Strategic Planning

Submitted by Anna Lyle

FCPL is in the process of developing a new strategic plan. Our existing strategic plan was intended to cover 2017 through 2022.    

We will use the Rapid Results Planning (RRP) process developed by Library Strategies. Library Strategies is the consulting arm of The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library.

We started the process yesterday and hope to receive Board approval on a new plan at the May Library Board meeting. Two GPLS staff members are our consultants for the process. Ben Carter, Assistant State Librarian for Library Development, and Elizabeth McKinney, PINES Program Director, have been trained in the RRP process and have consulted for other libraries in Georgia. Yesterday, Ben and Elizabeth met with members of the FCPL leadership team. Later in the day, the planning team held its first meeting. The 10-member team is comprised of Library Board members, a representative from the Friends and Advocates, other community leaders, Ann Decherd, and me. 

This planning process will be community-focused, with the hallmark event being a community retreat on March 18. Community members from various stakeholder groups will be invited to provide input about the library’s future at a retreat facilitated by Ben Carter and Elizabeth McKinney. Attendees will include both library patrons and non-users.

All staff are invited to participate in this important process. This week you will receive a link to a survey designed for staff input. This survey will have open-ended questions and may take several minutes to complete. Please take the time at work to reflect on the questions and provide thoughtful responses. Staff are uniquely qualified to reflect on the Library’s present and future—and can often speak on behalf of both staff and patrons. Supervisors, please make sure your staff have adequate time at work to complete the survey. Please note that this survey is focused on the patron experience, but you are welcome to include comments about internal operational issues that impact the services we provide. We will ask you to complete a survey about staff satisfaction and internal processes at a later time. 

Also this week, a community survey will be issued in electronic and paper formats. In addition to ensuring that patrons have an opportunity to complete the survey, we are asking for your help in encouraging non-users (friends, neighbors, etc.) to complete the survey.

We expect the strategic plan to be adopted by the Library Board in May. This will be the big-picture plan. The next step will be to develop a more detailed action/implementation plan.