Staff Meeting Minutes 7/29/2016

Monthly Meeting Agenda 7/29/2016

        I.            Managers Meeting Notes

a.       New Positions opening at Blue Ridge soon. There will be a WIC Clinic in location.

b.      Language Access Plan

                                                               i.      We have an obligation under federal law to provide access to all patrons regardless of the language they speak.

                                                             ii.      The new Language Line allows us to receive immediate live translation for a nominal cost, including Spanish. Attempts should be made to use in staff personal first before moving to Language Line and the number is not to be shared with the public.

                                                            iii.      Bilingual staff will be asked to report on the frequency they use their second language at work and in what roles. (Outreaches, story times, programs, reference etc) If selected for an official bilingual position, you will be asked to take a proficiency test before you get bilingual pay.

c.       New Communication Guidelines

                                                               i.      All programs must be put into Evanced three months in advance with an end goal of working toward a 12 to 18 month calendar.

                                                             ii.      We will be losing the Crafts, Book Clubs, and Health and Fitness flyers but retaining the Computer Class flyers.

                                                            iii.      We will have Evergreen flyers that are available all year promoting library services such as our online databases, ebooks, and job labs.

                                                           iv.      Communications will promote three events a month per branch and the sooner we select the events the more promotion they can do. (Print, e-newsletter, social media)

d.      Youth Services Update

                                                               i.      Learning Link training is on August 12^th Youth Meeting. All Youth Services employees must attend. If you cannot attend we need to know now to make arrangements to schedule you for the next Manager’s Meeting.

                                                             ii.      End of Summer Reading is officially July 31^st. The bike will be selected on August 2^nd and we will be asked to send in our remaining prizes around the start of school. We can allow customers to redeem prizes up to that point but we will not be logging anymore books. However if someone insists they read the books before the July 31^st and just couldn’t log them we can make an exception but those will not go toward the bike.

e.      Digital Strategies Update

                                                               i.      Hotspots and Notebook checkouts are being piloted at select locations and are potentially coming to all locations.

                                                             ii.      It will be possible to request a hotspot for in house use for example, taking kids on a Pokemon Go! Tour of the neighborhood.

      II.            Branch Business

a.       Two New Hire Part Time CSC start 8/8/16 Eugene Rodriguez and Charneice Gayle. There is still one Part Time CSC to hire which is posted now. Brittany and Yadira's will report to work at their new branches on 8/13/2016

b.       Brandon’s position for Librarian III is now posted and its close date is 8/6/2016. So hopefully we will have that position filled soon.

c.       We will no longer be allowed to do homework at work unless we are on one of our two fifteen minute breaks or our lunch. This includes when we are on the desk or times we have finished shelving or other tasks.

                                                               i.      I will be working with the new manager or assistant manager to share tasks that will cut down on the boredom, develop staff skills and make best use of our time. 

d.      Back to school is approaching and we will be taking a more proactive approach to After School Zone. We will still strive to give children the opportunity to follow rules but we will no longer tolerate fake fighting either inside the library or in the parking lot as it has led to too many actual fights. Similarly we will send students home for cursing, excessive noise, or running in and out of the building.

                                                               i.      We will try to collect as many parent’s phone numbers as they come to pick up their kids so that we have someone to call other than the police when kids refuse to leave or are involved in an incident.

                                                             ii.      Neshia and Shine have found clarification for the After School Zone policies and found there are no official rules for them and that existing library rules are to be followed. They have reached out to see how other branches have gone about enforcing these policies consistently to share the best practices at Pleasantville.

    III.            Suggestions

a.       Shine made a request for better communication with regards to scheduling changes. Drew will email, call, or directly speak with any staff member when making schedule changes going forward.

Meeting Minutes 5/6/2016

     II.        The meeting was held at the Tuttle Neighborhood Library Friday May 6, 2016 at 8:30 AM.

1.       Brandon began by announcing the newest member of HPL and our new International Services Manager, Helen Cho.

a.       We reviewed the ISpeak Houston sign and how to help a customer identify which language they speak so that we can connect them to the appropriate translator.

b.      Brandon introduced the new Language Line Service that allows for quicker connection to translators through a City Only connection service. We reviewed the flow chart to determine when it is appropriate to connect a customer. Brandon emphasized that this service costs the library .30 to .50 a minute and that there currently is no line item in the budget for it, so we should only use it when there are no other translators available and never give the number out to the public.

2.       Brandon shared the newReservation System Video link 

3.       We reviewed the policy for cell phones, computer and internet use while on the desk.

a.       Cell phones are to be left in the back room or in your pocket on vibrate if you go out to the floor. In the case of an emergency, you can check your phone, but you need to be able to leave the desk first to do it.

b.      Homework is not to be done on the clock.

c.       Internet is provided for business use. The internet may be used for personal use on break, but not on the front desk.

