THANK YOU! to everyone who participated in the Staff Brainstorming session on Tuesday, February 19th. We had about 48 Staff members and 2 Board members attend the meeting, which was facilitated by our Consultant, Maureen Sullivan. The Strategic Plan Steering Committee greatly appreciates your input.
The group was first asked to brainstorm nouns and verbs in answer to the question – “What is the purpose of the library?” Next we considered the question – “In an ideal word, five years from now, what would we like this library to be?” The responses collected will be the foundation for developing our Mission and Vision Statements.
The Steering Committee, along with Maureen Sullivan, met the next morning to review the input we received. To get started we looked over all the flip charts and identified recurring vision themes, listed here in no particular order:
Be more user-friendly
Access
PR, Marketing, Outreach
Community gathering place : welcoming, ambiance, quiet, busy
Teens
“Edutain”
Technology – achieving the right balance
Adapt to evolution of community
Working/Networking with other community organization
Staff Development –What we (the library) do now; learning new skills, bonding
Next, we will be drafting Vision and Mission statements for our library. We have saved all the flip charts and will continue to refer to them as we move forward. On March 19th, from 11-12, we will be inviting staff to an open discussion of the draft Mission and Vision Statements. People will be able to take a look at the first drafts and give us their reactions in person that day. You will also have other opportunities to respond.
On April 9th we are planning a focus group meeting to gather information from the community at large. Representatives from a wide range of community groups, businesses, and organizations will be invited to participate. This meeting is still in the planning stages.
We continue to welcome input from everyone. You will now find a Suggestion Box in the Staff Lounge by the Strategic Planning bulletin board. We have also made it easier to post comments to the Blog. Look to the right of the Blog screen for “General Comments and Ideas”. Click here and add your comments. We look forward to hearing from you and will post responses as appropriate.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Strategic Planning Comments and Ideas
If you have general comments or ideas regarding Strategic Planning that are not related to specific postings, please use this as your forum. We welcome your input.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
What is Strategic Planning?
It has come to our attention that some of you out there may be wondering:
What is Strategic Planning?
Simply put, strategic planning determines where an organization is going over the next year or more and how it's going to get there. Typically, the process is organization-wide, or focused on a major function such as a department. At EPL, we are approaching this project by inviting input from all staff and community members.
How to Get a Feel for Strategic Planning -- There's No Perfect Way to Do It
Planning typically includes several major activities in the process. Different people often have different names for these steps. They might even conduct them in a different order.
One Way to Look at Strategic Planning
One interpretation of the major activities in strategic planning activities is that it includes:
1. Strategic Analysis
This activity can include conducting some sort of scan of the organization's environment (for example, of the political, social, economic and technical environment). Planners carefully consider various driving forces in the environment, for example, increasing competition, changing demographics, etc. Planners also look at the various strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT analysis). Note that in the past, organizations usually referred to "strategic planning" as "long-range planning".
2. Setting Strategic Direction
Planners carefully come to conclusions about what the organization must do as a result of the major issues and opportunities facing the organization. These conclusions include what overall accomplishments (or strategic goals) the organization should achieve, and the overall methods (or strategies) to achieve the accomplishments.
At some point in the strategic planning process, planners usually identify or update what might be called the strategic "philosophy". This includes identifying or updating the organization's mission, vision and/or values statements. Mission statements are brief written descriptions of the purpose of the organization. Mission statements vary in nature from very brief to quite comprehensive.
Vision statements are usually a compelling description of how the organization will or should operate at some point in the future and of how customers or clients are benefiting from the organization's products and services. Values statements list the overall priorities in how the organization will operate.
3. Action Planning
Action planning is carefully laying out how the strategic goals will be accomplished. Action planning often includes specifying objectives, or specific results, with each strategic goal. Therefore, reaching a strategic goal typically involves accomplishing a set of objectives along the way.
Action planning also includes specifying responsibilities and timelines with each objective, or who needs to do what and by when. It should also include methods to monitor and evaluate the plan, which includes knowing how the organization will know who has done what and by when.
It's common to develop an operational plan or management plan, which includes the strategic goals, strategies, objectives, responsibilities and timelines that should be done in the time alotted.
