INTEGRATED STRATEGIC LIBRARY PLANNING

- combining modern library planning with the local council development programme The Haram Model -

presented by David Beadle  in Trondheim at the CEPP European Library Training Programme for Librarians from East and South Europe  23.09.99

1.Introduction

1.1 Definitions

• Strategic :
• relating to the library organisation and its staff to internal and external environments.
• providing direction and unity to the library's activities.
• Integrated :
• Integrating the library's activities into the external environment - corporate planning and local/regional service spectrum.

• Static, long-term strategies no longer apply.
• Evolutionary formulation and implementation of plans.
• Future orientated - never finished.
• Staff participation.
• Generation process - continual brain-storming.
• Flexible tool.

• To determine critical issues and constraints.
• To clarify purposes and objectives.
• To determine priorities and directions.
• To provide a framework for policy and decisions.
• To aid effective allocation and use of resources.

• Confidence in direction.
• Better argument for finanicial hjelp.
• Improve motivation level in library organisation and working spirit.
• Job satisfaction through delegation.
• Customer satisfaction through a clearer, more effective framework.
• Public relations opportunities - the value of the library to other local tasks.
• Better library profile in the community.

• An idea to differentiate between interdependence and integration:
• Working for local integrated goals at the corporate level.
• Maintaining the library's freedom of action.
• Combining with library services and associations locally and regionally.
• One can expect to be influenced by the expertise one meets in other sectors.
• The library has it's own expertise and can influence other sectors' processes.

While observing local development strategy, the library will need a strategy which can combine its own goals with this development. There will general policy objectives and specific policy objectives.
• This is an overriding general policy objective:

 

 
 

2. The internal environment - analysis of resources and operations

An internal assessment is essentially a review of the present situation and a questioning of the state of things for the future. The need for statistics and self analysis wil show itself here. Comparative analyses are very useful, and we hope that on a national level research information is easily available to libraries wanting to develope locally.

2.1 Services

• Which services are in greater or lesser demand?
• What trends are evident?
• Where is the competition coming from?
• Where can we find areas of cooperation?

• What do we know about our customers - age groups, men/women, boys/girls, institutions?
• Are we meeting their needs?
• Can we identify potentional new users?
• Will these have different needs?

• Where does the money come from?
• How does funding meet our needs?
• Is the transfer of funding within the budget flexible enough?
• What estimates for future funding are available?

• What knowledge, skills and attitudes do the staff have?
• Do these meet our needs?
• What is the staff turnover rate?
• Which skills will we need in the future?
• Should staff roles be redefined?

• Do we have the buildings and equipment we need?
• Does the service-point structure need correcting?
• How often can we replace equipment?
• Can space be hired or bought more economically?

• Access.
• Security.
• Communication with customers.
• Courtesy, friendliness, politeness.
• Understanding and knowing the customer.
• Responsiveness.
• Reliability/dependability.

• What do our findings tell us?
• Assumptions or visions/scenarios?
• Several scenarios.

• Increased flexibility - contingency plans.
• Writing a story.
• Scale and significance of different factors.
• Plotting in of early warning checkpoints in a given scenario.
• Highlight sensitivities.
• Increased awareness of impact of environmental change.
• Gives a framework for reallocation.
• A more positive view of uncertainties, rather than abandonng what doesn't fit.

3.1 Geographical and non-geographical boundaries

Defining boundaries

• New dependency between local and regional

• The region

• Three major sectors at work in local and regional :
• civil sector - the people,
• commercial sector - trade and industry
• public sector - local authority.

• Society is continually restructuring itself

• What stimulates restructuring? :
• the result of a crisis
• through the perception of a crisis
• as a challenge
• any composition of these

Inherent desire to manage or direct restructuring

 

The public sector has taken a leading role in regional development

 

The state has not withdrawn its reponsibility for local development

• Principles and strategies for maintaining  the commercial sector in the districts.
• Directing the possibilties that information technology give.
• Preserving the environment.
• Regional infrastructures.

