SSJCPL SPIT - Recently Updated Pages

November 10, 2010 Meeting

Anonymous — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 15:20:23 CST

Present: Beverly Hine, Debra Furtado, Fatima Domingo, Gretchen Louden, Lloyd Jansen, Merrilee Chapman, Suzy Daveluy, Tara Gallegos

Pre-discussion notes:

SPIT members actively encourage all staff members to add comments on our wiki! We need your input!
The "Neighborhoods" terminology is no longer a part of the SSJCPL organizational structure (though you might see a reference to Neighborhood Services in budget documents as recent as the current fiscal year).
All goals/objectives/activities should include a quantifiable measurement.

Strategic Priority Goal #2 - CREATING A COMFORTABLE PLACE

EXISTING OBJECTIVES (these are the goals established under Natalie's directorship):
Objective A: By June 2010, each NSA will plan, host, and evaluate a minimum of 10 programs of interest to the local branch community.

Objective B: By June 2010, each NSA will create a minimum of 10 dynamic displays of interest to the local community.

Brainstorming to improve these objectives:

Current goal of 10 programs is difficult.
Why are programs under this category? Should we steer away from including programs in this goal?
Does this goal also include online goals? A comfortable place can also include the website renovation.
Should this be a system goal, individual, or branch goal?
Can a goal make people more comfortable with our website?
How much should customer service be included in this goal?
Staff can help people use the site more effectively. Staff can be website tour guides.
Use IRIS reference skills to make people more comfortable. More training for reference skills? Encourage staff to participate in available training?
Implement a reference meeting once a month to improve customer service.
How can we involve patrons in creating a comfortable place?
Public Feedback Initiative:
- Implement a continuous feedback system
- Surveys? Focus groups?
- Surveys will mean more if they are done only for a short period of time
- Surveys would be a mechanism for the task force to weed through
- Ask public to tell us what they want
  - "What ideas do you have to make the library a more comfortable and inviting place?"
  - What would make you want to visit the library more often and spend time here?"
  - Name and phone number of the BACK of card
- Promotion
  - Signage
  - Bulletin Board with patron suggestions on display (allows for dialogue about suggestions from other patrons)
  - Marketing that the library is doing this initiative-"Making the library a more comfortable place based on YOUR suggestions
  - What do you want your library to be like?
  - Get the feedback from patrons, representatives from the library should respond. What suggestions are feasible? Why did we choose these?
  - Focus groups? Would have to have a great facilitator. A group to go into more depth.
- Stages in this objective: promote initiative, feedback from patrons, response
- The SPIT will implement the responses by branches. Responsibility for plan of action will fall on current team already in place, as well as administration. Staff will only have to facilitate the feedback.
- SPIT will present this plan and expectations to staff at general staff meetings, individual branches. Thought and care will be put in to making sure that staff has what they need to make this work. Communication is important.
- SPIT will create marketing plan for this only to implement proposed goals.

SPG #2 PROPOSED OBJECTIVES/ACTIVITIES (these are the objectives that the SPIT is now proposing - your feedback is CRUCIAL!)

By June 2012, the Library System will implement at least 2 community based recommendations at each branch to make the library a more welcoming and comfortable place.

Activities to achieve objective:

By Sept. 30, 2011, each branch will conduct feedback surveys, evaluate responses, and present a minimum of 5 recommendations to the SPIT.
The SPIT will review branch recommendations and work with administration to evaluate resources and develop a plan of action.
The SPIT will review our existing marketing plan (created by Metropolitan Group Marketing under Natalie's directorship) and work with administration to create a marketing plan strategy.

Strategic Priority Goal #3 - CONNECTING TO THE ONLINE WORLD

EXISTING OBJECTIVES (goals established under Natalie's directorship):

Objective A: By June 2010, each NSA will plan, host, and evaluate a minimum of 8 computer classes.
Objective B: By June 2010, each NSA will market and train the public on the use of the Library's featured online database of the quarter.

Brainstorming to improve these objectives:

Should this be systemwide or branch specific? Systemwide makes sense with website issues. Branches responsible for classes?
Website issues can be addressed by work which is already being done by Website Redesign Team.
Computer classes:

Library Trainer already doing systemwide computer classes
Branches should work with Rena

Database promotion: Who would be responsible for this? Trainer, reference?