Main text found on: http://www.managementhelp.org/plan_dec/str_plan/basics.htm.
Edits by EPL Strategic Planning Committee.
What is Strategic Planning?
Simply put, strategic planning determines where an organization is going over the next year or more and how it's going to get there. Typically, the process is organization-wide, or focused on a major function such as a department. At EPL, we are approaching this project by inviting input from all staff and community members.
How to Get a Feel for Strategic Planning -- There's No Perfect Way to Do It
Planning typically includes several major activities in the process. Different people often have different names for these steps. They might even conduct them in a different order.
One Way to Look at Strategic Planning
One interpretation of the major activities in strategic planning activities is that it includes:
1. Strategic Analysis
This activity can include conducting some sort of scan of the organization's environment (for example, of the political, social, economic and technical environment). Planners carefully consider various driving forces in the environment, for example, increasing competition, changing demographics, etc. Planners also look at the various strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT analysis). Note that in the past, organizations usually referred to "strategic planning" as "long-range planning".
2. Setting Strategic Direction
Planners carefully come to conclusions about what the organization must do as a result of the major issues and opportunities facing the organization. These conclusions include what overall accomplishments (or strategic goals) the organization should achieve, and the overall methods (or strategies) to achieve the accomplishments.
At some point in the strategic planning process, planners usually identify or update what might be called the strategic "philosophy". This includes identifying or updating the organization's mission, vision and/or values statements. Mission statements are brief written descriptions of the purpose of the organization. Mission statements vary in nature from very brief to quite comprehensive.
Vision statements are usually a compelling description of how the organization will or should operate at some point in the future and of how customers or clients are benefiting from the organization's products and services. Values statements list the overall priorities in how the organization will operate.
3. Action Planning
Action planning is carefully laying out how the strategic goals will be accomplished. Action planning often includes specifying objectives, or specific results, with each strategic goal. Therefore, reaching a strategic goal typically involves accomplishing a set of objectives along the way.
Action planning also includes specifying responsibilities and timelines with each objective, or who needs to do what and by when. It should also include methods to monitor and evaluate the plan, which includes knowing how the organization will know who has done what and by when.
It's common to develop an operational plan or management plan, which includes the strategic goals, strategies, objectives, responsibilities and timelines that should be done in the time alotted.
Main text found on: http://www.managementhelp.org/plan_dec/str_plan/basics.htm.
Edits by EPL Strategic Planning Committee.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Week 4 – Profiling the Elmhurst Community
This week the Strategic Planning Committee continued to collect background information on the Elmhurst community. Last week we focused on numbers. This week was spent looking at the various cultural, educational, civic, and service organizations in town, and identifying special interest groups. We are also looking at the business environment - what types of businesses exist and who are the major employers.
This information will be the building blocks on which we will construct our strategic plan. What needs exist in the community that are not being addressed? Is another organization or group doing something that we can support or enhance? Can we partner with a local business or group on a future project? How are residents spending their time and how can the library support these activities?
Community Survey
We will be meeting with Professor Amy Clugg from Elmhurst College on February 27th to discuss what we want to learn from a community survey. Her marketing class will be conducting the survey for us for free. To prepare, we have been researching surveys conducted by other libraries, trying to develop a set of questions. If you have any thoughts on this please share them with any member of the committee.
This information will be the building blocks on which we will construct our strategic plan. What needs exist in the community that are not being addressed? Is another organization or group doing something that we can support or enhance? Can we partner with a local business or group on a future project? How are residents spending their time and how can the library support these activities?
