PLA Blog

PLA’s first-ever “Results” Boot Camp kicked off yesterday in Salt Lake City, Utah, with 52 participants from across the country (24 states, plus Canada) in attendance. The Boot Camp is led by instructors Sandra Nelson and June Garcia.

After introductions, Sandra Nelson took the lead on Monday morning with a discussion on how libraries can continue to operate successfully in an ever-changing environment. Noting that libraries that excel have focused their resources based on what their communities want or need, regardless of funding, Nelson stressed that libraries need to implement community-based planning processes. She then gave a brief history of public library standards noting that in the 1960s and 70s standards became increasingly difficult to implement as they were developed in the absence of hard data and they were based on larger library experiences. Because of these problems, the library community developed the Public Library Planning Process in 1980, which encouraged libraries to collect mounds of data about their community but didn’t clearly show what to do with the data and eventually libraries rejected the process. Next came 1984’s Planning and Role-Setting for Public Libraries and then 1998’s original Planning for Results, followed closely by the New Planning for Results which was less complicated.

The Planning for Results series has been developed with three underlying assumptions:

*Excellence has to be defined locally - meeting local needs.
*Excellence is possible for both large/small public libraries.
*Excellence is a moving target.

Nelson then went on to describe how planning is not an event, it’s a process and how important it is for libraries to get help in priority setting from their communities. She also noted that you can’t start the planning process with the assumption that you will get more money, rather you have to show that the dollars you do have are being well-spent.

Rather than gathering community focus groups, an attendee inquired whether a survey would work just as well. Nelson detailed how focus groups are better at getting community feed back and that decisions are usually reinforced, not made with survey data. For the library’s focus group, librarians should select committee members from people who represent constituencies (for example the president of the PTA can speak for a broad array of people). Look for people who have spent time thinking about your community. Be sure to include representatives from all the constituencies the library serves and from all of the demographics the library serves. She also recommended that libraries include an elected official in the group and use an external formal facilitator. Nelson noted that many of the committee members would likely not be regular library users. However, libraries are not asking them about their library experience - we are asking them about the community’s needs.

*What is the role of the library director? Library director should be ex-officio. Library director should not be facilitator.
*How to select staff liaison. Include a librarian who is knowledgeable enough about libraries to answer questions from committee.
*How to represent homeless/homebound? Ask the providers of service to these communities to be a part of the group.

Nelson recommended appointing specific people to meet demographics of community. What if persons are hesitant to join the group? Explain that they get a place at the table to talk about what the library can do for their constituencies. If they participate, the needs of the people they represent will be included in the library planning process. In her experience, there is a 70-80% acceptance rate.

This weeklong workshop includes individual and group activities and focuses on current library issues and concerns. Instructors also will present case studies describing real library situations and encourage attendees to apply what they learn to real-life problems and issues in their libraries. Until now, the PLA Results courses have been offered individually. During Boot Camp, attendees will learn about all of the publications in the Results series and see first-hand how they interconnect.

By the end of the week attendees should have the knowledge to:
+ Develop a strategic plan
+ Write goals and objectives that enable them to measure progress in achieving their library’s strategic plan
+ Identify and select the most effective activities to support the priorities in their strategic plan
+ Identify current staff workload and skills and determine the staffing requirements to accomplish selected activities
+ Describe current technology infrastructure and determine what technology will be required to accomplish your selected activities
+ Understand the issues that affect the allocation of collection and facilities resources in a Results environment
+ Produce useable policies tailored to their library and designed to support the priorities in their strategic plan

Topics that will be explored in detail include:

+ Strategic Planning for Public Libraries
+ Data-Based Decision-Making
+ Implementing Your Plan
+ Creating Effective Library Policies
+ How to Put It All Together

Books in the Results series include:

+ Nelson, Sandra. The New Planning for Results: A Streamlined Approach. Chicago: American Library Association, 2001.
+ Nelson, Sandra, Diane Mayo, and Ellen Altman. Managing for Results: Effective Resource Allocation for Public Libraries. Chicago: American Library Association, 2000.
+ Mayo, Diane, and Jeanne Goodrich. Staffing for Results: A Guide to Working Smarter. Chicago: American Library Association, 2002
+ Nelson, Sandra and June Garcia. Creating Policies for Results: From Chaos to Clarity. Chicago: American Library Association, 2003.
+ Mayo, Diane. Technology for Results: Developing Service-Based Plans. Chicago: American Library Association, 2005.

Copies of these publications can be ordered from ALA Editions, online at www.alastore.ala.org or by calling 1-866/746-7252.

Another Boot Camp is tentatively planned for Fall of 2006 - visit the PLA site for updates and more information.

June Garcia (L) and Sandra Nelson (R) address Boot Camp attendees.

- written by Kathleen Hughes

Tags: PLA, Results Boot Camp 9/2005, workshops

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 20th, 2005 at 7:46 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.