Monthly reference meeting topic
Different training component - staff component - public component
Focus on one database - hopefully public will ask about other databases. Make public comfortable and familiar with one
Learning Express? All Data (only available at bigger branches)
Initiative - Sell the idea of ONE database

SPG #3 - PROPOSED OBJECTIVES/ACTIVITIES (these are the objectives/activities SPIT is proposing - your feedback is CRUCIAL!)

Objective A: By June 2012, the Website Redesign Team will work with the library administration and staff to implement their recommendations to update and increase accessibility of the library's website.

Objective B: Each branch will offer a minimum of 6 computer classes by June 2012.

Objective C: By June 2012, the library system will increase usage by at least 10% of fiscal year 10/11 through increased awareness of the Learning Express database.

October 27, 2010 Meeting

SSJCPL — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 18:43:55 CST

Present: D. Furtado, G. Louden, L. Jansen, M. Chapman, T. Gallegos, S. Daveluy

Today's meeting included the first discussion on some actual suggestions for objectives to support the "Creating and Empowering Readers" Goal as well as brainstorming around the "Creating a Comfortable Place" and "Connecting to the Online World" goals.

Strategic Priority Goal #1 - CREATING AND EMPOWERING READERS
Existing Objectives (those established under Natalie's directorship)
Objective A - Each NSA will offer 12 off-site and 12 on-site programs.
Objective B - Each branch will increase last year's Summer Reading completion rates by 10%
Objective C - Each branch will evaluate and weed its Adult, Children's/J and Teen 400s and 800s; Adult fiction I-P and JE N-Z collection areas, including all languages and all media, and each NSA will suggest at least five replacment titles.

Brainstorming Objectives

Delete "Neighborhood Services Area" concept
How important are arbitrary numbers
- 12 off-site and 12 on-site are too many with our current staffing numbers
What is our goal - quantity or effectiveness? Is more always better?
How are we going to measure?
- Not use numbers but possibly what type of programs
- Menu available for each age group with list of different types of programs and each branch shows what programs they have offered under each one - therefore programs can be done based on community rather than fulfilling numbers
Is this measureable? Becomes more about what kind of programs we have done rather than the number of programs, looking at diversity of programming offered.
Would we set up a grid as part of objective?

SPG #1 PROPOSED OBJECTIVES/ACTIVITIES (these are the objectives that the SPIT is now proposing - your feedback is CRUCIAL!)

Objective A
By June 2012, each branch will conduct a literacy-based activity reflecting their individual community needs and/or interests in each of the following categories:

Cultural Diversity (e.g. bilingual storytime, programs in Spanish, teen online book club)
Early Literacy (e.g. book clubs, book buddies, author visits)
Popular Interests (e.g. vampire program, organization, job hunting, resume writing)
Outreach (e.g. class visits with book talks)
Community Connection (e.g. talking with gardening clubs, festival display, attend community festival)

Objective B
During 2012 Summer Reading (Nightime theme - Dream Big, Own the Night, Between the Covers, each branch will conduct a literacy-based activity reflecting their individual community needs and/or interests in the following categories:

Cultural Diversity (e.g. children, teen, and adult programs)
Early Literacy (e.g. theme-based storytime, bedtime storytime with stuffed animal sleepover)
Book Discussions (e.g. theme-based book titles suggested by SRC Task Force)
Popular Interests (e.g. dream analysis - display and/or speaker, relaxation/yoga techniques, astronomy)
Outreach (e.g. go to schools to promote SRC)
Community Connection (e.g. reaching out to newspaper, local planetarium, astronomy clubs)

Objective C
By June 2012, each branch will promote library collections and resources reflecting their individual community needs and/or interests in the following categories:

Cultural Diversity (e.g. bibliographies, Spanish-language podcasts)
Early Literacy (e.g.book displays)
Book Discussions (e.g. podcast book reviews, book lists on website)
Popular Interests (e.g. highlight databases)
Outreach (e.g. take books to events, showcase Facebook)
Community Connection (e.g. highlight local history)

Targets and measurable benchmarks will be discussed at the next meeting.