Community Survey
We will be meeting with Professor Amy Clugg from Elmhurst College on February 27th to discuss what we want to learn from a community survey. Her marketing class will be conducting the survey for us for free. To prepare, we have been researching surveys conducted by other libraries, trying to develop a set of questions. If you have any thoughts on this please share them with any member of the committee.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Week 3 - Elmhurst by the numbers
Strategic Planning Week Three – Elmhurst by the Numbers
This week the Strategic Planning Committee has been studying census data and other available statistics on Elmhurst. As a starting point we used the community data survey provided in PLA’s Planning for Results as a guide. From these statistics we are compiling a list of summary statements to describe the Elmhurst environment, highlighting what we think is relevant for library planning. We are looking at the following:
Population trends (Numbers of people/ Ages)
Socioeconomic factors (income, poverty levels, employment)
Education levels
Ethnicity/Language
This week the Strategic Planning Committee has been studying census data and other available statistics on Elmhurst. As a starting point we used the community data survey provided in PLA’s Planning for Results as a guide. From these statistics we are compiling a list of summary statements to describe the Elmhurst environment, highlighting what we think is relevant for library planning. We are looking at the following:
Population trends (Numbers of people/ Ages)
Socioeconomic factors (income, poverty levels, employment)
Education levels
Ethnicity/Language
Staff Update and Brainstorming Session
Strategic Plan Update and Brainstorming Session for Staff Only
Tuesday, February 19, 2 - 4 PM
Meeting Room 2
EPL staff are invited to join the Strategic Plan Steering Committee and consultant Maureen Sullivan for an update on the planning process and a chance to brainstorm ideas for the Library's mission and vision statements.
All staff are invited. RSVP to your supervisor.
Tuesday, February 19, 2 - 4 PM
Meeting Room 2
EPL staff are invited to join the Strategic Plan Steering Committee and consultant Maureen Sullivan for an update on the planning process and a chance to brainstorm ideas for the Library's mission and vision statements.
All staff are invited. RSVP to your supervisor.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Week 2 - Painting a background picture
The Strategic Planning Committee members spent the last week gathering and reading background documents we felt would prove useful to the planning process, looking at both the broad picture for libraries as well as our local context.
The Local Picture:
School District 205 is in the midst of their own strategic planning process. Much of their work is not yet available to us but the committee was able to look at preliminary figures on enrollment projections. These statistics will be very valuable as we identify who are users are, and will be in the future.
The City of Elmhurst is also working on a comprehensive plan. There is a lot of information available on the city web site, including an environmental scan. We also looked at the results of the 2006 Citizen Survey.
Elmhurst Park District published their comprehensive master plan in 2007. The Library owns a copy of this document. Not only is the final data useful to us but we also get a glimpse into the process the Park District went through in developing their plan.
Census data for Elmhurst was reviewed. The last census was in 2000.
Elmhurst Public Library circulation statistics were also examined, looking at patterns over the past five years.
Next week we plan to pull this data together into a “Snapshot” of the Elmhurst community as it is, and as it is projected to be in the future.
The Broader Picture:
We are scanning the available literature, as well as the Internet, gathering information on what other libraries are doing.
The OCLC Market Research team has published a number of reports that examine the significant issues and trends impacting libraries both now and in the future. These reports look at social, economic, and technological trends; how trends and innovation in information formats are creating new challenges and opportunities for librarians; and perceptions of libraries and information resources.
Exciting News!
We have been approached by Amy Clugg, a professor at Elmhurst College who teaches a marketing research class. Each term the class conducts a survey for a organization in town and they would like to do one for the library. The Committee will be meeting with Professor Clugg on February 27 to discuss what the library would like to learn from a survey. If you have any thoughts on this, please share them with one of the committee members.
Communications:
We are working to establish a library blog, accessible through our website, that will be used to communicate with both the staff and the community. Two different software packages are currently under consideration and we hope to have something set up soon. We will also make use of bulletin boards throughout the library, including a new one in the staff lounge where you will find notes on our meetings as well as a timeline.
The Local Picture:
School District 205 is in the midst of their own strategic planning process. Much of their work is not yet available to us but the committee was able to look at preliminary figures on enrollment projections. These statistics will be very valuable as we identify who are users are, and will be in the future.
The City of Elmhurst is also working on a comprehensive plan. There is a lot of information available on the city web site, including an environmental scan. We also looked at the results of the 2006 Citizen Survey.
Elmhurst Park District published their comprehensive master plan in 2007. The Library owns a copy of this document. Not only is the final data useful to us but we also get a glimpse into the process the Park District went through in developing their plan.
Census data for Elmhurst was reviewed. The last census was in 2000.
