WHAT WE LEARNED
Several weeks ago community leaders representing many community groups came together at the Library to discuss the future of Elmhurst and the library’s role in that future. The discussion was facilitated by our strategic planning consultant Maureen Sullivan. Here is some of what we learned.
What would the preferred future of Elmhurst include?
Elmhurst would be a diverse community, tolerant of differences in lifestyles, cultures, and abilities/disabilities. It would be an inclusive community and (in the broadest sense) accessible. There would be equity among the various parts of the community. All schools would operate at an equally high-quality level and there would be more diversity in housing choices. There would be strong connections and collaboration between all community groups – political, schools, parks, cultural institutions, and businesses. People of all generations would be actively engaged in the life of the community and well-informed about issues affecting Elmhurst. There would be a concentration on wellness and healthy lifestyles and Elmhurst would be an environmentally friendly community. There would be good transportation options, good signage, and no crime.
How can the community achieve the preferred future?
We need to focus on improving economic vitality and keep the downtown vibrant. We need to address the lack of diversity in housing and continue to use good economic tools for community development. Elmhurst needs to understand and embrace the economic impact of businesses in the community and the extent to which they support the community. We need to see the interdependence among organizations and groups and to see and promote the value of nonprofit organizations. Elmhurst should work to establish a set of common values and ideals, seek to establish equity, and design ways to promote an appreciation of differences.
How can the library contribute?
The library can be a role model for collaboration, focus on the needs of others, and have a win/win/win attitude. We can develop stronger collaborations with local museums, the park district, and other libraries to help support and promote their efforts. We can partner with school districts to provide resource materials for students, and look for new ways to address the problem of serving those in unincorporated areas. The library should promote literacy development in a variety of ways and at all levels. We should expand outreach efforts and find ways to bring in those who are not coming. We should serve all ages. We can be a conduit for information and facts about the community (activities, events, data, political issues, etc.) and ensure that Elmhurst residents are well informed about local issues. The library should provide a well trained, well- educated staff, who can take full advantage of all available resources for the benefit of residents. The library should look for ways to promote and market what we have to offer. And last but not least, the library should offer more expanded hours, such as after 5 p.m. on Saturdays.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Week 17 - Community Voice
Friday, May 9, 2008
Week 16 – Reports from the SPSC front
Hello again! These past few weeks have been filled with various activities related to the start of Phase Two of the Strategic Planning process. Phase Two launches on May 21st and marks the start of task force work.
Our task forces will work on studying and suggesting goals in areas that the Strategic Planning Steering Committee has envisioned as enriching life in Elmhurst. The task forces will be broken down into the following interest groups:
· Develop a love of reading
· Acquire information for work and learning
· Pursue the interest that will enrich their lives
· Understand technological changes
· Understand social and cultural changes
· Gather and interact with each other.
As we still have a couple of weeks before Phase Two starts, the SPSC has been working hard on finalizing the descriptions and charges for each of the Task Forces. We also issued a call for volunteers a couple of weeks ago and are pleased to report that we had over 20 people volunteer. The volunteers ranked the task forces they are interested in working on so the SPSC can fairly assign them to groups. We will announce the task force assignments next week.
Some of you may have noticed Elmhurst College students conducting a community-wide survey about the library in the past few weeks. These students will present the results of that survey to the SPSC and the Library Board next week. We look forward to hearing what the community and students have to say about the library.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Week 13 - Community survey coming soon!
Vision Statement Responses
The good news is that the committee received 50 responses from staff. The bad news is that there was no consensus. The votes were evenly distributed across all three of the presented options. In addition, three people suggested alternate wordings. Thanks to everyone who took the time to share their thoughts. After much thought and discussion the committee has decided to go with option #2 for the time being. The current draft of the Vision statement has been posted in the staff lounge. This document will continue to be considered a draft until sometime in the fall.
Community Survey about to get underway
Professor Amy Clugg from Elmhurst College met with the Strategic Planning Committee this week. Her marketing class is conducting a survey on behalf of the library. This survey is an educational exercise for the students which they designed under the supervision of their professor. They will be providing valuable information to the Strategic Planning Committee as a community service. Amy reviewed with us how the survey was being put together, types of questions included (we provided some input), and how data would be collected and analyzed. There are 24 students in the class and each will be responsible for completing 30 surveys. Surveys will be conducted April 22-30 at locations throughout town. Some of the surveys will be conducted here in the library. The students will be clearly identified. If you see them in the library please be supportive. The students will make a formal class presentation on May 13th and we have been invited to attend.
TASK FORCES – CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS COMING NEXT WEEK! WATCH FOR DETAILS!
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Week 12 - Input from the staff and community
Vision Statement input sought
The Strategic Planning Committee is debating some word changes in the Vision Statement and would like additional staff input. Rather than call another meeting we are distributing forms containing a draft version of the Vision to all the departments and asking staff to respond to the highlighted areas. Please take a moment and give us your opinion. Responses should be turned in by April 16th.
