Chief of Central Services & Happy New Year

Greetings,

Just a quick note to share some information. As I have shared in meetings and e-mails, my role at HPL is changing. Instead of solely being responsible for Central Services, I have taken on additional responsibilities that currently include two areas.

The first is working closely with the Deputy Director of Public Services and serving as a member of the Executive Leadership Team. The second area is to function as the leader of the HPL Transformation Team. As part of the latter, I am also responsible for all locations involved in implementing the new service model that has been shared with staff. Currently, this includes Vinson, Blue Ridge, and Bracewell. However, in the coming months, it is possible that more locations may be added to this list.

I regret that these duties have prevented me from being as present at CEN as I have been in the past. However, I am confident that Paty, Sandy, and Bea are doing an exceptional job running things in my absence. I would like to stress that even though I am taking on more responsibilities, I still value input from staff at all levels and, while it might be hard to catch me in my Central office, I make it a priority to respond to calls or e-mails from staff at all levels with concerns, questions, etc.

Finally, Happy New Year!! I regret that I got so busy that I did not post a message wishing everyone a Happy Holiday but was quite happy to have made it to the holiday party and white elephant gift exchange.

You are all doing an outstanding and invaluable job. I just want to thank you all for that. And again, Happy New Year!

Thanks,

Mike VC

Visit for Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County

Greetings,

On December 8th, we will have visitors from the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County in North Carolina. They will be visiting many location with ELT and other staff. In the afternoon between 2 and 3:30 PM, they will be touring the Central Library and Technical Services. Paty and I will be leading the tour. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks,
Mike VC

Incelement Weather - December 4th

Greetings,

As many of you know, it is looking more and more like there may be winter precipitation tomorrow. A Winter Storm Watch and Freeze Warnings have been issued for area counties, including Harris, until noon on Friday. Please tune into local news stations for information concerning weather conditions and any potential closings. Also, you can call the HPL Emergency Line (832.393.1550) for status updates. If weather conditions prevent you from reporting to work, please contact your immediate supervisor as soon as possible. Also, your managers may be contacting today to ensure they have correct contact information.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks,

Mike Van Campen

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Greetings all,

I regret that I was unable to make it to yesterday's Thanksgiving meal/party. I did want to post a quick message expressing my ongoing appreciation of all the hard work that staff at Central do everyday in an often challenging environment. You are all quite amazing and your dedication is to be commended. I sincerely hope that everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving and a restful few days off of work.

Thanks,
Mike VC

Food Issue at CEN

Greetings,

I want to share with staff that your concerns about food at CEN have been heard. I have been working with administration on the need to change current practices at CEN. They have agreed to support that decision. This is not a change to policy but to practices here at CEN. According to policy, food "may" be permitted in a library if there is a "designated area". Because Inversion and Teens sell food, we have to continue to allow food in some "designated areas". I am working with Paty and Beatrice to come up with new practices in this area. It may very well be that food is limited to Teens and Inversion, which would realistically mean no outside food. We are hoping to implement the changes fairly soon and will share exact details with all staff and security prior to any changes.

The one bit I would add to this is that we will continue to follow the policy on beverages, which does not permit the flexibility that the food portion of the policy does. As a reminder, it states "the consumption of non-alcoholic beverages in covered containers is permitted at all library locations except HMRC."

Look for more information and implementation details on this change in the coming weeks.

Thanks,
Mike VC

Sorting Room Access

Greetings,

We are trying to work on ensuring that all staff who need it have access to the sorting room. If you need access to the sorting room and currently do not have it with your card, please send your name and id number to Yolanda. She is working on a list to submit again to try to get access.

Thanks,

Mike VC

All Staff Meetings

Greetings,

We will be holding meetings for all Central Service next week. These will be informational meetings where we will discuss changes to the reporting structure at Central. An e-mail should be coming out before the meeting sharing the basic details. The meetings will primarily be open meetings to discuss the new arrangements and other questions. There will be two meetings held; all staff should work with their manager to attend one of the meetings if they wish. Here is the information for the meetings:

• Tuesday, October 27 - 2:30 pm to 4 pm - Concourse Meeting Room
• Thursday, October 29 - 2:30 to 4 pm - Concourse Meeting Room

I look forward to seeing folks at these meetings, sharing information, and answering questions.

Thanks,

Mike Van Campen

Apologies and Moving Forward

Greetings,

Just wanted to offer a quick apology for not updating this blog frequently. I have been extremely busy with duties related to the Transformation Team and other responsibilities. It is looking like these duties will continue to occupy most of my time. As such, I am working with the managers to develop a plan for Central moving forward. I will share this as it develops.

Thanks,

Mike VC

Free Library of Philadelphia Remains Open!

I don't know if everyone has been following the saga in Philadelphia. To fill everyone in, Philadelphia, like many other cites, is facing serious budget issues. Their situation was so severe that they had begun plans for shutting down every single one of their libraries at the beginning of October. This closure would have impacted all locations, all employees, and all programs and services. Fortunately, over 2,000 customers of the library wrote to legislatures urging that they do whatever they had to in order to keep the libraries open. Last week, by a vote of 32 to 17, the Pennsylvania State senate passed a bill that will keep the Free Library of Philadelphia system open--sparing the jobs of 3,000 employees and preventing a complete closure.

This is fantastic news for the entire library community. I wanted to share this bit of good news amidst the daily--at times, it feels almost hourly--stories of libraries facing budget cuts, hour changes, lay-offs, furloughs, etc.

Great Work! CEN Shows Huge Gains in All Statistical Areas

Greetings,

Our stats from August, usually one of our slowest months, continue to show unprecendented gains with close to 20% (or higher) gains in nearly every category when compared to the same month last year.

Library Visitors: 77,423 - This works out to roughly 250 people every hour that we were open in August.

