This Strategic Plan, 2005 – 2010 presents the ideas of the
Board of Trustees and library staff concerning the development of
library services, collections, and facilities over the next five
years. It is recognized
that a five-year period will present new information and
developments that will affect the plan, and there will be periodic
reviews to ensure appropriate adjustments are made.
During the setting of annual goals and the ongoing review
process, these objectives will be refined and/or amplified to more
accurately represent the work that must be accomplished.
The Library Board is committed to ongoing planning as the
basis upon which excellent library services depends.
To achieve excellence is to realize a vision, and this plan will
ensure the vision of the Libraries in Jefferson County as vital centers
of community life, inviting places where children and adults are
encouraged to pursue lifelong learning and personal, vocational and
recreational interests.
Cooperation and automation are the foundations on which the
Jefferson County Library System has based its development.
Participation in local, state and national networks facilitates
the sharing of materials, information, and technology, which is
necessary for our libraries to meet the needs of a well-educated
community.
The Jefferson County Libraries are well-regarded by the
people they serve. The
intent of this plan is to continue to provide the highest possible level
of service while investigating and implementing changes that will enable
the library to improve and develop along with the Jefferson County
community.
The impact of technology cannot be overstated.
As experienced in the wider society, automation drives library
decision-making and customer service in ways not envisioned even a
decade ago. Library trustees
and staff have recognized that the library plays an increasingly
important role in helping residents become informed and comfortable with
new developments in technology, such as providing internet access. Many
library patrons need to develop new skills to access and use the
materials and services offered by the library.
At the same time, the library must provide materials in a number
of different media as technology and public demand requires. The library
now must subdivide its budget to purchase popular titles in multiple
formats: traditional print
which can mean hardbound, paperbound, and large-type books; audio
formats, as in recorded books on cassette tape and compact disc; and
video, such as VHS tapes and DVD discs.
Communication has never been more important.
As the pace of life increases, there needs to be a stable source
of information within the community.
As the variety of services change, the library must continuously
communicate all that it has to offer.
Residents should be able to know what their library has, where to
find the material or information they need, and how to use it.
Promotion and marketing have become critically important elements
for the successful delivery of library services, but there must
also be a continuing effort to elicit information from the community
regarding the library services they wish their library to provide.
Libraries provide more than materials and information.
The term “content” now includes information delivered via the
internet. In addition to
acquiring and providing materials in traditional formats, library staff
have also become publishers of content.
They must continuously monitor the databases and links to
specialized websites offered to library users through the library’s
website to ensure their reliability and authority.
Electronic information is often easier to search than traditional
print reference sources, and it is available 24 hours per day, 7 days a
week, 365 days a year.
Continuing education is not optional.
To provide competent, professional service, all library staff
must keep themselves informed and proficient in the ever-changing
electronic environment. It
is vitally important that public library staff combine their
technological skills with excellent customer service practices in order
to make library users comfortable during their visit to the library and
successful in obtaining the content they sought.
The library facility is as important to some library users as
the materials and information contained within it.
The library is at the heart of the cultural, intellectual, and
civic life of the Jefferson County community.
All residents should feel welcome and comfortable, finding an
area appropriately designed for their activities and interests, both
inside and outside the building.
MISSION STATEMENT
The Libraries in Jefferson County seek to enrich the lives of
residents by providing the library materials and services needed to meet
their informational and recreational interests; to act as a responsive
resource for independent, lifelong learning; to support the principles
of intellectual freedom; and to encourage use of the library by patrons
of all ages as a vital
center of community life.
SERVICE RESPONSES FOR PUBLIC LIBRARIES
Historically, public libraries have tried to be all things to
all people, often diffusing resources over too wide a variety of
services and programs. The
Libraries in Jefferson County recognize that resources are limited and
must be directed towards providing the collections and services most
desired by residents.
In an effort to help libraries analyze their activities and
to choose the services most appropriate to their communities, the Public
Library Association defined thirteen “service responses” which exemplify
various roles and activities ordinarily emphasized by public libraries.
The following service responses were selected for our focus.
Lifelong Learning: a library that
provides Lifelong Learning service helps address the desire for
self-directed personal growth and development opportunities.
Current Topics and Titles: a library that
provides Current Topics and Titles helps to fulfill community residents’
appetite for information about popular cultural and social trends and
their desire for satisfying recreational experiences.
General Information: a library that
offers General Information helps meet the need for information and
answers to questions on a broad array of topics related to work, school,
and personal life.
PUBLIC LIBRARY GOALS
Six goals have been
adopted as broad, general statements to focus the activities of the
libraries during the next five years.
COLLECTION:
The Libraries in Jefferson County will provide the materials and
information residents want in the formats they prefer.
SERVICE:
Library staff will welcome visitors and encourage their use of the
library’s facilities, resources, programs, and services.
STAFF:
The library will provide its users with highly qualified, well-trained
staff who enjoy working with the public.
COMMUNITY OUTREACH: Library staff will seek input from members of the community
to design programming that responds to local interests and utilizes
local agencies and residents as resources.
COMMUNITY RELATIONS: Library staff will help the community to learn more about
the library and its services.
FACILITIES:
The library will present a welcoming environment that is easy to access
by library patrons of all ages, interests, and abilities.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES, 2005 – 2010
COLLECTION:
The Libraries in Jefferson
County will provide the materials and information residents want in the
formats they prefer.
·
The library will provide copies of the most popular materials
to meet demand by monitoring the best sellers to maintain balance with
patron requests and monitor the need for copies of popular children’s
materials.
·
The library will investigate new technologies to introduce
the public to new media and resources and continue to follow the
development of new hardware and software that may be appropriate for use
in the libraries.
·
The library will carefully select materials to present a
broad spectrum of ideas.
·
Seek ways to welcome and include under-served community
members
·
Develop ways to train the public in the use of electronic
resources
·
Investigate methods for encouraging use of adult nonfiction
book collections
·
Promote awareness of library service available through the
libraries websites
using Power Library
·
Create displays to encourage interest in older books
·
Develop staff proficiency with technology
STAFF: The library will provide
its users with highly qualified, well-trained staff who enjoy working
with the public.
·
Continue to fund and encourage staff to participate in
continuing education opportunities
·
Present a public-service-oriented staff development program
annually
COMMUNITY OUTREACH:
Library staff will seek input from members of the community to design
programming that responds to local interests and utilizes local agencies
and residents.
·
Form a community advisory group regarding library programming
·
Work with the Friends of the Library regarding their
sponsorship of special programs
·
Offer occasional programs that involve local experts in
fields of interest to residents
COMMUNITY RELATIONS: Library staff
will help the community to learn more about the library and its
services.
·
Enhance public information communications
·
Develop various channels for communicating with the
community, including brochures, redesigned newsletters, e-mail, website
postings, and newspaper articles
·
Offer orientation programs/tours of library
·
Establish communication process and cooperative relationship
with local schools
·
Develop ways to reach parents with promotional materials
distributed through schools
FACILITIES:
The library will present a welcoming environment that is easy to
access by library patrons of all ages, interests, and abilities.
·
Work with library patrons with special needs
·
Continually monitor and improve use of space for library
visitors, emphasizing through furniture and decoration the intended
audience for specific areas.
·
Improve lighting in specific areas of building
·
Consider need for new or different signage
·
Investigate re-assignment of existing space for new uses
·
Continue to shift collections, furniture, and equipment to
better utilize space and to facilitate use by the public
·
Establish plan for short-term and long-term building projects
for prioritized allocation of time and funding resources