PLA Blog

The PLA Results Service Responses have been a core element of the PLA planning process for a decade. However, there have been significant changes in the way people use libraries in the past 10 years and the Service Responses have become increasingly dated. The information in the OCLC report “The Perceptions of Libraries and Information Resources” underscores the need to review and revise the Service Responses to ensure that the PLA planning process remains relevant to public librarians and boards across the country.

New Service Responses will be identified through an open process that allows all interested librarians, library staff, and library trustees to participate, either in person or via the Web. The process will be managed by Sandra Nelson and June Garcia, the editor and associate editor of the Results series.

The process will take place during 2006/07 when Susan Hildreth will be the President of PLA. When asked about the project, she said, “Involving community leaders is the key element of the PLA Planning for Results process. The Service Responses are used to help community leaders understand the wide range of possible priorities for their local libraries.

I am glad that this review and revision process is going to be open and that all interested librarians, library staff, and trustees will have a chance to participate. Working together, we will be able to develop a list of Service Responses that will help shape the future of public libraries”

The process will begin with two open meetings during the 2006 ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans. All interested librarians, library staff, and trustees are invited to attend one of the two meetings to discuss revisions to the Service Responses.

* Sunday, June 25, 8:00 am - 12:00 noon  at the Astor Crowne Plaza - Ballroom D (Check final program to verify location.)
* Monday, June 26, 8:00am - 12:00 noon at the Astor Crowne Plaza - Ballroom D (Check final program to verify location.)

Those who cannot attend one of the two open meetings in New Orleans will be able to participate in the revision of the Service Responses through a Web page that will be established by PLA in August, 2006. Proposed revisions of each of the Service Responses will be posted to the Web page and librarians will be encouraged to send their comments and suggestions to Nelson and Garcia. The final draft of the Service Responses will be presented at an open meeting during the 2007 Midwinter Conference in Seattle.

Tags: PLA Blog

This entry was posted on Monday, June 12th, 2006 at 4:34 pm and is filed under PLA Blog. 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.