In all three sectors - public, civil and commercial - two groups will be generally active:

• Constructive actors who want to create to a new direction
• Reactive actors who will resist change

In recent years the forces affecting the three sectors can be summed up as follows:

• the commercial sector has become more global.
• the civil sector remains attached to the locality that has formed it, but due to increased mobility, the nature of this attachment challenges the other sectors.
• the public sector has become more market orientated.

There is one  common element which brings all three sectors together in a necessary interdependency.:

• The quality of life and the ideal picture effect.

This forms the basis of Haram Public Library's overriding general policy:

• Maintain an independent position in the public sector.
• Fully integrate its efforts with the common element between sectors in local planning.
• Relate more to local administration and less to local politicians.

Areas where the library can be directly involved are shown in orange.
Haram Public Library tries to find ways in which it can base its planning policy and arguments on central public sector planning policies:

• To make a locality attractive, access to a diversity of services, nature, facilities and choices.
• Maintain services and facilities of top quality.
• Be ambitious and encourage one another.

3.7 Influences behind restructuring processes

• Local structure actors

 
• Professional associations, local committees etc. The actions of these actors are regulated by
• available resources which govern their power.
• daily activities.
• Institutions

 
• Global influences

 
• Evidence of technology as dominant restructuring factor

 
• Before 1945: from a linear model to an interactive model

 

	knowledge
LINEAR	technology
	innovation
	research
INTERACTIVE	application of knowledge
	development of knowledge

• Mid 1950s to late 1970: Actors more important than structures

 
• The State is a typical central actor - active and regulating.
• Fordism is a typical commercial philosophy.
• The institution rules - growth of supranational institutions
• Protectionism.
• The local actor's activities are limited.
• Late 1970s til mid 1980s:  Restructuring due to further weakened structures

 
• Privatisation.
• The State delegates initiative.
• Regions find they are different due to the historical changes that have formed them
• Regions/localities find they have differing conditions for action.
 
• Mid 1980s and today:  Flexibility
        New  attitudes have arisen that coincide with information technology, creating forces which stimulate flexible
        restructuring:
 
• Different choices available to the local community.
• The opposite of determinisme : optimism - we all feel we have a chance.
• Regional competition.
• More actors with the freedom to influence.
• The civil sector becomes influencial.
• The public sector grows up to its responsibility:

• Postmodernism:

 
• Homogenisation of cultural values.
• Multiracial societies.
• People are less provincial.
• Planning for future and a new generation:
• The young are very uncertain about their geographical future.
• Flexible restructuring has lead to uncertain geographical boundaries.
• There is an essential difference between today's young people and their parents:
• Universal culture
• Priority for free time
• The good life
• Travel and horizons
• Reference points in terms of space and consumption are different.
• The individual's universe
• The commercial and public sectors are defined and determined. The roll of the civil sectorhas become unclear,  independent and generally critical:
• Critical of the power concentration of the market sector
• Critical of bureaucracy
• Political actors look to local society for support. Typical examples from Haram:
• The local "cornerstone" company is threatened by closure due to global streamlining.
• Young people see no future.
• Schools threatened.
• Local cultural identity is threatened.

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

• The state has not turned away from its responsibities for local and regional development. Instead it requires and encourages local initiative. Locally, one has to take up and identify the challenge:

 
• This interpretation binds local partners at the vision level. It is a good example of:
• The public sector moving closer to the commercial sector, and the other way round.
• This will give the local public sector a global perspective, which the commercial sector brings in.
• At stake, is the civil sector.
• The initiative is local, but the development is anchored on several levels:

.

• It is worth noting that "local" and "regional" are complementary. The value of the region is the sum of local initiatives.
• In this example of a general local strategy plan, Information Technology is not only a a functional objective, but is present on the mission level:

• There are a number of possible actors involved in a local information strategy programme:

• A model has to be created locally. If the public sector locally can create a model which is special enough, it can give a name to the model and creat publicity in this way. For example the "Haram model" . Note the simplicity of the model, which may help others, like the library, to relate to it:

• Local development has to be perceived at the mission level - the planning level where we wonder how we shall create our vision:

3.10 Haram Public Library as a local actor - with or without power?
 

• Are libraries powerless actors?  A reactive library's attitude would be:

• to continue as before.
• not to find incentive locally, but centrally in institutions.
• rely heavily on library legislation.
• hope for a planned national society.
• Trends indicate that the library can profit from today's flexible approach to planning.