Circulation:

• August 2008: 92,581
  
• August 2009: 115,123
  
• Increase of 24%

Computer Users

• August 2008: 21,989
  
• August 2009: 26,131
• Increase of 19%

Program Attendance

• August 2008: 2,430
  
• August 2009: 3,597
• Increase of 48%

Reference Questions

• August 2008: 15,588
  
• August 2009: 20,314
  
• Increase of 30%

Directional Questions

• August 2008: 16,534
• July 2008: 23,641
• Increase of 43%

These amazing gains continue to reflect the hard work of an extremely dedicated staff. I cannot thank staff enough for the continuing hard work that you all do every day.

Sincerely,

Mike VC

TLA District 8 Fall Meeting

Greetings,

As many of you know, the TLA District 8 Fall Meeting is fast approaching. It will be held Saturday, October 17th at the University of Houston at Sugarland. Here is more information from Linda Stevens, the Chair of District 8:

Registration for the TLA District 8 Fall Meeting at the University of Houston Sugar Land is now available online through the link below.

http://www.txla.org/html/dist/distmtg.html

This year’s meeting, “Don’t Miss the Bus: 21^st Century Library Skills” will begin with registration from 7:30 – 8:30, followed by the general session, with YA and women’s fiction and mystery author Susan McBride. Morning presentations will be from 9:45 – 10:45 and 11:00 – 12:00, then lunch and the final group of presentations from 1:00 – 2:00. We have speakers from a wide variety of libraries presenting on a wide variety of topics.

If you are planning to attend or present at the event, please inform your manager and the Chief of Central Services by Wednesday, September 23.

Thank you,

Mike VC

Compliment for Telephone Reference! Great Job!

Greetings,

In recognition of outstanding work from our TR staff, I wanted to share this nice message that Alice Depot, manager of the Hillendahl Neighborhood Library, sent to me:

Hi, Just wanted to let you know what a good job your crew in telephone reference is doing. Yesterday, I went to Apria Healthcare. The lady who helped me came into the room saying, You’re a Librarian. I just love that telephone reference you all have. I know the number by heart I call it so much…713-236-1313. Any questions anyone has I just call 713-236-1313 and get my answer right away. It’s great! So of course I said thank you, I’m glad you like the service. So, kudos to your staff. Alice

Keep up the great work! It is truly appreciated!

Thanks,

Mike VC

Staff Appreciation and September Birthday Party

Greetings,

We will be hosting a monthly Staff Appreciation/Birthday in September. Here are the details:

Tuesday, September 29 from 2:00PM-4:00 PM in Program Place

Hiawatha and Yolanda are looking for volunteers to bring chips, dips or refreshments to our festivity. I will be providing cake, plates, etc. Please email Yolanda Anguiano if you would like to contribute.

There will be fun, food, gaming, and music. I'm looking forward to playing some Rock Band. Who wants to join me?

Thanks,

Mike VC

Meetings w/ Chief

Greetings,

It is extremely important to me that I continue to hold meetings with all staff. I learn a great deal from those meetings. Unfortunately, with my new role at Marston, I am going to have to work out a different day and time to hold these meetings. Under the old scheme, those meetings would have been held today and yesterday. I am unfortunately not available during those times. I will be working on rescheduling for a regular day and time while I am serving in my dual capacity.

In the meantime, I want to encourage staff to come by or send me any ideas or suggestions they have for better serving customers or functioning more efficiently. I also want to let everyone know that we will be launching some staff appreciation initiatives (low-cost, of course) in the coming weeks in order to show folks how much they are appreciated. Along those lines, any suggestions you have would be greatly appreciated as well.

As always, thanks for all your commitment and hard work,

Mike VC

PLA Reminder

Greetings,

As related in e-mails from Paty Bustamante and Regina Stemmer while I was out last week, I just wanted to quickly remind anyone interested in attending PLA in Portland needs to have their Supplemental Questionaire submited to me before close of business today (open of business tomorrow also works). Tomorrow afternoon, the Chiefs will be working with the Deputy Director of Public Services to make decisions on these forms. If you have any questions, please call or e-mail me; I will be checking e-mail and have my Blackberry (713.303.1974) this evening.

Thanks,

Mike VC

Weekly Schedule

Greetings,

Although things may change as projects and issues arise, here is a rough draft of my schedule for the next several months:

• Monday-Tuesday - Marston
• Wednesday-Thursday - Central
• Friday - Marston

I do have a phone in my office at Marston. It is the same number as my office at Central (832.393.1371). I am able to pick it up no matter which office I am in.

Thanks,

Mike Van Campen

Chief of Central Services - Temporary Assignment

Greetings,

Beginning this Monday, I will be spending part of my time officed in the Marston building. I will be assisting the Deputy Director of Public Services with some important projects. I will continue to function as Chief of Central Services in addition to these duties. We have not worked out my schedule yet but I will be spending some portion of the week at Marston and the remaining portion at Central. Since I will not be able to devote as much time to Central duties as before, I will be handing off some duties, primarily those dealing with operations, to Paty Bustamante. We are in the process of establishing exactly which duties she will be responsible for and which I will retain. I will post that information once it is established. There will be a phone installed in my office at Marston; once I have that number I will share it here.

Thanks,
Mike VC

Great Job - July 09 Edition

Greetings,

I know I shared stats and the impressive increases seen during the fiscal year. However, there are even more impressive increases to be seen when we compare this July to last July, which--as you will remember--was one of the busiest on record. Here are some sample stats:

Library Visitors: 81,501 - This works out to roughly 280 people every hour that we were open in July.

Circulation:

• July 2008: 99,920
  
• July 2009: 116,447
  
• Increase of 17%

Reference Questions

• July 2008: 17,152
  
• July 2009: 19,748
  
• Increase of 15%

Directional Questions

• July 2008: 17,296
• July 2009: 22,744
• Increase of 31%

Computer Users

• July 2008: 22,877
  
• July 2009: 27,876
• Increase of 22%

These numbers reflect an impressive increase that is only possible as the result of everyone's hard work. Quite impressive!

Thank you all for the hard work you do every day. Look for some upcoming staff parties to celebrate your hard work.

