Gloria Meraz

| Permalink | Comments (0)

TLA Webinars To Make Debut
Gloria Meraz

TLA will soon offer webinar training to members. This dyanmic CE opportunity will allow library staff and lay people to participate in flexible training that does not require them to travel. See the most recent issue of TLACast for information.

| Permalink | Comments (0)

status of TX libraries after Hurricane Ike
Gloria Meraz

Here are the updates we have received from the field. (We'll post more information as it comes to us.) Also, be sure to read the comment section. Some libraries are posting their own updates.

Texas Woman’s University - Houston
We continue to be concerned about our Houston area faculty, staff and students who have been affected by Hurricane Ike.

Classes at the Houston campus are cancelled the remainder of this week. We plan to resume campus operations, including reopening the Academic Resources Center and resuming classes, on Monday, September 22. Sherilynn Bird, Director of Libraries (9/17/09)

O’Quinn Law Library, University of Houston Law Center
The O’Quinn Law Library at the University of Houston Law Center sustained no significant damage during Ike. Our staff all came through the storm uninjured and most are now in town and able to come to work. A modest water intrusion was identified and cleaned up shortly after the storm. The library reopened on Tuesday and is operating on curtailed hours through this week, closing at 7:30. Although conditions in Houston are slowly improving, there are still many people without power, food and gas availability is spotty, and many traffic signals are not yet functioning. We will be open Saturday and Sunday from 9:00 to 7:00.
Spencer L. Simons (9/18/09)
Director of the Law Library

Brazoria County Library
First day back at work and won’t be here long – at first review – only one library took a hit – all in all we are ok. But a lot of them don’t have power – that may cause problems down the road – We are opening the libraries with power on Monday, September 22.
Cathy Threadgill (9/18/09)
Library Director
University of Houston
The University of Houston campus re-opened on Tuesday. We survived fairly well in the Libraries. The main library has water in the basement from a backed up storm drain. We will have to replace the carpeting but no materials were affected.

Our primary area of loss was the Architecture Library. The Architecture building lost half its roof (unfortunately the half over the library.) The Architecture Rare Books Room collection was packed in acid free boxes and moved to Special Collections in the main library last night. The undamaged parts of the general collection were relocated to stacks in the main library. Damaged materials are being sent for freeze-drying or further evaluation. We've been dealing with the insurance folks and FEMA. Regrettably our campus is all too familiar with all these procedures.

On the staff side, we still have many staff located outside of Houston where they evacuated or unable to return to work for various other reasons. Those in the city are primarily without power, many now have water as of yesterday. Many of our staff were glad to have the University open where they could enjoy the amenities of air-conditioning, operational restrooms, lights, and electricity to charge their cell phones. The Campus Recreational Center is offering its shower facilities for staff wanting a hot shower.

For many, life in Houston is still very difficult. Gas is extremely scarce as most stations do not have power to pump the gas they have. The ones who do have long lines of cars and run out of gas quickly. Functioning grocery stores are still few and have no stock of anything requiring refrigeration or freezers. As of this morning 63% of the area still did not have power, down from 97% immediately after the hurricane. Traveling around the city is treacherous between the downed trees and other debris and almost no operating traffic signals.

Of course all this pales in comparison with Galveston, Bolivar Peninsula, and other points south and east of Houston. Recovering from Ike is going to be a long, slow process.

We in the University of Houston Libraries wish all our neighbors well, will certainly offer whatever help we can provide, and thank everyone for their thoughts and support.

Dana Rooks, U of H (9/17/09)

M. D. Anderson Research Medical Library
Most of the Houston area continues to have no power. Reports indicate about 97% of the city is still without power. Fortunately, the Medical Center has power and didn’t lose it at any time during the storm. I am sending this from the library, as I don’t have power or internet access from home. I am onsite at the library doing recovery work.

