Item C33'
CM
ounty of onroe
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
Mayor Heather Carruthers, District 3
Mayor Pro Tem George Neugent, District 2
TheFloridaKeys
Danny L. Kolhage, District 1
David Rice, District 4
Sylvia J. Murphy, District 5
County Commission Meeting
September 21, 2016
Agenda Item Number: C.33
Agenda Item Summary #2087
BULK ITEM: DEPARTMENT:
Yes Public Libraries
TIME APPROXIMATE:STAFF CONTACT:
Norma Kula (305) 853-7349
N/A
AGENDA ITEM WORDING:
Approval of the Library Long-Range Plan of Service for the years
2017-2019
ITEM BACKGROUND:
This part of an annual application process to receive State Financial Aid
for the Library
PREVIOUS RELEVANT BOCC ACTION:
The Library Long-Range Plan has been approved
regularly by the BOCC, most recently at the September 17, 2013, meeting
CONTRACT/AGREEMENT CHANGES:
N/A
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Approval
DOCUMENTATION:
LONG-RANGE PLAN 2017-2019
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Effective Date: October 1, 2016
Expiration Date: September 30, 2017
Total Dollar Value of Contract: $ 80,000.00
Total Cost to County: N/A
Current Year Portion: $ 80,000.00
Budgeted:
Yes
Source of Funds: State Grant
CPI: No
Indirect Costs: N/A
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Estimated Ongoing Costs Not Included in above dollar amounts: N/A
Revenue Producing: Yes If yes, amount:$ 80,000.00
Grant:
State Aid to Libraries, Florida Department of State, Division of Library & Information
Services
County Match
: N/A
Insurance Required:
N/A
Additional Details:
REVIEWED BY:
Norma Kula Completed 09/06/2016 12:48 PM
Pedro Mercado Completed 09/06/2016 2:33 PM
Budget and Finance Completed 09/06/2016 2:38 PM
Maria Slavik Completed 09/06/2016 2:38 PM
Kathy Peters Completed 09/06/2016 10:12 PM
Board of County Commissioners Pending 09/21/2016 9:00 AM
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MONROE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
LONG-RANGE PLAN OF SERVICE
2017-2019
SUBMITTED BY
NORMA KULA
DIRECTOR OF LIBRARIES
SEPTEMBER 21, 2016
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In the previous two long-range plans for the Library we moved away from the traditional
view of such a plan. For many years, a long-range plan was carefully formulated as a
blueprint, based on numbers and statistics, detailed, graphed, and measured in every
conceivable way. These were the keys to the goals, the objectives, and the results of
the plan. Numbers were the measures of success and the indications of changes
needed to enable future success.
Now we have more fully moved away from that traditional mold that had become more
of a burden than a guide, and moved toward a format that allows flexibility, that is open
to new ideas, that recognizes our changing and diverse communities, and that calls for
growth in diversity of services to meet our diversity of communities, not just more
numbers.
We now ask
readers? What groups are we not reaching and why? Do they prefer to read or to listen
while engaging in other activities? What are their interests? What are their needs and
and we began to structure our plan around the search for
answers to those questions and to other, similar, questions. By following this exploratory
approach our plan has now become more focused on service and flexibility is our
standard.
Working from the Monroe County Strategic Plan, we have become goal-oriented, and
the goals that we set in our long-range plan, arising from the strategic plan, are
highlighted in our annual Library Plan of Action and reflected in the goals which are
formed each year by our staff. These are service-based, and their degree of success is
determined by the services, enhanced, expanded, or new, that are offered to and
welcomed by, our patrons.
The expanded goals established in the past are being re-examined and re-evaluated in
light of our broader approach of advancing toward our mission of improved and
expanded services that will -changing needs. In the same
vein, we needed to re-examine our use of funding, more aware of our responsibility for
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maintaining and even expanding services with the most efficient use of Library assets,
both our personnel and our financial support.
For these reasons, this Long-Range Plan of Service for the Monroe County Library for
the years 2017-2019, will be aimed even more particularly at meeting community needs
as they change, and providing those changing but still essential services basic to our
mission. We will explore those community needs and work to become more aware of
how they are changing, what issues are driving those changes, and how we can adapt
our previous goals and objectives so that we will remain relevant and meaningful to our
communities. Our mission of service has not and does not change, but the methods and
technology through which the services are delivered do change, and we will need to
continue to explore the processes and requirements of these changes and learn how
best to incorporate them into our work.
