Houston General Plan

Greetings,

In City Council today the City's General Plan was discussed. Specifically, the focus was on making it available to everyone in the City, including those without Internet access at home. The Mayor suggested that the professional staff at HPL should function as the means to make this possible. So, everyone who works a reference desk needs to be aware of where to locate the General Plan.For now, it is featured on the main Web Page for the City of Houston at:http://www.houstontx.gov/There is a link for it listed in the City Headlines box on the left-hand side of the page.Since this is an area that is updated with current headlines, it might not always be there. So, its permanent location will be on the City's Planning and Development Department web page. To locate it here, simply:
Start again at the City's home page
Click on "Departments" on the yellow menu at the top of the page
Select "Planning and Development" from the drop down menu
The "General Plan" is the second link under "WELCOME TO THE PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT"

If there are any questions on this please let me know.

Gina

Moving day(s)

Here's the latest news about the Neighborhood Library offices move.

Bea and I will be out of Marston on Monday. We currently have no phone or computer connections there. If you need to reach me, the best way will be through e-mail. I'll have my BlackBerry handy. If you do need to call, use my work cell (it's on the Intranet directory). If that does not work, call the Carnegie staff and have them find me.

Our boxes and computers are moving on Monday. The District Managers will be moving on Tuesday.

All I currently know about phones is that they will be different than what we have now, and they will be 10-digit dialing for everyone. This will be true for the DM's and admin's.

Delivery to us won't change. Address internal things to Neighborhood Libraries and it should find it's way to us.



Gina

Want some overtime?

(From the Central Chief's Blog),

A big thank you to the folks who volunteered to cover Sunday. We have four people who have stepped up (Alma C., Jennifer S, Saima K., and Merilee A.) and agreed to join me Sunday on very short notice.

In addition to being open on Sunday, we have just received word that there will be a booth set up outside JIB to be staffed by HPL employees. This weekend this will be done by folks already scheduled to work with the assistance of Beatrice Temp, the manager on duty, and Mary Frances, who has agreed to come in and assist. We will be looking for volunteers from throughout the system to assist with this outreach effort next weekend.

And, we still need volunteers for next Sunday.

Thanks,
Mike VC

Hot off the press!!!

Freely borrowed from Mike Van C's blog.

For those who haven't seen, the Chronicle ran the story on Remote Reference this weekend with a prominent picture of our very own Saima Kadir. Check it out at: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/5563926.html

Also, I was running errands this weekend and happened to be listening to Pat Shen's "Money Matters" on 740 AM. He first mentioned tax assistance at HPL libraries. Twenty minutes later he did a several minute long piece on the tremendous investment resources at the library. He highlighted Valueline, Morningstar, and all the Standard and Poor's products. On top of everything, he spoke about the fantastic service he always gets at HPL. I am not sure what location he went to but it was definitely good press for us. I feel quite proud of everything we do at HPL. You all deserve a party. Keep up the great work.

Thanks,
Mike VC

And I echo his sentiments about the great work that you all do, everyday. You are what makes it work.

Thanks,
Gina

Digital Converter Coupons

TRR has received several phone calls about a news piece which aired on Channel 11 about the coupons for Digital TV Converter Box Coupon Program. The people who called have reported that Channel 11 stated that the coupons are available at the library. This is not true. We can, however, assist people in getting the coupons.
The coupon program website is https://www.dtv2009.gov/
Households can apply for the coupons at that site -- limit 2 per household.
More information on the program can be found at http://www.ala.org/ala/washoff/woissues/techinttele/dtv/dtv.cfm
Thanks,
Regina

New OPAC screens coming

Below is an e-mail from Vi -- please make yourself aware of the upcoming changes.

Hi all,
We have been testing some new WebOPAC screens in the staging directory so that we can "Go Pro" in the live WebPAC. WebPAC Pro is a necessary upgrade for HALAN members so that we can add some new III products that we've purchased, such as Spell Check and My Community Reviews.
We hope to go "Pro" by the end of February to mid-March. The upgrade date is also dependent on III so we need to allow some leeway in our scheduled upgrade. It can take III up to 6 weeks to schedule our Pro upgrade.