October 13, 2010 Meeting

civillibrarian — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 15:29:58 CDT

As a reminder concerning the SPIT's long-term work, the group is tasked with adopting SSJCPL's existing Strategic Priority Goals and, using those goals as a starting point, developing new objectives and action items to facilitate the achievement of the Goals.

The 10/13 meeting focused on a discussion and evaluation of the objectives that had been a part of the 2009 Strategic Plan. Regarding the minutes from this meeting, Team Leader Debra Furtado had this to say:

"[W]e wanted to review/critique why the previous expectations (objectives/activities) were not only unreasonable, but no longer fit our current organizational model (e.g. neighborhoods, staffing levels, etc.). The lists we created today will definitely help us in formulating new objectives and activities, so I definitely think we are on the right track. I don't like working in a vacuum, therefore identifying/critiquing the elements of the past that we thought were worthwhile as well as those we believed to be burdensome and unproductive, will help us to have a more constructive discussion about status quo mentalities and sacred cows.

Consequently, by wiping the slate clean, we can push forward with a new vision. The energy in the room was intense and energetic. I think for the first time in a very long time, people really think they will be able to develop meaningful objectives and activities that are both realistic and forward-thinking."

The approach of Debra and the rest of the team is spot-on. Here are the minutes from their discussion.

Strategic Priority Goal #1 CREATING AND EMPOWERING READERS
Regarding the objective that each NSA would provide "at least 12 off-site and 12 on-site...programs":

Do activities need to be library-sponsored only?
Delete the requirement for number of programs?
Focus on quality over quantity.
We should describe what we're doing well and then quantify it.
Remove off-site/on-site distinction.
Can't include ACAS as an objective because we don't have the funds to support replacing items weeded. What is ACAS? - Chris
This goal is not an actual PLA goal; this hybrid was created by Management.
Need to look at new ways to measure activities relevant to this goal.
Consider having staff "experts" offer a program system-wide instead of each branch having to do it; let staff choose from a selection of programs. This is a model I've seen work very well before. It's one I'd like to see put in place here but, at this point in time, I don't see that we have the staff necessary. Ideally, when our staff grows over the next couple of years, two or three positions would be dedicated to providing programming across the system. - Chris
Encourage staff to work together to offer programs.
Publicity needs to be reflective of what we are doing.
Let branches do their own publicity instead of submitting everything centrally.
We'll have a discussion about marketing and publicity at another meeting.
As a system, we are not doing a lot of programming for teens and adults; we get a greater response from children's programs.
Need to look at offering programs via a different format for teens and adults who are too busy to come to the library for programs.
Need to offer multi-generational programs (something for all ages and/or an adult/teen program offered at the same time as a children's program) that would get more teens and adults into the libraries.
Consider online bookclubs and webinars presented by experts (with staff monitoring as needed).
Archive programs that we present; take advantage of digital technology.
Look into offering storytimes/storytelling online or put links on our web page to other sites that offer these.
Will have to discuss how to present these lists; consider having smaller task forces to work on these goals so as to get the greatest buy-in from staff.
The Adult Literacy program should be included in this goal; all branches should be promoting this program (action item: Adult Literacy staff will present information at a future GSM). Perhaps replace the collection development part of the objective with one focused on Adult Literacy program.
Service at the Circulation Desks should also be included in this goal. How would circ staff be a part of providing programming? - Chris
We need to be mindful of what we do that is truly unique.

Activities we are doing now that support this goal:

Readers' advisory
Patron-centered collection development (paying attention to what people want and need).
Book discussion groups for adults, teens, and children.
Community reading events.
All About Baby.
Booktalk podcasts on the website.
Storytimes.
Book Buddies, Reading Helpers, Math tutoring, Homework Helpers.
Adult Literacy program.
Class visits at the library and visits to school visits.
Outreach at schools (e.g. Literacy Night, book fairs) and at community events.
Teen Advisory Boards.
Adult programs, including book talks by authors.
Adult writing programs (e.g. Sunday Scribblers at Manteca).
Partnerships with Head Start.
Training Wheels.
Homegrown literacy-based programs for all ages.
Film series with literature-basis.
Families Reading Together.
Teen Poetry cafes.
Attend large community events (e.g. Family Day in the Park, Ag Venture).
Summer Reading
Reading Incentive Programs (e.g. In and Out).
Newbery challenge.
Book displays.
Sponsor large community events (e.g. Dia de los Ninos, Reading Rally).
Stockton Reads.

