1 is community assessment a high hurdle? get over it!
TRANSCRIPT
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Is Community Assessmenta High Hurdle?
Get over it!
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• What the community thinks of the library
• Needs and preferences of users…and non users!
• Service and program priorities
• Funding, staffing, collections, and facilities needs
• Customer service issues
• Training needs
• Branding and marketing…and more!
The process clarifies…
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Planning asks (and answers) tough questions.
• Why do we do what we do? Should we keep doing it?
• What are we doing well? Poorly?
• Do we give the community what it needs?
• What are our financial prospects?
• Is our current situation sustainable?
• Is our mission still meaningful?
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1. Starting our first ever strategic plan
2. Updating an existing plan
3. Developing a new plan to replace one that is expiring
4. Floundering
5. Nowhere
POLL: Where is your library
on the planning continuum?
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• Rethink; reorganize; retool ; reenergize
• Align with local planning objectives
• Help solve community problems
• Showcase the library and your leadership
Make planning an opportunity to…
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• All stakeholders understand the process, participate and are receptive to change
• Roles are clearly defined
• No hidden agendas
• Research-driven
• Resources are allocated
• Process is completed expeditiously
Planning works best when…
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• No board support
• Director does everything
• No research
• Process takes too long
How things go wrong…
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• Timing/timeline?
• Budget?
• With or without outside help?
• Do we need a separate– technology plan?– facilities plan?– marketing plan?
The Basics
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1. Get the Board on board
2. Set goals’
3. Get the staff on board
4. Organize the planning team
5. Make expectations clear
Kick start the process!
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Knowledge
Commitment
Expertise
Influence
Availability
Amenability
Considerations
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BEFORE• Understand the goals and process• Commit to meeting datesDURING• Show up!• Read the suggested articles• Promote the process• Conduct leadership interviews• Understand the research• Help establish strategies and priorities• Provide feedback on the plan draft• Approve the final draft for submission to the
BoardAFTER• Promote the plan
Committee
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BEFORE• Educate trustees and staff about planning• Help trustees set goals DURING• Work with the planning team (and consultant)• Conduct leadership interviews• Help establish strategies and priorities• Review and comment on the draft plan• Report regularly to the board• Manage stakeholder expectations AFTER• Promote the plan• Ensure implementation and ongoing evaluation
Director
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BEFORE• Budget for and approve the process• Select the planning team (and consultant)• Set goalsDURING• Respond to the board survey• Conduct leadership interviews• Promote the community assessment process• Understand the research• Review draft strategies and priorities• Revisit mission, vision, values • Review and comment on the draft planAFTER• Support and promote the new plan• Evaluate progress toward goals
Trustees
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Is your board “on board” to develop a strategic plan?
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S.W.O.T.
Strengths Weaknesses
Opportunities Threats
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S.W.O.T.
Strengths Weaknesses
Children’s collection Staff training
New school Budget cutssuperintendent
Opportunities Threats
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Take advantage of strengths Address weaknesses
Seize opportunities Guard against threats
S.W.O.T.
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Without research, you can execute the wrong strategy perfectly.
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Research identifies and/or confirms priority needs and
strategies
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The bigger (and more costly) the decision, the more accurate the research has to be!