What is WebPAC Pro? Pro is a free III upgrade for the WebPAC that better supports new development coming in future releases. It will also allow us to do more customization in the WebPAC.
The "look" of the Pro web screens relies on "tabbed" displays. Fortunately, our new WebPAC design was able to be segued into a similar look for the Pro version.
Take a peek at the new Keyword Search screen in the staging directory http://catalog.houstonlibrary.org:2082/ and let us know what you think. We have tried to change the Pro screens as little as possible so they will match what customers have gotten used to seeing after the recent WebPAC redesign.
One change made -- we are testing making the search tips a 'link' at the bottom; the tips do not display unless the customer clicks on the link. Do you prefer the link or the actual search tips to display?

Other changes coming with Pro:
We can't show all the new things coming with Pro until we actually upgrade to it. Unfortunately, it is not one of the upgrades that we can completely test in the staging directory -- it's either installed or not!
The main difference that you will see with the upgrade to Pro is in the Keyword Search results. The search results will display using "Right Results". In the current version of Keyword Searching, results are displayed sorted in date order, with the most recent titles at the top and the oldest at the end. You also have the option of re-sorting them by relevance or title, using the 'Modify Search' button.
With Pro, the keyword results will be displayed in "Right Results" order based on a sophisticated relevancy system. Your search results will be presented in groupings, with the "Most Relevant" group at the top, sorted in date order. The next most relevant group will be listed next, etc.
Another difference that you will see with Pro, instead of the usual 12 results per page, we have the option to display 50 results per page.
Take a look at some other III libraries to get a feel for what Pro can do. Try a KEYWORD search like [ history of new york ] in a III library already using Pro to see how the "right relevancy" works. The following are some example catalogs you can use:
West Bloomfield : http://catalog.wblib.org/screens/mainmenu.html
Scottsdale Public: http://libcat.scottsdaleaz.gov/search/

Gen Y new group of library users

Happy New Year!

Here's an article that showed up on Yahoo! about library users.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071230/us_nm/internet_libraries_dc

What do you think the implications are for library services? Feel free to comment ---

Regina

who's in charge

Just a note to let you all know that I am on vacation and will return to the office on January 2nd, 2008. The list of District Managers in-charge has been distributed to the NL Managers list, but I'm going to post it here as well.
If you need assistance and cannot locate one of the District Managers, please call Bea in my office at x31684

Here's the in-charge list:
December 20 - 21 R. Hubert
December 22 - 23 M. Jarvis
December 24 - January 1 A. Tensae

Thanks, and have a great holiday season!
Regina

new HPD non-emergency number

From Suzy Benton via Becky Hubert...

Suzy spoke with an HPD Officer their problems with unattended/disruptive kids and he mentioned that the non-emergency number actually changed a few years ago. It is now 713-884-3131. He said that the other number (713-222-3131) is currently still working, but probably not for long.

Please begin using the 713-884-3131 number for non-emergency calls to HPD.

Got a branch blog???

If you have a blog for your branch, let me know and I'll link to it on my blog, and see that it gets on the HPL wiki. I know there are some out there that I don't know about, and I'd love to see them!

Regina

PLA Requests

Greetings,

It is that time. If you want to go to the PLA conference in Minneapolis, please submit paperwork before the end of this week (by Friday 12/14). PLA is, in my opinion, the best conference for public librarians. So, if you are interested in attending, please submit your paperwork. It is important that you use the new (city) travel request form and not the HPL one currently on the Intranet. If you need this form, e-mail Bea Duran and she

will send it to you. Here are the figures to be used if you intend to attend the entire conference.

Registration:	$	260.00	Advanced Registration ends February 2008.
Airfare:	$	437.00	Per Advantage Travel Inc, http://viaadvantage.com
Hotel:	$	325.00	Based on half of double occupancy rate for 4 nights
Meals:	$	160.00	$40 per day for 4 days (includes tips for meals).
Ground Trans.:	$	50.00
Other:	$	50.00	Tips (cab fare, bell service, etc. – max of 15% each)
Total:	$	1282.00

Note: These estimates are based upon a March 25 arrival and May 29 departure date and do not include pre-conference sessions, ticketed events or dinners. Airfare is subject to change.

Make sure to indicate the day you will leave and day you will return and whether you want to pay for registration or want HPL to pay. If you are not staying the dates listed, or if you are planning on attending a pre-conference, please adjust the figures accordingly. If you need assistance with the form, Bea and I will be glad to assist.