Elmhurst Public Library circulation statistics were also examined, looking at patterns over the past five years.
Next week we plan to pull this data together into a “Snapshot” of the Elmhurst community as it is, and as it is projected to be in the future.
The Broader Picture:
We are scanning the available literature, as well as the Internet, gathering information on what other libraries are doing.
The OCLC Market Research team has published a number of reports that examine the significant issues and trends impacting libraries both now and in the future. These reports look at social, economic, and technological trends; how trends and innovation in information formats are creating new challenges and opportunities for librarians; and perceptions of libraries and information resources.
Exciting News!
We have been approached by Amy Clugg, a professor at Elmhurst College who teaches a marketing research class. Each term the class conducts a survey for a organization in town and they would like to do one for the library. The Committee will be meeting with Professor Clugg on February 27 to discuss what the library would like to learn from a survey. If you have any thoughts on this, please share them with one of the committee members.
Communications:
We are working to establish a library blog, accessible through our website, that will be used to communicate with both the staff and the community. Two different software packages are currently under consideration and we hope to have something set up soon. We will also make use of bulletin boards throughout the library, including a new one in the staff lounge where you will find notes on our meetings as well as a timeline.
Week 1 - The Strategic Planning Process has begun!
The Strategic Planning Committee had our kick-off meeting with consultant Maureen Sullivan on Tuesday, January 22, 2008. At this meeting we discussed the following:
Planning process – We discussed what the planning process would look like and reviewed key components.
The key components will be
Mission
Vision
Values
Strategic directions (also called initiatives)
Goals and objectives
Implementation
The overall planning process will consist of three phases. In Phase One we will draft mission/vision/values statements; determine strategic directions, and decide how we want to proceed with the creation of goals and objectives. Phase Two will be the actual development of goals and objectives. In Phase Three we will write the official strategic planning documents; review them with key stakeholders; and finalize the plan.
Time Table – Phase One activities will take us to May. We will be gathering information and input and developing some of the core documents that will direct our later work. We plan to engage both staff and community in discussions during this phase. Phase Two will begin in May. A good chunk of time will be spent on developing goals and objectives, with plenty of opportunity for staff involvement. Phase Three, writing the plan, will begin by September 1, with final completion of the plan aimed for October 1, 2008
When / how to engage the community? – We spent some time identifying the various community agencies and groups we might want to involve in our strategic planning process and exploring what form this involvement might take. More on this later.
When / how to involve Staff? - In considering the planning process we looked for opportunities to involve other staff. The first one is coming soon! On February 19th we want to invite staff to brainstorm with us as we look at the library mission statement and consider whether we want to create a slogan (or tagline) for the library.
First Work Plan – Moving forward, the committee plans to meet every Wednesday morning. To get us started we identified research avenues to pursue and made work assignments for our next meeting.
Communication – We want to keep everyone informed at all stages of this project. To that end we identified a number of communication methods we hope to employ throughout this process. In addition to the usual E-mails, and Staff/Community Newsletters, you can look for the following in weeks to come – a Strategic Planning Information Center in the staff lounge and our first ever library Blog! Stay tuned!
Welcome to our blog!
We are excited to welcome all of you to Elmhurst Public Library's first blog!
Our library has entered a new and exciting phase where we are planning for our library's future. To help us in this process, we have organized a volunteer Strategic Planning Committee that is comprised of seven library employees. We have also enlisted the help of Maureen Sullivan, an organization development consultant, to keep the committee on track.
We are using this blog as a means of communicating what the library's Strategic Planning Committee will be doing for the next nine months. Here, you will find notes from our weekly meetings and we invite you to post your comments and ideas as well.
Thanks for reading and we look forward to a future dialog.
Our library has entered a new and exciting phase where we are planning for our library's future. To help us in this process, we have organized a volunteer Strategic Planning Committee that is comprised of seven library employees. We have also enlisted the help of Maureen Sullivan, an organization development consultant, to keep the committee on track.
We are using this blog as a means of communicating what the library's Strategic Planning Committee will be doing for the next nine months. Here, you will find notes from our weekly meetings and we invite you to post your comments and ideas as well.
Thanks for reading and we look forward to a future dialog.
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