KPL Administrative Plan

Hello, KPL Staff
You've been hearing lots about strategic planning, and most of you have participated in brainstorming ideas for enhanced service over the next three years. The strategic plan has two pieces: the Service Plan and the Administrative Plan.
Here's the text of our Administrative Plan for 2018-2020. It outlines what we need to do behind the scenes to provide the support for the Service Plan.
Hope to see you at our upcoming Strategic Plan presentations!
Barb

KPL ADMINISTRATIVE PLAN 2018-2020

FOCUS: Foster a Culture of Innovation and Leadership

What we’re striving to achieve:

• A Library Team excited and inspired by their work, committed to professional development, driven by a shared vision and mission, and deeply committed to community service.
• A responsive organization, driven by a bold vision and creativity at all levels of the organization.
• A community of regular library users delighted at each visit.
• An employer that celebrates the contribution of individuals while fostering a strong sense of collaboration and sharing.

Strategy: Incorporate values of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in all decision making.

Tactics:

• Increase staff diversity
• Continue IDEA Team and and include staff competencies in diversity, equity and inclusion as part of individual annual performance review.
• Enforce adherence to staff Civility Agreement.
• Offer staff training to expand understanding of different cultures.

Strategy: Invest in the ongoing development of KPL staff through a range of professional development opportunities.

Tactics:

• Invest in further technology training to ensure basic competencies at all levels of the organization.
• Invest in continuing education and professional service opportunities.
• Foster in-house peer-to-peer  training.
• Require staff returning from conferences to share new knowledge and ideas.
• Hold quarterly all-staff information sharing events.

Strategy: Create a culture of responsible experimentation and risk-taking.

Tactics:

• Maintain the “Opportunity Fund” in support of new ideas and service opportunities.
• Encourage visits to other progressive libraries to see new ideas in action.
• Reward initiative and ideas for improvement.
• Model successful risk taking at management level.
• Reorganize staffing to flatten hierarchy and develop self directed teams.

FOCUS: Data collection and analysis

What we’re striving to achieve:

• Maximum return on program investment is realized.
• Equitable service is achieved.
• Library services respond to patron demand.
• Customer satisfaction exceeds 90%.
• Programs and services are outcome-focused.
• Trend analysis results in proactive library service.

Strategy: Emphasize data collection and analysis to monitor trends and evaluate projects.

Tactics:

• Partner with local technology leaders to predict the future of information seeking behavior and align library services “ahead of the curve.”
• Conduct biannual customer surveys to collect feedback on library services.
• Conduct at least 2 PLA Project Outcome surveys on library service areas annually.
• Conduct Edge Survey (technology) analysis every two years to gauge impact of improvement strategies.
• Conduct analysis of library use using ILS data/ census/ mapping to identify need/ demand for service.

FOCUS:  Customer Service Improvements

What we’re striving to achieve:

A community of delighted library users

Strategy: Improve customer experience at point of service.

Tactics:

• Invest in training of public service staff to ensure a high baseline level of service at all locations.
• Empower staff to make independent decisions that support outstanding public service.

• Pursue a “Blended Desk” model, working with Adult and Digital Services to colocate staff at the same service desk, eliminating the need for patrons to move between two service points during the same library visit.
• Distribute staff so technology competencies are high at all locations.
• Distribute managers across locations to model high level of customer interactions.

Strategy: Employ creative interior and exterior space planning to make library buildings flexible and responsive to patron priorities.

Tactics:

• Aspire to the “Four Space Library Model” (Inspiration Space, Learning Space, Meeting Space, Performative Space.)
• Investigate options to create additional meeting and study spaces at all locations.
• Improve signage and wayfinding.

FOCUS: Tell Our Story

What we’re striving to achieve:

An engaged community that views the library as essential, vital, and responsive.

Strategy: Communicate more broadly about what the library has to offer.

Tactics:

• Create visual reminders of the impact of libraries throughout our buildings.
• Engage the community in planning and decision making.
• Develop library “campaigns” to use year-round.
• Capture more photographs of library events.
• Survey the public twice a year about their library preferences.
• Develop and follow a library marketing plan.

Strategy: Openly celebrate  and engage with the public around “library holidays” like Teen Tech Week, National Library Week, and Banned Books Week.

Tactics:

• Watch library organization calendars for opportunities.
• Purchase canned banners and bookmarks to display and distribute to public.
• Develop interactive programming for all ages to mark library theme weeks.

KPL DIGITAL STRATEGY

With the help of an instrument called the Edge Survey, KPL has been able to grade its digital service, equipment, and training against national standards for public libraries. KPL conducted a baseline survey in 2014 and a second survey in 2017. We are glad to report that we have made substantial progress in becoming an innovative and progressive library, but there is still much work to be done.

2018 Strategy:

• Expand digital literacy training to more locations.
• Restore language learning software to our list of digital offerings.
• Improve our digital access to eGovernment and legal resources.
• Conduct a community technology needs assessment.
• Improve evaluation of our digital literacy training.
• Develop a plan to offer technology services to the community in the event of a disaster or other emergency.
• Expand staff technology training.
• Implement wireless printing for patron-owned devices at all library locations.
• Improve turnaround time for replacement of public computer equipment.
• Expand assistive technology to additional library locations.

KPL SUSTAINABILITY PLAN

New York Library Association uses these three words to summarize sustainable thinking for libraries: Sustainable, Resilient, Regenerative.

• Sustainable to  ensure libraries secure the funding they need
• Resilient to bounce back after disruption, such as introduction of new information technologies, public distrust of traditional information sources, and for-profit competitors offering cheap, instant on-demand entertainment.
• Regenerative to bring new, energetic life to libraries that have traditionally supported self-directed learning.

2018-2020 Sustainability Initiatives:

• Construct a 7 year capital plan for each library location to anticipate major facilities needs.
• Conduct an environmental scan to focus on reducing energy use at all four locations.
• Evaluate all major library divisions under “lean” principles to gauge areas for efficiency improvements and cost savings.
• Work with community partners to identify additional funding sources.
• Investigate a Conservancy for financial support and professional oversight of Simmons restoration and conservation.
• Partner with local technology leaders to predict the future of information seeking behavior and align library services “ahead of the curve.”
• Improve the Library’s internal recycling and waste reduction program.
• Consider non-traditional library collections in support of community needs.
• Expand cross-training staff  opportunities.
• Write a Business Continuity Plan to prepare for disasters.
• Subscribe as an organization to continuous improvement cycles, responsive to changing community needs and priorities.
• Build community cultural programming around local interests and concerns.
• Build digital literacy training in support of local job training initiatives.
• Create Pop Up Libraries in neighborhoods of low engagement.
• Emphasize data collection and analysis to monitor trends and evaluate projects.
• Consider entrepreneurial library activities
• Develop a responsive library collection
• Offer participatory community experiences