MyLink & Overdrive

Greetings HPL Team,

When new MyLink library cards are issued, the customer’s Overdrive account does not automatically convert over to the new library card number.  The merge has to be done manually by the Digital Strategies Help Desk, formerly known as the IT Help Desk.  They have the tool and permission to do it.  In order to merge the accounts, please email the HPL IT HelpDesk with the following information:

n  Old library card number

n  New library card number

n  Contact e-mail address

n  Name of customer                         

Please explain to the customer that the account will be active within 24 hours after the information has been transferred.  The Overdrive customer should use the new library card number to access the service after the merge has been completed.

Thanks!

Mary 

Alternate Greetings

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.

Voicemail Greetings for Public Service Telephones — Holiday Closures

1. Thank the caller and follow with the name of the branch/unit and the library system.

Thank you for calling the Alief Regional Library, part of the Houston Public Library System.

2. State that the library will be closed for the named holiday, the dates it will be closed and when it will next be open.

The library will be closed for the Thanksgiving holidays on Thursday, November 26 through Friday, November 27.  We will resume normal hours of operation at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 28.

Find other telephone greetings in the Telephone Etiquette Guidelines.


Thanks,

Laurie

Learning Link Cards

Hello everyone.

HPL recently delivered 7,214 Learning Link Cards to HISD for distribution to 3^rd graders at the 63 elementary schools participating in the NCAA Read to the Final Four program over the next year.   We are excited to participate in this program by providing each of the participating 3^rd graders with a free Learning Link Card with the following privileges:

• Full access to HPL’s collection of electronic resources.
• Check out of up to 10 physical juvenile items at one time.
• No fines, no fees
• No parent signature required for card replacement

There are a few limitations on the Learning Link Card that are different from other cards:

• Laptops and gaming equipment cannot be checked out on the Learning Link Card.
• Adult and Teen physical items cannot be checked out on the Learning Link Card.
• No more than 10 physical items can be checked out on the Learning Link Card at one time. 
• The cards will each expire on August 31,2016.

So here’s some information and a few guidelines  you need to know and follow when assisting one of our new Learning Link customers:

• This is a pilot. We are tracking data this year so that we can make a case for expanding the program next year to all HISD pre-K-3^rd grade students. This is one of the many reasons we need staff to adhere to the guidelines of the pilot and be careful about who gets replacement cards. Also, we want to make sure the cards are not being abused by parents or siblings so it’s incredibly important not to override anything (item limits, JUV materials only, laptop or gaming checkout availability) because that will negatively impact the data and potentially impact the future of this program for all students.
• Learning Link Card accounts all have the HOU-HISD  as a user profile name.  This profile is only assigned to 3^rd graders at the 66 HISD schools participating in the NCAA Read to the Final Four program this year (the list of schools is attached).  The HOU-HISD profile is not and should not be assigned to other users.  HISD will update our user files regularly for students transferring into the participating schools.  Cards will be created for those students as we receive the files.

• Replacing a lost Learning Link Card does not require the completion of a registration form or the signature of a parent or guardian.  If a third grade child from one of the participating HISD schools requests a replacement card, you need his/her name and student ID number in order to look up the existing record in the Symphony system.  If there is a Learning Link account in the system for him/her, you may simply issue a new card to the child by overwriting the User ID with the new card number and saving the change.  You will not need to attach a Learning Link label to the replacement card.  Remember, this is only acceptable for Learning Link accounts already in the system.  Cards with other user profile types still require the completion of a registration form and the signature of a parent or guardian for customers under the age of 18.  Do not change the user profile in an existing account in order to issue a replacement Learning Link card.

• The Alt ID for each Learning Link Card is the student’s seven digit school ID number, preceded by the letter ‘S.’  So the Alt ID for a Learning Link Card will be S#######.  This format is consistent for all Learning Link Card accounts and should not be changed.  To find a student account using the Alt ID, go to the User Search widget in either Display User or Modify User, do a Keyword Search on the Alt ID index in the Search Index field and input S plus the seven digit student number in the search box.

