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Strategic Plan for Moore Public Library

225 South Howard

Moore, OK 73160

http://pioneerlibrarysystem.org/hometowns/moore
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Table of Contents

1. Name and Location of Library…………………………………3

2. Photos of Library Exterior/Interior…………………………….3

3. Period of Time That This Strategic Plan Will Cover………….6

4. Mission and Vision Statements………………………………..6

5. Planning Methodology………………………………………...6

6. Assessment of User Needs…………………………………….6

7. Multi-year Goals, Objectives, and Actions……………………7

8. Authorized Party to Approve the Strategic Plan………………9

9. Strategic Reflections…………………………………………...10

10. Endnotes……………………………………………………...13

11. Bibliography………………………………………………….14

12. Appendix……………………………………………………...15
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1. Name and Location of Library

 Moore Public Library

 225 South Howard

Moore, OK 73160

 http://pioneerlibrarysystem.org/hometowns/moore

2. Photos of Library Exterior/Interior1

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3. Period of Time That This Strategic Plan Will Cover

 This strategic plan will cover three (3) years, 2018 to 2020.

4. Mission and Vision Statements

 Brand Promise: Pioneering Tomorrow’s Library

 Mission Statement: Inspiring innovation, engagement, and learning in our

community.2

5. Planning Methodology

 Planning for the Moore Public Library strategic plan will begin with a SWOT

Analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) of the library’s current

status. This will help the library director to see what has been successful and what

has not, in regards to their previous plans.3

 After discussing the results of the SWOT Analysis, the director will discuss with

managers and other staff how to proceed.

 The director will then bring the strategic plan to the city council.

 The Moore City Council holds regular meeting in the City Council Chambers,

with the mayor residing. Citizens have the opportunity to attend and speak on all

matters.4

 The city council will then vote on the strategic plan.

6. Assessment of User Needs

 The library director will conduct user data collecting, utilizing focus groups and surveys.5
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o Users will have the opportunity to suggest ideas for how the library can better

meet their needs and voice any concerns they have about the library’s services

o These methods will allow the users to assist in guiding the library’s future

planning.

7. Multi-year Goals, Objectives, and Actions

System Goal/Measure: Increase Market Penetration in the Pioneer service area. Market

penetration is defined as the number of households with an active library card.

Long Range System Strategies, 2016‐2019:

Expand: We will find innovative ways for area residents to secure access to library services.

 Implementation of MyCards for children and teens.

 Expansion of our literacy program to all ages.

Mobilize: We will provide an experience that enables customers to take the library with them

wherever they go.

 Development and marketing of Mobile App.

 IPad checkout within the library.

Accelerate: We will expand the library’s digital collection and increase the number of customers

accessing e‐content.

 Expansion of digital collections.

Inspire: We view our role in early literacy and youth and teen education as paramount. Moore

seeks the broad‐based participation of families through spaces and experiences that inspire.
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 Growing Like a Read to Spanish speaking audiences and elementary age students.

 Maker experiences in the library.

Lead: We will lead the digital revolution by utilizing technologies to increase internal

productivity and reduce costs. We will expand and support digital opportunities for our

customers.

 Become Digitarians ourselves through training and the implementation of technology

based solutions to branch tasks and projects.

o Leaning Management System

o Online applicant tracking system

o Electronic funds transfer

o Self‐check usage

o Automated materials handling

o Online staff training

2016‐2017 – Additional Current Year Branch Strategies:

 Market services through

o targeted emails to customers,

o print media,

o social media,

o direct mail.

 Increase number of email addresses in customer records.

o Provide promotional incentives to support branch efforts.

o Explore the purchase of email addresses.

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 Create processes to recognize wifi use and program attendance as methods to keep

customer library cards active.

