Monday, January 31, 2011

Harriet Harbor

Ahoy, me Hearties! This be your pirate mate, Wildcat Harry. Ye be about to weigh anchor and set sail on a treasure hunt in the HCPL Seas. Be ye a landlubber or an Old Salt? The truth will out in the end.

'Tween my log and the map and jottings from my mates in the League of Intrepid Travelers, ye'll be stuffing yer brain full of worthy bits and yer pockets full of keys.

Scan the words ahead,  but be watchin' not to slip overboard and become fish food. Savvy?  Then hoist the mizzen, and we're away!


Harriet is the staff Intranet for Harris County Public Library. It is accessible inside all library branches and includes information necessary for staff to do their jobs. Some of the things on Harriet include:
          • Library policies
          • Forms, both to print and submit online
          • Training information
 You must fill out the form on Harriet in order to get your first key to  
  the Treasure Chest.

for help.
Harriet has multiple ways of navigating to find information, which we will explore on our hunt for the key. These include:
  • Front Page - The front of Harriet includes a blog with general information, "Shop the Problem" issues, "Bright Ideas" suggestions, and staff anniversary recognitions. It also includes links to the Wellness page, statistics, and Site Guidelines.
  • Quick Links - These are links to popular forms and informational pages on Harriet as well as links to external websites. You will find links to things like time sheets, Clipart.com, Forums, Ticks, and Who Does What here.
  • Staff Search - This search box is a keyword search for staff. You can search by name, position, or branch. Keep in mind that like any keyword search, you may get some unexpected results. So, to search for all people in reference (librarians and assistants), you can just type reference in the box.
  • Site Search Box - Located at the top right side of the site, this searches ALL of Harriet. It doesn't search uploaded documents like .pdf (Adobe PDF) or .doc (Word Document). If you aren't sure where something "lives" on Harriet, this is the best way to find it. The best way to search is to use keywords. For example, if you are looking for the policy for our Reciprocal Borrowing with Lone Star College, you could type in the words Reciprocal Lone Star.
  • Tabs & Menu Items - These link to major areas of the site. The Tabs, for example Administration, lead to major areas containing multiple pages. Administration includes a section for each department at Library Administration. Menu Items also may have multiple pages, but they are about one main topic, for example Children's Services.
On to the Hunt...

You will submit your answers to the questions below using the form on Harriet.  The experience of past Treasure Hunters suggests that a good practice is to first type your answers into a Word document. When you are finished, Copy/Paste your answers into the form. This may save you from losing your work. Be sure to submit after you have entered all your answers into the form.

Search through Harriet for the following items, and leave the tracks of your hunt on the form by recording the requested information.
  1. How many staff are named Elizabeth? Where do they work? What are their positions?
  2. Who is eligible for a Senior Group Card? Copy/Paste the relevant part of the policy as your answer.
  3. If you've ever wondered where to send a form, you would probably find Who Does What @ ADM particularly useful. This page includes information by department as well as alphabetically.
    1. According to this page, what forms and/or requests go to the Technical Services Manager?
    2. Look under the Alphabetical List of forms and note who receives the Print Request Form.
    3. You may need to Maximize
      the spreadsheet to see the
      tabs for specific months.
    4. Name at least one other place on Harriet where you can find a link to the Print Request form. 
  4. In the Combined System Report for Fiscal Year 2011-2012:
    1. What is the system Overdrive Circulation for June 2011?
    2. How many total items are currently owned by your location as of June 2011?
    3. How many children's programs did your location have in the library during June 2011?
      >>>  If you work at Library Administration, answer the questions above with the system totals for June 2011.
    • We started floating the collection this year.  There is a forum for Floating Collections on Harriet.
      1. What is the most recent non-sticky topic in the Information & General Questions forum?
      2. Who posted it and on what date?
      3. How many replies are there?
    • Many types of online training are offered to HCPL staff to enhance their job skills and fulfill  their training requirements.
      1. The Texas State Library and Archives Commission has recently partnered with WebJunction to offer online training to all library staff in the state of Texas. To access this training, you have to create a free account and indicate your affiliation to a partner group. According to the instructions on Harriet, what should you select as your affiliation?
      2. What three Overdrive videos are recommended for HCPL employees so that they can  maximize their ability to assist customers with downloadable eBooks and audiobooks?


    Congratulations! Searching for the answers to these exercises and submitting the form has earned you the Harriet key to the Treasure Chest!

    2 comments:

    1. I was going to show someone where to click to go to the Combined System Report for Fiscal Year 2010-2011 and now I dont' see it on the page anymore. How do you get to it??

      ReplyDelete
    2. Click on Archived Statistics - it's the first file listed.

      ReplyDelete