Mike VC

Chief on Vacation

Greetings,

I will be out on vacation from August 19 through August 24. The following managers will be in charge of Central Services in my absence:

• Wednesday, August 19 - Mary Frances Townsend
• Thursday, August 20 - Beatrice Temp
• Friday, August 21 - Mary Frances Townsend
• Monday, August 24 - Patricia Bustamante

Thanks and have a wonderful day,

Mike VC

Great Job!! - FY 2009 Results of Goals and Objectives Reflect Your Hard Work

Greetings,

I wanted to share with everyone some of the final outcomes of our goals and objective for the recently expired fiscal year. As you will see, theses reflect a staff that has been incredibly busy and surpassed our expectations for our first year post-reopening.

• Circulation: Objective was set at 1,000,000 items circulated at Central; we actually circulated 1,115,196 items, which is over 3,000 items every day!
• Customer Visits: Objective was set at 410,000 customers for FY09; we actually had 676,161 which works out to an average of close to 2,000 people every day we were open.
• Programs: Objective set at offering programs that attract 15,000 customers; we nearly doubled this with an annual program attendance of 28,473.
• Computer Users: Objective was set at 205,000 computer uses in FY09; we hosted a total of 286,907 computer users.

These are a quick sample. I will share the annual results page as soon as it is finalised. In the meantime, I will share that we met and exceeded all of our objectives except a few that were unknowns given the newness of the building; coming in under the established objective had more to do with me overestimating setting these measures than anything else.

And, as an indication that we are only getting busier and helping more people, total circulation for July 2009 was 116,447, which represents a 17% increase over last July!

These are outstanding numbers and reflect a staff who is working incredibly hard to serve our customers. I owe you all a huge "thank you" for the amazing work you do every day.

Thanks!

Mike VC

A Few Updates

Greetings all,

Below are some updates on issues brought to my attention via the Issues blog or in person. Along those lines, I would suggest that if you have a question or issue that needs to be addressed by me, the fastest way to get a response is to come by my office, call me, or send an e-mail.

1. Study Rooms - Donna Joy has verified that keys are on their way. I have tapped Lisa and Allen to work on a plan for study room use. We are definitely limiting to two hours but are in the process of working out the details. You remember that I said it would be easy to develop a policy once we had keys. Well, I confess I spoke to soon. There are a few more challenges than I anticipated. Currently, we are going to look at the forthcoming program registration feature in III and see if that is an option. I will keep everyone posted on this.
2. 3rd Floor - The blue desk is being refinished and should be available soon. We have tested outlets for power and ensured LAN drops are present. Once the desk is complete, the blue desk (similar to what is in Teens) will be placed and the reservation station will be relocated to the side of the floor away from the reference desk. I do not have a firm date on when this will happen but am hoping it is done within the next three weeks.
3. Janitor Closets - PFD is working with the supervisors of the cleaning crews to see that they have keys to lock the closets. I will let you know once they have them.
4. Suspension List - Manny has worked hard to create a list of suspended customers. I have loaded the current version on the G drive in the "Central Security" folder. I am investigating other options on this as well.

And, as always, if you have any questions, concerns, or issue, do not hesitate to contact me or drop by my office.

Thanks,

Mike VC

Meetings with the Chief

Greetings,

We will be holding meetings for staff with the Chief next week. Here are the details:

• Monday, Aug 17 - 2:30 - 4:00 PM - LSSs to LIs - Program Place
• Tuesday, Aug 18 - 2:30 - 4:00 PM - LIIs to LIIS - Program Place

As we resume these meetings, they will have a similar format to previous meetings. There will be a brief information sharing/announcement period at the beginning. The majority of the meeting will be an open discussion with topics to be determined by attendees. I am interested in examining what I can do to make work as enjoyable as possible in light of current budget and staffing realities. I want to make sure I am doing everything I can to create an environment where both customers and staff feel welcome and appreciated. Also, if you cannot make it to the meeting or would like to chat ouside of the meeting, please do not hesitate to come by my office or give me a call; if I am unavailable, I will get back to you.

Thanks for all your hard work,

Mike VC

FIling Cabinets

Greetings,

We have received a limited number of filing cabinets. Since there were not enough for all staff to receive one, we have decided to distribute them to all Librarian (LI to LIII) staff. Mary Frances will be working with Jason Stephens to ensure these are properly distributed.

Thanks,

Mike VC

Waste Baskets for Staff in 455

Greetings,

We now have waste baskets for all staff in 455. To claim your basket, please come to the Chief's office. Yolanda has a sheet available that everyone will need to sign to indicate they have picked up a waste basket. A few things PFD would like me to share about these baskets:

• They are for paper only
• No liquids or food trash
• No liners should be used

That should be all. Feel free to come by and pick up your trash can at any time.

Thanks,

Mike VC

Welcome to Arthur Joseph Burchard!

Greetings,

I wanted to share that Central Library alums Chuck and Martha are now the proud parents of a baby boy. Here are the limited details I have at the moment:

Name: Arthur Joseph (A.J.) Burchard
Weight: 6 pounds, 15 ounces

Exciting news, indeed.

Mike VC

Staff Meetings with Chief

Greetings,

I am working on setting up monthly staff meetings with the Chief again in August. Due to scheduling and room conflicts, we had to cancel these meetings in recent months. I am working on finding a location and setting up new monthly dates for these meetings. Before I confirm anything, I would like to get some input from staff.

Should we continue holding these meetings with attendees divided by classification? Or, would it be preferable to invite all staff and schedule half for one meeting and half for the other? Either way, I will be having Yolanda attend the meetings and keep notes that will be posted here. Please feel free to share your input in the comments section.

Thanks,
Mike VC

Text Messaging Reference Service

Greetings,

HPL is currently participating in a cooperative pilot for delivering text messaging reference service. It is called InfoQuest. Our efforts are being headed up by our very own Paty Bustamante, Saima Kadir, and the exceptional CELS team. They will be sharing more information on the project as we proceed and a large publicity push will be coming in September. For now, you can find information at:

http://www.myinfoquest.info/

Information and a link to the service will soon be added to the Ask a Librarian section of HPL's Web site. While we are viewing this as a soft launch until the larger publicity push in September, it is perfectly alright (even encouraged) to share information about the service with customers.