3.10.1 Culture and information technology

The public library today is in a special and priviledged position:

• Cultural and leisure activities are becoming focal points to maintain the quality of life.
• Information technology is a natural tool for the library.
• It is the relationship between culture and information technology that libraries more than anyone are in a position to benefit from.

3.10.2 Possible target areas for the library in a local development programme
 

• Because the development programme is a public sector initiative, one public sector domain has to form the base. It could have been the library, but this is too small for the scale of the programme. Education can be the public sector domain on which the public sector forms the base of its local development. The library can relate to education at all levels:

 
• In the civil sector, the development programme has targeted specific areas of the population:

Factors that can be remembered:

• A reactive attitude is unacceptable to young people.
• Today, the young people are not powerless actors.
• The young are potential alliance partners locally.
• It is possible to create development areas for the young.

3.10.5 Integating/attaching the library to local development.

Investigation:

What are the decision making processes locally?

He may be your superior, but how much does he/she understand of these processes?

He may be your superior, but how much does he/she know about libraries?

Has a new post been established that will influence planning locally?

Do many issues come down provincial quarrelling?

Are there  "deviations" of democracy making it difficult to see where the power is:

• reshuffling of local representation
• ad hoc committees
• synarchie
• Who are the right people?

• personalities
• influence
• interests

Conditions:

The library chooses to be a constructive actor.

The library can make a contribution to local development.

The library will profit from being integrated into or simply attached to the development programme.

The initiative is ours.

Tactics:

Keep above provincial and sector quarrelling.

Insist on the major developments in our time.

Have scenarios for the library's development ready, so as to participate with confidence at short notice.

Keep the public sector's vision and goals in mind.

Emphasize common goals.

Seek alliance partners:

Education - individual teachers and/or schools.

Social services.

Project development.

• Secure places in discussion groups, create influence and alliance partners:

 
If the library's planning procedures are flexible adjustments can be made while integrated planning at corporate level takes place:



3.11 The question of Intranet

Some developments may pose problems or possibilties for the library.
An example can be the introduction of a public sector intranet, or the library may set up it's own intranet.

• Internal network with different sorts of adaptations according to the organisation.
• Can be several intranets, each with its own firewall, within an organisation.
• Not a management revolution, rather a rationalization of procedures.
• The organisation must be flexible and open to benefit.
• Suits best for organisations with frequent structural changes.
Advantages
• Improve communication within the enterprise/library
• Security
• All staff are information technology operative
• Can bring together staff working far apart
• Transparency usually increases effectivity
• Everyone can follow weekly, monthly, quarterly results, holidays etc.
• New staff equally orientated as "old hands".
Disadvantages
• Not everyone has access necessarily
• Transparency can seem intimidating
• Not everyone manages to keep up with the technolgy or interpret the language


Intranet in Haram
 

• Schools only - intranet in the classrooms and staff rooms only
• Access to internet through the same computers and elsewhere


The Public Library

• 4  Public Library branches are attached to the schools frame relay connections in school buiding.
• Unable to subscribe to a number of bases requiring passwords due to firewall.
• We will probably choose to subsribe alone.

3.12 Conclusion : relating to the external environment

• Restructuring is a dominant theme, and it raises the question of infrastructures.
• Restructuring creates new phases for development and new strategies.
• A number of forces have led to new life/optimism for the region/locality.
• Initiative today is local.
• Local initaitive is dependent on and contributes to a stronger region.
• Regions differ and compete.
• Influence and liberalisme are more important than power structure planning at all levels.
• The library is an established, valuable social and cultural activity which contributes to the quality of life.
• Developments within public sector planning create opening for the library to take part actively.
• The conditions for getting support for the library's mission in local planning are better today than for some time.