Strategic Priority Goal #1 CREATING AND EMPOWERING READERS
Regarding the objective that "each branch will improve the 2010 childrens', teens', and adult's Summer Reading Program completion rates by 10% over the 2009 completion rates":

10% is an arbitrary number.
We cannot control participation (especially of children).
Should be less concerned about completions and more concerned about participation; or we should redefine "completion".
Should conduct outreach that will reap results; often outreach to children does not get a return.
We'll need to discuss better marketing strategies for Summer Reading.
Offer multi-generational programs to increase number of participants, keeping in mind that some sites do not have the facilities for 2 programs at the same time. (Action item: The Summer Reading Task Force will come up with multi-generational program ideas for Summer Reading 2011)
Consider changing the objective to requiring a very minimal number of Summer Reading programs at each branch.

Strategic Priority Goal #1 CREATING AND EMPOWERING READERS
Regarding the objective that "each branch will evaluate and weed its Adult, Children's/J and Teen 400s and 800s; Adult fiction I-P and JE N-Z collection areas, including all languages and all media, and each NSA will suggest at least five replacment titles.

Very impractical now with limited materials budget.
Collection development objectives should be specific to the needs of each location; each branch should select an area of the collection to focus on.
Reword objective to something like, "each branch will consider continual collection development as a component of creating and empowering readers". What does this mean? That branch staff would be more active in the selection process? - Chris
Selection is more important to this goal than weeding.
Consider weeding older materials when new/replacement titles received.

Why no discussion of activities we are currently doing to support this objective?

Strategic Priority Goal #2: CREATING A COMFORTABLE PLACE
Regarding the objectives that "each NSA will plan, host, and evaluate a minimum of 10 programs of interest to the local branch communities" and that "each NSA will create a minimum of 10 dynamic displays of interest to the local branch communities".

This goal should focus on physically comfortable and welcoming. Why would we do that? Why don't we want our online presence to be comfortable and welcoming, too? - Chris
Should be mindful of libraries as community centers and places to hang out.
Chavez - consider consolidating circulation and reference desks.
Safety issues - county branches do not have security guards.
Tough to be welcoming with less staff, multi-tasking going on a service desks.
Consider integrating childrens' and teen collections.
Consider rearranging Chavez (Admin and Tech offices in current Children's Room; Children's collection on 1st floor of adult side; all adult materials on 2nd floor).
Consider making this goal specific to Admin/Management - to advocate for more resources to make our spaces more welcoming (security, new furniture, etc.); need to go after grants to secure the necessary resources.
Consider limiting telephone reference to certain hours or abolish centralized telephone reference and go back to having branches answer their own phones.
Need to be mindful that many in our communities don't have access to technology, and many have limited access to the library and can only reach us by phone.
Consider headsets for centralized telephone reference.
Consider working with community groups to display public art in branches; encourage donation/installation of public art in branches; maybe pursue having art for sale in the libraries with a percentage of the proceeds being donated back to the the Library.
Need to get rid of the perception that branch stall will get in trouble for taking initiative (specific to making decisions that uniquely affect that branch).
Consider exterior of libraries as well; have to be inviting on the outside, too!
Consider community gardens maintained by community groups.
Need clean, well-lit areas.
Abolish the practice of magnetizing library materials - we don't have the staff to chase customers when alarms are set off.

Activities we are doing now that support this goal:

Creating inviting teen areas.
Making self-check machines more accessible.

September 15, 2010 Meeting

Anonymous — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 16:56:07 CDT

Present: Debra Furtado, Merrilee Chapman, Gretchen Louden, Lloyd Jansen, Tara Gallegos, Bev Hine

The SPIT addressed the issue of "Change Burn-out". The following questions were presented and discussed:
From Chapter 1 of PLA's "Implementing for Results" text:

1. Overcoming the, “Oh here we go again syndrome.” Why the simple belief that things must change is not enough.
Brainstorm: What factors do you think may be currently present in our organizational culture (ticking time bombs) that may work against a successful Strategic Plan outcome?