I am also curious if anyone has any experiences to share (good or bad) with using existing services that answer questions--both those that charge a fee (e.g., kgb.com, Johnny27 (now defunct, I believe)) or those that are free (e.g., Google SMS, ChaCha). Please feel free to share via comments.

Thanks,

Mike VC

Skateboards this Saturday (8/8/09)

Greetings,

In order to accomodate the participants and attendees at this Saturday's Red Bull Manny Mania event, the library rule forbidding skateboards will be temporarily suspended for Saturday (8/8/09) only. While we are allowing skateboards in the building on this day, we do need to watch to ensure that no one uses their skateboards while in the building.

Thanks,

Mike VC

Manny Mania Event at Central Library - 8/8/2009 - 4:00 to 6:00 PM

Greetings staff,

Next Saturday, Houston Public Library will be hosting an event on the plaza. It is the Red Bull Manny Mania Skateboarding event and will run from 4 to 6 PM. For more information on the event, please go to the following Web site:
http://www.redbullskateboarding.com/events/manny_mania_2009/

This is being heavily promoted so we might start getting questions about this. One important thing to share with customers interested in the event is that the parking garage will close promptly at 6 PM, which might impact folks who want to stay for the entire event. We will post signs to this effect at the entrance to the garage and in the lobby.

Thanks,
Mike VC

Career Development Opportunity

Dr. Ling Hwey Jeng, Professor and Director of the School of Library and Information Studies at Texas Woman’s University will hold an informational meeting for HPL employees interested in learning more about the MLS program at TWU.

Date: Friday, August 7, 2009

Time: 9:00 – 10:30am

Location: Concourse Meeting Room, Central Library

No registration is necessary. For additional information visit the Inside HPL, health and career page:
https://hplnet.hpl.lib.tx.us/personal.html

If anyone is interested in this opportunity, please let your supervisor know. Everyone who would like to will be allowed to attend this session.

Thanks,

Mike VC

Microsoft Office 2007

Greetings,

Microsoft Office 2007 has been installed on all public computers at Central. This edition is quite different from others we have used. I brought this issue to IT and they have assured me that they will develop a solution to ensure that staff gain familiarity with the Office 2007. I will share details as I learn more.

In addition, I learned that staff terminals will be converted to Office 2007 once the City migrates all departments to the current version of Exchange (E-mail), which is slated to be completed before the end of the calendar year.

Thanks,

Mike VC

Humana Wellness Zone Kiosk

Greetings,

The Humana Wellness Zone Kiosk has been installed on the 2nd floor on the McKinney side of the building. This Kiosk is a station folks can go to to locate health information, such as diseases, medicines, health care, healthy living, etc. The Kiosk is dedicated to providing access to the Wellness Zone web page--which is also accessible from any computer and listed under databases on our Web page--and health/medical resources. Please spend a little time to familiarize yourself with this web page (http://wellzone.org/) and share this information with customers. Also, feel free to share opinions of the page and the kiosk with me (e.g., How does it compare to other similar databases and Web sites?; Is the kiosk used/useful for customers?, etc.)

In addition, there will be an event this Friday at 10:00 am in the same location at which the Humana Foundation and others will announce this project. This may generate interest in the Wellness Zone. So, we all need to be familiar with the resource.

Thanks once again for your dedication and hard work,

Mike VC

Excellent Program Celebrating HPL's 125th Anniversary as a Federal Depository Library

I just wanted to take the time to recognize the hard work that Cindy and Katie put in to this past weekend's celebration recognizing HPL's 125th anniversary as a Federal depository library. They have both been working tirelessly to ensure the success of the program and to promote Gov Docs at HPL. If you were not there or haven't heard, the event was an overwhelming success.

The thought and preparation that went into the event were evident in the carefully selected materials from our collection that highlighted the famous and unique treasures from this collection. Speeches from Meller Langford, Joe McClane from GPO, and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee all spoke knowledgeably about the Federal depository program and expressed gratitude for the commitment of HPL in general--and Cindy and her team in particular.

So, many "Congratulations" and "Thank Yous" go out to Cindy, Katie, and everyone who assisted with the event for making HPL look so good.

mvc

Program Place Chairs

Greetings,

I have received word from our Planning department that chairs are being removed from the Program Place and used for other purposes. I have been asked to stress to all staff that the green chairs and blue tables in the Program Place are to be used only in that room and should remain there at all times. I have been told that the reallocation of this furniture has been posing problems in having adequate seating for programs in the room.

Thank you,

Mike VC

Second Sunday

Greetings all,

How did our second Sunday under the new arrangement go? Please feel free to share any issues, concerns, problems, etc. so that we can work to address them and make Sundays run as smoothly as possible.

Thanks,
Mike VC

First Sunday

Greetings,

The first Sunday seemed to go alright. There were a few minor glitches and I did receive some suggestions for making things run more efficiently. I would suggest that if anyone has any concern, issues, or suggestions about this past Sunday or future Sundays, please let me know. I expect there will be a period of acclimating to the new set up for Sundays. I hope to use this time as an opportunity to make things run as smoothly as possible.

Thanks,
Mike VC

Twitter Article

Greetings,

Steven Johnson, a fantastic writer (opinion), has written a cover story or Time entitled "How Twitter Will Change the Way We Live". It makes for quite interesting reading. I would encourage folks to read and share observations. By the way, the description of the conference where many people in the room (and beyond) were using twitter to discuss is exactly similar to two excellent "Tech Trends" sessions I attended at ALA and PLA; the use of Twitter in these sessions completely transformed the sessions into a more participatory event.

Here is the link:
http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1902604-1,00.html

Thanks,
Mike VC

Bing - The new "Decision Engine" from Microsoft

Greetings

Microsft has officially launched their new search engine and Google competitor: Bing. Microsoft promotes it as a "Decision Engine" that is "a first step in moving beyond search to help make faster, more informed decisions." You can read more about Bing at:

http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2009/may09/05-28NewSearchPR.mspx

or

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bing_(search_engine)

I am curious to have library staff try it out and share their impressions.

mvc

Great Work!!