4.       We covered the advice given by HR on applying for jobs internally and clearly answering the supplemental questions. Specifically listing all customer service experience instead of just the experience at HPL and selecting the highest level of education achieved on the dropdown list even if you have achieved a higher level than is available to select. This will prevent applications being declined that could have otherwise gone forward.

5.       We reviewed the severe weather policy and insured that everyone had the emergency hotline number in their phones. Brandon clarified that when the library is shut down due to flooding, only people assigned to work that day get paid, not people on sick days, vacations or unscheduled employees. We also reviewed the form to be filled out upon returning from a major storm.

    III.            We discussed Council Member Cisnero’s visit to Tuttle.

1.       Cisnero is very passionate about education and technology and has a number of ideas for Tuttle including paid interns to teach computer classes this summer, the possibility of getting the Community Engagement Mobile Computer Lab to visit, and other potential ongoing programs.

    IV.            We confirmed that everyone that will be working at Tuttle during the Summer Food Program has already completed or signed up for the Food Training Course. We have three remaining employees signed up for the course on next Thursday.

      V.            We opened the floor to discussion but no one had any comments or ideas.

Kronos for the pay period 5/7 - 5/20

Tony Goodwyn, the manager of Ring/Hillendahl will be doing KRONOS for all of you this coming pay period.

Any problems/questions/etc. need to be referred to him.

His numbers are

3-1962 and 3-2007

His email is tony.goodwyn@houstontx.gov

Please let him know about any problems that occur.

Thanks,
Brandon Pope

Cisneros @ TUT

Hello everyone,

There has been a change in the schedule.

Council Member Cisneros is going to be touring Tuttle on Thursday the 28th at 4:30.

Thanks,
Brandon

Cisneros @ Tuttle

Council Member Cisneros will be going to Tuttle on May the 2nd at 2:00.

She has another appointment at 3:30, so I don't think that she will be able to stay very long.

Please help me make the building as attractive as possible for her visit!

Thanks,
Brandon

While I'm gone

Hello everyone,

As I told everyone at the staff meeting, I will be out all next week on vacation.

There have been a few scheduling changes to reflect this.  Please be sure to check the schedule closely.  Those who I've asked to work a slightly different schedule should see it reflected on our webpage.  If there are any problems that you notice, please let Drew know immediately.

Additionally, several people will be out next week.

Pedro will be out all week so address any queries that would normally go to him to the NL office at 32707.

Drew will be out on Saturday.  In his place, Neisha will be at TUT.  Jeremy is at PLE as normal this Saturday.  They are each going to be in charge of their respective buildings.  If there are any issues they cannot handle, please call the Neighborhood Library office at 3-2707.

Monday will be Neisha and Jennifer with a sub from Kashmere Gardens.  Rosa is out that day.

Finally, Wendy will be out on Wednesday.

I've asked John Merullo to handle our KRONOS issues while I'm gone.  He is the manager of VIN/BLU and his numbers are 3277/32129.  If it's an issue that does not need immediate attention, it can probably wait until I return on 3/21.

ANY CHANGES TO SCHEDULE (Sick Days, late Arrivals, etc.) PLEASE EMAIL ME SO I CAN KEEP TRACK AND MAKE THE ADJUSTMENTS IN KRONOS NEXT WEEK!!!!!

Next week should be fairly quiet at PLE since it is Spring Break, but will probably be a little busier at TUT.

Thanks everyone and I'll see you when I return,
Brandon

Meeting Minutes 3/10/2016

The meeting was held at the Pleasantville Neighborhood Library Thursday March 10, 2016 at 10:15 AM.

1.      Brandon began by covering announcements from the Manager’s Meeting

a.       Brandon shared the updates to the Budget. The Mayor asked the Library to submit a proposal for a potential 5-7% budget cut in FY17. For HPL that equals approximately $1.9 - $2.2 million. The plan Dr. Lawson proposed takes those funds from others areas, and not personnel.  At the Library-sponsored event on 2/13 featuring author Will Haygood, it was encouraging to hear Mayor Turner say very publicly he would not balance the City’s budget on the backs of children. He believes the Library is a partner in education, and that it serves young people in our community in a very positive way.  We should have some more information about the budget in the next few weeks, and when we have more information we will share it with all staff. 

b.      Concealed Carry Signs have arrived at Pleasantville and Tuttle to be put in front of the door before any School Sponsored Event stating that weapons are not permitted in the building during the event.