Water Damage:
We sustained several serious leaks in the library from the storm. We had leaks in all the usual places and some new ones. The new ones included window sills all around the library, but the most serious were along the south side of the building. Fortunately we had cleared the windows sills and desk areas near them in all of the offices in preparation for the storm so none of staff had damage to their papers or other materials on their desks.

We also had major water enter the library from the terrace near the information desk. There also appears that there may have been leaks from the ceiling above the Information Desk but I didn’t observe any damage to the desk or its contents. Facilities have been onsite to replace ceiling tiles and provide big fans to dry the area.

The most damaging leak occurred over a section of the bound journals stacks in a new area, near the Journal of Immunology. Approximately 125 bound journals were affected. In triaging the volumes, I decided not to salvage anything that is now available online. The final number of volumes that will need to be withdrawn, and how many can be saved is yet to be determined. I am using the conference room to stage the recovery work.

Return to Work Plan:
Sunday (today): M. D. Anderson remains closed. Only authorized employees are allowed in. Transition from Ride Out Team to Recovery Teams is happening today.

Monday: M. D. Anderson will remain closed as the Recovery Team continue their work. Employees in Animal Care return to work on Monday. The Library remains closed.

Tuesday: M. D. Anderson will be open for patient care activities. Employees involved in patient care will return to work. The Library remains closed.

Wednesday: Anderson plans to return to normal operations and ALL employees are expected to return to work. The Library will reopen on Wednesday and expects to be fully operational.

City Curfew:
The city has announced a curfew effective today, through Saturday, Sept. 20, from 9pm to 6am. However, according to Houston Catastrophic Medical Operations Center, M. D. Anderson employees need only show their ID Badges if they are stopped on their way to work during the hours of the curfew. This will affect some of our staff who work the early and late shifts. Kathy Hoffman, Executive Director

Rice University
Fondren Library was minimally impacted by the storm, with some flooding (seepage through a basement wall) of staff offices, and a few minor drips trickling into interior spaces - we believe we have 2 books that were exposed to water. Our offsite storage facility had a band of wet tile approximately 2 inches wide of 'blow through' water at our external glass doors. Power loss at either building was minimal, and environmental control conditions are still within our desired ranges for our collections. Fondren Library unofficially opened, with close-by volunteer staff, both Sunday and Monday afternoons, reopening officially on Tuesday. In recognition of the city curfew and hazardous driving conditions citywide (street debris and many non-functioning traffic lights), our hours are reduced for the time being (see our website at library.rice.edu for the latest information). All library services (e.g. document delivery, reference support, etc.) are active, however.

Both our main and annex campuses have had minimal building/structure damages. Our landscaping - notably our venerable and extensive trees (oaks, pines, sycamores, and cypresses) - have taken a serious beating, with many trees down, and many more losing medium to large limbs. Our groundskeepers have been working extended hours since Sunday to clear the fallen timber, with an emphasis on ensuring safety of the students, faculty and staff (i.e. starting with sidewalks, streets and parking lots).

Classes resumed Tuesday afternoon, with over 75% of faculty and staff reporting to work on Tuesday. The majority of library staff are without power at their homes, and the university is providing support for certain basic amenities (access to showers, water, etc.). Both Fondren Library and the University's newest building, the all-glass Pavilion meeting center, are providing a comfortable, well-lighted place for to enjoy air-conditioning, coffee, recharging batteries (of all sorts) and free internet/wi-fi service - both are bustling with members of the Houston community, as well as Rice students and faculty.

It has been a serious blow here but, quoting our President, "We're quickly back on our feet to carry out our basic mission, and we're helping others who are in difficult circumstances."

