strategicplan.docx

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ENRICHMENT PROGRAM STRATEGIC PLAN 1

Enrichment Program Strategic PlanJennifer Hicks, Kelly Brooks, & Laura Burnett

LIS 805 - Emporia State University

May 8, 2013


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Table Of Contents

Executive Summary ......................................................................................................page 3

Introduction ...................................................................................................................page 3

Current Unit State .........................................................................................................page 4

SWOT Analysis..............................................................................................................page 6

Future Unit State...........................................................................................................page 10

Strategic Plan Implementation....................................................................................page 11

Timeline...............................................................................................................page 11

SMART Goals......................................................................................................page 15Required Resources ...........................................................................................page 16

Conclusion.....................................................................................................................page 18

Bibliography..................................................................................................................page 19


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Executive Summary

In todays economy, many libraries are facing ever-tightening budget cuts. This

reality necessitates that management find new ways to demonstrate library efficacy with

less funding; introduction of an enrichment program is ideal for making the most of

existing resources in budget constricted libraries. This strategic plan examines a

librarian unit in a branch of the High Plains Library District and proposes implementation

of an enrichment program between librarians and library associates. The enrichment

program will consist of two phases: 1. a six month period of cross training between staff

members and 2. the long-term formation of teams to create programs and outreach.

Introduction

The High Plains Library District (HPLD) has the following mission: Connecting

communities to information, inspiration and entertainment for life ("Mission, vision,

and," 2012).

The proposed enrichment plan serves to address that goal at its core. The

concept behind the changes suggested in this document has at its roots improving

customer service by improving knowledge of the customers that come into the library.

This benefit is highlighted as being important to HPLD in their values section which

states that, Our customers... receive an exceptional level of personal customer service

("Mission, vision, and," 2012).

Additionally, our program is designed to increase teamwork amongst library staff

fulfilling a value that has been identified by HPLD, Our staff... works as a team to

provide an exceptional level of service to all customers.1 Teamwork has been

1Received from http://www.mylibrary.us/about-us/mission-vision-values


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identified as a weakness among the library staff. Teamwork will primarily be increased

through a large amount of small team learning and large group re-teaching. We

anticipate an increased amount of teamwork and knowledge both of patrons needs and

of new resources being pushed by the library district to improve the level to which

members of the unit will be able to meet the values, visions and mission of the library

district. That is to say, our aim in this plan is to turn rhetoric into reality as we increase

employee satisfaction and retention, provide enhanced library cost benefits, plan for

staff succession, increase productivity and foster deepened respect between employees.

Description:The High Plains Library District (HPLD) is made up of five branch libraries, a virtual

library, bookmobile services and six member libraries governed by their own boards of

trustees. HPLD serves over 217,000 residents of Weld County and parts of neighboring

counties, and covers a geographic area of approximately 4,000 square miles. HPLD

employs nearly 200 employees and the collection amounts to roughly 1 million items

("About us: Our," 2012).

Current State of Targeted Unit

The professional librarians working within one branch library are the targeted unit

for this study. The Library Manager is their supervisor, the Associate Director is the

next line of supervision, and the Executive Director is the supervisor of the Associate

Director. There are three levels of management for this unit.

This group is made up of five librarians with varying years of service and

educational backgrounds. Four of the five have earned an MLS degree, one has

earned an MBA degree, and they all have differing certifications from archives to

school-media specialist. The services that this group is expected to deliver to their


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patrons are the high quality information services using all of the resources that the

library offers to include genealogical research within Weld County. The goal of the

group is to provide services that are responsive to their patron/community needs.

After conducting an analysis of this units task variety, due to the nature of the

multiple reference questions received, number of items evaluated for collection

development purposes, and broad range of community events participated in doing

outreach activities, it became clear that this unit has high variety or high uncertainty. In

order to determine this units task analyzability, it was necessary to break their tasks

down to denote work done for each task. While every Librarian has her own style of

working with patrons, they each follow a understandable sequence of steps that can be

followed in order to answer their questions or meet their information needs. Although

there is variety in the items being evaluated, Librarians are taught a standard way to do

collection development. When doing outreach, being flexible, creative, and responsive

to the needs of the partner organization are important skills. Therefore, the majority of

Librarians tasks have low analyzability or high uncertainty.