3.13 Diagram of internal and external environment factors in library planning

 
 

COMMERCIAL SECTOR ENVIRONMENT Global trends State policy Economic Technological Competition	CIVIL SECTOR ENVIRONMENT Local/regional policy Social Educational Population Culture	PUBLIC SECTOR ENVIRONMENT Local/regional policy Resources Funding Cooperation Competition
\	|	/
	MARKET RESEARCH Surveys Response Observation
	|
	Opportunities                 Strengths                   ANALYSIS Threats                    Weaknesses
	|
	Electronic? Literacy?                        Charges?                 ASSUMPTIONS Access?                    Self-service? Security?                           Values?
	|
	SCENARIOS Policy alternatives Contingency planning Anticipated perceptions

4. Regional and local planning
 
 
 

LOCAL	REGIONAL
Responsibilty for individual citizens	Responsibilty for advising or coordinating library services
Cooperation with local partners	Cooperation with regional partners (eg. university)
Support for local library initiatives	Support for specialist libraries
Record specialist needs	Coordinating specialist staff
Record special needs	Arrange library training
Promote library training	Marketing
Local publicity	Provision for special groups (blind etc.)
Coordination with educational initiatives	Coordination with educational plans
Record perceived trends	Identify trends (e.g. literary needs)
Local history collection	Local historical depot
Local network development	Technical network development
Staff training	Professional network development
	Development programmes
Personnel meetings	Arrange conferences
Interpret regional directives	Interpret national directives
Local planning	Regional planning

 
 
 
 

5. Library strategy development
 

Our planning has to make statements which must not be confused:
 

Values

Vision

Mission

Objectives

Goals

Strategies

5.1 Values

Statements about "us"

Professional values - beliefs and guiding principles:

• service to the individual and the community - social responsibility
• pursuit of truth
• advancement of knowledge
• universal access to information
• the need for privacy - integrity
• impartiality
• preservation of cultural heritage
• competence and professional development. - creativity

Management values - our way of doing things:

• top internal and external service
• quality
• effectiveness
• innovation
• fairness
• participation
• staff development
• creativity

5.2 Vision

Where statement: Where are we going? What is our role in an integrated society? If only we could?

• Defining a position in society : the library as a meeting place between culture and information technology.
• Defining a role in society : the library as a leisure service - quality of life.
• Projecting expertise : the library's expertise locally in providing information.
• Projecting personal development : The library as an educational resource.

5.3 Mission

          How statement:   What is our mission? If the answer is to provide information, enlightenment, and educationour  mission statement must say something about the library which the bookshop or the cybercafe does or cannot say.
 
 

The mission statement, which can vary a lot in length,  should be:

• real, not remote from reality
• understandable and memorable for public and staff
• concise, yet complete
• relevant and alive, rather than sacrosanct and unchangeable.

Example:

• "The public library is a major community service which provides free information for all types of users who wish in some way to further their knowlege and understanding and enrich their leisure time."

More sentences may follow which focus and elaborate with keywords:

• participation, culture, democracy, leisure/free time, reading/literacy, film criticism, information search, informal, education, enlightenment, stimulation, creation, retrieval, open society, tolerance, unprejudiced.

The mission statement should contain words that are also found frequently in the local/regional plan.

The mision statement has to linik to objectves

• Integrating computer technology in the library is a clear example

5.4 Objectives : functional objectives
 

• Long term objectives are functional objectives which relate clearly to themission statement.
• Objectives can be integrated with  local/regional policy, highlighting the library's special role at the same time as it can be translated as a part of the community effort.
• These objectives are key activities, just how many there will be is related to resources.
• It is at this level that priorities are first made. Further priorities will be made at the goals level. This example is from a small library:

 
 

Formulating objective is demanding. At this level the spectrum of planning from mission to task can be viewed:

