Methodology
The Library Director invited 11 community residents representing a broad spectrum of age and backgrounds to participate in the long range planning process. The committee included a teenager right up through retirees. Parents of preschool children and teenagers were also represented. The committee included representatives from the Board of Library Trustees, the Finance Committee, the School Committee, the Board of Selectmen, the Rotary Club, and the Town’s historical museum. Consultants from the Northeast Massachusetts Regional Library System (NMRLS) facilitated three meetings with the Long Range Planning Committee. The Library Director, Assistant Library Director, Reference and Adult Services Librarian and Teen Services Librarian participated in the first meeting; the Library Director, Assistant Library Director and Technical Services Librarian participated in the second meeting.
At the first meeting on June 1, the Library Director presented a “Community Profile” and a “Library Profile” that served as an orientation to current conditions. NMRLS consultants Scott Kehoe and Mary Behrle used the SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) technique to garner input from the committee about the library and the environment in which it currently operates.
The Library Director and the Assistant Library Director conducted the SWOT analysis with the library staff on June 19. The library staff was also asked for input on the development of a revised mission statement. The Library Director posted a draft of the mission statement on the staff blog to garner further feedback.
The Library Director provided the Board of Library Trustee on June 16 with the results of the S.W.O.T. developed at the first Long Range Planning Committee meeting. The Trustees reviewed the S.W.O.T. and added additional comments. The Library Director also asked the Board of Library Trustees to respond to the following questions:
What is the role of the public library in a digital world where information is easily available from many sources?
What can or should the library offer the community in order to stay relevant?
At the second meeting of the Long Range Planning Committee on June 24, the Library Director summarized the results of the meetings with the Library Trustees and the library staff. NMRLS consultants, Susan Babb and Mary Behrle, lead the committee in brainstorming vision statements for the community. After prioritizing those vision statements to which the library could best respond, the committee developed draft goals and objectives.
In addition to input from the above meetings, the library conducted a community survey to solicit input for the long range plan. During the month of July, the survey was available on the library’s web site and the Town’s web site, at the library, the Town Hall and the Department of Elderly Services. Staff and volunteers also gave out the survey at the Town’s Fourth of July festivities. In development of this long range plan, the results of two other surveys done in 2008 were also reviewed: a Parent Survey on Library Services for Children done in October 2008 and a Teen Services Survey done in November 2008.
The Library Director and Assistant Library Director reviewed all of the comments and data from the community survey and the input from the Long Range Planning Meetings, staff meeting and Trustee meeting. In addition, they looked at long range plans from other libraries as well as trends that will likely impact the delivery of library service over the next five years. Organizing the data into categories, four strategic directions were indentified for this planning cycle: 1) a center for ideas, information and inspiration
2) a visible and integral part of the community 3) a learning and evolving organization and 4) a vibrant and inviting facility. Goals, objectives and activities were developed within each of these concepts. The goals and objectives were given to library department heads for review and feedback and subsequently presented to the library staff at a staff meeting on September 11 for review and feedback.
-- top ^
