IT, then you can call IT immediately and just find out if something can be done or not; it does not have to wait for an admin. This would also go into the staff comment area, information about what you did to help remedy the situation. 

2)      Customer Service Minute:

a)      Attitude @ the Desk – Everyone is doing a good job, haven’t heard of a compliant about anyone being too mean or rude to customers.

b)      Eye Contact – Just remember that eye contact is important. Making eye contact with a patron means you are paying attention to them and hearing them. When it comes to answering the phones, where you cannot make eye contact, remember that the tone of your voice can be your eyes. If you sound pleasant and cheerful they will probably be too. If you sound harsh or speak with an uninteresting tone they will probably think you are not wanting to help them. So even if they can’t see you smile when you are talking, even on the phone, it can be heard!

3)      Nuts and Bolts:

a)      Timing of Future Staff Meetings – Managers meetings have switched to the 4^th Friday of the month. So the staff meeting will be held the Friday after. Be aware of this when scheduling doctor appointments. Also, the managers meetings have started to include assistant managers as well, so Tula will now also be attending so that two people will be able to hear the news and report back what is going on.

b)      Missing Item List –Not all NL has been doing this, but is requested that all NL should start to do this if you are not already doing so. You can retrieve the missing list each Friday from the Reference section of the Intranet.

c)       Reshelving Project @ Tuttle – (Follow the guide that was handed out at the meeting)

d)      Shelf reading assignments – Once the shifting is completed and new staff have become adjusted, then assignments may change.

e)      Sick/Vacation/Dr. Appts – Just send in the requests on Kronos. There is a section for a message where you can leave Brandon a message if you need to explain in detail what you want to do about your hours or what is going on. You do not have to send in an email first to get permission to send in kronos.

f)       Cleaning up workrooms – Thanks to Nadine for cleaning up the safe room at Tuttle. Next is to start on the work areas and get those organized. Just remember to put things back where they belong so everything isn’t cluttered.

g)      Training – You may take Gale courses but they will not count the full 24 hours. You will only get 6 hours of training towards your total hours. Also, the all-day Staff development day training is mandatory for both full-time and part-time employees. This will take place on May 1^st, so start  to let Brandon know about schedules so it can be worked out.

h)      Flip Kits – Only one coupon for the CMH can be given out per survey per kit. If someone checks out 20 kits and returns 20 DIFFERENT surveys then they can receive 20 coupons. If someone checks out 1 kit (ex: for a daycare) and the person returns with 20 surveys for that 1 kit then they cannot get but 1 coupon. Remember that when a Flip Kit returns from checkout, that they must all be returned back to CMH no matter what. If it happens to have a hold on it for another branch, please tape the receipt to the side of the label without the barcode and send it off to CMH. They will replenish it and then send it to the proper location.

i)        FYI -  If there is ever a shortage of $10 or more in the cash drawer, the police have to be notified. Do not lose the credit card receipts that the patron signs; and if someone wants to make a payment over the phone, we do not offer that service BUT WE CAN transfer them to CIRC ADMIN and they will take the payment. 

Service animals

Hello,

There have been some inquiries about service animals in the library.

Here is the official sheet about what is allowed.

http://www.ada.gov/service_animals_2010.htm

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Brandon