New collectionHQ dataset available

Good afternoon,

The new dataset is now available in CollectionHQ for managers (or designee) to begin the shopping process.
You will have one week to do the appropriate shopping in the Popular Author Transfer as well as the Floating Pull tools.
Beginning next Friday(January 30th), the transfer list portion of the procedure will begin.
You will then have two weeks to finish the transfer process.
This includes finding and transferring the items to the location that has requested them.
Also, the new location must then check them in and place them on the shelf.
This should be complete by February 13th.

Remember to use the printed out PDF files from CollectionHQ as the transit slip for each batch of books going to a specific library.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
Thank you.

Patrick Atkins

2015 World Book Encyclopedia

The 2015 World Book Encyclopedia is being distributed to **some units. 

 We were only able to update World Book for about half the Neighborhood Libraries this year due to a large cut in the FY15 materials budget.  Generally, units alphabetically Acres Homes through Meyer are receiving a new set this year and the rest of the alphabet will get the 2016 edition next year.  We anticipate that this alternate-year replacement pattern will continue into the future.

 

What to do with the old ones? you ask:

•       Most units that are receiving the 2015 edition will want to switch their 2014 editions to circulating and send their 2013 editions to Friends (they are pre-approved discards). 

•         If your unit did not receive a 2015 edition, retain the 2014 edition in Reference. 

•          2013’s may be retained for circulation if 1) your unit did not receive a 2015 edition or 2) you have need of both 2013 and 2014 sets for circulation.

How to:  Per Inventory Control and Collection Development:

 

1. 1)      Switching older encyclopedias from Ref to Circ:  It is not necessary to send multi-volume sets of encyclopedias (physical items) to Processing that you want to change from reference to circulating. email the title and barcode number of the first volume to hemen.shah@houstontx.gov and gary.lackey@houstontx.gov . Processing will make the database change.  Use your unit’s label kit to make physical change.

1. 2)       When sending encyclopedias (or any other large multi-volume set) to Friends, please ensure that the boxes are all marked with a.) title, b.) edition year, and c.) volume numbers.  This really helps the Friends immensely with matching up sets when they arrive at the warehouse and at sales.  NOTE: These boxes may not be picked up from your units for some time due to the weeding moratorium, but it is important to get them processed out of Sirsi if you’ve pulled them off the public floor.

 

 Please make sure this information is shared with the appropriate persons in your units.

 

Thank you,

 

~Sara

 

 

Floating Hub Arrangements

According to Sally Bates, the floating hubs are as follows:

 

These are the relationships we have set up:

 

MEY – sends to KAS, ACR and DIX (in varying quantities) – CD liaison is Sally

ALI – sends to SCE – CD liaison is Chris

FRA – sends to BLU/VIN – CD liaison is Mary

KEN – sends to MAN – CD liaison is Sara

STE – sends to BLU/VIN – CD liaison is Mary

 

If you receive floated items from any of those in the send to side of things(Kashmere, Acres, Dixon, Scenic, Blue Ridge , Vinson, Mancuso), then those are authorized as floating hubs.

 

Thank you.

 

Patrick Atkins

DORA THE EXPLORER VISITS STANAKER

Overriding Holds

Good Morning everyone,

 

Stealing the wording from Park Place’s blog on this to clear up the issue of when it is OK to override a hold.

 

Item Has Holds Vs Item Has Available Hold  I want to remind everyone that when you see the message “Item has available hold” pop up on Workflows, that means that the item is currently being held for that person. If it just says “Item has holds,” you can still check out the item to the customer.

 

So, if you see the word "available" in the pop-up box, do not override.  This item likely was taken from the hold shelf.  If you see the plural "holds" you can override, because the item was probably found on the shelf and has a hold on it, but the customer who gets it first can have it.

Please let all staff know about this.

 

 

Patrick Atkins

Senior Manager

Neighborhood Libraries

Staff Alone in Buildings

Hello Team,

Some of you have asked me about staff being in building alone and I brought up the issue to fellow administration. I wanted you all to be on the same page for now since many locations have had different practices in place and I don’t want you being caught off guard.

We are still discussing this issue but as for right now, in most instances, staff should not be in the building alone including managers. We agree there may be unusual circumstances that may occur, and we can deal with those on a case by case basis.

Our understanding, and certainly as it has been applied to our interactions with the COH legal department, an employee is not allowed to be in the building by him/herself at any time – before we open, after we close, or anytime in between due to safety reasons. Right now we do know that a security officer can count as a second person.

Like I said, we are still discussing this to try to take as many factors as we can into account, such as:

·         Knowing if this applies to managers, or just non-managerial frontline staff, but we do know that it applies to non-managerial frontline staff.

·         A custodian counting as a second person.

·         Scheduling issues.

Once we get everyone in place we will be fully staffed with regards to managers and assistant managers, and that’s when we really need to begin what we call “working smarter”. We’ll start with scheduling, with an emphasis on getting staff to the locations where they are needed and this should be less of an issue.

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Pedro Fonseca, MLIS

Librarian IV – Senior Manager of Neighborhood Libraries

City Cell: 281-901-4439

Office: 832-393-1448

NL Administration: 832-393-2707

Email:  pedro.fonseca@houstontx.gov