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In May of 1513, explorer Ponce de Leon sighted the Florida Keys and claimed Florida
or The Martyrs. On later maps, various Keys were identified as Cayo Hueso (Bone
Key), Islamorada (Purple Island), and a host of other names that changed with the
identifier and mapmaker.
When Florida came under British control in February of 1763, many of the local Indians
moved to Cuba. Twenty years later, under the second Spanish Reign in Florida,
Loyalists left for the Bahamas and other British possessions. Florida became a U.S.
Territory in 1821, with the ratification of a treaty between the United States and Spain,
and later that year Juan Pablo Salas, who had received Key West as a Spanish land
grant in 1815, sold the island to John W. Simonton, a Havana merchant, for the
noteworthy sum of $ 2,000.00. Simonton then sold parts of the island to fellow
businessmen Whitehead, Fleming and Greene.
In 1821 Spain ceded East and West Florida to the United States. President James
Monroe appointed General Andrew Jackson as Military governor, and instructed the
organize Florida into a single territory composed of two counties. Thus West Florida
became Escambia County with Pensacola as its county seat, and East Florida became
On July 3, 1823, Monroe County became the sixth county in the State, when it was
formed out of
as the Florida Keys, were included in this formation. This large area remained one
county until 1836, when Dade County was formed, through a series of political
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maneuvers. Its borders included the eastern half of the mainland and the Keys north of
Bahia Honda. Those Keys from Bahia Honda to Old Rhodes Key were not returned to
Monroe County until 1866.
The original formation of Monroe County was divided over and over again through the
following years. From its initial boundaries came Dade, Lee, Hendry, Collier, Broward,
and a part of Palm Beach Counties. Key West was established as the County seat a
ntry.
The few Keys settlers were scattered across the islandsprobably not more than 150
Europeans in all. No accurate population data exists from that period.
economically. There are 822 Keys large enough to be shown on government charts;
many of their names have changed over the years. Indeed, a large number of them
have changed names with almost every generation of mapmakers. (An extensive study
of this history has been carried out by Library staff; the fascinating results are available
on the website: http://keys.fiu.edu/gazetteer/index.htm)
It is noteworthy that there are only five incorporated areas in all of Monroe County: Key
West incorporated in 1828, Key Colony in 1955, Layton in 1963, Islamorada in 1998,
and Marathon in 1999.
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In 1835, a young attorney, originally from Kentucky, wrote to relatives from his new
families from the Atlantic States now our residents, that would be very desirable
acquisitions were they to return to the places of their nativity. There is the same taste,
luxury, and display that you find in the large cities in their dinner and evening parties.
More good books, reviews and late publications are found here than you have the most
e people of
suggestion of the Mayor and unanimously resolved, the fees paid by members of board
absent during the year, $ 12.00 in amount, be presented to the Sunday School Library
The Monroe County Public Library has a unique place in history as the oldest Library in
South Florida. Its beginnings can be dated as far back as 1853. The first written record
of the Key West Library Association is mentioned in the diary of William R. Hackley,
who writes that he had paid his dues to that Association in July of 1853. A microfilm
copy of that diary is now held in the Florida History Room at the Key West Branch of the
Monroe County Public Library, while the original can be found in the collection at the
Florida State University. The Association stored its book collection within a wire
enclosure, and upon selection by patrons, the books were passed through a wire
wicket. The Library was housed in a variety of locations on Duval Street and guided by
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various civic groups over the next sixty or so years. A recent article
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posted a picture of the Masonic Temple in 1906, which housed the Library and its
collection of 1600 volumes. I Club assumed the
operation of the Library Association as its foremost project.
The Key West Branch, which became the Headquarters Library, moved into its present
location in 1959, with a major expansion in 1992. The Key Largo Branch began in the
Key Largo Civic Club Building in 1962, moving once in 1967, and taking up its current
location in 1989. The Marathon Branch began in 1962 and took up its present location
most recent Branch was established in Big Pine Key in 1995, with an expansion there in
2003.
