Roles & Goals of the Southfield Public Library

The Strategy Group has identified the following roles of the library:

1. Making Information Accessible
2. Supporting Lifelong learning and literacy
3. Complementing formal education
4. Offering popular materials
5. Promoting community connections
6. Providing access to technology

The goals we've identified include:

1. Public awareness
2. Convenience
3. Environment/Ambiance

More in depth descriptions of these roles & goals will be presented soon! We are working on creating objectives to aid us in completing the goals. They represent the final steps of our creation period. Then we'll have to develop a presentation for the board and 'sell' the plan to them. After that, I will make a big presentation to the whole staff.
Thanks to all who've helped steer this process!
- Dave

Value Statements

Progress continues on the LRP. We have reaffirmed the Value Statements created in the 2005 Strategic Plan, adding a fifth statement. They are as follows: We believe...

• knowledge and information are vital to the quality of life.
• reading gives people the power to improve their lives.
• public service is our first priority.
• public libraries are the foundation of a free society.
• in fiscal & environmental responsibility to our community.

Vision (part deux)

The Strategy group and I have come up with a different VISION statement. It comes from something I've been saying since we began this LRP process.

"We help people succeed."

Everything we do is geared toward making our patrons (and community) a better place. We want to give people the information tools to be better workers, bosses, teachers, parents, children, spouses, friends, etc, etc.
Let me know if you do, or do not, like this. It's broad, visionary, passionate and vague. - Dave

A Vision?

The "big group" struggled through an exercise with Tess Kirby last week and came up with this as a possible Vision Statement...let me know what you think, OK?

Southfield Public Library:

A world class choice for learning, discovering and imagining!

Dave

SWOT update

The group really got the creative juices flowing Tuesday and we came up with MANY threats. That may not sound like a good thing, but it is when you turn it around and see what kinds of OPPORTUNITIES it can present! Also, we don't want to be blindsided by something we could have avoided.
You can see all the identified Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats on the H drive. I'm always on the lookout for additional ideas, so never hesitate to share them with me. Our next step, Tuesday at 2-4 in the meeting room, is to "clump" like things together into 'threads', which we'll use to weave our future together.
I'm nervous about all this, but only because I see how many of us are actively involved and want to have the best product. Consultant Tess Kirby will be coming in a few weeks to help us create our over-arching VISION statement. Then we'll use the identified threads to weave ladders of goals and objectives that will help us reach the library we envision being in 5 years.
What an objective - what an opportunity to develop as individuals and as a team, what a chance to be a force for good in the community (even more than we are now!).
-- Dave

Phone Survey results

WOW! Bill Schroer, consultant and president of W.M. Schroer Co., made a presentation to the Strategy group yesterday afternoon and gave us a LOT to think about! His team's findings underscored some of what we knew, but also gave us many suggestions for things we didn't know and things we can do to improve the library.
Next week's Strategy meeting will give us some time to compare what we heard and put together some ideas - ideas and thoughts which will be combined with similar thinking about the other areas of our info gathering effort.
The most interesting and challenging part of this whole Long Range Plan effort is coming up...c correctly interpreting and understanding what to do with the data. I'm excited to begin the process and will let you know as things progress. (That is, if anyone's reading this...) - Dave

Surveys, Focus Groups coming

I have updated the Time Line in the lounge to show us tentatively conducting surveys Dec. 3-9. Kelly Ireland is searching for more people to help fill in times. If you'd like to help, let her know.

Polly K. will be here Jan. 14-15 to train our volunteer focus group leaders. If you'd like to participate, talk to your Coordinator. We have several groups we hope to talk to in late Jan. & early Feb.

Warren Graham will be here Jan. 8-11 to continue his work with us on security & safety. (I know that isn't part of the LRP, but it's coming soon & I want word to be spread...)

We've got a "Staff Survey" in the works, to help gather your thoughts on the possible directions the library can head in the future. More to come soon!

Think about the future! Dave