City computers are for City business

Please remember that City computers are for City business.

This is very important to remember when you are in public view. Since many phones have cameras and video it is very easy for citizens to document their complaints. And nobody wants to end up on the news in a picture or video.

So unless you are on Face book, shopping, watching a video or listening to a recording to show a patron something related to a reference question, please don’t do these activities on City computers in the public areas on work time.

Couple of other reminders

When on the public floor remain conscious of volume and content of conversations because the customers can hear us and they don’t always get the context of the conversation.

And as the holidays approach remember we cannot accept gifts or tips.

Also remember there is no solicitation on city property. That includes collecting person information, selling, fundraising or begging for money.

Thanks in Advance
Kitty

Lost Cards

Below are a few reminders regarding correct procedures for some circulation functions.  Please look them over at your convenience.  If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the Circulation Administration Department  (832-393-2222, option 3) or your local Library Assistant Supervisor.

1.       Lost cards found by staff members should not be kept at the desk.  If a staff member finds a lost library card, s/he should:

a.       attempt to contact the customer to inform him/her that the card is found.  Mark the card lost in the account.  Give the customer a day to pick up the found card.

b.      If the staff member is unsuccessful in contacting the customer or if the card is not picked up in a short period of time, destroy the card and note the record.

c.       Do not hold the found card at the service desk for longer than 24 hours.  The customer may complete a new registration form and receive a new card when s/he next visits the library.

2.       Customers whose accounts are In Collection are blocked from check out until the balance owed on the account is paid in full. 

3.       Customers whose cards have expired must settle all charges owed at the time of renewal. Staff may override the Expired Card block to assist a customer with placing a hold.  Staff should assist the customer to renew the account before checking items out, though.

4.       Accounts are blocked from privileges when they are expired.  Check out privileges are blocked for customers owing $10.00 or more and for customers whose cards are blocked for any other concern.  Check out privileges are restored only after blocks are resolved.

5.       Lost card blocks should not be overridden to check items out.  Customers with Lost Card blocks should complete a new registration form and be issued a new card before checking out.

6.       Texshare Cards are issued to residents of the City of Houston only.  Customers who reside outside the city limit of Houston are not eligible to receive a Texshare Card from Houston Public Library.

7.       Rather than using “Change Due Date” for 6 week check outs, do the following to check items out for 6 weeks:

a.       Complete the initial check out of each item that the customer wishes to check out for 6 weeks.

b.      Close the customer record and wait a moment before reopening it (please wait approx 10 to 15 seconds).

c.       Reopen the record, navigate to the Checked Out Items tab, and highlight all items to be renewed

d.      Click “Renew.”

e.      Highlight the items to be renewed a second time, and click “Renew” again.

8.       Customers are entitled to return receipts for items returned at the circulation desk. 

9.       Customers are to be issued receipts for all payments on their accounts.

10.   If a customer claims an item was returned, the staff member receiving the claim should request a shelf check at the location the customer claims the item was returned and mark the item Claims Returned in the III system.  The customer should be informed of the outcome of the shelf check asap.

11.   When an item is found on the shelf, the staff member should check the item in, waive the resulting fine, and place a note in the record that the item was FOS and the fine waived.  Do not back date the check in.

12.   If an item we have found on the shelf is checked out to and caused an account to be In Collection, the staff member should check the item in, waive the resulting fine and waive the Collection Agency Report Charge.  The staff member should place an appropriate note in the record explaining that the item FOS and charges waived for that reason. 

13.   Replacement Computer Use Only cards cost $1.00.  Replacement Power Cards are free.

Computer cards

Computer Card FAQs

Q: Do we have to check for a duplicate record before issuing a computer use card?

Yes. Please search for duplicate records before issuing any type of library card.

Q: Does the customer need to complete a Registration form?

        No. Printed registration forms are not required for computer use cards.

Q: Do we have to use the online template for computer use only?

Yes. Please use the appropriate online template for registering customers and then complete the Milcirc record by adding the permanent barcode.

Q: Do all the blanks have to be filled out?

It is recommended that the form be completed, but the only required fields are marked with an asterisk.

Q: Are youth required to present a current ID to register for computer use cards? 

No.  The policy requires the child’s name, date of birth, and school name.

Q: When a customer asks for their card number and has their ID, do we still give them the number?

YES, provided the customer can present a valid Photo ID (or in the case of a minor validate their account by verbally providing their DOB and school name) that can confirm their ownership of the account.

Q: Can Computer Cards be renewed?

Yes. Customers will need to have their computer card present and a valid photo ID (verbally confirm DOB and school name for youth) to verify all information is current.

Q: When do we charge for a replacement Computer Use card?

                When a card is reported lost or stolen. When a replacement card is issued.  This is an instance when staff members will want to take care regarding what they tell the customer.  If a customer reports that s/he needs a replacement card, the staff member may do best to say that we will be happy to issue a replacement for a $1.00 charge and not offer to just copy down the number for him/her.  Of course, if the customer asks to have the number written out and given, the staff member should do that.

HOLDS new way of looking at them

I have had several questions from staff trying to understand what they are seeing in Workflows when they look up a hold for a customer. 

              

·         If you look up a hold and it says “unavailable” this means that it is not yet on the hold shelf for the customer to pick up.  It does NOT mean that the item is missing or overdue or in some other status.

·         When you are using Display User Holds or Display Title Holds, once you pull up the title record, you can right click on the title and select “Display Item” and you can get more information about where that title actually is.

·         When you attempt to mark an item missing, the system will stop you if the item is actually in transit or on the hold shelf or some other status than “check shelf”.  For now, when you get this message, do NOT override.  Just cancel out of marking the item missing. 

·         Thanks to documentation from Mark Morrow, SirsiDynix identified a problem with the Clean Holds Shelf report.  It was placing cleared items on the shelf at the previous owning library instead of floating them in to the location where they had been on hold.  This is apparently a software problem.  As a temporary solution, the Clean Holds Shelf report will now put the item back in transit to its previous location so at least the system knows it is not on the shelf.

As you encounter problems or have questions, please be sure to document what is happening and then let us know.

Thanks,

Syma

Easy WiFi reset

If the Telecheck machine goes down.
Try calling Yi Kong  31414 to have him reboot the WiFi system.  He can do that from down town so we don't have to climb on a ladder.

FIXED: Overdrive issue with IE9

The following was an issue, but it has been fixed: 
Overdrive apparently made changes to their website recently that have made it impossible for customers to check out items if they are using Internet Explorer 9.  If you encounter customers with this problem, please ask them to use IE8, Google Chrome, or Firefox.  Overdrive is working on the problem but it may take a few days to correct.

Judith Hiott

  

Judith Hiott, Chief

Houston Area Library Automated Network

500 McKinney

Houston, TX  77002

832-393-1476

May 2012 Collier Computer Classes

May 5th: Digital Technology Basics (This course explains the various characteristics of new digital technologies. It explores how computers and technology are generating new career opportunities and changing the world in which we live.)
May 12th: Digital Audio (This course explains the various characteristics of digital audio. It describes the concepts of recording, copying, and converting digital audio. It also explores the features of advanced speech technologies.)
May 19th: MS Word 2007
May 26th: MS Access 2007