Over one hundred and eighty years have passed since those earliest steps toward a
County Library system; today the Monroe County Public Library is a vital part of the
fabric of its communities. Each branch reflects its own area, and each area reflects its
own people, with distinct characteristics, interests and needs. Library service is ad
valorem tax-based, funded by the General Fund of the Monroe County budget. The five
branches, with staff totaling forty-three employees, provide on-site services six days and
one evening each week. Our Library card-holders number more than half the population
of Monroe County. Our website now provides 24/7 access to the full Library catalog,
including renewal and request services. Our collection has grown from the 10,000
books of the Key West Branch in 1959 to over 200,000 items in a variety of media,
ranging from the traditional print through e-books and digital databases. The Library has
grown and developed through its history, and continues to do so, as services and patron
usage increase yearly.
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The Library is a viable and living institution; to remain so, it must grow. Without the
guidelines of a long-range plan, that growth could become unmanaged and
unmanageable. Such a plan provides a framework for essential growth and a set of
guidelines for decisions regarding all aspects of Library development and operations.
Yet these guidelines must be flexible, allowing the possibility of change as
circumstances change in our communities. Indeed, outside of our mission itself, change
is the one constant in the functional life of the Library. It is essential to set goals that
cover a period of several years as an effective procedure for sound planning and for
making cost-effective budgetary decisions, but we must not allow these guidelines and
goals to become more important than the work itself. The plan must be viewed and
utilized as a living document, subject to regular measurement and review, but not so
much by numbers as by the tangible and intangible outcomes which are the results of
our efforts. It must be constantly open to modifications in its objectives and in the
activities that may be needed to carry out its intent, as well as being designed and able
to adapt responsible to resource availability. The mission of service to all of our
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communities must always be at the foreground of all that we strive for. This mission,
however, is not just to provide, but to explore, to examine, and to learn and prioritize, so
that we can help our patrons to avail themselves of the benefits of our planning.
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Over the past several years, Monroe County has experienced a number of demographic
changes, which have had a great impact on its communities and their service needs. A
community services planning. The incorporations of Islamorada and Marathon have had
an impact on the economic life of the unincorporated areas of the County as well.
Although many of the services for these cities are provided from within, the Library still
operates as a Countywide service providerthere is one public Library system for the
whole of Monroe County.
Changes in the makeup of County population are factors that need to be taken into
account in Library planningas the population ages or more young families move into
the area, as literacy rates increase or decrease, as language barriers become more or
less prevalentall these variations create new challenges for the Library, and all must
be included in our plans to meet future needs. Collections of materials, programs
offered to the public, all the services that the Library offers need to be geared to
adaptation and modification.
Most of the estimated demographics for Monroe County since the 2010 census show
only small changes, but some are vital to changes that the Library must also consider:
Total population shows an increase from 74,456 to 76,408
A minor increase in % of children under 5 from 4.3% to 4.6%
A minor increase in children between 5 and 14 from 7.9% to 8.1%
Decrease in youth between 15 and 19 from 4.2% to 4.0%
Increase in young adults between 20 and 24 from 5.1% to 5.2%
Increase in adults between 25 and 34 from 12.1% to 12.4%
Decrease in adults between 35 and 44 from 13.5% to 12.2%
Decrease in adults between 45 and 54 from 17.6% to 15.8%
Decrease in adults between 55 and 64 from 17.9% to 17.0%
Increase in adults between 65 and 74 from 11% to 12.7%
Increase in Hispanic population from 20.6% to 22.4%
(Numbers taken from US Census 2016 estimates)
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Even such slight changes need to be taken into consideration when we plan future
actions in collection development, programs, and other services to be offered. We also
need to look at related changes in each Branch Library community, so that these future
actions will be fine-tuned more precisely to meet their prospective users.
Taking these factors into account, we formulate a vision for the community of the
Monroe County Library System:
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The people of the Monroe County community will:
Have the information they need to succeed at school, at work, and in their
personal lives;
Discover the joy of reading and develop an appreciation of learning;
Enjoy a high level of access to electronic information resources, through the
latest information technologies in the provision of Library services;
Develop the technological, information seeking, and information evaluation skills
needed in an increasingly complex world;
Use the resources of the Monroe County Public Library in a way that will improve
the quality of their lives and that of the community as a whole.