Task Force development
In the very near future Staff can expect to see a call for volunteers to serve on Task Forces. The Committee has identified six focus areas and is busy defining the work we hope each task force will undertake. Staff will have the opportunity to select the area that interests them the most.
Community Input
The Community Voice meeting was held Wednesday afternoon, April 9th, facilitated by Maureen Sullivan. Maureen asked the group to respond to three questions:
Where do they think Elmhurst should be in five years?
How do we get there?
What do they see as the library’s role?
Twenty-seven community leaders attended and by all accounts there was a lively discussion. To ensure that participants could speak freely no library staff were present. Discussion points were recorded on flip charts that will be reviewed by the committee at our next meeting. We greatly appreciate everyone’s participation.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Week 11 - Vision Statement, Community Input Meeting, and Task Force development
VISION STATEMENT – STAFF INPUT SOUGHT
COMMUNITY VOICE MEETING
A Community Voice meeting will be held on April 9th to gather input from community leaders about the future of Elmhurst and the library’s role in it. Invitations were mailed to leaders representing government, schools, business, seniors, youth, social services, service clubs, cultural institutions, and other community groups. Our consultant, Maureen Sullivan will facilitate the discussion. To ensure that participants may speak freely, no library staff will be present.
PHASE TWO – GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The Committee has begun laying plans for Phase Two of the strategic planning process – developing goals and objectives. To facilitate this process we will be establishing a number of Task Forces to study various aspects of library service. A Task force is simply a committee organized around a specific focus area. The Strategic Planning Committee is working now to identify what those focus areas will be and defining the purpose of each one. Once this work is completed there will be a call for volunteers. Serving on a Task Force will be an excellent opportunity for all staff to get involved. The kick-off meeting for all the task forces is scheduled for May 21st. Save the date!
Monday, March 31, 2008
Week 10 - Mission, Vision, Values Statements and Task Force development
MISSION and VISION
This week the Strategic Planning Committee worked on combining the three mission statements shared with staff last week, the excellent discussion from last Wednesday’s meeting, and the comments that were subsequently turned in through the suggestion box, into a single concise Mission Statement for the library. Our aim was to make it specific, short, and memorable. We think we’ve succeeded. It’s still considered a work in progress however so continue to share your thoughts with the committee. We appreciate the input!
The Vision Statement shared with staff met with general approval. A few word changes were suggested so we are substituting some stronger verbs and rearranging a few bits.
VALUES STATEMENT
Another element of strategic planning is clarifying what we stand for and believe in – also called a Values Statement. While our library has never specifically written a values statement before, we do include in our policy manual the following documents that represent our values:
Ethics Statement for Library Trustees
Library Bill of Rights
Pledge of Service to Elmhurst Citizens
Freedom to Read Statement
Freedom to View Statement
These documents are all readily available for staff to read. You might want to take a look! The Committee is also working to develop a Values Statement specifically for our library.
TASK FORCES
Task forces are committees organized around a specific focus area. The purpose of a task force is to examine and analyze its particular focus area, keeping in mind the challenge to consider the future and draw up pertinent goals and objectives for a five-year plan.
We will be using task forces during phase two of the strategic planning process and are currently working to determine what focus areas are needed and defining the charge for each group. Watch for a call for volunteers in late April. This will be an excellent opportunity for more staff to get involved. The task forces will begin work on May 21st at a meeting with consultant Maureen Sullivan, and continue over the summer. We hope everyone will consider participating.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Week 9 - Review of Draft Mission and Vision Statements
Staff,along with two board members, came together Wednesday morning for an opportunity to see and discuss draft versions of library mission and vision statements. The session was moderated by our consultant, Maureen Sullivan.
Three potential mission statements were presented, along with a vision statement, and these sparked some excellent discussion. The committee will now work to distill the three statements, along with the all the valuable input, into a single mission statement. Thanks to everyone who participated and shared their thoughts!
If you were unable to attend the discussion it’s not too late to offer input. The three mission statements, along with the vision statement, have been posted on the wall of the staff lounge. Please use the suggestion box found under the Strategic Planning bulletin board to share your thoughts. The Committee welcomes any and all input.
Looking Ahead to TASK FORCES
In April the Committee will be planning for the Task Force phase. We will be determining what task forces are needed and developing a charge for each task force. Once the task forces are defined we will issue a call for volunteers. Staff will have the opportunity to select the task force that most sparks their interest. The call for volunteers will come in late April and will be more fully explained at that time. The Task Forces will be launched at a meeting with Maureen on May 21st. If you think you might be interested in serving on a Task Force save that date. The work of the task forces will stretch out over the summer, with final reports due August 8th.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Week 8 - Trends
Although the library only recently began a formal strategic planning process (also called long range planning), our library staff have always been looking ahead, reading library literature, and making plans. To tap into this vast store of knowledge the Strategic Planning Committee sat down this week with the heads of the Adult and Kids departments, as well as the Teen Librarian, to hear their thoughts on the future of the library. Here are some of the highlights from that discussion:
Every Child Ready to Read – an emphasis on getting children ready to learn to read by fostering the six pre-reading skills in story times, at parent workshops, in print, and with early literacy activity areas.
