Trustee Council meetings, Fall 2005

Know Where You Areby means of a Situational Analysis

Trustee Council meetings, Fall 2005

Situational Analysis in context:

Trustee Council meetings, Fall 2005

Situational Analysis defined:

The collective analysis of a body of information that describes the library’s current programs and services, the library’s mission and values, the community served by the library, feedback from current library users, and external environmental forces that influence or have the potential to influence the library.

Trustee Council meetings, Fall 2005

2 important components of the definition:

The collective analysis (“making sense” together) A body of information coming from different directions

Trustee Council meetings, Fall 2005

A r t ic u l a t e M is s io n & Va l ue s

Pr o fi l e The l ib r a r y

Sc a n The E nvir o nme nt

PR OFil e The c o mmun it y

Ga t he r Us e r f e e d b a c k

Put it a l l To g e t he r !

The work of conducting a Situational Analysis:

Trustee Council meetings, Fall 2005

Articulate mission & values:

The mission is a declaration of purpose, a concise statement that tells the community what the public library does exceptionally well that is unique or different from what other organizations do.

Example:

London Public Library provides equitable access

to the world of information and creative expression.

The power of the statement comes from its simplicity, the fact that these few words make it absolutely clear why the library exists and what difference it makes to the community.

Trustee Council meetings, Fall 2005

Profile the Library:

Library Profile Worksheet:

Accessibility of library service Library roles and mission Library services Materials/ resources Staffing Library activity

Trustee Council meetings, Fall 2005

Gather user feedback:

Suggestion box/ feedback form Appeals for feedback on library website Roaming CEO/ manager “Talk to us” corner or table Observation Topical questionnaires Exit interviews Staff questionnaire Staff focus group Focus groups Key informant interviews Open houses/ public meetings Surveys

Trustee Council meetings, Fall 2005

Scan the environment:

Trends and issues in the broader library world Trends and issues in the public/ not-for-profit sector Social and demographic factors Economic/ political issues Technological advances

Trustee Council meetings, Fall 2005

Profile the community:

Trustee Council meetings, Fall 2005

Common sources of community information:

Existing information: Census data Municipal and/or school planning

information Planning documents of local

organizations Telephone book yellow pages Bulletin board notices,

pamphlets, etc. Local directories Local & regional newspapers,

radio & cable stations

New information: Conversations, interviews and/or

meetings with municipal staff, community leaders, media personnel, representatives of service clubs, organizations, and agencies

Public consultation, if needed.

Trustee Council meetings, Fall 2005

How much is enough?

Community Information Checkpoint: Can you name the ways in which the community’s demographic

breakdown differs significantly from that of Ontario? Can you name 3-5 ways in which the community is changing? Can you identify at least one characteristic particular to your

community that is an important consideration in planning library service?

Can you name significant gaps in services and/or groups in the community?

Have YOU learned something new about the community because of your involvement in developing the community profile and/or the information gathered in the profile?

Trustee Council meetings, Fall 2005

The analysis part of Situational Analysis:

Make sense together: Discuss, exchange perspectives & impressions Identify Key Learnings Record questions Summarize and synthesize.

Trustee Council meetings, Fall 2005

Synthesize with SWOT:

A quick, effective way of synthesizing information about the library and the community is to identify the library’s:

STRENGTHS

WEAKNESSES

OPPORTUNITIES

THREATS

Strengths & weaknesses are internal, things the library has some control over;

Opportunities & threats are external, the library controls how it responds.

The Strategic Plan will endeavour to build on strengths and opportunities, and eliminate or minimize weaknesses and threats.