Greetings,

I just got the April 2009 report on comments, complaints, etc. from the Communications Division.  I am happy to share that we have the lowest number of customer service complaints since we re-opened.  There was only one complaint.  In comparison, we received three compliments for outstanding customer service in April 2009.  This is quite impressive.  I would not be surprised to see us get those complaints down to zero soon.  

Thank you all for the outstanding customer service you deliver day in and day out.  Aside from official comments, I hear overwhelmingly positive feedback about staff from folks who visit Central.  

Thanks again,

Mike VC

PLA Proposal Accepted - Congrats to CELS

Greetings,

A few months back several HPL staff members out together proposals for presentations at the Public Library Association conference to be held in Portland, Oregon in 2010.  We have recently received word that at least one proposal was accepted.  It was submitted by Central Services staff.  The proposal was drafted by Paty Bustamante and Saima Kadir.  It is a session entitled "Virtually Yours" that will focus on using free Web 2.0 resources to promote library services and programs and to reach segments of the population that seldom visit the physical library.

Congratulations to Paty and her team.  Outstanding work!

Mike VC

Red Shirts

Greetings,

If anyone is interested in purchasing more red shirts or smocks, they are available through the Business Office at Marston.  You are welcome to go to Marston to purchase shirts on work time.  However, we do ask that you notify your supervisor in advance of when you would like to go to Marston.  Your supervisor will either approve your request or look for a more convenient time for you to visit Marston.  This is necessary so that supervisors can ensure adequate levels of staffing and remain aware of where supervised staff are throughout the day.  Prices for shirts and smocks should be coming to the Intranet in the near future.

Thanks,

Mike VC

Funeral Arrangements for Diana Morales

Greetings all,

Below is information on funferal arrangements for Diana Morales:

Rosary service: Friday, 5/22/09 beginning at 7 pm Forest Park Funeral Home--Main Chapel 6900 Lawndale Houston, TX 77023

Church service: Saturday, 5/23/09 at 10 am Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church 4015Sherman Houston, TX 77003

Her obituary is in today’s Houston Chronicle and can be found online at:

http://www.legacy.com/houstonchronicle/DeathNotices.asp?Page=Lifestory&PersonId=127538148

Sincerely,

Mike VC

Phone and MetroLift

Greetings,

A while back, a decision was made to not provide a phone for use by the public.  This remains the case.  However, an instance has emerged where we need to make exceptions and accommodate folks by making a call for them or allowing them to use a staff phone.  This is when someone needs to call MetroLift.  Since we no longer have a pay phone and there are very few near us, we do need to place a call for the customer in this instance.  Unless someone is able to call MetroLift to come pick them up, they will have a difficult time getting a ride from the library.  The rule stands that we do not have phones for the public but in the case of MetroLift, we can place calls for customers or allow them to use a phone.    

Thanks,

Mike Van Campen

Thanks!!

A great big thank you to the folks who worked during the day Saturday to get ready for the Party in the Stacks and the volunteers who came in to assist at the party itself.  I was really impressed by how hard folks worked and how well everyone worked together during the afternoon.  Your hard work and dedication is truly appreciated.

Thanks again,

mvc

Card Catalog Blinds

Greetings,

Is this the solution to the blinds issue in the Telephone Reference room?

http://www.boingboing.net/2009/05/15/blinds-made-from-car.html

Mike VC

Posting and Comments on Social Networking Sites

Greetings,

I have been hesitant to address this because social networking sites should be independent of work.  However, when negative comments are made on these sites and multiple staff come to me upset about what has been posted related to work, it becomes a work/morale issue.    While I encourage use of these sites and recognize that to some extent they are the equivalent of personal conversation, I think it behooves us as professionals to consider carefully what we post and who will read it.  Where this is different than a personal conversation is that these comments are broadcast to your colleagues at work--if you opt to be friends with them.   Comments about schedules, meetings, customers, etc. have truly upset some of your hard-working colleagues. While I cannot tell you not to make such comments on your personal time and computers, I would like to appeal to your professionalism and respect for your colleagues and our customers to avoid such actions. However, if these comments are being made on staff time or using library equipment, this does become a work-related issue that has to be addressed.

In closing, I ask that we all be aware of how what we say, do, or post online impacts those around us.  

Thanks,

Mike VC

Apple Computers

Greetings again,

The pilot test of the Apple computers (desktops and laptops) is officially over today.  The folks from Apple came to remove the computers this morning.  As a part of this project, we need to get input from staff on the Apples:  How useful were they?  Did customers prefer them?  Was battery life better on the Apple laptops?  Did folks seem to opt for Windows or MacOS? and other questions.  

Please submit any observations--good or bad--to me so that we can share them with our IT department and assess the usefulness of having Apple computers at HPL.

Thanks,

mvc

3rd Floor Reference and Chairs

Greetings,

I would like to make clear that the issue (for me at least) on the 3rd Floor is not whether or not there is a chair at the desk but how we use that chair.  I have no problem with it remaining as long as staff are following the guidelines as laid out in the "Service Desk Guidelines".  The concern with sitting is that it not be done for extended periods of time or when things are slower.  During that time, we should be up from the chair and following the instructions as laid out in the guidelines.  It is perfectly alright to sit in a chair as we use the reference computer to help customers, as long as we get up from the chair to assist them in locating or using resources.  For the most part, this is what I observe staff doing.  

The concern that was brought to my attention were instances of staff members sitting in the chair for five or ten minutes straight, focusing on the computer, and not roving the floor making themselves available for assistance.   This is what needs to be avoided.  If we do this, I think we can avoid assigning any blame to a poor chair. 

Thanks,

mvc

Remote Reference Meetings

Greetings,

Starting this week, we will resume thirty minute Remote Reference meetings in the mornings of Tuesday (5/12) and Wednesday (5/13) from 8:30 to 9:00 am.  All staff who provide Remote Reference service need to attend on of the sessions.  These sessions will feature training on the new Encore catalog.