Rule of Thumb
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• Professional and lifestyle trends • Library statistics• School district data• Pew Internet and American Life Studies
http://www.pewinternet.org/• ALA Public Library Funding and Internet Access
Study http://www.ala.org/• Library Journal Patron Profiles • http://lj.libraryjournal.com/
Secondary Research
DIY Small Library Tip! Get your reference staff involved
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• Local planning documents:– Economic development– City/county land use planning
• Previous strategic plans
Secondary Resources
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• Population• Age• Ethnicity• Income• Educational attainment
Comparisons are informative—Then and NowLocale and State
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People Quick Facts Swarthmore Pennsylvania
Population, 2011 estimate NA 12,742,886
Population, 2010 6,194 12,702,379
Population, percent change, 2000 to 2010 0.4% 3.4%
Population, 2000 6,170 12,281,054
Persons under 5 years, percent, 2010 4.4% 5.7%
Persons under 18 years, percent, 2010 20.7% 22.0%
Persons 65 years and over, percent, 2010 12.4% 15.4%
Female persons, percent, 2010 52.8% 51.3%
White persons, percent, 2010 (a) 82.5% 81.9%
Black persons, percent, 2010 (a) 5.0% 10.8%
American Indian and Alaska Native persons, percent, 2010 (a) 0.3% 0.2%
Asian persons, percent, 2010 (a) 7.7% 2.7%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, percent, 2010 (a) 0.1% 0.0%
Persons reporting two or more races, percent, 2010 3.8% 1.9%
Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin, percent, 2010 (b) 4.9% 5.7%
White persons not Hispanic, percent, 2010 79.0% 79.5%
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People Quick Facts Swarthmore Pennsylvania
Living in same house 1 year & over, 2006-2010 88.1% 87.4%
Foreign born persons, percent, 2006-2010 14.6% 5.6%
Language other than English spoken at home, pct age 5+, 2006-2010 16.4% 9.9%
High school graduates, percent of persons age 25+, 2006-2010 96.7% 87.4%
Bachelor's degree or higher, pct of persons age 25+, 2006-2010 80.9% 26.4%
Mean travel time to work (minutes), workers age 16+, 2006-2010 23.3 25.5
Housing units, 2010 2,081 5,567,315
Homeownership rate, 2006-2010 76.2% 71.0%
Housing units in multi-unit structures, percent, 2006-2010 31.1% 20.7%
Median value of owner-occupied housing units, 2006-2010 $432,500 $159,300
Households, 2006-2010 1,876 4,940,581
Persons per household, 2006-2010 2.52 2.47
Per capita money income in past 12 months (2010 dollars) 2006-2010 $48,350 $27,049
Median household income 2006-2010 $119,342 $50,398
Persons below poverty level, percent, 2006-2010 4.2% 12.4%
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Primary Research: Benchmark Against Peers
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CIRCULATION Total circulation per capitaChildren’s circulation
VISITS per capitaper staff FTE
PROGRAMS Total attendanceTotal attendance per program
REFERENCE Total reference per capita
COLLECTIONS Print expendituresCollection expenditures as % of total
expendituresDatabases Collection turnover
FINANCIALS Local revenue State revenueSTAFFING Staff expenditures as % of total expenditures
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Insiders– Staff – Trustees– Friends– Volunteers– Donors
Outer circles– Political officials– Community leaders– Users and nonusers in the community
Primary Research: Listen to Stakeholders
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Primary Research
Qualitative
• Focus groups• Town meetings• One-on-one
executive interviews
Quantitative
• Mail surveys• Online surveys• Telephone surveys• Market
Segmentation
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Primary Research
Qualitative
• Focus groups • Town meetings • One-on-one executive
interviews
Quantitative
• Mail surveys• Online surveys• Telephone surveys • Market Segmentation
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Primary Research
Qualitative
• Focus groups• Town meetings• One-on-one executive
interviews
Quantitative
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Primary Research
Qualitative
• Focus groups• Town meetings• One-on-one
executive interviews
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Primary Research
Qualitative
• Focus groups• Town meetings• One-on-one executive
interviews
Quantitative
• Mail surveys• Online surveys
• Board, staff, Friends
• Users / nonusers only as supplement
• Telephone surveys • Market Segmentation
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Primary Research
Qualitative
• Focus groups• Town meetings• One-on-one executive
interviews
Quantitative
• Mail surveys• Online surveys• Telephone surveys
– CATI– Random (over 18
yrs.)– Users and non-users
• Market Segmentation
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Primary Research
Qualitative
• Focus groups• Town meetings• One-on-one executive
interviews
Quantitative
• Mail surveys• Online surveys• Telephone surveys• Market
Segmentation
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Have you decided which research methodologies would work best for your library?
YES!
NO.
