Today was the first day of our boot camp and wows! It was intense from the get-go. They don’t call it boot camp for nothin’!

Sandra Nelson and June Garcia kicked things off by introducing themselves and providing some background information so we could get to know them a little better. Sandra is a trainer and likes clear-cut examples that are easy for people to learn from. June is an administrator and likes fuzzy examples that mimic real-life situations. They hope that they bring complementary viewpoints and set up a structured framework which will allow us to think clearly about our experiences and what we’re learning.

Attendees here represent 18 different states, are from small and large libraries, are directors and middle managers and front-line staff. About a third of us have been managers for less than five years, another third for more than fifteen years (I fit into the middle third). There are many people here from libraries that are in the midst of or about to undertake the strategic planning process. A number of these libraries are struggling with the effects of the economic downturn, with increased use and static space, and across the board, with change.

Sandra recommends looking at the data from the latest OCLC report (From Awareness to to Funding: A study of library support in America) which includes crucial information, such as that there is no correlation between heavy library use and library support (which means that some of our strongest supporters are not heavy library users). Supporters see us as transformational not transactional; they see our stories, not our statistics.

In many instances what your community wants and what your staff want to deliver are two different things and if the organization is being run for staff, there is a problem. We need to put our focus (and staff need to be on board here) on what our taxpayers want us to do for them. Planning has to start by engaging community leaders, not by creating a laundry list of what staff want to do. Ask library users what they want and they will say, “more,” which is not helpful in determining priorities. How do we get more useful direction? Take the discussion out of the library’s bubble and into the community. Talk about what the community needs and how the library fits in, how the library can be a partner. How do we fit into the bigger picture?

People who choose to work in libraries tend to value order, organization, structure, tradition, the printed word, knowledge, hardcover vs paperback, non-fiction vs fiction. Younger librarians are more technology-oriented but still have these same values. Librarians also tend not to be risk-takers. We must be willing to take risks in order to succeed.

In the future, organizations that do not excel will be crushed by the increasingly competitive environment – that includes libraries! Identify priorities, make choices, and do the things that you can do well. Look at the things you’re doing so-so and ask yourself if they should be continued (and if so what needs to happen to make them awesome?).

A lot of staff see a strategic plan as a project that once completed can be put on the shelf and forgotten about. That mindset will not work. They believe that after it’s complete, they can get back to their “real jobs” but making the strategic plan a reality IS our job. We need to use our framework (the strategic plan) to determine what we do. There is room for creativity and spontaneity IF it fits into the library’s priorities. As managers we should channel creativity in the directions we want to go, as defined by our strategic plan.

If you know what your priorities are (which you do when you have a plan), you can deal with good times and bad. You can look at new technologies and see if/how they fit in and how you can use them. The tools will change but the outcome must be your focus – it’s about end user services. Being responsive to the people who pay the bills is the key. Support your priorities with your resources; do not determine your priorities based on your resources. The power of the status quo can be overwhelming but waiting to do something new until new money arrives essentially means nothing new will happen. The strategic plan should drive the budget.

Sandra and June have a very no-nonsense approach that I think is crucial to an effective (and not insanity-inducing) strategic planning process. Every library and community is different and, as Sandra said, “the choices you make are your own.” The process they’re teaching us about will hopefully give us the framework to make those choices. Library strategic planning is not about the library, it’s about a vision for the community. The library is not the end, it’s the means to an end.

What Sandra and June had to say today fits right in with my philosophy of the library as a place for people, and I feel very lucky to be here learning about how to translate that philosophy into reality. I’m can’t wait to see what we learn about tomorrow.