Moving forward, we will be holding Remote Reference Meetings the second week of every month on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.  Julia de Berardinis will be responsible for coordinating these meetings and will call on other staff members to provide trainings/information.   When these meetings are held, staff members need to make arrangements to adjust their schedules as needed to allow attendance.

Thanks,

Mike VC

Party In the Stacks - This Saturday (5/16)

Greetings,

The Party in the Stacks event will be taking place this Saturday evening at 7 PM.  In order to prepare for this event, the Central Library will be closing at 4 PM on that day.  All staff will work their regular shift.  Though there is a group of volunteers assisting with this event, some staff will be encouraged to help clear floors of materials, arrange displays, and perform other duties to improve the appearance of the library.  In addition, staff are welcome to concentrate on work projects/off-desk duties for the remaining time, provided their assistance is not needed elsewhere.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks,

Mike VC

 

Central Services Staff Meeting - Friday, May 8

Greetings,

This afternoon a message was sent to all staff via e-mail from Dr. Lawson discussing HPL's Fiscal Year 2010 Budget and how the economic downturn has impacted it.  That e-mail has links to the information shared in this afternoon's system-wide managers' meetings.  I have set up meetings at 11 am and 2 pm for tomorrow (5/8/09) in the 6th floor training room to review these presentations and answer questions.  These meetings are optional and are open to all Central Services staff who wish to attend.  You may also provide comments or questions to your managers or supervisors, who will either answer them or work with Greg Simpson to coordinate responses and post them on the Intranet.  

Here are links to the two relevant presentations:

Bilingual Pay: https://hplnet.hpl.lib.tx.us/documents/Bilingual-pay-thurs.ppt

Sunday Scheduling: https://hplnet.hpl.lib.tx.us/documents/sunday-hours.ppt

I would also remind everyone that all staff are more than welcome to call or come by my office and talk to me about this or any other subject regarding work.  If I am away, Yolanda can work with you to set up a time when I should be available.

Thanks,

Mike VC

The Darien Statements About Libraries and Librarianship

As many of you probably already know, the Darien Statements have been creating quite a stir in the library/librarian blogosphere over the past month or so.  The Darien Statements are a document produced as a result of an event at Darien Library (CT) that focused on the future of libraries and librarians.  I am curious to get folks' opinion on these statements.  This is of course not required but I think there is an interesting discussion here.  Take a look at the Darien Statements and, if so inclined, leave a comment or two.

Thanks,

mvc

Street Closure Near Library

While there should be no street closures directly impacting the library this weekend, the NAMI walk from 9 am to 11 am will have Allen Parkway (inbound and outbound) closed between Bagby and Waugh Drive.

Thanks,

mvc

Shirts are Here

Shirts are available in my office.  I will have them to give out the remainder of this afternoon.  The rest can be picked up on Monday.  You will need to sign out for the shirts.   

Thanks,

Mike VC

New Shirts

Greetings,

I just got word that our shirt orders have arrived.  I will be at Marston most of the day today and will pick up all the shirts later this afternoon.  Yolanda and I will go through them and make sure the orders are correct tomorrow morning.  Once we have completed that, I will let everyone know and you can come up to my office and pick up your shirts.  You will need to sign for your shirts.  In addition, when you pick up your shirts we will have price information for additional shirts and where to buy them.  At this point, I believe additional shirts will be available for purchase at the business office at Marston.  

I will let everyone know via the blog when shirts are ready.

Thanks,

mvc

Library Maps

Good news: we have library floor plans/maps for the public.  I ditributed some this evening.  There are more in my office if needed.  The first batch is 5oo.  The print shop will print more as needed.  THe space on the back is available for promoting events, services, etc.  Please take a look at them and let me know if there is anything that needs fixed before we print more.

Also, this content will soon be added to the Jones Building - Central Lirbary page on our web site.

Grazie,

mvc

Racist or Threatening Comments

Greetings,

A question has come up about how to handle racist comments made by customers.  Such comments fall under the "obscene, abusive, insulting, or threatening language" part of the library rules.  If this occurs, I encourage staff (or a guard or supervisor if you are uncomfortable or feel threatened) to warn the customer that such language is inappropriate, will not be tolerated, and--if it continues--the customer will be suspended from the library (or Telephone reference).  

If it persists, we should suspend the person for 90 days as laid ouot in HPL Policy 2.3C2.  Further, at this point, we are under no obligatioin to conitnue offering this person service.  This means that if, after a warning, on a phone call such language persists, you may terminate the call.   As usual, please share all of this in an incident report.  

Thanks,

mvc

EPE Camps

This is information for all supervisors who have to complete EPEs in April:

We will be having several sessions of "EPE Camp," an opportunity to work on your EPEs in a dedicated environment, where we can help each other out, share tricks of the trade, and hopefully alleviate some ESSD (EPE Season Stress Disorder). All sessions will be held in the Concourse Computer Training Lab.

There are 3 time slots. Choose the ones that are best for you and drop in as your schedule allows:

• Monday, April 13th, 9 am - 12 pm
• Wednesday, April 15th, 9 am - 1 pm
• Friday, April 17th, 12 pm - 4 pm

Mac Updates

Greetings,

At this time, the Macs on one and two are a part of the WLC and CORE and should follow the guidelines of the computers in that area. If this limits use of the Macs too severley, we can look at it again in a week or so.

The hour time limit is a suggestion that should apply when someone else is waiting. However, if no one is waiting and they are not being used, there is no reason whay someone cannot continute to use them. For this pilot test, we want the Macs to be used as much as possible. So, I would encourage staff to use their best judgment on this.

My assumption is that the Macs are filtered but I have not had this verified yet. I am waiting for a response on this.

I apologize for the late news/information on the Macs. They came sooner than expected and information is being shared as soon as received/discovered.

Thanks,
Mike VC

Apple Mac Computers

Greetings,

IT will be installing five Macs today in various parts of the library for a 30 day trial.  These will be as follows: 2 on World Languages Center, 1 in the C.O.R.E., and 2 in Teens.  Paty and Sandy are the contact for the install.  There will be information for staff on helping the public with this as we get it.  In addition, there will be four Mac laptops available for checkout at the Laptop Desk.  We will have training information on these as well as soon as we get it.

