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Rolling Prairie Library System

Strategic Plan

For FY 2010-2012 

In the development of this strategic plan, the Staff, Board and membership of RPLS all had input into the final document. The plan is a departure from past plans as no set objectives are in place.  Instead, strategies designed to guide the System in meeting the stated goals are listed. To focus resources of Staff time and System funds, a list of activities is also given under each goal.

To update this plan, the goals and strategies will be reviewed each year to determine if they remain valid for the success of the System. Goals will be revised and new strategies incorporated as needed. The new and updated activities will be developed each year to focus the resources of the System to the best advantage.

 Mission Statement

The mission of the Rolling Prairie Library System is to enable its member libraries to maximize the scope and quality of their services.

 Administration, Advocacy, and Membership

Administration

Goal:  RPLS will operate with a sound Board of Trustees structure, financial restraint, appropriate Staff and an adequately maintained physical plant.

Strategies:

·       Invest in RPLS Board development, leadership, and advocacy.

·       Seek ways to adapt or improve facilities in a changing technological environment.

·       Invest in Staff recruitment, training, and retention.

·       Identify and incorporate effective communication channels between System administration, Board, and Staff.

·       Seek partnerships and/or alternative funding sources to augment the current level of funding.

Activities to meet this goal are:

·       Develop formal Board orientation for new members.

·       Include Board development in a minimum of three Board meetings per year, or schedule an all-day Board development retreat.

·       Schedule an annual walk-through of the building and grounds by the RPLS Board Property Committee.

·       Review Disaster Plan and update the plan as needed.

·       Document the financial procedures used in the Business Department.

·       Conduct annual audit of Staff needs.

·       Conduct annual evaluations of Staff.

·       Hold two Staff development days per fiscal year.

Advocacy

Goal:  RPLS will increase public awareness of the services provided by the System and member libraries. 

Strategies:

·       Seek opportunities to tell the Library System story.

·       Encourage members to develop relationships within their communities and communicate with their patrons.

Activities to meet this goal are:

·       Maintain membership in the Greater Decatur Chamber of Commerce, attending Breakfast meetings and After Hours events as time permits.

·       Investigate holding of a Chamber After Hours event at System headquarters or presentations at Chamber breakfast.  

·       Speak to four community groups each year about libraries and Rolling Prairie.

·       Showcase libraries and librarians that model excellence in community communications.

·       Participate in other outreach events, such as the Farm Progress Show.

·       Provide opportunities for member libraries to promote their library through webpage development with Plinkit and public relations training.

Goal:  RPLS will provide information about current legislative issues and encourage its membership to make contact with their representatives, both state and national.

Strategies:

·       Work towards enhancing relationships with local, state, and federal officials.

·       Communicate legislative issues to the membership.

·       Explain legislative issues to the membership.

·       Communicate with legislators to explain the impact of House and Senate bills on libraries

·       Encourage members to develop relationships and communicate with their legislators. 

Activities to meet this goal are:

·       Make 20 legislative contacts per year.  Contacts will be made by RPLS Staff during legislative events and through individual meetings.

·       Inform members of legislative action items through the Prairie News and listservs.

·       Showcase libraries and librarians that model excellence in advocacy communications with legislators.  

Membership

Goal:  RPLS will encourage its members to provide a high quality of service to their clientele through the fulfillment of their Rolling Prairie membership requirements.

Strategies:

·       Maintain and strengthen membership standards.

·       Build communication infrastructure for libraries to report standard compliance.

·       Facilitate the access to and use of member library collections through the concepts of Reciprocal Access and Reciprocal Borrowing.

·       Develop and deliver continuing education opportunities that encourage and promote high quality service.

Activities to meet this goal are:

·       Evaluate compliance with CE Requirement.

·       Annually review membership criteria compliance.

·       Participate in discussion of possible statewide system membership standards.

LLSAP: Automation/Technology, Bibliographic Access and Interlibrary Loan

Goal: RPLS will provide residents access to library materials through the maintenance of the automation system and support of Interlibrary Loan.

Strategies:

·       Pursue opportunities to enhance and improve the SirsiDynix Horizon product.