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

MISSION STATEMENT	FUNCTIONAL OBJECTIVES	CHOSING STRATEGIES (examples only)
Understanding	Community focal point	The library infrastructure MAY include smaller units to maintain customer service OR larger units to maintain complete services.
Quality of life	Culture	Customers can be individuals OR families OR ethnic groups.
Information	Information	Community Information OR Reference Service OR Tourisme OR Business information
Knowledge	Education	Independent, lifelong learning OR  Literacy OR Schools OR Students
Leisure	Leisure	The library MAY be judged by the size of its resources OR by accuracy and speed of delivery.
Stimulation	Networking	Meeting place OR Club OR Course centre OR Discussion groups
Everybody	Access	24 hrs electronic OR convenient hours at physical site OR both

5.5 Strategy objectives and Goals

Information technolgy as an example

• The Goals statement answers the question "where are we going with our functional objective?"

 
• Installing information/computer technology in the library is a strategic objective or goal. This  is the consequence of identifying the functional objective of integrating the library into and making the library part of information services for the public and civil sectors, in line with the library's mission.

 
• When installing information technology is a logical consequence of the mission and the functional objective, we avoid introducing computer technology just because we feel we have to have it.

 
• If integrating computer technology can be seen to advance these planning areas, it is a sign that the library is ready for computer technolgy.

 
• Goals/strategic objectives are formulated on the basis of information which we found during our environmental analysis.

 
• On the management side, the goals to be formulated should meet certain criteria:

 
• compatible with the vision and mission
• clear, concise, unambiguous language
• realistic and attainable
• the goal is clearly desired, rather than the activity in reaching it
• acceptable to those who will work with achieving the goals
• the goals can be translated into precise, measurable targets.
• depend on straetgies

5.5.1 Specifying strategy objectives/goals = formulating tasks

• Making the library a modern and attractive place for the young.
• Catering for their taste.
• Creating an environment.
• Indentifying facilities.
• Investment areas.
• Their development.
• Their ages.
• Establish the library as an educational agent.
• Cooperation with schools.
• Cooperation with university libraries.
• Further Education / Lifelong learning.
• Integrate the library into public and civil sector information services.
• Define information technology installations.
• Define  staff competence.
• Develop information strategy.

5.6 Strategies

The strategiey statement  answers the question  "how are we going to carry through our goals?"

• Flexibilty and ongoing adjustment  to realities.
• When the strategies are decided, the goals are confirmed.
• The strategy is the last stage before we actually start working on our objectives.

 
 

5.7 Summary of planning stages

 

VISION Aspiration : Where do we  want to be?		VALUES Beliefs : How are our ways of doing things?
\		/
	MISSION Purpose: What is our business? who are our customers
	|
	FUNCTIONAL OBJECTIVES Why are we here? What do we do?
	|
	OBJECTIVES Chosen objectives. Priorities.
	|
	GOALS Directions: Where are we going?
	|
	STRATEGIES How shall we implement our goals?
	|	\
ACTION PLAN 1	ACTION PLAN 2	ACTION PLAN 3
Task 1	Task 1	Task 1
Task 2	Task 2	Task 2
Task 3	Task 3	Task 3

 

6.0 Action
 

Flexibility is to be encouraged:

• options are desirable
• staff participation is important
• a change of plan does not mean failure

6.1 Action strategy development - examples taken from Haram Public Library
 

• Systematic approach
• A planning team

• the current situation
• the target in question
• what has prevented progress
• key ideas which need to be resolved
• what exactly has to be done, by whom, by when?
• the question of evaluation

• New ideas emerge to be considered by the planning team. Therefore strategy evaluation poses questions that help us plan thoroughly and can make us work better:

• Is the strategy  consistent with organisational objectives and values?
• Is it understandable?
• Will it support external environmental changes?
• Are the necessary financial, human and physical resources available?
• Will it give results?
• Is the timescale reasonable?
• Is it in conflict with other objectives?
• Is there any risk or could someone be put at a disadvantage?
• The need to consider contingency plans or alternatives in certain areas.