Thanks,

Mike VC

Food and Beverages - Update

Greetings,

I am reposting on this because there was some confusion--on my part.  According to policy, covered non-alcoholic beverages are allowed at "all library facilities" (HMRC is excepted) and throughout the building.  The second paragraph in my posting from January applies to food not beverages.  Food is what is not allowed in the computer areas.   I myself got a little muddled on this distinction.  So, I apologize for any confusion.

Thanks,

mvc

Food and Beverages

Greetings,

An update:

According to recently revised Policy 2.3 "The consumption of non-alcoholic beverages in covered containers is permitted at all Library locations except HMRC." This means that customers can bring in and consume the contents of bottles with lids and cups with covers so long as they do not contain alcohol; I do not consider a can a "covered container".

As for food, the policy allows food in designated areas. Rather than put up signs designating various areas as designated or non-designated or more signs indicatins "No...", food will be allowed in all locations of Central with the exception of the Computer Area on the first floor and the computer lab on concourse. However, in the areas that are a part of Inversion, only food from Inversion is allowed.

Thanks,

Mike VC

Monday Brings SIX New Employees to Central

Greetings,

The past few months of hard work on interviewing and expediting HR paperwork will pay off in a big way on Monday. On that day, we will see the largest influx of newly hired employees to Central in a single day (or week for that matter) since we re-opened. We will be welcoming six new employees. They are:

• Lisa Carrico - Librarian II (CPUB)
  
• Esmerelda Gil - Library Assistant (CLST) - Joins CEN from JUN
• Trisha Hollis - Sr. Library Assistant (CLST) - Joins CEN from STE
• Kathleen Korash - Library Assistant (CLST)
• Kelly Maloney - Library Assistant (CLST)
  
• Gordon Turner - Librarian I (CELS)
  

Sometime later in the week, we will have a small celebration welcoming our new employees. In the meantime, when you see a new face introduce yourself and welcome then to Central.

Thanks,
Mike VC

Counting People

Greetings,

As of April 1st, we will begin keeping count of daily visitors to the Central Library and reporting it in our monthly statistical report. We will be relying on the security gates to do this counting. Each gate keeps track of how many times someone walks through. What we will do is record that number every morning on all three gates (parking garage elevator, stairs, and lobby entrance). The numbers are then entered into a spreadsheet that subtracts the current days number from the previous day and divides by two to arrive at the number of visitors. Previously the statistics for number of visitors had been arrived at by using door count numbers and extrapolating out for the whole year. This should provide for more accurate numbers.

During the week, Adam will be responsible for recording the number on the gates. During the weekends, CLST supervisors will record the numbers and send them to Adam.

Thanks,
Mike VC

Courtesy Phone Question

Greetings,

It just occurred to me that I have not seen any complaints about the removal of the courtesy phone; I was anticipating a few. I just wanted to get a feel from staff what impact this change has had. Have customers complained?; Are there a lot of folks asking to use staff phones?; Does the change impact what staff do at WD or the Laptop Desk?; Do you like the change?, etc. I am intersted in your input. Please respond as comments.

Thanks,
mvc

EPE Camp

Greetings,

For all supervisors working on EPEs, the folks in Technical Services have reserved the Computer Lab on the mornings of April 6, 8, and 9 from 9 to Noon in order to work on EPEs.  Syma has kindly extended an invitation to us to join them.  So, if you would like to use this time to work on EPEs, just let your supervisor know.  If we need additional dates for a Central Services EPE Camp, let me know and I will make arrangements.

Thanks,

Mike VC

Open Enrollment

Greetings,

A reminder that it is Open Enrollment time for benefits.  Everyone should have received Open Enrollment materials some time last week.  If you did not, please let me and your manager know.  

If anyone has any questions, I would encourage them to review the e-mail sent by Tameka Hardison-Santa Cruz to All Employees last Friday (3/27/09).  This e-mail addresses several issues and has information about scheduled Open Enrollment Informational meetings.  If you would like to attend these meetings, work with your supervisor and/or manager to arrange to attend the most convenient meeting.

Additional information is also available at the Open Enrollment 2009 web site.

Thanks,

mvc

I am including some key points from the message below:

No Medical/Dental Changes??  To keep current plans and elections – You do not have to do anything, just review the new rates.

Healthcare Flexible Spending Account:   You must re-enroll each year if you wish to continue this pretax benefit plan.

Adding Dependents:  If you are adding eligible dependents to any of your policies, please include a copy of supporting documentation listed on page 20 of the Open Enrollment Guide.

NOTE: All forms must be completed and returned to HPL - Human Resources Division no later than 5 PM on Wednesday, April 15, 2009. 

Smocks

Here is an image of what the smocks that will be ordered along with shirts.  The logo will be embroidered in the middle of the smock.  You can click on the image to get a larger picture of the smock.

As a reminder, we will have the option of selecting three items (polo shirt, short sleeve, long sleeve, or smock) in your sizes.  These will be paid for by HPL.  After we all get our three free items, the option will be available for us (and all of HPL) to purchase additional items.  Pricing will be based on actual cost of each item.  For the shirts, this should be between roughly $16 and $25 depending on size.  I am waiting for information on pricing of the smocks; I suspect it is cheaper.

The smocks come in two sizes: 20”x28” and 22”x31”.

If you have additional questions, please let me know and I will answer or investigate.

mvc

NextReads Milestone

Greetings,

In the spirit of sharing statistics indicating how hoard our staff are working, I would like to share one more piece of quite impressive information.  I think most people know that HPL has been quite successful with NextReads newsletters and has even been a model for other libraries.  This past week saw HPL reach the 5,000 subscriber mark for our NextReads newsletters--a truly impressive milestone.  This places us just 200 subscribers short of the extremely ambitious goal we set at the beginning of the year of reaching 5200 subscribers by the end of the Fiscal Year.

This is outstanding work.  Sarah Borders and her team of editors have worked hard to create attractive and useful newsletters and customers are responding.  Great job!!