                                                              i.      For Pleasantville this covers our two storytimes with the first and second graders but NOT our After School Zone. We currently do not have any School Sponsored Events at Tuttle.

                                                            ii.      Staff discussed the Open Carry Law asking for clarification on how it applies to staff and other rules. We clarified that staff must keep their weapons locked in their car and decided to repost the Open Carry Law and FAQ on the blog.

                                                          iii.      We shared the good news that since the Open Carry Law has been in effect, we have had no incidents come as a result of it. Seeing as people should be most likely to test out the boundaries of the law after is just passed, we are optimistic that this will continue to be a non-issue at the library.

c.       Brandon covered the changes to the Discard Process. New Stamps have arrived that say “Friends of the Houston Public Library”. All items in good condition are stamped with this and boxed up for sale. All items that are damaged are stamped with “Discard” and boxed up as Discards. The exception is items with yellow spine labels as they are leased and we send them to LMS.

d.      Brandon confirmed that the trainings for Lynda Library and Cyber Security had been completed by everyone. Only Yadira had yet to receive a Cyber Security email invite.

e.        Brandon updated everyone on the Digital Strategies Report.

                                                              i.      Digital Strategies is also working on updating the entire network; replacing equipment across the system, physical and wireless.  They are working with AT &T to get a new network that is more responsive to our bandwidth needs. 

                                                            ii.      Maurice Williams has returned to Digital Strategies from City ITD. 

                                                          iii.      Rick’s team continues to explore paper/printing solutions.  Ricoh copy machines will be giving a demo to see if they are a good match. 

                                                          iv.      The HELPDESK is getting a major reorg for better customer service.  Please continue to report issues to them and be more pro-active in reporting possible problems. 

                                                            v.      Digital Strategies is still working on the online registration process.  The matter is with Legal on what the proposed guidelines will be.  Saima will be helping with the transition.

f.       Brandon shared the announcement of our New HPL Foundation Director,  Sally Swanson

                                                              i.      Sally started on 1/4/16 and has a 20 year background in fundraising.  She worked previously with the Girl Scouts.  She sees herself as a link between donors and our programs.  She is an advocate for HPL and her goal is to raise money for us. 

                                                            ii.      She will seek opportunities for communities to learn what we do.  One big way she sees that staff can help her is by sharing stories of impact. She recognizes that frontlines staff see how the library is making a difference in our customer’s lives every day, and she wants to hear those stories so she can share them with potential funders.  Staff can send your stories to Laurie and she’ll share them with Sally. 

g.      Brandon announced the new Customer Services Review Program

                                                              i.      It is designed to survey and report general customer satisfaction levels and establishes a baseline for customer service. It also allows us to work toward continuous improvement. This evaluation program begins shortly, and will be spearheaded by the Organizational Development department.

                                                            ii.       It’s based on the HPL Way, and it measures the five expected behaviors covered in this core training: smile, make eye contact, use the customer’s name, thank them for visiting, and use a pleasantry to close the interaction.  Brandon asked the staff if they remembered the HPL way and went around the table with everyone contributing to state the five ways.

                                                          iii.      Volunteers will pose as customers and visit locations online, in-person, and by phone.  They will evaluate the service they receive by answering a short online survey and will be asked for suggestions.  This will be an opportunity to get more feedback and the overall findings will be posted for all staff to see.

                                                          iv.      The outcomes will spur improvements, but will not be used against someone’s individual performance, location ranking, or used to provide incentives or demerits. 

2.      Brandon moved on to upcoming Branch Business

a.       Brandon began by opening discussion on how to spend the Staff Appreciation Money.

                                                              i.      There was a lot of interest among staff about buying Kuerig Machines, with the understanding that staff would be paying for their own cups.

                                                            ii.      Brandon invited people to spend the next week thinking of ideas and to email him with suggestions or areas they did not want to see the money spent on. He offered anonymity for anyone shy about nixing a popular idea.

b.      Brandon stressed the importance of as many staff members as possible being trained for the Summer Lunch Program. We need everyone that works Tuesday and Wednesday at Tuttle to be trained and enough for coverage in case of staff shortages. We passed out the dates of the classes to everyone and urged them to sign up soon.

c.       Brandon shared the exciting news of the Harriet Dixon Reynolds training day. Drew, Jeremey, and Neshia were all invited to attend in the day long staff training event.         

d.      Brandon covered the staffing changes during Spring Break to bolster Tuttle during his vacation. As the kids are out of school, Pleasantville will be much slower and can easily accommodate the changes.

3.      Brandon finished the meeting by opening the floor to the staff, who took the opportunity to welcome back Shine and to thank each other for always pitching in to help when a team member needs it. The meeting ended at 11:00 AM