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With this vision in mind, we have identified the following as the service responses that
are our commitment to our community:
General information
Current titles and topics
Lifelong learning
Local history and genealogy
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From these service responses the mission of the Monroe County Public Library is
formed:
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The Monroe County Public Library will meet the changing needs of our communities for
information, education and recreation in a variety of materials, formats and
technologies. The Library responds to the needs of users of all ages and diversity by
providing equal, easy and open access to materials and services delivered in an
efficient, timely, and professional manner by staff members who are friendly, helpful,
and knowledgeable, in buildings that are inviting, comfortable and fitted for technological
growth and development.
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+3%0 8he Monroe County Public Library will provide timely and accurate information
in print and electronic formats for residents of all ages.
OBJECTIVE: The Library will maintain a collection of printed materials that are
current, organized and accessible , covering a broad variety of topics.
Achievement /Measurement Plan:
FY 2017: Improve access to shelved collections through a program of
analysis, weeding, updating, and improved signage and arrangement of
print materials
FY 2018: Using information on current and anticipated demographic
changes to re-assess progress and collection usage, continue branch
collaboration to expand and enhance our collections, both print and
electronic, of non-English materials
FY 2019: Increase branch collaboration in collection development, with
staff development through webinars and workshops, to eliminate
unnecessary duplication while maintaining a core collection of basic
requisite materials
OBJECTIVE: The Library will expand a collection of materials in a variety of
Achievement/Measurement Plan:
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FY 2017: Gather information on the variety of sources of electronic
materials, including books, periodicals, music, and video; assess their
content, accessibility, cost, and potential value for our patrons; consider
changes, adaptations, or possible additions to our current sources.
FY 2018: Increase awareness of changes in usage of varied formats, re-
assess the use and value to our patrons of print materials as opposed to,
or in conjunction with, electronic materials covering the same information,
in terms of content, currency, reliability, ease of use, and cost valuation.
Eliminate duplicated resources and those of lesser worth to patrons.
FY 2019: Continue the cyclical study of all databases currently purchased
by the Library and those received through the State Library for patron use
and satisfaction; evaluate for possible changes.
+3%0 The Library will offer reference service through phone and on-site access, and
expand reference services available through new technologies.
OBJECTIVE: Staff will be trained in the reference process and the use of print
and electronic reference sources.
Achievement/Measurement Plan:
FY 2017: Promote on-going staff development, especially for new staff
members, in the use of all Library databases, including the Florida
Electronic Library and our Gale databases; expand our reference services
through technology, such as texting, reference chat, and the Ask-a-
Librarian program, at all branches
FY 2018: Investigate and incorporate smart phone technology into our
reference service functions, through such avenues as mobile reference
service
FY 2019: Explore the potential of QR coding for reference uses; look into
experiments in other libraries, costs, and validity of the process
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+3%0 Library users of all ages will find the means to continue to learn throughout their
lives and to access, evaluate, and use information in a variety of formats
OBJECTIVE: Resources and programming for children, both in-house and
outreach, will be designed to reach a broad audience of children and their
caregivers
Achievement/Measurement Plan:
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FY 2017: Revisiting the analysis of the Childre
establish an outline for the new Marathon Library to establish the uses,
equipment, and physical arrangements of to determine
immediate and potential future needs for collections, open space, reading
space, and programs; continue in-house and outreach programming
schedules to encourage all segments of our diverse communities to
become enthusiastic participants
FY 2018: Expand the program of system-wide collaboration for program
planning and sharing of materials
FY 2019: Develop a core collection of materials in all appropriate media
needed in all areas of the system, to build a broader resource for these
service providers and avoid unnecessary duplication of materials and
expense
OBJECTIVE: The youth of Monroe County will be targeted as a part of the
community not yet fully served.
Achievement/Measurement Plan:
` FY 2017: Promote staff development to knowledgeably review the YA
materials at all branches to move forward with the process of collection
evaluation and development in all media, to enhance the appeal of the
collection and physical space dedicated to the Young Adult Reader
FY 2018: Increase the web presence of the Library branches to reach out
to the YA audience
FY 2019: Prepare a plan for teen and community involvement to create a
Library environment responsive to the needs of this Library audience
OBJECTIVE: The Senior Citizens of Monroe County will find sources of
information and entertainment at the Library reflecting their particular needs and
interests.
