PLAN OF SERVICE

DANSVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY

200 Main Street

Dansville, New York

2007 - 2011

Adopted by the Dansville Public Library

Board of Trustees on December 11, 2006

INTRODUCTION

In December 2005, Dansville Public Library was chosen as a participant in a New York State Library Services and Technology Act grant through Pioneer Library System (PLS) to assist selected libraries in developing new long range plans. Each library was provided with the manual, The New Planning for Results: a Streamlined Approach by Sandra Nelson (published by the American Library Association, c2001) which served as the planning model. This planning process emphasizes community participation. Therefore, in February 2006, the library director and the board of trustees developed a planning committee comprised of members who would provide a broad representation of community needs and interests. Patricia Stocker, former librarian and assistant director at PLS, served as consultant and facilitator throughout the process. Planning Committee members included:

• Adele Bovard

• Stacey Corriea

• Richard deAsis

• Bud Gee

• Barry Haywood

• Mary Ann Holden

• Dorothy Hotchkiss

• Dennis Mahus

• Sherrie Reilly

• Sam Riedel

• Marie Roberts

• Jane Schryver

• Mark Schuster

• Mary Stepanik

• John Vogel

• Joseph Weider

• George Weidman

• Ruth Witte

Prior to the first committee meeting, the library director developed two informational documents for committee members. The first included demographic information and trends in the library’s service area, and the second document provided information and trends regarding current library services.

The Planning Committee held two meetings, in March and May 2006. At the first meeting, the members envisioned an “ideal” community, identified community needs, and selected seven preliminary service responses. These “service responses” represent activities and materials the library could employ to address the community needs. At the second meeting, three primary service responses were chosen which provided the foundation upon which goals and objectives were based. The Dansville Public Library Board of Trustees approved the following three service responses recommended by the Planning Committee on July 10, 2006:

• Lifelong Learning

• Commons

• Current Topics and Titles

The director and library staff, in coordination with the consultant, developed a list of seven goals and fifteen objectives for library services. Specific activities to support each goal and its related objectives were written for this plan which covers a five year period. The plan will be reviewed by the director and the board of trustees quarterly to assure that progress is being made toward the accomplishment of the goals and objectives. Objectives and activities will be reviewed annually and modified as needed to keep the plan vibrant and responsive to changes that occur over the five year period of the plan.

MISSION STATEMENT

Dansville Public Library is a community center dedicated to providing a gathering place for residents to explore, to meet, to learn and to relax.

In support of this, Dansville Public Library is committed to:

• Serve as a community gathering place and information base;

• Provide resources to satisfy community needs for popular materials and recreational reading;

• Foster personal growth and development.

GOALS & OBJECTIVES

LIFELONG LEARNING

A library that provides LIFELONG LEARNING services helps address the desire for self-directed personal growth and development opportunities.

GOAL #1

People of all ages in the Dansville Public Library Service Area will have access to resources they can utilize to pursue life long learning.

Objective #1

The library will increase circulation of its nonfiction collection by 5% each year.

Activities:

• Staff will request an age analysis of the non fiction collection (all age levels) from Pioneer Library System, organized by call number and section, by the end of 2007.

• Library staff will weed the nonfiction collection by August 31, 2007.

• Library staff will complete an inventory of the nonfiction collection (all age levels) by December 31, 2007.

• New non fiction will be added to the collection on a regular basis.

Objective #2

Usage of the library’s computers will increase by 10% each year.

Activities:

• Staff will develop and implement a computer training schedule for children, adults and seniors by July 2007 which will include how to use the Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC), on line resources and data bases available from Pioneer Library System, and the OSLER Health Information computer.

• The computer training schedule will be evaluated each year in July.

• The partnership with the Rochester Regional Library Council and the Dansville Nutrition Center providing the “CLIC on Health” workshop will continue through July 2007 in providing seniors with Basic Computer Training.

• Staff will evaluate technology equipment and update the Technology Plan by April 2007.

LIFELONG LEARNING, con’t

GOAL #2

The library will provide adequate funding in order to enhance all its resources for residents and ensure lifelong learning opportunities.

Objective #1

At least 40 major donors will contribute to the library’s building campaign in 2006 and 2007, and in 2008 and 2009, at least 200 donors will contribute to the library’s building campaign.

Activities:

• Staff and a consultant will establish a Cabinet of 12-15 persons for the purposes of conducting a fundraising campaign.

• The quiet phase of the campaign will be conducted in 2007-08.

• Staff and a consultant will establish a public campaign committee in 2008.

• The public phase of the campaign will be conducted in 2008.

• Staff will track all gifts using appropriate fundraising software.

Objective #2:

The library will steadily increase its budget by 3-5 % for 3 years and then increase 10 % in years 4 and 5.

Activities:

• The Board of Trustees and the director will continue to develop the annual budget in January and February each year for public vote in the spring.

