Item E16BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY
MEETING DATE: November 19, 2003 DIVISION: Community Services
BULK ITEM: Yes DEPARTMENT: Library
AGENDA ITEM WORDING: Approval of the Library Plan of Service for the year 2004.
ITEM BACKGROUND: The Library Annual Plan of Service is required as a part of the application
to receive the State Aid to Libraries Grant. This plan was discussed and approved by the Library
Advisory Board on October 28, 2003, and recommended for BOCC approval.
PREVIOUS RELEVANT BOCC ACTION: The Library Annual Plan has been approved annually
by the BOCC.
CONTRACT/AGREEMENT CHANGES: N.A.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Approval
TOTAL COST: N/A
COST TO COUNTY: N/A
REVENUE PRODUCING: Yt
APPROVED BY: County Attorney
DIVISION DIRECTOR APPROVAL
DOCUMENTATION: Included
DISPOSITION:
BUDGETED: N/A
AMOUNT PER MONTH NEAR: Approx. 10% of Library budget
N/A OMB/Purchasing N/A Risk Management N/A
JAMES' E. MALLOCH, Division Director
t
X To Follow Not Required
AGENDA ITEM #
90
MONROE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
ANNUAL PLAN OF SERVICE
2004
SUBMITTED BY
NORMA KULA
DIRECTOR OF LIBRARIES
OCTOBER 28, 2003
INTRODUCTION TO THE ANNUAL PLAN
In order to remain a viable and living institution, the Library must grow. Without a
long-range plan, growth becomes unmanaged and unmanageable. A long-range
plan provides a framework for future growth, and becomes a blueprint for
decisions regarding all aspects of Library development and operations. It is
important to set goals over a several year period as an effective procedure for
sound planning and for making cost-effective budgetary decisions. Goals and
objectives laid out in this plan will complement the Library's mission and service
responses to meet the needs of the communities which it serves. Such a plan
must be a living document, subject to regular measurements and review. It must
be 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 responsibly to
resource availability.
The annual plan for Fiscal Year 2004 has been extrapolated directly from the
long-range plan of service for the Monroe County Public Library System as
projected for the next three years.
CHANGING DEMOGRAPHICS/NEW COMMUNITY NEEDS
Monroe County is in the process of undergoing a number of changes, which will
have great impact on its communities and their service needs. The rate of growth
has been and probably always will be a major factor in community planning; it is
a topic which lends itself readily to much debate. Economic changes have been
matters of great concern since the tragedy of 9-11, and the impact of those
events on the State of Florida have come to rest heavily upon this tourist -driven
area. The two recent incorporations or Islamorada and Marathon have likewise
affected the economic life of the unincorporated areas. Although many of the
services for these cities are provided from within, the Library still operates as a
Countywide service provider —there is one public Library system for the whole of
Monroe County.
Changes in the makeup of County population are other factors that are to be
considered in Library planning —as the population ages or more young families
move into the area, as literacy rates increase or decrease, as language barriers
become more or less prevalent —all these variations create new challenges for
the Library, and all must be included in our plans to meet future needs.
Collections, programs offered to the public, all the services that the Library offers
need to be geared to adaptation and modification.
Among the demographic changes in Monroe County between 1990 and 2000
are:
Decrease in number of children under 5 years of age, from 5.7% to 4.3%
of the population
Decrease of adults between 25 and 44 years from 35% to 31 %
Increase of adults between 45 and 54 years from 12% to 18.4%
Increase of adults between 55 and 59 years from 5.5% to 7%
Decrease of adults between 65 and 74 years from 10.5% to 8.5%
Increase in Hispanic population from 12.1 % to 15.8%
Increase in non -family households from 38.7% to 41.9%.
All of these changes may have a bearing on community needs and interests, and
should be taken into consideration when planning collection development,
programs, and other services to be offered.
As we study our communities and their changing natures, and begin to plan for
the accompanying changing needs and service demands, a vision takes shape
for the future of Monroe County and its Library System in relation to its people:
VISION FOR MONROE COUNTY LIBRARY AND COMMUNITY
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.
SERVICE RESPONSES
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
From these service responses the mission of the Monroe County Public Library is
formed:
MISSION STATEMENT
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
by providing equal, easy and open access to materials and services delivered in
an efficient, timely and professional manner by staff who are friendly, helpful and
knowledgeable, in buildings that are inviting, comfortable and fitted for
technological growth and development.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
SERVICE RESPONSE 1: GENERAL INFORMATION
GOAL: The Monroe County Public Library will provide timely, accurate and
useful 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.