• The default PIN for each account was set to the last four digits of the student’s HISD Student ID number. 

• The Group ID for each Learning Link card will be the three digit school number + a dash (-) + the three digit homeroom number provided by HISD.  000 is assigned as a homeroom number on accounts for which no homeroom was provided in the data set.  Additionally, each account includes a note field in which the school number and school name is recorded.  Please do not alter the Group ID or the note fields with school number and name in any way.

• You should not override the block to check out a laptop, electronic device or any non-juvenile materials to the card. 

• You should not override the block to check out more than 10 physical items to the account.

• No fines assess to the account when overdue items are returned.

• The accounts will not be sent to collection for unreturned material.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the Learning Link cards, please do not hesitate to contact Circulation Administration at 832-393-2222 (option 3), Fred Schumacher at 832-393-1567 or fred.schumacher@houstontx.gov, or Kallie Benes at 832-393-1428 or Kallie.Benes@houstontx.gov . Any of us will be glad to help in any way we are able.

Thanks.

Fred Schumacher

Senior Manager

Houston Public Library | Library Materials Services

500 McKinney St., Houston, TX 77002

Office: 832-393-1567 |  Email:  fred.schumacher@houstontx.gov

Meet CE Administration

Meet some of the staff for Customer Experience Administration!
If you have questions or concerns, remember to call 832-393-2707

Celeste Diaz--Administrative Associate

• Facility Checklist
• Outreach Kit Incentives--Pens, pencils, magnets, post its
• Mileage reimbursements
• Booksale supplies--ear buds and flash drives (for sale), sign holders, door stops, Chlorox wipes
• No Tape supplies--Removeable mounting tabs, medium hanging strips

Yolanda Anguiano--Administrative Assistant

• Tracks Incident Reports
• Tracks temporary closure due to AC, plumbing and power issues
• Maintains Customer Experience directory and Intranet roster
• Manager Meeting Agenda and Minutes
• Assists with interview booking

HVAC Transition

Hello,

I had a meeting with GSD and I was informed that today (9/30/15) will be Johnson Controls (JCI) last day. The new contractor is TDI and will be starting tomorrow, October 1^st. TDI has made some site visits so some of you may have seen or even met some of their techs. I have not received the emergency contact number for handling after hours HVAC issues but I should have that information in the next week or so. In the meantime please contact the GSD Property Management On Call After Hours Contact number (713.213.8776) for any issues after 4pm as well as call or send me an email so I can address it. I have also sent IT an update for the Sprocket Work Order Instructions. Hopefully this transition will be as smooth as possible.

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

Kindest Regards,

Karrington Burnett 

832-393-1374

Webinar Summaries

Recently, I attended a webinar from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services or USCIS on citizenship and libraries. They have partnered with IMLS to provide libraries with information, educational materials, and training resources on immigration and citizenship. They want to educate librarians on topics ranging from naturalization, the unauthorized practice of immigration law, and the importance of digital literacy. Look to their website’s Citizenship Resource Center at www.uscis.gov/citizenship for a wealth of information. From there, you can order a Civics and Citizenship toolkit that has immigration and civics publications, handbooks, multimedia tools, and a quick start guide with ideas for use. There is a limit of one toolkit per organization. The kit can be used to provide basic information, develop class content and train staff and volunteers. USCIS also offers free training for adult educators, program directors, volunteers, and representatives from immigrant-serving organizations. These seminars will help develop the skills needed to teach U.S. history, civics, and the naturalization process to immigrant students and to administer comprehensive adult citizenship education programs. You can find information on that at http://www.uscis.gov/citizenship/teachers/training-seminars. There was another useful website mentioned: https://literacydirectory.org. You can use it to find Citizenship or ESL classes near you throughout the US.