I encourage staff to spread the word about these useful newsletters to customers and staff alike.  For subscription and other information, please direct folks to:

http://www.nextreads.com/join.aspx?SID=797a1db1-f3d7-44c8-bb75-5176f6987699

This page can also be reached by simply clicking the red "Join the Mailing List" button on HPL's home page.

Thanks,

Mike VC

Very Important Virus Information

Greetings,

Everyone should have receievd an e-mail from Ron Stauss entitled: "Emergency Virus Notification - Conficker virus".  It is extremely important that you follow the instructions Ron has detailed on your computer--and all computers.  This has already been posted on the Central Blog but it is improtant enough that it needs to be mentioned in as many places as possible.  Please check your e-mail of the Central Blog posting, for the complete instructions.

Thanks,

mvc

Great Job

Greetings,

I spent much of the afternoon updating stats, reports, goals, etc.  According to the numbers, we are doing an exceptional job and are busier than anticipated.  Here are some highlights (the first number represents February / the second represents Fiscal Year to date):

Visitors: 42,633 people / 368,846 people

-This is 90% of our FY09 objective of 410,000 visitors with 67% of the year completed.

Circulation: 93,938 items / 736,679 items 

-This is 74% of our FY09 objective of 1,000,000 items with 67% of the year completed.

Computer Users: 23,456 users / 200,407 users

-This is 98% of our FY09 objective of 205,000 users with 67% of the year completed.

Program Attendance: 1945 people / 15,430 people

-This is 103% of our FY09 objective of 15,000 people with 67% of the year completed.

Outreaches: 4  / 24

-This is 80% of our FY09 objective of 30 outreaches with 67% of the year completed.

As these numbers indicate, we are significantly ahead of where we should be on all of these objectives--and have already accomplished some of the objectives even though we are four months from the end of the fiscal year.  This is just the tip of the iceberg.  Delving deeper into stats indicates further confirms what we have all observed: we are extraordinarily busy and you all have worked extraordinarily hard.  

Thank you all for this hard work.  You all deserve a big round of applause for your continued hard work.  These numbers are quite impressive.  I would add that our customers are noticing your hard work as well as compliments on service from the Central staff continue to roll in.

This all points to a simply outstanding job by our staff. 

Again, thank you all for this.

mvc

Shirts/Uniforms Questions Answered

Greetings,

I am happy to report that a solution to the ongoing shirt issues has been reached.  The Library has ordered a very large supply of shirts in all sizes and the three varieties we currently have.  In addition, a decision was made to add a smock to the list of available options.  I will share a picture or description of the smock once I have it.  

Here is how things will work.  The first people to get these new shirts will be CEN staff.  All CEN staff, whether new or existing, will receive three new shirts, paid for by the library.  Your managers will be gathering your preferences in terms of size and styles this coming week.   These will be the annual replacements promised when this project started last year for most of us.  Once this batch is distributed, the shirts will be available for purchase from financial services at cost. These will be available to all HPL staff--both CEN staff wanting additional shirts and other staff.  They will maintain a supply of shirts so that when staff want new ones they can simply purchase them in-house.  Details on where they will be stored, who to contact to purchase, etc. will be forthcoming.

If you have any questions on this, please let me know.

Thanks,

Mike VC

Good News: Promotions

Over the past couple of months, we have been working furiosly to fill vacancies.  This has resulted in serveral positions being filled.  Soon, I will share the names of seven people who will be joining the Central Services team--either from Neighborhood Libraries or from outside the System.  I am just waiting to verify starting daues for these folks.  In the meantime, there are some promotions and transfers of existing Central Staff to announce.

• Darcy Casavant received a promotion from her position as a Librarian II and is now a Librarian III working with CCOL
  
• Mary Skelton will be promoted from an LA to a Sr. LA in CLST effective tomorrow (3/21/09)
  
• Kendra Cook, who is from COL but has been assisting at Central, will become an official CLST staff member (LA) effective tomorrow (3/21/09)
  
• Debra Allen received a promotion from a p/t LA to a full-time LA (CLST) back in February
  
• Gregg Clement will be promoted from a p/t LA to a f/t LA  (CLST) effective April 4, 2009
  

A great big "congratulations" to all five of you.  When you see these folks during the course of the day, please take some time to congratulate them on their recent promtions.

Thanks,

Mike VC

Reference Reminders

Greetings Staff,

While staff has been doing an overall exceptional job serving customers, there are some issues that I have observed that need to be addressed and corrected.  

1. Welcome Desk - Staff at the Welcome Desk need to stand if possible when working this desk and greet customers as they enter the building.  They should not be sitting in a chair and staring at a computer screen.  The reference staff member at this desk needs to be aware of lines forming at the circ desk and offering regular assistance with the self-check machines.
2. Service Desks - I will send out a document entitled "Service Desk Guidelines" to all staff that lays out what is expected while staff is assigned to a desk.  Chief among these guidelines is not sitting at a desk and working on a computer, roving the floor, and completing certain tasks when not busy.  
3. Schedules - Staff need to adhere to the published schedule.  Trading assignments is not acceptable unless approved by a manager and changed on the online schedule.  All staff need to work all service points in order to remain familiar with that area and for the purposes of fairness.  Further,  the schedule reflects where in the building someone is in the event that they are needed.  Therefore, this must be accurate.
4. Breaks - Breaks are 15 minutes long.  If you opt to leave the building during a break, you still have 15 minutes.   All staff are entitled to one 15 minute break for each 4 hours worked; these are to be taken during each 4 hours.   Two breaks cannot be combined to create a 30 minute break over 8 hours and cannot be used to lengthen lunches or to leave early or arrive late.
5. Clearing Floors at Closing - Reference staff should clear their assigned floor before leaving.  Staff should not leave the floor until closing time.  When you sign out at the Welcome Desk, you are verifying that you have cleared the floor and that no one remains.

I am confident that we can work together to address these concerns.  However, I will be asking managers to ensure that these guidelines are followed by all staff.  If they observe variations from these expectations, they are instructed to address the issue and communicate the concern to me and to the appropriate supervisor.

Thanks,

Mike VC