Kerry Keck - Asst. University Librarian, Collections

M. D. Anderson Medical Research Library – UPDATE
I am happy to report that M. D. Anderson returned to “normal operations” status today and are open for all patient appointments. The Research Medical Library reopened today and all services are fully operational. The water leaks we experienced with relatively minimal compared to some of our colleagues in the area. I am happy to report that all staff are safe and none experienced any serious damage to their homes. Several staff, including myself, are still without power at home, but at least we have water and can shower! Houston is still experiencing power outages in a large portion of the city, long lines to get gasoline, and groceries are limited. But we are well on the road to recovery. And we have been blessed with a cool front that saved the day for many of us. Many thanks to all of you for your messages of concern and prayers.

Kathy Hoffman, Executive Director

University of Houston-Victoria
Although there was no damage in Victoria, we do offer several classes (face-to-face & by ITV) in the UH System Centers at Cinco Ranch and in Sugar Land. Both Centers are without power and there is water damage at the Sugar Land center. Classes at those locations are suspended probably until Sept. 29. Also, many of our students in online classes are in the area affected by Hurricane Ike, and the online classes also are suspended until Sept. 29.

Joe Dahlstrom

At Harris County Public Library, we are still assessing damage. The Evelyn Meador Library in Seabrook has the most damage that we have seen, with roof leaks and water that came under the doors and has totally soaked the carpet. From what we have heard, the LaPorte Branch is in good shape, and the Freeman Branch in Clear Lake already has power (I wish I had power). Some libraries are open and others are not ready for business. We have power at the Administrative Offices so some of our libraries are fully operational. The libraries that are open are listed on our website, www.hcpl.net . Libraries will be open 10-5 through Friday and I hope we can start back on a regular schedule at that point. R. Goldberg

From HALS:
HPL:
Houston Public Library Central reopened this morning (10:00 - 7:00 public hours), and plans to re-open three branch libraries tomorrow. All the HALS team are ok, although some staff have some water damage to their homes. No ILL staff are able to be at HPL today (mostly due to few bus routes operating), so please forward ILL requests elsewhere for this week.

Homes:
I have not yet spoken to anyone in HALS/ILL/HPL who has power at home, and several have no water either. In areas without power the only gas stations and stores open are those running on generators. If you are trying to reach people in the Houston/Harris Co. area please note that I have heard that several home land lines are not working, cell 'phones may have intermittent service, and most home internet connections are not working.

HALS Libraries:
We are starting a master list of our members' status (as in post-Rita weeks) as we hear information from our libraries.

As of Tuesday, Sept. 16:
Jasper Public Library is open
Wharton County Library is open - "Early Literacy Kits..." workshop is CANCELLED for Sept. 17 and will be rescheduled for October
Jefferson County offices are closed
Pasadena Public Library (Central is undergoing renovation): 2 mall sites without power, Tech Services temporary location heavily damaged, and Branch has some outages.

Reporting in for Texas A&M U at Galveston. Campus shut down, to resume operations in College Station - access road is impassable and no infrastructure on the island. We have contract in place with Munters. Library building sustained little if any damage but 80,000 paper volume collection at risk from heat and humidity. Will get fans, dehumidifiers in place as soon as we can but may be some time as no wheeled vehicles can make it to Pelican Island.

| Permalink | Comments (2)

Annual Assembly
Gloria Meraz

TLA's Annual Assembly will start tomorrow evening with the Chairs Training program. A large part of this session will address the exciting Transforming Texas Libraries initiative. Julie Todaro, chair of the Visioning Steering Committee, and Joyce Baumbach, who's leading the TLA strategic planning process, will be on hand with some exciting news. Be ready to offer your thoughts on how to transform Texas libraries and TLA!

| Permalink | Comments (0)

More Photos and Farewell
Jennifer Strange

Check out Dale's photos on flikr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/14384940@N05/sets/72157604608690382/

I've really enjoyed working on this blog with Star, Ruth, Dreanna, and Jackie. Y'all have been a great team to work with!

We started on this blog at the same time my system started work on our PlanoReads blog. Both have been a huge learning experience for me. Thank-you to the Local Arrangements Committee and TLA for letting me experiment and learn about blogging!

