New GRRL Core Values & Strategic Plan

GRRL web logoDuring 2015, Great River Regional Library (GRRL) went through a process to review its core values and strategic plan. The process included public feedback obtained through surveys and community meetings, as well as input from regional stakeholders and the GRRL Board of Trustees. The goal was to make sure the everyone knows where they are going, and that everyone is headed in the same direction!

2016-2020 GRRL Strategic Plan

Here are the highlights —

Strategic Plan for 2016-2020

  • The library mission is: Explore, Learn, Connect.
  • The library’s vision is: The neighborhood gateway: Inspiring Central Minnesota to shape the future through exploration, knowledge and connection.
  • The library is a patron centered organization, and this commitment
    is expressed through three core values: Exceptional Service, Forward Thinking, and Community Focus.

The library’s service priorities are:
Literacy: All users will have the resources they need to develop and improve their literacy skills in order to succeed in school, meet their personal goals and fulfill their responsibilities as students, parents, citizens and workers.
Access: All users will have access to reliable sources of information in welcoming virtual or physical spaces that support community connection and engagement.
Lifelong Learning: All users will have the resources they need to explore topics of personal interest, continue to learn and complement their quality of life.

The library’s organizational priorities are:
Exceptional Service: We will be an empowered, engaged, well-trained staff ready to provide exceptional service.
Operational Excellence: We will use resources effectively in order to be adaptable to future needs.
Community Focus: We will enhance our service to current and future patrons by embracing the diversity of our communities

GRRL Planning Process

GRRL logo and library cardOver the months of June & July, Great River Regional Library (GRRL) has hosted community feedback sessions in 11 libraries to gather input for a new 2016-2021 strategic plan. They will conduct a user/non-user study in August based on work performed through a St. Cloud State University student service learning project.

Staff input sessions will be held in August as well. GRRL will incorporate technology planning into the overall strategic plan. The regional library target is to finalize the plan for approval at the November GRRL board meeting.

ECRL New Strategic Plan Approved

ECRL logo new

The mission of East Central Regional Library is to strengthen communities by connecting people with resources, spaces, and educational experiences that enrich and empower their lives.
 
This mission statement begins East Central Regional Library’s (ECRL) 2015-2017 Strategic Plan, which was approved by the Board of Directors at its October 2014 meeting. In setting goals for the next three years, the planning committee collected information from ECRL residents through listening at focus groups held in all 14 branches and the 7 communities in which ECRL provides library service through the outreach van. 135 people attended the focus group sessions. Additionally, 958 people completed surveys that were made available both in print and online.

ECRL set six goals:

  • Goal 1: Collections – Provide, support, and maintain collections of variously formatted information sources to satisfy the needs of information seekers.
  • Goal 2: Place – Collaborate with cities and counties to provide welcoming, safe places to enhance community life and for community members to come, gather, and be.
  • Goal 3: Customer Service – Provide excellent customer service to community members through building, supporting, and equipping qualified staff teams.
  • Goal 4: Programs – Provide programs that educate, entertain, and lift up the quality of life in communities.
  • Goal 5: Technology – Provide up-to-date technology for use by community members in support of their information seeking and for use by staff in efficient organizational management.
  • Goal 6: Outreach – Deliver library services and information about library service and happenings beyond library walls.

MLA Strategic Plan

MLA logo 2014

Update

The MLA Board continues to work on implementing the strategic plan shared at the  Membership Meeting at last Fall’s Annual Conference.

The areas of focus are:

  • Engaging our members
  • Strengthening our organization
  • Developing and equipping our leaders
  • Educating and activating a library support network

We are working on projects in all of these areas. We have started a review of our own MLA information (membership, budget, committees, etc.) to better understand our current environment, and are planning to survey other state library associations in the coming months to see how we compare to similar organizations and discover what we may learn from them. We will also be reaching out to you, MLA members, to get your feedback on a range of issues and to make sure that we are meeting your needs. Thanks in advance for your participation in this process!

New Strategic and Technolgy Plan to guide SELCO

SELCO logo small 2014Using Rapid Results Planning ™ facilitated by Library Strategies, SELCO and SELS undertook a member-driven strategic and technology planning process that generated a new four-year plan. SELCO staff, the Board appointed Extended Strategic Planning Committee, and Library Strategies began work in September 2013. Using information gathered from an online membership assessment survey and an all day Planning Retreat, Library Strategies crafted a draft which was fine tuned by the Planning Committee and approved by the SELCO/SELS Board in February 2014. Three new goals and 10 strategies will guide organizational activities beginning July 2014 through June 2018.

SELCO/SELS Strategic and Technology Plan – FY2015-FY2018

SELCO/SELS Mission and new goals:  We Connect Libraries

  • Expand the capacity of SELCO/SELS libraries
  • Foster innovation and collaboration within SELCO/SELS
  • Increase support for SELCO/SELS libraries

New Plan for PLS

PLS logoThe  Pioneerland Library System (PLS) Board approved a new 2014-2016 strategic plan on January 23.  This plan was developed by a committee made up of Board and staff members.  They were guided by the PLS mission and vision statements and used an extensive patron survey and a review of best practices and current research on trends in public libraries to create a plan with 10 goals and multiple activities to pursue in the next three years.

PLS will work with the head librarians, all library staff, and local stakeholders to determine the goals and activities to be pursued locally at each library.  In the weeks ahead, more will be forthcoming on the plan, including ways to document outcomes and activities towards achieving the goals.  PLS will also create public information plan to help share the library’s goals with the public.

New TdSLC Strategic Plan

TdS strategic plan graphicWith the assistance of Library Strategies, Inc. and several member participants, Traverse des Sioux Library Cooperative (TdSLC) has completed a new Strategic Plan covering 2014-2016.  The planning process also resulted in slightly revised mission and vision statements as follows:

Mission — The Traverse des Sioux L i b r a r y Cooperative promotes cooperation, provides support services, & coordinates shared access to needed resources, programs, and technologies for member libraries.

Vision — The Traverse des Sioux Library Cooperative is the leader of a unified consortium of member libraries advancing lifelong learning in our communities.

The new plan covers five major goals and implementation has already begun on:

  • Member Engagement
  • Public Relations
  • Advocacy and Fundraising
  • Training
  • Coordinated Services