NOT SURE…
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• Conduct executive interviews• Host focus groups and town meetings• Conduct online surveys
For small libraries
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• Board and staff development• Advocacy• Financial management• Funding diversification• Facilities planning• Technology planning• Collections• Programs• Partnerships and collaboration• Branding, marketing and public relations• Administration and management
Present the research and identify emerging issues and
responsive strategies:
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Strength: Great local history collection
Demographic research:Aging population
Primary research:Genealogy a priority interest
Response:Marketing
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Weakness: Inexperienced, but committed board
Benchmarking:Per capita funding lowest in peer group
Primary research:Public supports rate increase for library services
Response:Trustee (advocacy) training
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Opportunity:The library foundation has excellent fundraising capabilities.
Trustee survey:Foundation’s funding priorities not aligned with the library’s needs
Executive interviews:Confusion about who is doing what
Response:A memo of understanding between the trustees and the foundation board
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Threat: Talented management and staff near retirement age
Demographic research:High unemployment
Primary research:Teens underserved.
Executive interviews:Economic development a community priority
Responses: Succession planningStaff reorganizationExpand teen services and job centers
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Does it satisfy identified needs?Is it a “work smart” concept?Is the library the best organization to provide the service?Does it address multiple goals? Is it practical and actionable?Is it the best use of resources?Does it create opportunities for partnerships?Does it align the library with economic development and education?Does it promote the library “brand”?
Put each strategy to a “litmus test”…
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Prioritizing strategic responses
High priority Low priority
Highprobability of success
Low probability of success
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World Language Collection Development
High priority Low priority
Highprobability of success
Low probability of success
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Children’s Collection?
High priority Low priority
Highprobability of success
Low probability of success
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Budget Increase
High priority Low priority
Highprobability of success
Low probability of success
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Hiring a Public Relations Manager
High priority Low priority
Highprobability of success
Low probability of success
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• Realistic
• Flexible
• Jargon-free
• Easy to read
• Supported by hard research
A Good Plan Is…
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• Building for the Future: Ten Strategies for Enhanced Library Services
• From Good to Great!
• Building Bridges. Sowing Seeds
• The Community Speaks: The Library Listens and Responds
Build the Plan Around a Theme
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Brooklyn Public Library Publishes
Comprehensive Community Needs Assessment
Study is most far-reaching in Brooklyn Public
Library’s one hundred year history.
Brooklyn, NY, March 31, 2012 – Brooklyn Public Library has completed the most comprehensive Community Needs Assessment ever conducted in its history.
After a year of study of the fifth largest and one of the most diverse library systems in the country, The Ivy Group’s
Promote the Plan!
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And Celebrate!
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Pam Fitzgerald, Managing PartnerThe Ivy [email protected]
Nancy Davis, PartnerThe Ivy [email protected]
Thank you!
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Interactive Internet Data Tools
• Data Visualization Gallery: Makes data accessible to a broader audience
• 2010 Census Interactive Population Map: Takes statistics down to the block level, compares communities; embeds charts on the library’s web site
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Interactive Internet Data Tools
• The American FactFinder: Interactive statistics from Economic Census, American Community Survey, and 2010 Census, etc.
• QuickFacts: FAQs at national, state, county, and city level
• County Business & Demographics Map: Mash up of population and economic data
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Interactive Internet Data Tools
• Censtats: Census Tract Street Locator, County Business Patterns, Zip Business Patterns, International Trade Data, etc.
• Online Mapping Tools: Using TIGER and American FactFinder
• US Gazetteer: Place name and ZIP code search engine
• Business Dynamics Statistics: Date on businesses’ age and firm size
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Interactive Internet Data Tools• Local Employment Dynamics: Partnership offers;
• QWI Online: NAICS- or SIC-based Quarterly Workforce Indicators by state, geographic grouping, industry, year and quarter, sex, age group, and ownership
• OnTheMap: Where workers are employed and live and detailed worker characteristics, such as age, earnings, industry sectors, race, ethnicity
• Industry Focus: Top local industries and characteristics of those who work in that industry
• Census 2000 EEO Data Tool geographic occupation groupings by race, ethnicity and gender
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Interactive Internet Data Tools
• DataFerrett: Searches across federal, state, and local surveys, to create tabulations and business graphics
• Community Economic Development HotReport: Provides information on counties and the Employment & Training Administration’s Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) areas across the U.S.