 Develop fine forgiveness efforts to reinstate customers.6

8. Authorized Party to Approve the Strategic Plan

 Mayor

o Glenn Lewis

 Ward 1

o Adam Webb

 Councilman

o Danielle McKenzie

 Councilwoman

 Ward 2

o Mark Hamm

 Councilman

o Melissa Hunt

 Councilwoman

 Ward 3

o Jason Blair

 Councilman

o Terry Cavnar

 Councilman7
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9. Strategic Reflections (750 words)

Coming into this assignment, I was beginning to worry that the Moore Public Library

was not a good choice for this assignment. I asked my coworkers for advice on finding resources,

but it was still a challenge. However, after scouring the Pioneer Library System Board of

Trustees website, I was able to find a plethora of resources. I found the Pioneer Library System

Strategic Plan, along with planning committee minutes and PLS system strategies. While these

documents cover the Pioneer Library System as a whole, I was able to take these strategies and

modify the ideas to pertain only to the Moore Public Library itself. I removed some of the

broader items that did not relate to this particular branch alone, such as the opening of new

branches or wifi use at 24-hour libraries. I also had to modify the “Authorized Party to Approve

the Strategic Plan.” While the Pioneer Library System has a Board of Trustees, it is less likely

that a single branch would. Instead, I found that the Moore City Council would most likely be

the group to assess and approve the library’s strategic plan. After all of this, the goals and

strategies left are indicative of the services the Moore Public Library strives to implement.

In some ways, I do believe choosing an independent library would have been an easier

choice. I may have been able to find more focused information on the library in relation to the

community. The information I would have found would have been more specific to that one

branch. However, I am not confident that I would have been able to find as much information as

I was able to with the Moore Public Library. Because it is part of a larger system, I was able to

find a number of planning documents for the Pioneer Library System as a whole.

In the end, while choosing an independent branch may have been an easier and more

straightforward option, I am satisfied with my choice. I was able to find planning documents I

was not sure even existed. I was also able to inform some of my coworkers who were interested
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in looking over said documents as well. Overall, it was an educational experience for me and my

coworkers.

Creating this strategic plan helped me put together everything I learned this semester. As

I was working on the “Planning Methodology” section, I was able to look at the various planning

methods and choose what I felt would be the best choice for my library. Although the SWOT

Analysis has its drawbacks, I believe that in formulating a strategic plan, it is important to

evaluate these criteria. By using this method, one can assess what has been successful and what

has not, which is effective in updating and maintaining a strategic plan. My process for choosing

a method for “Assessment of User Needs” was very similar. Because a public library’s main goal

is to assist their community, I believe that utilizing focus groups and surveys would be most

effective. As I read these chapters, I developed a broad understanding of the planning and

assessing, but putting these ideas in a real situation helped me broaden that understanding.

All of these ideas that I had picked up over this past semester also came together and

created a much clearer picture of what goes into a management position. I realize now that prior

to this class, I had a very vague idea of what a management position entailed. In my mind, it was

all about hiring and firing, which did not appeal to me whatsoever. After this class, I see that

there is so much more to management. Management is about evaluating the community’s needs,

and finding ways to meet those needs.

In addition, by creating a strategic plan, I truly learned what goes into one. While reading

over plans was informative, I did not necessarily understand them. Personally, I learn better by

doing, so this assignment was incredibly beneficial to me. As I stated above, I now have a better

understanding of management as a whole, and likewise have a better understanding of strategic

planning. I now see the importance of all the finer details, like user assessments and methods of
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planning. Different approaches work for different environments, and by preparing my own plan,

I was able to see that more clearly.

Overall, I now see that a strategic plan is vital to the management of any library. A large

portion of the role of a public library in any community is to provide services to the community

that may not be otherwise available. Strategic plans allow a library to assess its community’s

needs and understand how to successfully satisfy them. A strategic plan allows a library to

continue to function and grow in their community.