· Identify components of the Library’s existing organizational culture that you think will work against change.
· Identify components that you think will facilitate change.

Notes from discussion:

"Why are we doing this?" "How does it relate to individual staff?" "Just an exercise for management."

Can be seen as an insult. "I do what I do well - why do you want me to change?"

"If my job isn't important, am I needed?"

We want people to feel good about coming to work.

Need to have better priorities.

LSSI! Worry about being privatized.

Can we do something right away? No one has time to be a leader. Staff are winging it in the absence of leadership.

Communication issue. Some people more comfortable making decisions and trouble-shooting than others.

Organizational structure has been reduced along with staff. Loss of committees that may have been responsible for certain policies.

Are some existing meetings too long? We don't have a regular reference meeting like we do for Circulation.

The strategic plan needs to be practical. We do too much of trying to make what we already do fit the strategic plan.

People not excited by the plan because it's been forced on people, not sold to them.

People understand we have a new culture at the top now.

Inconsistent messages across the system - especially supervisors. All need to be on the same page. No different messages.

People will say they don't have time.

This will not make people's job different - have to convince them it will help.

What [tasks] can we take away from people? We're down to the bone. What can be cut?

Link+ may be causing more work. Also credit/debit card payments/deposits.

Maybe if we had been better about promoting all the work we do, we would be in better shape (e.g. LSSI swooping in).

We're the underdogs now. We need to get our word out for our survival.

Numbers need to be put into context (e.g. What we're still doing with fewer staff).

Another "time bomb": signs of tensions between sections/staff, not just between front-line and management. Cracks from stress happening within the ranks.

Feeling overwhelmed by what is being added. Bad timing for the strategic plan.

LII's and Supervising Librarians having jobs that used to be done by higher levels with better pay. And not trained well enough. Too much On the Job Training!

People could use techniques to work more efficiently.

Should we come up with something by end of each meeting that would be an action step for the system? Something visible.

Trust/empowerment.

Looking for a more revolutionary model for this committee. What committees are still functioning?

Employee of the Month? People would like to be recognized.

Branch/County/City wedge. Was dissolving of Neighborhood Services publicized?

Return to more formal memos announcing changes? Ask Chris and Pam to work on more regular communications? Model the service goals.

2. How do we motivate staff to re-prioritize and reallocate resources based not on personal preference, but on service priorities?

Go on staff "field trips" to other libraries; places that are innovative and successful. Many long-time staff don't have a good picture about the trends and the new technology in other library systems.

How do we ensure there is buy-in AND follow-through?

How can we avoid feelings trumping facts

Tough for staff to give up services that they feel are important in favor of service responses.

De-professionalism of librarians.

Grumbling over Library Trainer position being an LA.

LA's can also feel unappreciated.

Worry that there may not be a profession in the future.

Find other "underdog" libraries that are doing things well. Use as inspiration!

Use service goals in communications with public, but less jargony. More straightforward language for the public.

Regular bookmarks/publicity for programs. Not just Summer Reading. Too many barriers to publicity have been set up. Need to decentralize?

Ask Chris to be more proactive about communicating his vision. Send something out once a week that models the service responses. Do we need some healing first before vision? Would people feel like more change is being upon them?

Have a GSM where staff can get issues off their chest? A big "group therapy" session? There should be boundaries and the meeting should end with action items. These could be contributing to the strategic plan project. Hire Larry Bienati to facilitate?

Conceptual Exercise:

How do you visualize the status quo at the Library:

Anger with management

Overworked staff

Not a status quo right now

Insecure right now

Frantic/hamster on a wheel

Territorial behavior

Incredible resources/potential being squandered by lack of direction.

Lines at the circulation desk

Piles of things waiting to be worked on

Staff caring about patrons

Frustration/anxiety

Staff being defensive and protective of patrons

We need to be brave, stick our necks out, and give Chris a chance. We need to go with him with an argument and give him a chance to adjust things. But he may not always do what we ask.

** Recommendation: A weekly bulletin to staff from Chris updating us on what's going on. Can tie back to Service Responses.