6.1.1 Strategy 1 Young people

External findings:
1. Most children can read at 7.
2. Parents more easily engaged at 6-8 years.
3. Individual teachers, but not necessarily schools, are interested in cooperation.
4. 11 year olds : reading competitions.
5. Price of music has fallen sharply.
6. 11 year olds : objective use of services.
6. Falling video film costs.
8. Today's young have consumer based attitudes - this need not be a negative aspect.
9. The public sector's planning priorities for the young are entirely compatible with the library's mission and strategies.
10. The public sector's hopes for creating an attractive environment for young women.
 
 

Internal findings:
1. Falling library use among 13-16 year olds.
2. 17-19 year olds are objective users.
3. 18/19 year olds are reflective.
4. 18/19 year olds are the larger user age group.
5. Early, organised membership can ease later registration.
6. Young women aged 18 and 21 are the largest single user age groups.
 

Strategy number	Coordinate with  strategy number	Task	Contingency plans	Personell	Cost
1:01		Introduce 8 year olds to the library :  welcome letter, story time, stimulate reading, membership card	11 year olds (project work)	Assistent Counter staff	Minimal
1:02		18/19 year olds: Maximize priority treatment in connection with terminal project.	17/18 year olds (second year project)	Librarian	Minimal
1:03		Introduce and specialize in young peoples' music tastes. Install headphones and playing facilities.	Consider commercial agreements.	Music librarian  & Public	1. Increase music budget 2. Installation costs
1:04		Develop parental cooperation	Parent meetings and events	Children's Librarian	Minimal

 

6.1.2 Strategy 2 Modernisation

External findings:
1. Modern facilities and effective procedures influence residential relocation.
2. Environment affects work level.
3. Environment affects user attitudes.
4. Health service report shows needs for improvement.

Internal findings
1. The need for a number of interior changes has been recorded for some time.
2. There is a need for relocating parts of the collections.
3. Offices are  unsatisfactory - too little light, need for group meeting facilities.
4. Priority to childrens' subject books has lead to congestion..
 
 

Strategy number	Coordinate with strategy number	Task	Contingency plan	Personell	Costs
2:01	1:03	1. Create music environment. 2. Redecorate personnel room. 3. Expand librarian's office. 4. Smarten up the children's department and reequipe.  5. Develop a decorative theme throughout the library.	Insist on a local authority improvement plan.	Staff. Children's librarian. Hired personnel.	Decoration costs. Joint public sector expenses. Local artists.

 
 

6.1.3 Strategy 3 Information services

External findings:
1. The library's information function is not understood.
2. Local authority plan an information service.
3. Tourist information does not exist.

Internal finding:
1. Information service poorly defined.
2. Local (political) information well established.
3. Local commercial information poorly organised.
4. The library's information aims are very wide.
5. Great potential.
 
 

Strategy number	Coordinate with strategy number	Actions	Contincency plan	Personell	Costs
3:01		1. Define and publicize library relevant information services.		Reference/Information Librarian	Low
3:02		2. Agree common information goals with local authority.	Press the virtue of the library as  information channel	Chief librarian	Joint public sector expenses

 

6.1.4  Strategy 4 Education

External findings:
1. New legislation on training and further education - lifelong learning.
2. The educational value of the library for pupils is understood.
3. The educational value of the library for students is underestimated.
4. Local students use the public library as an alternative.

Internal findings:
1. The Public Library's role in personal development remains undiminished.
2. The Public Library's identity is forgotten when smaller units are looked upon as substitutes for school libraries.
3. The library has registered a close connection between final year upper secondary school pupils who have profited from the library's services and later use as full-time students.
4. Part-time decentralized students are often dissatisfied with their student library and praise the public library's services.
5. Cooperation with individual teaching staff is more profitable than agreements with schools.
 
 

Strategy number	Coordinate with strategy number	Actions	Contingency plans	Personell	Costs
4:01	1:02	Publicize and develop library services for students. Develop a "autodidact/self-taught" profile.		Senior librarian	Joint costs with education  sector. Minimal.
4:02	1:01	Develop selective, result-based cooperation with individual school staff. Work for school library development.	Dispute responsibilty for library learning.	Childrens' librarian. Senior Librarian	Joint costs with education sector. Minimal.