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10. Endnotes

1. “Moore Public Library.” City of Moore, accessed November 28, 2017.

https://www.cityofmoore.com/locations/moore-public-library

2. PLS Board of Trustees. “Pioneer Library System Strategic Plan.” PDF.

https://www.boarddocs.com/ok/plib/Board.nsf/Public. May 31, 2016.

https://www.boarddocs.com/ok/plib/Board.nsf/files/ABKJMD4DD465/$file/PLS%20Bra

nd%20Promise%20%2B%20Mission%20Statement%205%2031%202016.pdf

3. G. Edward Evans and Camila A. Alire, Management Basics for Information

Professionals (Chicago: American Library Association, 2013), 94.

4. “City Council,” City of Moore, accessed November 28, 2017.

https://www.cityofmoore.com/citycouncil

5. G. Edward Evans and Camila A. Alire, Management Basics for Information

Professionals (Chicago: American Library Association, 2013), 253

6. PLS Board of Trustees. “Pioneer Library System Strategic Plan.” PDF.

https://www.boarddocs.com/ok/plib/Board.nsf/Public. May 31, 2016.

https://www.boarddocs.com/ok/plib/Board.nsf/files/ABKJMD4DD465/$file/PLS%20Bra

nd%20Promise%20%2B%20Mission%20Statement%205%2031%202016.pdf

7. “City Council,” City of Moore, accessed November 28, 2017.

https://www.cityofmoore.com/citycouncil
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11. Bibliography

Evans, G. Edward, and Camila A. Alire. Management Basics for Information Professionals.

Chicago: American Library Association, 2013.

“City Council.” City of Moore. Accessed November 28, 2017.

https://www.cityofmoore.com/citycouncil

BoardDocs. Pioneer Library System Board of Trustees. Accessed November 25, 2017.

https://www.boarddocs.com/ok/plib/Board.nsf/Public
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12. Appendix

Pioneer Library System Strategic Plan

BRAND PROMISE: PIONEERING TOMORROW’S LIBRARY.

MISSION STATEMENT: INSPIRING INNOVATION, ENGAGEMENT, AND

LEARNING IN OUR COMMUNITIES.

System Goal/Measure: Increase Market Penetration in the Pioneer service area. Market

penetration is defined as the number of households with an active library card.

Long Range System Strategies, 2016‐2019:

EXPAND: We will find innovative ways for area residents to secure access to library services.

 Implementation of MyCards for children and teens.

 Expansion of our literacy program to all ages.

 Opening of new libraries in East and Central Norman.

MOBILIZE: We will provide an experience that enables customers to take the library with them

wherever they go.

 Development and marketing of Mobile App.

 IPad checkout within the libraries.

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ACCELERATE: We will expand the library’s digital collection and increase the number of

customers accessing e‐content.

 Expansion of digital collections.

 Wifi access to digital collections at 24 hour libraries.

INSPIRE: We view our role in early literacy and youth and teen education as paramount. PLS

seeks the broad‐based participation of families through spaces and experiences that inspire.

 Growing Like a Read to Spanish speaking audiences and elementary age students.

 Maker experiences in the libraries and Maker Mobile outreach.

LEAD: We will lead the digital revolution by utilizing technologies to increase internal

productivity and reduce costs. We will expand and support digital opportunities for our

customers.

 Become Digitarians ourselves through training and the implementation of

technology based solutions to system and branch tasks and projects.

o Leaning Management System

o Online applicant tracking system

o Electronic funds transfer

o Self‐check usage

o Automated materials handling

o Online staff training

2016‐2017 – Additional Current Year Branch and System Strategies:

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 Market services through

o targeted emails to customers,

o print media,

o social media,

o direct mail.

 Increase number of email addresses in customer records.

o Provide promotional incentives to support branch efforts.

o Explore the purchase of email addresses.

 Create processes to recognize wifi use and program attendance as methods to keep

customer

library cards active.

 Develop fine forgiveness efforts to reinstate customers.

Approved by PLS Board of Trustees

May 31, 2016