When considering how this unit is analyzed against unit structure measures, it

appears that it falls under theorganic structure. Under the category of formalization,

this unit does not need to follow rules or procedures to get patrons questions answered

since they use learned knowledge and skills instead. Under the category of

centralization, this unit is not controlled by their manager but rather coached and

supported to ensure they receive the training and tools they need to perform at their

best level. Under the category of span of control, the manager of this group does not

have a large number of staff, as mentioned earlier, this group is made up of five


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individuals. Finally, under the category of communication, the method of

communication between members of this group is informal and horizontal in that they

work together, share ideas and lessons, and are very collaborative. Therefore, since

there is a high level of task uncertainty and an organic structure, this unit is in fit.

Strengths, Weaknesses, Threats and Opportunities of the Current State

Strengths:

The strengths of the current state of our organization include the skill and

passion of our employees, our culture and our management. Management in the High

Plains Library District is business-based; personnel are encouraged to focus on

developing management skills, then tailoring those skills specifically to libraries. From

that, the culture as an organization that allows for and encourages on-going

professional development and cross-collaboration with an emphasis on creating a

positive work environment. Key to this positive work environment is incredible

colleagues; all the librarians employed at this branch of the High Plains Library District

are experienced and have a high level of engagement with the library.

Weaknesses:

The weaknesses of the current state of the organization as regards employees

include the positively overwhelming amount of new technology that our librarians and

library associates are expected to know and be able to understand and interact with.

Our librarians, while highly skilled, are very stereotypical librarians. As a unit, they are

lacking in both racial and gender diversity. This impacts us specifically in regard to

language as none of our librarians are bi-lingual. Additionally our librarians have a

tendency towards a high level of pride and fairly low humility.


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The organizational culture is lacking a unified focus and vision for the branch of

the library that delineates its role and interaction with the district goals and mission. The

motivation to share knowledge learned at professional development opportunities is

lacking. The unit tends towards poor delegation of tasks likely because of the inherent

hierarchical culture rather than collaboration.

One of managements largest weaknesses is the inability of middle management

to convince upper management of the benefit of a user-needs analysis. Without a user-

needs analysis, the best efforts of the unit librarians is but a guess as to the actual

needs of the community.

Opportunities:

The Greeley community presents unique opportunities for advocacy and growth

within the library. Patron advocates specific to each branch can promote the library in

places and to people the library is normally unable to reach. Another local resource is

the North Colorado Medical Center, which often utilizes the librarys services. The

library can capitalize on this opportunity to further deepen this relationship.

While there are many information providers that act as competitors to the library

like Google, traditional for profit bookstores, and the university, the library is in the

unique position to attract librarians with the number of library schools in Colorado. The

MLS degree holders have an edge over other information providers in that they are

highly trained, engaged and enthusiastic. The librarys CLIC subscription is another

advantage because the database package is an exponentially more accurate and

reliable information source than Google or other web-based ready reference sources, a

fact that librarians can turn to their advantage.

Threats:


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A negative factor to the units success is the wide geographic area HPLD serves,

which makes it difficult to accurately assess patron needs and to provide meaningful

outreach. A large farming base, East African refugees, Hispanic immigrants, and a large

population in poverty are a very diverse array of patrons to serve. These varying

populations make it difficult to form a unified outreach vision. The lack of a Friends of

the Library foundation is also a missed opportunity for the current state as they provide

a large amount of support both in terms of extra finances to improve the resource base

for fun and interesting projects and in terms of community support for the library.

Finding qualified, passionate employees can be a bit tougher in Greeley than in other

areas in Colorado as it is stereotypically a less desirable location to reside.