 

6.1.5 Strategy 5 Information Technology
 
 

External findings:

1. The local public sector  is developing an ambitious information technology plan for schools, in cooperation with the local commercial sector.
2. State funds available for public libraries.
3. Public library infrastructure remains relatively static while information technology stimulates restructuring.
4. State guidelines encouraging, but soon outdated.
5. Regional information technology strategy is limited.
6. Local, expensive courses in information technology tools are available.
7. Library courses in information technology tools are expensive and limited.
8. Library research shows that information technology is an additional and not an alternative dimension in the foreseeable future.

Internal findings:

1. Existing information technology development is generally ahead of present public sector  development.
2. The library's information technology progress is appreciated by the public sector, but this development is not a part of the public sector's IT development plan.
3. Maintaining information technolgy is straining the library's economy.
4. Available staff competence is questionable.
5. Acces to external competence is limited.
6. Information technology appeals to the young.
7. Staff structure needs adjusting.
8. Staff sense a special relationship between culture and information technology which is particularly significant for the library.
 

Strategy number	Coordinate with strategy number	Actions	Contingency plans	Personell	Costs
5:01	2:01	Introduce information technology applications.	Joint introduction.	Chief librarian. IT librarian.	Considerable. Joint publicsector expenses.
5:02	4:02	Restructure and coordinate new technology in relation to staff, users and existing facilities. Reconsider the significance of information technology for the library's future.		Training staff. Chief Librarian	Large   None
5:03		Develop and contribute to a regional information technology infrastructure.		Chief librarian IT librarian	Medium

 

6.2 Task force work

Personell are used as a task force for the particular actions in question, from internal and external findings to the results of their actions.
An example from Strategy 1 - Young people:

6.3 Policy scenarios
 

• Strategy planning contains some contingency plans.
• Scenarios are based on the library's perception of external development.
• These involve both general and strategic adaptations.
• Depend the public sector's understanding of and attitudes to the library.

 

STRATEGY	SCENARIO 1	SCENARIO 2	SCENARIO 3
1 The young	The public sector is convinced of the library's value in it's objectives for creating a best possible environment for the young. The library's objectives can be integrated with the public sector's, practically and economically.	The public sector accepts the evidence that the library is an important arena for the young. It is not prepared to make any concessions at this time, but the library's potential is noted. The library must find a strategy which exploits this observation.	The public sector has planned development areas for the young. The library has no role in these plans and potentially compatible objectives are either omitted, challenged or  compromised.
2  Modernization	The library is seen as part of the public sector's modernization objectives and will be part of it's plans.	The public sector promises to look at  the library's needs, once work in other sectors  has been started.  The library must monitor developments and intervene at the right moment.	The library is asked to budget for it's own modernization. The library must develop a strategy which highlights the incompatibility of  outdated facilities in an information society.
3 Information services	The public sector plans to improve it's information services and would like the library to help.	The public sector has not looked upon the library as an information agent, but might be interested in pursuing the idea.	It is not felt that the library will be able to function as the type of agent for information that the public sector is looking for.
4 Education	The library is an asset to the public sector's educational plans and is invited to contribute.	The public sector is aware that the library has as educational role. It could for example take over the school libraries.	The public sector will focus on schools and pick out areas of education which it will give priority to as a part of its own long term policy. The chosen areas of the educational plan do not relate directly to the library, which as a result has been omitted or forgotten.
5 Information Technology	The public sector has identified Information Technology as a central tool in its future planning for a better society. The public sector is receptive to the library as  an essential meeting point between culture and new technology.	The public sector looks upon information technology as an economic and educational resource. Any positive side-effects this may have on areas of society will of course be born in mind.	The public sector has committed itself to an extensive investment in specified areas, which do not include the library through policy or negligence. Until economic ability or stability are restored, the library must finance it's own investment as well as it can.
LIBRARY STRATEGY	The library has  a special mission which is compatible with the public sector's objectives. The library's objectives can be fully integrated with these. Strategies are developed in coordination with public sector strategy where its misson will be served.	The library realizes that it is not given top priority, but is a public sector actor with assets which are not forgotten. The main strategy is to maintain and if possible develop this interest and correct the conception of the library where this does not meet the library's mission statement.	The library's mission seems to be compatible with the public sector's mission, but there is no room for it's objectives in the public sector's economic and strategic planning. The library must pursue it's objectives through independent strategies together  with external partners. One of the strategies must be publicity aimed at the public sector.
GENERAL LIBRARY POLICY	INDEPENDENT INTEGRATION	<---  INFLUENCE	<--- PUBLICITY