·       Encourage members to participate in the LLSAP & OCLC.

·       Invest in resources necessary to provide training on all aspects of Horizon and Interlibrary Loan.

·       Seek clear and effective communication strategies for deployment of LLSAP & OCLC information.

·       Keep abreast of developments in alternatives to the current system products.

Activities to meet this goal are:

·       Maintain the current SirsiDynix Horizon product while monitoring software and hardware developments from SirsiDynix and investigating alternative integrated and non-integrated library systems.

·       Continue training and certification for Barcoders.

·       Provide training on the SirsiDynix system, focusing on the areas of circulation, searching, and cataloging. 

·       Provide training and support for the use of OCLC products and resource sharing.

·       Continue monitoring of policy violations in cataloging and circulation through the appropriate LLSAP committees with recommendations for remediation forwarded to the LLSAP Governing Board.

·       Create an avenue for members to present their unique resources to the rest of the System through the LLSAP database or direct linking from a central RPLS web location.

Consulting

Goal: RPLS will provide its members access to a Professional Library Staff with expertise in all areas of library and information science.

Strategies:

·       Regard System members as internal patrons, using best practices of librarianship to meet requests for information of any kind.

·       Support member needs for information through site visits, consultation, and proactive communication.

·       Encourage membership to seek RPLS assistance early and often.

·       Increase member Staff and trustee awareness of and involvement with the System and its Staff.

·       Promote and support statewide virtual reference services.

·       Maintain a professional collection for the System and member staffs.

Activities to meet this goal are:

·       Make site visits as needed to member libraries visiting 1/3 of the membership each FY.

·       Provide information to the membership through the Prairie News and Let’s Get It All Together, Trustee Times, FAQ pages on the RPLS Web site and messages to the general and LLSAP lists.

·       Provide trustees with information on library operation, staffing and budgeting as needed.

·       Research and provide books, articles, statistics, or reports to member libraries in response to requests for information.

·       Attend appropriate professional development events to maintain or increase their skills.

·       Add materials to the professional collection based on the requests for information from the membership and trends in librarianship.

Continuing Education

Goal: RPLS will provide access to training and learning opportunities to increase the skills and knowledge and professional development of all library staff, member and System, thus allowing them to better serve library users.

Strategies:

·       Provide a comprehensive continuing education/training program.

·       Pursue new information through conferences, reading professional and trade literature, and electronic communications, i.e. Blogs, Listservs, etc.

·       Maintain an effective communications plan to provide members with information about upcoming continuing education/training programs.

Activities to meet this goal are:

·       Hold a biennial comprehensive event with a variety of offerings that meet the needs of multitype libraries, i.e., Seminar spring 2009, 2011, 2013. The theme for the 2009 seminar is “Lincoln, Literacy & Legacies”.

·       Continue development of a curriculum that increases the expertise of members in the use of the LLSAP and commonly used resource-sharing tools.

·       Incorporate other continuing education events on topics to meet member needs such as collection development, resource sharing, reference skill development and customer service.

·       Hold 3-4 all day sessions focusing on one topic. Example: Hold an all-day session in August on collection development with a keynote speaker and three breakout sessions and a choice of 4 topics in each time slot.

·       Implement new communications plan to provide membership with current information.

·       Provide training in a variety of formats to meet the learning styles of the adult learner and in a variety of locations to meet the travel limitations of membership.  

Delivery

Goal: RPLS will provide a mechanism to deliver library materials to and between its members.

Strategies:

·       Investigate the economy and load accommodations of various vehicles.

·       Evaluate the scheduling and route configurations for balance of load, miles & time traveled.

·       Identify gaps in communication between the membership and delivery messages, (i.e. route changes due to weather, on call pickups, etc.).

Activities to meet this goal are:

·       Bid for extended heavy-duty van and consulting vehicle in FY 10.

·       Look into a mapping program for scheduling routes.

·       Keep a count of materials delivered, developing a set of criteria based on volume for delivery frequency to members.

·       Monitor labeling of delivery materials and provide reminders on best labeling practices at least one time per year.

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