Time

Just a couple reminders about your time

Check your sick leave.
You may be eligible for Personal leave days depending on your sick leave usage this benifit year (ending August 31) for the next benifit year(starting September 1rst). Personal Leave days are identical to vacation days EXCEPT they expire at the end of the benefit year.

Sick Hours Used = Personal Leave Days Earned
0 = 3 Days
1 Minute – 8 Hours = 2 Days
9 Hrs – 16 Hrs = 1 Day
16hrs & 1 Min + = 0 Day

Wellness Leave
I hope everyone has taken advantage of his or her wellness leave. The balance of your wellness leave expires on August 31, and renews on September 1rst, but does not accumulate. (A.K.A you use it or you lose it). Please remember your wellness leave does not have to be taken all at once. You are given eight hours to use as you need for appointments with your doctor, dentist, etc.

Floating holiday
Your floating holiday goes by calendar year, and is available this year for all full-time employees hired before July 1rst. Floating Holidays DO NOT accrue and expire as of December 31rst.

How to Check Your Time Usage/Balances
There are a few ways to check
1.Look at your pay Stub
2.Branch Personnel can call Payroll (Ms. Edmond @ x31360) to inquire about their time
3.Use the “Employee Self-Serve” website.

If you have any questions or concerns PLEASE ASK!***

2007 Hurricane/Disaster Preparedness

All Meyer Branch staff will have a branch meeting on Thursday August 23, 2007 concerning Hurricane/Disaster Preparedness. Please bring the information attached to your last pay stub (includes guides and contract info)
Please start thinking of any questions or concerns you might be having

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-----------------------------Ref E-mail------------------------------

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-----Original Message-----

From: Middleton, John - HPL

Sent: Thursday, August 16, 2007 11:58 AM

To: HPL - All Employees

Subject: 2007 Hurricane/Disaster Preparedness Guide

Hello All,
Just in time for the first major storms of the season, on Friday, August 17, 2007, the new City of Houston (COH) 2007 Hurricane/Disaster Preparedness Guide and the HPL 2007 Emergency Brochure will be distributed to all HPL staff along with your paychecks. Please review the brochure and pages 8 – 18 of the guide, which discusses hurricane preparation and lists the revised COH evacuation routes.
Unit Managers are to meet with your staff to review the brochure and the guide as soon as possible, and send a copy of a signed meeting attendance sheet verifying that the information has been reviewed to Gwen Walter no later than August 25, 2007.
Next week FIDS will deliver quantities of the new COH 2007 Hurricane & Disaster Preparedness Guides to all Library locations for public distribution. I am very pleased that this guide is offered in three additional languages; Vietnamese, Chinese and Spanish. Public Service has already advised us of the HPL locations that need copies of these foreign language choices and we will send stock accordingly.

Thank you for your continued consciousness towards safety,

John Middleton,

Assistant DirectorPlanning & Facilities

Houston Public Library

500 McKinneyHouston, Texas 77002

T. 832.393.1681

F. 832.393.1462

You've Got Mail

Okay for those of you who do not know already, and a clarification for those who do. All staff can now check their mail using Outlook on four branch computers. All staff are registered on the lounge and both work room computers. Reference staff also has outlook profiles available on the Ref desk (Ref 2). The circulation staff now has the “Circ 2” (the lowered) terminal available for checking city mail using outlook. The City’s Microsoft Outlook Web Access is still available and compatible with any browser

Log On: e(employee #) – Ex e012345
Username: hpl/e012345
Password: (your password)

Email has become one of the most effective ways to communicate not just with people at our branch, but system wide. When on the front terminals please limit e-mail usage to your City Account, and be cautious about leaving the screen up because information may be sensitive and not ready for public distribution. Please do not to check your personal accounts on the front terminals. The information in your private/personal e-mail accounts are just that; private/personal.

The lounge computer is available for employees to use for personal e-mail during breaks.

If you have any question or concerns please ask

Popcorn

Okay . . . .I was not going to say anything about it until a patron commented on it, but it has now happened. I just had a patron ask me if we were 'making popcorn for the movie?". I had to explain that we are not showing movie and that was most likely a staff member making a snack.

Unlike just about any other snack that is consumed in the back room, popcorn's aroma wafts throughout the library.

I am not going to ban it, but I am going to ask for some restictions. First DON"T BURN IT!!! If you do, please take it outside immediately. I know at least one of you told me that you prefer burnt popcorn, but that needs to stop.

Second, if you make popcorn, please close *both* of the doors to the back. This will keep the smell from going all over the library.

Let's try this and if it helps, then there are no problems. If this doesn't fix things though, we might have to simply not make it here any more.

Thanks,
Brandon

Pets in the Library

A patron made a comment to me about people bringing their pets into the library today.

According to her, a woman walked in with a dog and was asked to leave by a staff member. Another staff member 'swooped' in and talked to the patron for 10 minutes or so before they left the building.

The patron was annoyed because 'she didn't like dogs'.

Please, when a patron comes in with an animal, immediately inform them that they need to take it outside (unless it is an assistance animal). If you wish to talk to them about their pet, do it outside.

Thank you,
Brandon

Summer Reading

Summer Reading is officially over and the drawing have already occurred.

If anyone comes in and wants prizes, we have a *few* left in back, but these are soon going to be sent back.

Thank you everyone for your help with SRP this year,
Brandon

Footbal tickets

If anyone comes in to claim the tickets they won through the SRP, those tickets are on my desk,
Brandon