Achievement/Measurement Plan:
FY 2017: Set up a program of presentations geared to the interest of
Senior Citizens; work with local community groups involved in similar
activities and establish joint efforts
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FY 2018: Search out opportunities for outreach programs for Senior
Citizen, using the contacts established in the previous activity; coordinate
efforts among the branches
FY 2019: Re-visit the Large Print and audio collections (including online
materials) to weed and enhance, to meet the needs of this audience
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+3%0 Patrons of the Monroe County Public Library will have access to the high-
demand popular materials that they want through their local branch Library.
OBJECTIVE: Branch Managers will coordinate efforts to ensure that copies of
high-demand print materials are available to all patrons, while over-duplication of
these materials is avoided.
Achievement/Measurement Plan:
FY 2017: Newly-hired staff will be trained in the use and capabilities of the
ILS (Integrated Library System) Acquisitions module, using it as a tool in
collection development while keeping customer need and materials
budget restrictions in the forefront of collection management
FY 2018: Staff involved in materials purchases will develop a system for
sharing resources, such as the Automatically Yours program to maximize
purchasing power while minimizing duplication
FY 2019: Staff will be trained and perform a branch-coordinated in-depth
study and analysis of materials purchasing systems and vendors,
comparing costs of products in all media, and benefits in terms of value
received
OBJECTIVE: The Library will use technological advances as well as traditional
means as tools for enhancing Library marketing of holdings and services
Achievement/Measurement Plan
FY 2107: The theory of User Experience will be applied to all branches, in
terms of collection arrangement, displays, information, and signage; this
will be implemented in plans for the new Marathon Library
FY 2018: Working with the County PIO, we will expand our use of social
media as tools for the expansion of our reaching out to a broader patron
base; types of social media will be studied and analyzed for suitability,
usability, cost, and effectiveness; staff at all branches will be trained
toward this end
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FY 2019: Appropriate staff will be trained in Library marketing, through
webinars and workshops, to stay abreast of developments in social media
and PR, and adapt our use accordingly
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+3%0 The unique features of the Florida Keys will be highlighted in special collections
in a variety of formats and ephemera, and will be made more widely accessible to
promote formal and informal research on all levels of interest and scholarship.
OBJECTIVE: The collections of materials related to Keys History, natural history,
and genealogy at all the branches will be expanded and publicized, encouraging
use and enhancing appreciation of the unique nature of this island chain.
Achievement/Measurement Plan:
FY 2017: The Florida History collections throughout the system will be
analyzed by Florida History and branch staff, with a view toward broader
staff training in the access and use of these collections; priorities will be
established for preservation and digitization, and methods will be explored
to initiate and implement this program
FY 2018: Ongoing digitization of suitable materials will be promoted to
increase the web presence of the collections at all branches. Archival
materials will receive the needed treatment, and online access will be
enabled wherever feasible. Indexing and cataloging of collection content
will be implemented
FY 2019: Access to and publicizing of the Florida History collections will
be developed; partnerships with other historical groups in the Keys will be
explored to advance awareness of and appreciation for these rare
materials; available technology will be utilized to expand access while
maintaining the safety and protection of the collections
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The Library serves as a constant link between the people of the County communities
and their sources of business information, educational support and cultural
development, and it is up to us to assist them in realizing their goals in these areas. The
Library is a tool by which the community is enabled to survive, to recall its past, and to
grow. In order to accomplish this we much look to our resources: technology has
become essential for enhanced service delivery, and the Library staff, most vital to this
plan, must be given the opportunity for training to enhance their skills and develop their
capabilities. Effective planning for the future requires the blending of both the personal
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and technological elements, along with a constant review of what we are doing, how
well we are doing it, and how we can do it better. Consideration and prioritizing of new
offerings must precede all decisions that involve investment of staff time and funds.
A long-range plan for Library services must take these factors and more into
considerationexploration and development of new ideas must be basic to our own
development, but consideration and prioritizing of new offerings must precede all
decisions that involve investment of staff time and funds. We have an obligation to our
users, not just in what we provide for them, but in maintaining financial responsibility to
our community who supports us.
Although not always specifically mentioned in the outline of activities listed above, all
elements of this plan must include those three important aspects: staff training,
technological advances, and fiscal responsibility. Without all three, a plan, especially a
long-range plan, is incomplete and doomed to failure. It is our intent to make this plan
work as it is meant to doas a statement of our mission and our goals, and how we
hope to fulfill them. That is our pledge to our County community
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