Suppliers can be difficult to work with in terms of ebook cost and their availability,

prohibitive costs can restrict user access and service delivery to patrons. There are

also threats in the form of competitors, a universal competitor for libraries is of course

Google, who provides access to information to many - however, they do not have the

personal contact that libraries have. The other information competitor for this library is

the local university library that allows public patrons to access its collection, although

the universitys collection has little in the way of popular materials. These competitors

show us that the service that sets us apart is our customer service and personal contact.

Based on this SWOT analysis of the units current state, it is apparent that there

are many opportunities that have not been capitalized on, and threats that make it even

more important to utilize existing strengths. Change is necessary because there is a

breakdown in many areas of the librarian unit; the librarians have inadvertently

separated themselves from other units in the branch. As a result, there is a lack of


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cross communication between the units which breaks down the ability to share

knowledge, skills, and task expertise.

Strengths and Weaknesses of the Proposed Strategic Plan:

Strengths:

Implementing a cross-training enrichment program will solve the problem of a

lack of cross communication by opening lines of communication across two units and

addressing many of the current weaknesses the unit is experiencing. The enrichment

program will facilitate partnerships between library associates and librarians, ultimately

creating a tighter more integrated staff. Library associates will develop technology and

programming skills to better serve the public. Librarians will benefit from having

additional staff trained to assist in planning projects/programs. Librarians will also

benefit from an increased knowledge of the types of questions and concerns being

asked on the floor, which will come from the vast library associate experiences working

with patrons all day in customer service.

Weaknesses:

Librarians may not be motivated to assist in an enrichment program because

they may feel their jobs are threatened, or they may not want to take on the extra work

of designing learning opportunities for their mentees. Library associates may not be

motivated to participate in the program if they feel as though they are asked to do more

work for the same pay, and do not see the other benefits that the program could provide

them.

Due to the vast number of community needs and large amount of ground to

cover with few resources, this program will benefit the goals of the entire library staff.


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Librarians and Library Manager) and 12 LAs will team up and rotate through the entire

group over a six month period.

Time for these meetings will be allocated from 8-9:30AM on Fridays. The

introductory month will be used to put lesson plans together, write assessments, and

build an enrichment rotation schedule. The enrichment schedule rotation will occur in

groups of one Librarian with two LAs until all have spent a month learning with each

other. For example, Librarian A with LA1 and LA2 will team for one month, then

Librarian A with LA3 and LA4 the next month, etc.

Our strategic plan will also make it necessary to alter some current managerial

functions, specifically librarians yearly assessments. Going forward, assessments will

include more emphasis on innovation and teamwork. Additionally, project assignments

will be altered to include the new team pairings and encourage working more closely

with the LAs. Consideration should be given in scheduling to giving the LAs the ability

to work events with the Librarians on occasion.

Implementation

Timeline:

In considering the timeline for the enrichment program the developers have

discussed the benefits of a quick turn-around time for pairing of librarians with library

associates along with the detriments. Timely introduction prevents the program from

being placed on the back burner for all involved. Allowing more time for everyone to get

things settled allows trust to happen increasing likelihood of sharing from both parties

and contributing to a major goal of decreasing hierarchy in the organization. We have

resolved some scheduling issues by taking advantage of a window of time on Friday

mornings that in the past were reserved for staff meetings.


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Additionally, we have considered and suggest implementing a switch from having

a library associate on the floor designated for roving to assigning that task to the

Librarian of the Day (LOD). This should provide enough man hours for the program to

succeed and will be made possible by re-arranging staff schedules to accommodate the

change. The program can be run either every other week to span a year, or as

explained in this document, every week for 6 months.

Introductory month

1st Friday - Program overview, lesson plans, assessments, goals, and outcomes.

