The New Open Carry Law

From the Office of Director Rhea Lawson:

Regarding the new Open Carry Law....

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

The Open Carry Law is an extension to the current concealed handgun law. The concealed handgun law currently allows a license holder to carry a concealed handgun in most City-owned or leased properties. The Open Carry Law has extended for license holders to carry their handgun in the open (holstered) and not limited to being concealed only.

OPEN CARRY LAW

• The new Open Carry Law becomes effective Friday, January 1, 2016.
• The law allows for a citizen with a current concealed handgun license or new license to carry a handgun in most City-owned or leased property.
• The gun must be concealed or holstered in a belt or shoulder holster.
• The guns can be a handgun or a long handgun.  

ARE LICENSED GUN HOLDERS ALLOWED TO HAVE THEIR HOLSTERED WEAPONS ON LIBRARY GROUNDS?

• The Houston Public Library is a public government entity and is not exempted under the law. · HPL may not prohibit licensed individuals from bringing (holstered) handguns into the library beginning on January 1, 2016.
• Individuals cannot bring in a handgun during: ­ 
• School-sponsored events (more details on handling this situation will come at a later time) ­ 
• An election when HPL is serving as a polling site ­ 
• An on-going closed-door meeting inside the meeting room. 

ARE HPL PERSONNEL ALLOWED TO REQUEST TO SEE A PERSON’S HANDGUN LICENSE?

• NO!
• Only a law enforcement official is able to request for a person to show their handgun license.
• Contact HPD if you feel concerned and would like to have the request made to an individual. 

ARE HPL PERSONNEL ALLOWED TO BRING A HANDGUN ON LIBRARY GROUNDS?

• The Open Carry Law does not allow ANY City employee to bring a handgun on government property during working hours. 
• HPL Personnel are allowed to have their concealed handgun locked in their vehicle during these hours.
• It is recommended that the handgun is locked and hidden away from public viewing in the vehicle. *If any HPL personnel makes a verbal statement threatening violence of any type (with or without a weapon), you are to report this incident immediately to the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), per Executive Order 1-50.* 

HOW TO RESPOND TO A CONCERNED CUSTOMER OVER THE NEW LAW

• Please use the below statement when addressing a concerned customer regarding the new law: 
• The Houston Public Library is a public entity and is not exempt from the Open Carry Law. Therefore, individuals are allowed to enter the building with their handgun, but it must be holstered in their belt or shoulder holster as per the law. We do take all of our customers’ concerns seriously. If you are ever concerned, please feel free to contact us and we will contact a law enforcement official. 

HOW TO RESPOND TO THE MEDIA OVER THE NEW LAW 

• Please use the below statement if the media calls a location regarding the new law: 
• Please contact our Communications Office for an official statement from the Houston Public Library. 
• If they persist: The Houston Public Library is a public entity and is not exempt from the Open Carry Law. Please contact our Communications Office for an official statement. 

Please click on the following links for more information:

• Information on Inside HPL: https://hplnet.houstonlibrary.org/open-carry-law.html
• Information on COH Website (from HPD): http://www.houstontx.gov/police/open_carry/

Holds due to expire from the Holds Shelf during holiday extended to 12/29

From Fred Schumacher:

Hello all.

This is just a quick note to let you know that available holds with Pick up by dates of 12/26-28 will be extended to 12/29 to offset the additional days closed for the holiday.  If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Thanks.

MR

Due Date Extension

From HPL IT HelpDesk:

Greetings HPL Team,

Due dates were extended for all checked out items to January 11, 2016, to adjust for holiday closures. Customers who have placed holds on these checked out items may have questions about the extension. You may use this explanation to answer customer inquiries.

MR

2015 Form W-2 Wage and Tax Statement; Form 1095-C Employer-Provided Health Insurance Offer and Coverage

From COH Payroll Services:

Please be aware that the 2015 Form W-2 (Wage and Tax Statements) will be provided to all employees in paper hard-copy. An electronic (online) W-2  will also be provided to all current employees via the Employee Self-Service (ESS) website at https://portal.houstontx.gov/irg/portal.

It is anticipated that for the calendar year 2016 (which means in January 2017), employees that select to "opt-in" to receiving electronic-only copies of Form W-2 will not receive a hard-copy.

Finally, please be aware that all employees will also be receiving a Form 1095-C (Employer-Provided Health Insurance Offer and Coverage). This report reflects your City of Houston-provided health benefits coverage for calendar year 2015 for you, the employee, and any dependents on your plan. It is required in order for you to complete your 2015 U.S. Individual Income Tax Return. A paper hard-copy of this report will be provided to each employee via US MAIL. No electronic access to this report will be available for calendar year 2015. The Human Resources Department will provide details regarding interpreting the Health Benefits participation information included in the report. It is imperative that all City employees verify their current mailing address in ESS and update it, if needed, before January 1, 2016, in order to avoid any delays in receiving your Form 1095-C.

The statutory deadline for distributing or postmarking Form W-2 and Form 1095-C to employees is February 1, 2016. Payroll Services will strive to beat this deadline by at least a week. Additional communications will be sent as more definitive distribution and online access dates are determined.

MR

KAS: Flash Drive Found

Hello,

A flash drive was found in a front-facing port on public station 08. It was found by me at 5:48pm.

I placed the flash drive in an envelope and provided more of a description of it on the front of the envelope. Please know that it is in Lost and Found behind CSD in case the customer returns to retrieve it.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

MR

Adele's New Album

From Marianne Lorio:

Hello:

Arguably the hottest news in the music industry right now is the success of Adele's new release, an album titled 25. We were excited because the album would be available using the library music service Freegal. However, it was announced by the album's producers the day before the album was released that the album would not be available for streaming. The album is still available through Freegal but not as part of the streaming service. It is only available through the option of downloading three songs a week. There are eleven songs on the album so it will take a month to listen through all the songs on Freegal. While this is not ideal it is still an advantage for library customers since none of the other streaming services can provide access to this album at all. Unfortunately, this seems to be a growing trend with new releases so we will probably be hearing about similar situations in the future. Please let me know if you have any questions.

WORKFLOW: Items Stuck in INTRANSIT Status

Hello,

There has been an update to the Workflow Procedures section of the blog in regards to how to correct items stuck in INTRANSIT status:

Items Stuck in INTRANSIT Status

Please let me know if you have any questions or need further clarification.

Thanks,

MR