HEADS UP!

Subject: Credit Card machines
Sent: 12/21/07 4:41 PM
Importance: Normal
Hi. Transactions on credit card machines in Carnegie, Hillendahl, Jungman, Kendall, Alief, Frank, Meyer, Rob-Westchase, Park Place, Scenic Wood and Looscan, will all be uploaded automatically effective immediately. Those of you doing it manually no longer have to perform that chore.



Also, those machines with a cache of old transactions on them have all been cleared.



As a consequence, some of our customers may find charges on their credit card accounts for bills they thought they already paid. If you receive such a call, please advise them that the first attempt did not go through, so the transaction was run again.



NOTE: The machines for Collier and Montrose have had their automatic settle features enabled by Wells Fargo today, so those branches should contact IT to have those machines installed.



Happy Holidays!!!



Lin Swalley
Assistant Chief of Technical Services
Houston Public Library
This email contains the thoughts and opinions of Lin Swalley and does not necessarily represent official Houston Public Library policy.

Customer Survey

Quick Note
Surveys for customers are located at the circ desk; as is the box for completed surveys. Please let me know if you have any problems locating either, and as always feel free to ask if you have any other questions.

-----Original Message-----
From: Simpson, Greg
Sent: 12/7/07 11:30 AM
Subject: Customer Survey

Good Morning, all-
This is just a friendly reminder that the FY08 Customer Survey begins
December 9th and will run through Saturday, December 15th.
By now you should have received your survey packets. Those packets
should include surveys in English and Spanish, instructions, and
signage.
A couple of final points - we used our survey memo template, which
includes language about the quota. Please don’t worry about a
particular number of responses – we simply ask that you get as many as
you can. We do ask that you have your staff actively promote the
survey. We can’t serve our customers better unless they give us their
input.
And again, please drive customers to the online survey as much as
possible. Our long-term goal is to reduce the number of hard-copy
surveys we produce.
As always, thanks for your attention and assistance. We obviously could
not conduct these surveys without you and your staff. If you have any
questions, please don’t hesitate to call.
Good Luck!
Greg

For Those That Didn't Hear the News

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This information applies to Part-Time Library Assistants As well!!!!
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From: Weeks, Roosevelt
Sent: Thursday, December 06, 2007 6:59 PM
To: All Employees
Subject: Library Assistant Salary increase - UPDATE

Team –
As many of you read in the Administrative Newsletter, the Executive Leadership Team has approved a salary increase for employees who hold the job title of Library Assistant! These employees will receive an increase of $1.25 per hour. The increase is part of the Library’s effort to become more competitive in the local job market. The tentative effective date of the increase is scheduled as December 1, 2007. We anticipate the payout to be distributed on the December 21, 2007 paycheck. All of the necessary documentation has been submitted to the City Human Resources Department and our Library Human Resources Team is monitoring the process closely.

Employees whose job title is Library Assistant are the only employees eligible for the increase. This job title has been identified as being the most underpaid of any Library position and in need of an immediate adjustment. The information we received regarding pay comparisons was produced by our Human Resources Team and by the City Human Resources Department. We have had tremendous turn-over in this position in recent years and difficulty filling these positions. We hope that this effort will stabilize the Library Assistant position and improve our overall organizational effectiveness.

As the Executive Leadership Team planned for the budget last year, we included a request to fund the increase this year. Moving forward, the Executive Leadership Team along with the Human Resources Team will monitor salary trends to continue our efforts to be a competitive employer and compensate our employees appropriately.

Thank you HPL for your continued hard work and commitment!


Here are answers to FAQs regarding the salary increase:
Q. Who is eligible for the increase?
A. Employees who hold the job title of Library Assistant, pay grade 5.

Q. Are Sr. Library Assistants and Library Assistant Supervisors eligible?
A. No. The only classification identified as being the most underpaid compared to market is the Library Assistant position, pay grade 5.

Q. Are new hires being offered more now?
A. Yes. The new hire starting salary for Library Assistants, pay grade 5, has also increase but it will not be higher than any current HPL Library Assistant.

Q. Does my EPE have anything to do with this increase?
A. No. This is across-the-board for every Library Assistant working at HPL regardless of your EPE score.

Q. I was just hired. Do I get the new rate too?
A. Yes, if you were hired before December 1, 2007 you are included in the increase.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Ophelia Cespedes, Division Manager – or me.

Regards
Roosevelt Weeks
Deputy Director of Library Administration
Houston Public Library