General Information | Permalink | Comments (0)

TLA '08 Photos Up!
Starr Hoffman

Well, here are the results of four days of running around TLA with a Nikon D40x around my neck. The first day's worth are edited, nice and pretty... the rest of them are just uploaded willy-nilly without editing. (I'm moving this week, so I opted for access over beauty. Sigh.)

I do have them tagged enough that you can break them out by day, if you so wish: day 1, day 2, day 3, day 4. Also, you can find the Welcome Party shots here.

If you like, you should be able to download any images by clicking on the "all sizes" icon at the top of the photo.

Conference | Permalink | Comments (0)

FIVE Diamonds for TLA
Jennifer Strange

The Pulpwood Queen gives the Texas Library Association Convention FIVE Diamonds in her Pulpwood Queen Tiara! Thank you so much for the privilege and the honor of being asked to speak! TLA was the highlight of my first ever book tour!

(Image courtesy of shyle zacharias at SRX)

Tiara wearing and Book sharing,
Kathy L. Patrick
Founder of the Pulpwood Queens Book Clubs and Author of "The Pulpwood Queens' Tiara Wearing, Book Sharing Guide to Life", Grand Central Publishing Beauty and the Book, the ONLY Hair Salon/ Book Store in the country!

608 North Polk Street
Jefferson, Texas 75657
903-665-7520

www.pulpwoodqueen.com, for daily blogs and recap of TLA with photos!
www.beautyandthebook.com, official website!
www.southernauthors.blogspot.com, contributing author columnist!
www.ReadingGroupGuides.com, contributing author columnist!
www.hachettebookgroupusa.com, my publishers website!

General Information | Permalink | Comments (0)

Shout Out to the Volunteers
Jennifer Strange

(Photo courtesy of Star Hoffman at UNT)

I have to give a shout out to all the amazing volunteers who helped at the conference. It takes a small army of you guys to put on a show this big. Thank you for the wonderful job you did and your willingness to pitch in where needed.
Thank you!
Thank you!
Thank you!
Thank you!
Thank you!
Thank you!
Thank you!

(Photo courtesy of Star Hoffman at UNT)

Volunteer! | Permalink | Comments (0)

How Was It?
Jennifer Strange

So how did you like the conference?

I heard over 8100 people attended. That's more than the population of some of our Texas towns! From Star's posts it sounds like it was a fun conference.

The Local Arrangements Committee will be meeting on May 2 for a debriefing of the conference. Feel free to send me an email or post a comment and let me know what you thought. I'll compile a list of the suggestions and bring it to the meeting. If you want me to include your name let me know, otherwise the suggestions will be anonymous. So far there have been two suggestions:

-Create a wiki for people to post restaurant reviews, information on programs they will be presenting, and anything else needed for conference.

-"a big freakin' map to the convention center or a clear and obvious address to the place, right smack dab in plain and open view of all."

I was at the Meeting Rooms kiosk in the A Lobby. I hope you found your rooms! I know I'll be bringing the A area signage issues up at the meeting.

Some people said they would send me pictures so, hopefully, I will get them soon and be able to post them next week, either Tuesday or Friday.

General Information | Permalink | Comments (0)

Day 4: Thanks for Coming!
Starr Hoffman

Well, it's been quite a conference. As always, I've been impressed by the size and variety this conference offers.

This morning, I attended (the titles link to my notes):
-- Beyond Gaming in the Library: Gaming for Information Literacy
-- All the Rage: YA Graphic Novels

My complete notes for all conference sessions I attended (including last night's interesting and hilarious General Session II panel discussion), are linked on this page. Again, if you've also taken notes from sessions you attended, feel free to link them below, or comment about things you learned.

Again, if you missed any of the handouts, you can find them here.

And don't forget to fill out evaluations for the sessions you attended, to help us pick the future programs you're interested in.

Conference | Permalink | Comments (0)