This is an exciting conference and I am really looking forward to as many of us as possible going and sharing what we learn with our colleagues.

Need money for the holidays?

You can win a prize of $100, $75, or $50 for simply sharing your experience. The Customer Experience Task Force is looking for role plays and scripts that demonstrate aspects of customer service. The deadline for entry is November 30th and odds are favorable. Submit an e-mail attachment to hpltraining@cityofhouston.net with the subject line "Customer Service Contest".For more information, go to: https://hplnet.hpl.lib.tx.us/images/write-win.pdf

If you have any questions or need assistance with this, please let me know. Good luck!

Regina

ALA Midwinter Deadline

If anyone would like to attend ALA Midwinter in Phiilly, paperwork needs to be submitted ASAP. I need it in my office by Tuesday, 11/20/07 at NOON. I have LeRoy Robinson and Suzanne Rickles paperwork. Is there anyone else out there?

Thanks,
Gina

Is it true that librarians are always picked?

I'll be on Jury Duty for the next week. Probably back next Thursday, November 8. Bea Duran will be at work, and if you need anything, you can contact her. I'll be checking in when possible.

Happy Halloween!
Gina

I've been rented!

Thank you for supporting CMC.

I'm at Scenic Woods Branch, doing reference until 6 p.m., and earlier I was boxing up old microfilm cartridges at Central. Woo Hoo~!

Gina

Best Public Library Branch (2007) - McGovern Stella Link

"So many libraries are stale, stiff, silent. They’re more like mortuaries than hubs of active study and learning. Not so McGovern-Stella Link, located in a modern glass and brick building with sleek furniture, efficient computers, a buzzing snack area and loads of natural light. With a line that forms outside on most mornings, it passes the most important test for any great library: People use it."

Houston Press, Best of 2007

Way to go, Stella!

New Homepage for HPL

Hello all,

Just a reminder to tell you that IT will be changing the home page on all staff computers to http://hplnet.hpl.lib.tx.us. We know that many of you have created a blog that you are using as your home page, and others are very fond of the /staff/ref page. There are some very good reasons to have the Intranet as the home page:

· it can enhance system-wide communication. This is meant for all staff. Many of our fellow staff members are not aware of the Intranet and what it offers.
· if we all get in the habit of looking at the site, we can suggest things to be on the site that we would find helpful, and the site can be made more useful to all.
· there is easy access to the staff telephone directory and the library forms.

We know that many of you have your own unit blogs, and that they are also very useful for internal communication. You can put your blog as the first link in your Favorites (bookmarks) so that it is only one click away. If the /staff/ref/ page is what you want, you'll find all those links and more under the "reference" tab on the Intranet home page. The directory of HPL Blogs is listed there as well, for your convenience.

Thank you for your support,

Diana, Gina, Mike, and Syma

never mind

thought there was going to be a problem with central retrievals, but it's been fixed.

Gina

HPL Blogs

Did you know that HPL Blogs for internal are now listed on the HPL Wiki?
Check it out at: http://10.34.145.39/twiki/bin/view/HPL/BlogDirectory . If yours isn't listed, it can be.

Gina

Are you going to ALA Midwinter and ALA Summer

Only a few days left to save with the Special Bundled Registration for
the ALA 2008 Midwinter Meeting and 2008 Annual Conference

This year ALA is offering a special bundled price on the Midwinter Meeting and Annual Conference if you register for BOTH during the month of September. You can save 20% over the advance registration price you would pay if you bought each event separately!

This bundled price will be available from September 1 - September 30, 2007 only.

If you know you are attending both the Midwinter Meeting and the Annual Conference this year, this is the way to save. The comparison rates without the bundle are show in parentheses, so you can see the savings.

Bundle Prices:

ALA Member: $290* (Advance MW $160; EB AC $180; Advance AC $205)

ALA Division Member: $285* (Advance MW $160; EB AC $175: Advance AC $200)

ALA Student Member: $118* (Advance MW $60; EB AC $90; Advance AC $115)

*This price covers only basic registration for these two events, and does not include any additional "ticketed" events, such as the Scholarship Bash, preconferences or institutes, or banquets. Tickets for these events will be available when regular Registration opens, and can be added at that time.

For cancellation policy on these very special registration bundles, see the ALA Web site: www.ala.org/midwinter

On-line, fax, mail and purchase order registrations accepted.