2nd Friday - Creation of individual training to be shared (lesson plans written)

3rd Friday - Creation of assessments in specialty areas with answer keys (to live on

Learn Center website for future use and reference)

4th Friday - Present the team pairing schedule and the learning to be shared (new tech

from the District, Librarians specialties, and LA special areas)

Enrichment begins Month 2

Subsequent 1st Fridays for next 5 months - Learning meetings begin; pre-assessment

taken by all; Librarian shares area of expertise

2nd Friday - LAs share area of expertise

3rd Friday - Post assessment taken and graded together; Q and A for better

understanding

4th Friday - no meeting; learning occurred notes will be gathered from each staff

member between rotations to document what was gained from that month's effort.

Enrichment continues Month 3

1st Friday - Teams rotate- pre-assessment taken by all; Librarian shares area of

expertise

2nd Friday - Library Associates share area of expertise

3rd Friday - Post assessment taken and graded together; Q and A for better

understanding

4th Friday - no meeting

Detailed description of reasoning for these timing choices is discussed below as

we move through the implementation of the program in respect to the SMART model.

SMART Milestones


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Measurable:

In the process of discussing specific goals for the program we came to the

conclusion that a learning occurred document would be an important component of the

program, both as something to use as proof of the success of the enrichment program

as a whole and as a way for each librarian and library associate to think about what they

have learned, who they have learned the most from and why. This will be useful for

them after the enrichment wheel is completed and they are asked to complete a

matching application to be paired with the librarian/library associate they will work with

for the on-going component of the enrichment program.

Attainable:

When considering keeping the results desired from our change attainable results,

it is important to keep in mind that the changes are designed to alter the workflow to

result in a better-served patron. While it is difficult to prove that patrons are being better

served it is possible to extrapolate that patrons are being better served by the library the

more they use the library and think of the library as an important and necessary

component of their lives.

Another benefit that can be considered along the lines of improving service to the

patron is a collective accumulation of knowledge sharing between all patron services

staff, such that everyone knows at least a little bit about everything done in the building.

The more a person can answer a question a patron has without having to transfer a

phone call or leave them waiting to discover the answer by asking the librarian or library

associate the better served a patron. A hoped for benefit, but not necessarily a goal is

increasing staff morale and bonding. While staff members are friendly and trusting of


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one another it is our belief that knowledge sharing should increase respect for each

position.

Relevant:

The goals of the enrichment program are certainly worthwhile. The big picture of

the enrichment program is ultimately to better serve the patron. The changes that will

take place as a result of the enrichment program will result in better trained and more

effective employees. Librarians will have less pressure as more staff will be

knowledgeable about technology and program design that currently only librarians are

aware of. The enrichment program is relevant because it also seeks to address current

weaknesses within the library unit and alter them to better fit the librarys mission.

Time-Oriented:

Having specific time-oriented goals for each enrichment team will be important to

keep the focus of the enrichment program on improving library functions rather than

dissolving into a vague team-building exercise. The two parts of the enrichment

program schedule of the enrichment program (see Timeline) will ensure teams are

progressing in the long-term goal of creating library programs, while the shorter term

mentoring wheel will give all participants the education needed to be successful at the

long term goal.

SMART Goals

Short term goals to be achieved during the six-month enrichment wheel include

increasing the technical skills & knowledge of library associates by a minimum of 50%

(calculated by using pre and post tests). Specific skills being targeted include

increasing their knowledge of using library databases and other digital library services.

We also expect to increase library associate and librarians knowledge of basic


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operations by 50% (pre- and post tests). The cross communication should result in the

added benefit of increasing librarians awareness of patron daily needs. We also expect

to raise awareness of each participating employees unique responsibilities in the library.

Long term goals to be achieved after the enrichment wheel is completed include

library associates being exposed to program coordination and be empowered to put on

a program along with program attendance will increase by 20% as a result of librarians

better understanding of patron needs. A minimum of five new programs will be

implemented after library associates and librarians form established teams.