Services to special niche groups such as children with special needs, homeschoolers, immigrants. The library already has plans to create an ESL (English as a Second Language) collection beginning this May.
Homework assistance. This might include a special homework center in the library, volunteer or paid tutors, or online homework help with a service like tutor.com.
Boys and books. In general, boys take longer to learn to read than girls do, comprehend narrative texts less easily, read less, and value reading less than do girls. Libraries and schools are changing their instruction, programs and services to accommodate the different learning styles of boys, as well as their taste in reading..
Graphic novels, graphic nonfiction. Both departments see these collections as expanding.
Mobile Reference services. May include Librarians who move around the library rather than sit at a desk; a portable “reference/circ desk” that could be taken out into the community, allowing us to reach underserved areas; libraries working together to provide 24-hour live librarian reference service; the use of non-compulsory “uniforms” so librarians can be easily identified.
The Library as cultural center. Expanded programming, targeting audiences of all ages. Libraries are also hosting interactive, museum-like exhibitions. These provide opportunities to link activities with other groups in town and involve the entire community. Drama and readers theater groups are also springing up in libraries.
Gaming. Libraries are beginning to offer special gaming areas where teens can play, hold tournaments, and hang out. Libraries are also building Gaming collections. Gaming is also being used as tool to build literacy.
Downloadable music and movies
Technology. Provide access and training as technologies evolve ; continue to develop and enhance our webite ; be a real presence on the internet. Youth use the internet as a social tool. Libraries are looking for ways to tap into that by exploring the use of MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, etc. Youth like to create content (audio/video/3D/game design). Some libraries are providing space and software to assist with these activities. Blogs are a popular way to communicate and share information.
Publicize better what we have and what we can do for people. Make collections more accessible.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Week 7 - Mission and Vision
The Steering Committee has crafted first drafts of both a mission and vision statement for the library. We expect these documents to be revised a number of times before we are done. At this week’s meeting the committee reviewed and discussed what we have so far. Next, we will be asking staff for your input on these documents.
On March 19th, from 11-12, staff will be invited to join the Steering Committee for a discussion of these draft documents. We hope you will consider attending. Please check with your supervisors and mark your calendars! We plan to post the draft statements prior to the meeting so keep checking the bulletin boards.
As a guide for some of our work we have been referring to the book “Strategic Planning for Dummies” by Erica Olsen. She identifies some of the elements that should be found in good mission and vision statements. To get you thinking, here they are:
Elements of an effective mission statement:
Focuses on satisfying patron needs
Based on our core competencies
Motivates and inspires employee commitment
Realistic and clear : avoid making the mission to narrow or too broad
Specific, short, sharply focused, and memorable: write a precise statement of purpose that describes the essence of the business in words employees and patrons can remember us by.
Clear and easily understood
Says what the company wants to be remembered for: How do we want the world to think of us? The Mission statement can provide simple insight into why we do business.
Elements of a effective vision statement:
Audacious: represents a dream that’s beyond what you think is possible.
Capitalizes on core competencies: builds on what you’ve already established – strengths,
Unique capabilities, resources, and assets.
Futurecasting: provides a picture of what your business looks like in the future
Inspiring: creates enthusiasm and poses a challenge.
Motivating: clarifies the direction in which we need to move and keeps everyone pushing forward to reach it.
Purpose-driven: gives employees a larger sense of purpose, so they see themselves as building a cathedral instead of laying stones.
Sound challenging? It is!
Monday, March 3, 2008
Week 6 - Looking out to the commmunity
Community Survey
A marketing class at Elmhurst College, taught by Amy Clugg, will be conducting a survey on the library’s behalf as part of their class work this semester. Sarah Caltvedt visited the class on Tuesday evening, February 26, to share with them some background on the library, the process we are going through, and what we would hope to learn from a survey. The class will draw up a list of objectives, target audiences, and a draft survey that they will then review with us before moving forward.
“Community Voice” Focus Group
We are working to develop a guest list for participation in a community focus group meeting. This meeting will take place on April 9th, from 1:30 – 3 p.m. and be facilitated by Maureen Sullivan. So that participants can feel free to speak openly, library staff will not attend. Invitations will be sent out in about two weeks.
Library Patterns of Use
At previous meetings the Committee looked at Elmhurst demographic statistics and other background information on the community. At this meeting we focused on the library, examining circulation and card holder statistics for the past five years. In the past five years the library has seen a 35.16% growth in circulation and an 18.76% growth in number of card holders. A ranking of SWAN Consortium libraries by number of items checked out has Elmhurst at the top, followed by Downers Grove, Indian Prairie, Oak Lawn, and Woodridge. We also looked at some statistics from the Public Library Annual Report that compared Elmhurst to other libraries in a variety of ways.
What do these statistics tell us about the future of the library? Has circulation gone up because we have made the library easier to use? We have added bags patrons can check out to carry materials; improved the accessibility of the catalog; permitted patrons to place their own holds and renewals; provided a drive-up window, etc. These are good questions to ponder as we move forward.