Pre-Kickoff Meeting Notes

SSJCPL — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 09:51:34 CDT

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

At today's pre-kickoff meeting, the SPIT conducted an exercise with the intent of getting all of us "on the same page" and collectively aware of our expectations for the outcomes of this project. We spent some time brainstorming answers to these questions (with answers from the meeting immediately following each question):

1. What is the one thing we must get right to make this project worth undertaking?

"finish it!"
Establish and prove relevance of the project to staff
Generate buy-in from staff
Create tangible mechanisms for tracking progress
Be realistic about what we can achieve
The plan must be relevant to the community - must be truly customer focused
We have to have the appropriate resources to carry out what we plan to do
Plan has to be flexible, continually evaluated, and branches should have autonomy to achieve system objectives in a way that makes sense on a branch-by-branch basis
We have to share our successes with everyone on a regular basis

2. How do you (the SPIT members) define success?

Positive customer response
Evidence that the plan results in a measurable step up in how the community perceives us
Staff should be excited about the plan and they should apply the plan to daily work
The plan should be complete and usable
The plan allows us to be proactive rather than reactive
The public knows what are plan emphasizes through our actions
The Library will have an active role in improving the region's literacy rate

3. How does "the Library" define success?

Too much focus on statistics; not enough emphasis on qualitative evaluation
"Numbers!"
"how many, how many, how many..."
The size of our budget
How many hours we're open
If we "make the news"
How much we "get out in the community"
How much we increase accessibility
The number of public computers, programs, etc.
The size of our collection budget
Percentage of Summer Reading completions

4. What is the role of the strategic plan in achieving success?

A good plan itself defines success
Allows us to maximize our resources
Provides focus
Leads to sense of "team"
Provides mechanism for accountability
Tool for internal and external communication
Empowerment device

5. What aspects of the Library's internal culture could put this project at risk to fail?

Cynicism
Negativity from staff due to the genesis of the strategic plan document
Culture of fear
Perception that staff can't speak their mind
"Territoriality" of services/programs (e.g. "I don't want to give that up.")
Perception of exclusion
Authoritarian model of leadership
Secretive management practices
Anti-staff approach to management
Lack of trust on the part of staff
General feeling of being overworked
Original planning process was "demeaning, condescending, stupid".

6. Why did the initial work on the strategic plan come to a halt?

It wasn't about the staff
It was propaganda
It isn't a finished document
No sense of staff ownership
Perception that the document created a sense of failure among staff (i.e. staff weren't able to meet demands as laid out by administration)
"The Reorganization"
Sense of organizational uncertainty
Lack of resources
Managerial inconsistency

7. What are your wildest dreams for the outcome of this project?

Staff unity
Nobel Peace Prize for the SPIT
National recognition (e.g. LJ Starred Library, HAPLR ranking, ALA, Congress :-)
Endowments from the community
Positive staff attitude toward the project
Optimism among staff
Meaningful appreciation of staff
The best use of our resources
Greater appreciation of what we do on the part of the City and the County governments
Public support
The tools to do what we're asked to do
The Library becomes more "politically connected"
An enhanced opinion of the value of the Library on the the part of elected officials

Strategic Plan Documents

SSJCPL — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 19:04:31 CDT

All pertinent documents to the strategic planning process from 2006-2009 will be attached (under the heading "Attachments") at the very bottom of this page. Currently, the only document is the actual Strategic Plan itself. More documents will be added shortly.

SSJCPL SPIT Home

SSJCPL — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 18:55:38 CDT

The SSJCPL Strategic Plan Implementation Team (SPIT, for short) has the charge of developing the objectives and actions that the Library will use to put our strategic plan into action.

This wiki is your place to find the latest information on the progress of the SPIT. Minutes from all meetings will be posted here as will all documents pertinent to the process.

All staff are highly encouraged to add comments and suggestions and to ask questions right here on the wiki if there is anything you have to say. While there is a formal workgroup assigned to this project, everyone working at SSJCPL has a stake in our future so everyone working here should have the opportunity to participate!

Please use the menu on the left side of the screen to navigate through the various sections of this wiki.

SPIT Members

SSJCPL — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 15:06:40 CDT

Debra Furtado, Chair
Merrilee Chapman
Suzy Daveluy
Fatima Domingo
Chris Freeman
Tara Gallegos
Lloyd Jansen
Gretchen Louden