IT Services December 26th and 27th

Houston Public Library’s Central Library will be closed on December 26^th, 27^th, and 28^th for HVAC maintenance.  

The HALAN Helpdesk will be relocated to the Carnegie Neighborhood Library on December 26^th and  27^th and will be available via the normal Helpdesk numbers: 832-393-1570.  The Helpdesk will notify IT staff deployed in NL locations to assist you.

On Sunday December 28^th helpdesk assistance will be available for emergencies only (system or software outages) and can be reached by calling the IT emergency phone at 713-302-7196.

While we hope to offer normal services on Friday and Saturday, we expect some non-critical services will need to be postponed until Monday December 29^th.  We appreciate your patience as we work to serve you on these days.

Please contact me if you have questions or concerns before or during this time.

Thank you.

Judith

Judith Hiott, Chief

Houston Area Library Automated Network

500 McKinney

Houston, TX  77002

832-393-1476 (office)

Turning on alternate phone greetings - Updated 12/18/14

Hello,

To change and turn on the alternate greeting, please call 832-395-1299.

1. When prompted for ID enter "2580".
2. When prompted for password enter "0852".
3. When prompted for the extension of the call handler, enter 1 and the full 10 digit number of the branches main phone number.
4. Listen to the prompts, they will let you activate/deactivate/record an alternate greeting among other things.  The alternate greeting should be used on holidays (July 4 for example).  To use it, record a greeting for it, then activate it.  While the alternate greeting is active, all other greetings and busy/closed behavior are ignored.  Deactivate the alternate greeting when the holiday is over.

IT is trying to find out why you cannot use the IP phones to set up the greeting.  If we hear before the holiday that it has been fixed, I will let you know.

Thanks,

Laurie

Mobile App issue

Customers are not able to access their account info on the mobile HPL app. Virtual Services has reported this to Boopsie, our app developer. 

Searching for events - update

If you search for events using the "search the website" feature, it now shows library location. Here's an example of a search result for "excel":

Basic Excel ( ESL)

... will practice all the components they learned during MS Excel Basics 1, using different types of exercises to understand and apply the ... offers. Prerequisites: Computer Basics 1, Windows 7, MS Excel 1. En este curso los estudiantes practicarán todos los componentes ...
Location: HPL Express Southwest

Let Virtual Library team know if you have any questions.

Saima

Film License Survey

Don't forget to complete the film license survey for Jennifer Schwartz.  She has limited money so every location will not get a license.  If you want to be considered, please  complete the survey below.

Thanks!

Laurie

It is that time of year again, when we must make decisions on which locations will be best suited for the limited number of movie licenses we can purchase for the next calendar year. As many of you know, we were once fortunate enough to have system wide licenses that were covered by the Loan Star grant, but due to cuts in state funding, we now have to cover movie licenses with our limited private funds. Therefore, we need your help in determining where the need is greatest and where the licenses would best be put to use.  

Please work with the staff members at your locations involved in programs, to prepare attendance statistics (Number of times you showed a movie in 2014 and total attendance) as well any special justification for why your location needs a license.  Please use the form below to fill in these answers by Friday, December 26, 2014, at 5 PM.

Thank you!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1U5ISW0_Dwns-pQzHpVJZSEKIty3WVnqt4KagrRDH55o/viewform?usp=send_form

Jennifer Schwartz--Programming Manager

New Address for Intranet

Hello,

Here is the new link for the Intranet:  https://hplnet.houstonlibrary.org/

Thanks!

Laurie

Maintaining your 3M Gate

Hello,

Here is the video that I mentioned in the managers' meeting. 
https://hplnet.hpl.lib.tx.us/your-library.html

It shows you how to maintain and clean the older model of 3M Gates.  Let me know if you have tricks or tips for the newer gates.

Thanks,

Laurie

Door Count Starts October 19th!

Greetings HPL Managers,

Sunday, October19^th begins our fall door count week, which will run through Saturday, October 25^th.  Supplemental instructions are attached to this email, along with a sign that may be used to alert customers about in-house materials use.

Your staff’s awareness of the process will help ensure that an accurate count is taken at your library. So, between now and then, please speak with them about the process and its importance to the system. Also, be sure to review the template with all staff responsible for inputting counts.

Key talking points for discussions with your staff include:

Door count is a process where we count two things: 1. Visitors on an hourly basis and 2, All In-house reference and circulating materials use on a daily basis.

Door Count is important because the results show us when our libraries are used the most and this information is used to help in decision making about services, staffing, and capital improvements. Thus, accurate door count information is vital!

As usual, templates for each location are available in the Statistics folder on the G drive, under Door Count. *Note: Do not email the final template. We will access it from the G drive once it is complete.

Locations without automated gate counts will need to make arrangements for staff or volunteers to do a manual count. Speak with Volunteer Coordinator, Andrea Lawrence or your team leaders to ensure you have the help you need.

If you have questions about the process, please contact me.

Thank you,

Steve Hill

Planning and Evaluation Coordinator