Achievement/Measurement Plan:
FY 2004: Begin assessment of specific areas of the
collection, with emphasis on examining the currency of information
in time -sensitive areas such as medicine and law
OBJECTIVE: The Library will expand a collection of materials in a variety
of formats to meet the users' needs for information
Achievement/Measurement Plan:
FY 2004: Investigate electronic database availability, content
and costs; at least six new databases should be studied
GOAL: The Library will offer reference service through phone and on -site
access, and explore potential for technological expansion
OBJECTIVE: Staff will be trained in the reference process and the use of
print and electronic reference sources
Achievement/Measurement Plan:
FY 2004: Establish and implement a program of basic
reference training for all newly -hired staff who will be working with
the public
OBJECTIVE: Patrons will receive timely and accurate reference service
Achievement/Measurement Plan:
FY 2004: Prepare and implement an exit interview study to
determine patron satisfaction with reference interactions
SERVICE RESPONSE #2: LIFELONG LEARNING
GOAL: 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: Programming for children, both in-house and outreach, will
be designed to reach a broad audience of children and their caregivers
Achievement/Measurement Plan:
FY 2004: Contacts will be established with potential outreach
partners such as schools and daycare centers not currently being
targeted; at least four new contacts will be established
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OBJECTIVE: The youth of Monroe County will be targeted as a part of
the community not yet fully served
Achievement/Measurement Plan:
FY 2004: A Teen Page will be added to the Library website,
offering items, information, and links of special interest to that age
group
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 2004: Analysis and enrichment of the Large Print and
audio collections; collections will increase by 3%
SERVICE RESPONSE #3: CURRENT TITLES AND TOPICS
GOAL: 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 2004: Managers will meet to establish and implement a
plan for coordinated use of the "Automatically Yours"
ordering system from Baker & Taylor
OBJECTIVE: The Library will use technological advances as well as
traditional means as tools for enriching information services
Achievement/Measurement Plan:
FY 2004: Branches will present a schedule of at least four
special displays annually celebrating various authors,
genres, and special book -related events
GOAL: Library programming will be presented for education and entertainment
for patrons in all age groups.
OBJECTIVE: The Library will form partnerships with local groups to
enable a forum for public presentations on various topics
Achievement/Measurement Plan:
FY 2004: Three community groups in each area will be
surveyed and studied for interest in and commitment to local
needs in concert with the Library mission
OBJECTIVE: The Library will work with support groups already
established, such as the Friends of the Library, to initiate a new series of
joint activities
Achievement/Measurement Plan:
FY 2004: Ground work with Friends groups will be begun to
discern their areas of expertise and interests that can be
expanded on and developed in programming; staff will meet
with each group of Friends during the year
SERVICE RESPONSE #4: LOCAL HISTORY AND GENEALOGY
GOAL: The unique features of the Florida Keys will be highlighted in special
collections in a variety of formats and ephemera.
OBJECTIVE: The collections of materials relating to Keys History, natural
history, and genealogy will be expanded and publicized, encouraging use
and appreciation of the unique nature of this island chain.
Achievement/Measurement Plan:
FY 2004: The materials collections will be expanded in a
system -wide coordinated effort, to maximize coverage and
minimize unnecessary duplication; broader staff training in
the access and use of these collections will be initiated; two
staff members in each branch will be in the initial training
groups; all staff will be made aware of collection holdings
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GOAL: The Florida History collection will be made more widely accessible to
promote formal and informal research on all levels of interest and scholarship.
OBJECTIVE: Branches with specialized holdings will implement a system
of organizing, indexing and cataloging non-traditional format materials,
with a view to improving access without endangering the preservation
aspect of frail matter.
Achievement/Measurement Plan:
FY 2004: The digitization process, begun in 2003 under the
auspices of an LSTA grant, will be continued, with access on
scanning photograph holdings into the newly -established
computer base for world -wide -web access.
CONCLUSION
This plan for the next three years is an outline only —a map of where we would
like to go and how we hope to get there. Many elements must come into play in
unison for the success of this plan —some of these are already in place and need
merely to be fine-tuned; others will be new to us and we will need to learn how
best to bring them together into the developing events. Some basics remain at
the heart of this plan —the mission and goals of the Library are a constant. It is
the work of the Library to support the growth and development of individuals,
families, and groups, as is pledged in the Mission Statement of Monroe County
Government. The Library serves as a constant link between the people of the
County community and their sources of business information, educational
support, and cultural development, and it is our job to assist the people 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 must look to our own resources: technology, with its potential for enhanced
service delivery, is essential to maintaining our role as service provider, and the
Library staff, the most vital element in 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 and technological
elements, along with a constant examination of what we are doing, how well we
are doing it, and how we can do it better. With this plan, we must unite these
factors with a willingness to adopt new ways of thinking, learning, and doing. We
must be always open to change, to adaptation, and to improvement, so that our
pledge of service to our communities may be not just kept, but constantly
renewed.
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