Required ResourcesMoney:

For many cash-strapped libraries, the cost of paying employees over and above

their regularly scheduled hours often prohibits introducing an innovative program like

the enrichment program. However, the budget of this particular unit is fortunate enough

to withstand some schedule changes in order to implement the program. Upfront, the

program will cost some money in terms of paying employees for any extra hours

required to spend on the enrichment program. There will be costs associated with time

the management spends in organizing and planning the program as well. The program

creators believe that the future benefits of the program outweigh the drawbacks of

paying for extra training. Tentatively speaking, this program may one day allow the

library to double the number of programs it currently offers by educating and

empowering library associates to create and run programs. This is definitely a cost

benefit especially as the fiscal environment of the library may one day change for the

worse, especially as the library funding is in large part connected to the oil and gas

industry that is based around Greeley. The life-span of the industry will be around


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another 15-20 years, so it is important to have measures already in place before funding

becomes lean.

Human Resources:

As stated above, there will be a large amount of time invested in this program

from a human resources perspective. Management involvement will be important

especially in the early days of the programs implementation. If successful, the program

may be turned over to the human resources department of the district to be further

developed as a district wide program.

This program will capitalize on the strong human resources that are already

present in the unit, for example, the passion and motivation of the MLS-degreed

librarians for their jobs. The enrichment program will be an opportunity for ambitious

library associates to demonstrate their interest in the position and be a useful self-

advocacy tool when time for yearly performance reviews.

Training:

Two levels of training are required for the program. The first round of training will

occur between management and the librarians. This training will prepare librarians to

successfully meet the desired outcomes of the enrichment program. Some of this

training will include coaching the librarians in writing lesson plans, task delegation, and

organizing and planning. Ideally it will address some of the weaknesses in the unit

culture previously mentioned in the SWOT analysis, i.e., hierarchical vs collaborative

culture. Essentially, the librarians will be trained in more managerial-like functions to in

turn coach the library associates to take a larger share of needs analysis and designing

programs. The second tier of training will be the training that the librarian will provide to


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each of the library associates as to their expectations and required duties within the

enrichment wheel.

Conclusion

This strategic plan was developed as a first step in fulfilling the librarys

commitment to the patrons of the High Plains Library community.

The Enrichment Program at the High Plains Library district was originally

designed to encourage innovation in the librarian unit. The benefits of this program,

however, will extend much farther than just one single unit. While the start up costs of

time and effort are an initially large investment, within one year the program goals of

increasing technical and procedural knowledge and increased programming will be

achieved. Successful program implementation may serve as a pilot for other branches

and effect a widespread impact on the district.

Ultimately, however, this is still only a plan. Successful implementation will

require ongoing monitoring by management and open communication between staff and

management as the plan progresses and adjusts to fit the needs of the groups it is

intended to assist. The strategic plan will be monitored every three months to ensure

the program is on track for the first year and once every year after with hopes that the

program has successfully transformed the rhetoric of the HPLD mission statement into

reality.


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Location where Enrichment plan will be implemented in 2014Centennial Park Library - HPLD


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mrtmentoring&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHOwhvw_Y2ofeiTSUxQwnTT4RsEsg

Deyoe, N., & Matveyeva, S. (2007, April 12). Mentoring program in public & academic

libraries: A practical approach. Retrieved from

http://kslibassoc.org/pdf/mentoring.pdf

Mission, vision, and values.. (2012). Retrieved fromhttp://www.mylibrary.us/about-

us/mission-vision-values

Now hiring @ your library: Mentoring. (2008). Retrieved from

http://nowhiringatyourlibrary.nebraska.gov/mentoring.asp

Reh, F. J. (2013). Cross training employees. Retrieved from

http://www.google.com/url?q=http://management.about.com/cs/people/a/crosstrai

n.htm&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGtYPM8IPz0PBbbok_H0A7VYQOLIw

Robinson, C. L. (n.d.). The Seattle public library mentorship program. Retrieved from

http://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.urbanlibraries.org/the-seattle-public-

library-mentorship-program-innovation-

585.php?page_id=83&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNE6qD5wgGR8AW2C_7pnP9t

1xRwNQw

Smith, B., & Swanbeck, J. (n.d.). Smathers libraries mentoring program. Retrieved from

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