6.4 Specific scenarios - examples from Haram for information technology

A specific scenario takes up a specific strategy area along the same lines as general policy
 

STRATEGY NUMBER	SCENARIO 1	SCENARIO 2	SCENARIO 3
5:01 Introduce information technology applications	Independent financing and installation of technology	Installation of technology to coincide with (joint application) schools	Installation of technology can take place when the public sector authority has started to make installations locally.
Contingency plans	Assume and work for public sector recognition and economic compensation	Outline a policy for school - library relations: 1. Legislation says that the school library must teacher trained staff. 2. The public library has an etablished plan for catalogue automation which is dependent on professional library staff. 3. The public library	Uncover local installation plans and outline arguments / draw up plans attached to these (examples):  1. Road works and fibre optic cable installations. 2. Frame relay installations. 3. Computer purchase agreements.
SPECIFIC LIBRARY POLICY	INDEPENDENT  ACTION	<--- INFLUENCE	<--- PUBLICITY

 

6.5 Organisational changes
 
 

• Existing procedures and praticices may have to be changed in order to accomodate the implications of policy and resources during the planning process.
• The changes to the library's organisation may affect the rest of the public sector.
• Pursuit of structural changes is usually regarded as a good sign.
• Models for organisational strategy.

 
• Primary level
• Systems : reporting, budgeting, accounting, meeting
• Strategy : resource allocation methods to reach goals over time
• Structure : the library's organisational chart
• Key level
• Shared values : spiritual fabric, guiding concepts, purposes and aspirations of the library and it's staff
• Skills : the special abilities that the library and its individual staff members have
• Style . how the managers behave
• Staff : important personnal categories

6.6 Actions plans
 

• Actions plans cover specific areas and are made up of tasks , as above.
• The action plan should provide information about who is doing what and when.
• It should be possible to see results.
• Action plans provide the basis for budget ajustments.

Actions plans depend on good management - operational planning.

• Warning signs
• Lack of connectivity between planning and the tasks being carried out.
• confusion over priorities
• excessive workloads
• imbalance between longer-term objectives and day-to-day activity.
• Relationship between "business as usual" and strategy implementation:
• staff must be orientated
• staff encouragement
• operational plan overview
• Year to year planning:
• it helps to regard the first year as a trial year with staff feedback
• strategy planning should coincide with the budget year
• Evaluation:
• evaluation and monitoring takes time.
• evaluation at all levels
• monthly, quaterly?
• monitoring of the external environment
• to be integrated with public sector long-term planning
• performance evaluation - the ability to measure

6.7 Documentation

The staff should and the public may be interested in the results of the planning process.

• The public sector and partners should be interested.
• The press could be made to be interested.
• Useful tool

One can produce both a full and a  "popular" version.
 

	FULL VERSION	POPULAR VERSION
The mayor's foreward	X
The manager's summary	X
Mission statement	X	X
Vision of the future	X
Environmental forces	X	X
Organisational values	X	X
Major directions (= strategic thrusts)	X
Goals, strategies, actions	X	X
Supporting strategies	X
Financial commentaries	X	X
Statistics	X
Performance indicators	X
Review of progress	X	X
List of technical words	X

Some points are worth remembering when producing a report:

• not too much detail - especially about internal environment
• must relate/be integrated with the public sector's mission and objectives
• several contributors, but one editor
• reduce technical language - put use it where it can be interpreted by specialized partners - education, information technology, social services
• give the report a title, quoting the mission or a special value
• user-friendly format