The Modern Library: Meeting Library Users On Their Own Terms webinar
Kathleen Lockett from Wellington City Libraries in New Zealand and Michael Hull from Western Plains Library System in Oklahoma presented. Kathleen presented her library system’s Book Bike program that goes out in the community to serve customers, similar to what our Mobile Express program does. They rented a bike and fitted it for storage for books and library collateral and biked to the waterfront during the summer and offered gently used books to check out as well as impromptu storytimes. They also were able to sign up new customers. This summer they will be using new technology offered by CarlConnect to do mobile reference and library card sign up. The library also did outreach geared to university students by going directly to the campus. They couldn’t immediately sign students up for a library card, so they had two staff members work to do it. One would type the student’s information into a spreadsheet on a tablet, while the other would issue the card. They would upload all information when they returned to the library to create a new patron record in their system. Now using new technology with CarlConnect, they are able to do more mobile registration and reference. Kathleen also presented a new opportunity to have a satellite location at the Wellington airport where they will take advantage of signing up out-of-town visitors with temporary library cards as well as providing services to customers while waiting for their flights.

Michael talked about maintaining the library brand’s image and needing to effectively inform the public on what we offer. Libraries need to be outreach minded and get users on their own terms. They need a simple yet strong virtual presence. He encourages staff to go outside the library on a regular basis. Libraries should have a strategic advertising campaign. Virtual identity should be established by using Facebook or other social media judiciously with not too many postings. His staff, mainly managers are allowed to use their personal accounts. He suggested that the library website shouldn’t be overcrowded, but offer what your customers need quickly. Use it to promote events, booklists, etc. Their system’s website can search by accelerated reading levels. They use LS2 staff technology on bookmobiles to set up new customers with library cards. Civic presentations have helped their visibility and they’ve used it to showcase their technology to the community. Use your library’s newest and flashiest products to attract attention. His system has gone to the schools and offered library card registration to students. They send the applications to the teacher, and the teacher has students take them home for parental approval. The teacher verifies the information when the forms are returned and at the school’s library event, the students are issued their library cards. Michael also encourages traditional advertising and marketing through newspaper, radio, billboards, PSAs and TV.

Thanks,
Yolanda
If you would like to share a webinar that you have done recently, please email Laurie or Yolanda.

Citizenship Corners @ HPL

Citizenship Corner

USCIS (United States Citizenship & Immigration Services) and the Office of the Mayor of the City of Houston are committed to strengthening immigrant integration efforts in the City through proactive citizenship awareness, education, and outreach activities.

The Letter of Agreement (LOA) between USCIS and the City of Houston was recently signed.

Under the agreement, USCIS and the City will collaborate to:

• Distribute educational materials highlighting U.S. citizenship and the naturalization process at city facilities;
• Hold information sessions for permanent residents interested in learning about U.S. citizenship;
•  Increase awareness of citizenship rights, responsibilities, and the naturalization process among eligible permanent residents.

As of the information that I have received from the Office of International Communities, September 17th is the National Citizenship Day and there will be either a press release or a press conference formally announcing this partnership. To meet one of the objectives of this partnership, a Citizenship Corner has been set up at the Central Library on the 1st floor near the Local Authors display. You will find books related to the Citizenship test preparation and informational brochures from the USCIS. Donna Jackson is working on the signage for this Corner.

I highly recommend setting up a display to highlight the Citizenship Test preparation resources you have in your collection. Please assist customers looking for the test preparation material by showing them the Virtual Citizenship Corner on our Databases page. In addition there is an audio of Citizenship Test preparation on Hoopla! So far, Bracewell; Southwest Express and Walter Neighborhood Libraries have set up a Citizenship Corners in their neighborhood libraries. Once you have your Citizenship Corner set up, please send me a picture to add to my collage of pictures.

Last, but not least, www.uscis.gov/citizenship has resources for teachers, students and agencies. Please let me know if you have any question or suggestions.

Thanks,

Shammi