• A grant writer/consultant will work with the director to apply to at least 2 outside (private, governmental and corporate) grant providers each year.

• Operating costs of the expanded facility will be determined by the director and the financial committee of the Board of Trustees by December 2007.

• Annual giving opportunities will be provided to the public each year.

• A planned giving program will be created by December 2007.

LIFELONG LEARNING, con’t

GOAL #3

The library will provide qualified trained library staff to improve the skills of community members to meet the need of lifelong learning.

Objective #1:

Staffing hours will be increased by 5% each year in years 1 through 3 and by 10% each year in 2010 and 2011.

Activities:

• A part time clerk (position vacant) will be filled hired by December 2007.

• A professional children’s librarian will be employed in 2010.

• The director will assess duties during and following the expansion project to determine need for additional professional staff.

• Additional equipment will be purchased to aid in temporary storage and moving books and library materials (book trucks and dollies)

• The building and grounds committee will explore library maintenance needs and establish a plan by June 2007.

• The maintenance plan will be reviewed annually by the building and grounds committee.

Objective #2:

The library staff will attend 6 continuing education and training workshops each year.

Activities:

• Staff will attend OWWL training sessions as system updates occur.

• New staff will receive adequate training.

• The director and staff will create a basic procedures manual.

• Staff members will attend PLS Continuing Education workshops on a rotating basis.

• Trustees will attend Trustee workshops.

COMMONS

A library that provides a COMMONS environment helps address the need of people to meet and interact with others in their community and to participate in public discourse about community issues.

GOAL #1

The library will serve as an inviting and neutral community center providing space for residents to gather, to learn, to relax.

Objective #1

The library will increase its visibility as an inviting and vital resource in the community by using two media outlets per month to communicate library news.

• Residents will be kept informed via an annually revised Communications and Development Plan.

• Staff will issue a “Library Lines” each month in the local newspaper.

• Staff will continue to write a Pennysaver page monthly.

• Staff and volunteers will periodically update the website with press releases and news items.

• Press releases will be issued as events warrant.

• The Friends of the Library will issue 3 or 4 newsletters each year.

Objective #2

The library will encourage residents to utilize the library as a community center by providing 4 informational guides and booklists/pathfinders each year.

Activities:

• Staff will arrange and monitor the contents of the bulletin board daily.

• Staff will continuously rotate table displays to highlight various parts of the collection.

• Staff will update the website’s community calendar weekly.

• The library website will continue to host and monitor the Dansville Business Association’s online business listings.

• Staff will continue to offer guided tours to the public of all ages.

• Staff will provide a library informational flyer to each new borrower.

COMMONS, con’t

GOAL #2

The library will provide a building which offers adequate meeting space for the public to meet and interact.

Objective #1

The number of library visitors will increase by 20% by the year 2011.

Activities:

• While planning for the building expansion, the Reeve Reading Room will be reconfigured to identify it as the central gathering space

• Furniture in the Reeve Reading Room will be repaired or replaced.

• A corner coffee café will be set up in the Reeve Room.

• A location map for the library and its collection and services will be created.

• Study rooms or carrels will be built/purchased by the year 2010.

Objective #2

The number of meetings held in the enhanced meeting and gathering spaces will increase by 50% in the year 2010.

Activities:

• Staff will explore current opportunities to provide public meeting space.

• Staff will develop a revised guidelines and request form for use of public meeting spaces.

• Staff will continue to tabulate the number of meetings held in the library.

Objective #3

The library will increase its useable square footage from 3000 square feet to 14,000 square feet by the year 2010.

Activities:

• A project manager will be selected to coordinate aspects of the building plan. Architect, staff, trustees and project manager will work together to design the interior layout of the new and renovated spaces.

• The new and renovated library will have sufficient space, adequate, lighting, and state of the art technology by the year 2010.

CURRENT TOPICS AND TITLES

A library that provides CURRENT TOPICS AND TITLES helps to fulfill community residents’ appetite for information about popular cultural and social trends and their desire for satisfying recreational experiences.

GOAL #1

The library will serve as the foremost source in the community for current and popular materials for area residents of all ages.

Objective #1:

Based on holdings of large print in 2005, over the next three years the library will increase the large print collection by 30% and in years 4-5 will increase that collection by 50%.

Activities

• Staff will keep current with pre-publication information about large print materials through consistent reading of review journals and use of online review sources.

• Staff will regularly purchase new titles in large print format.

• The large print collection will be supplemented by bulk loans from other

PLS libraries.

• Low circulating but recommended items will be placed in storage to provide space for new purchases.

Objective #2:

Based on the figures for 2006, annual circulation will increase 5% each year.

Activities:

• Staff will develop and implement a plan to improve signage throughout the library based on a design that can be carried into the expansion.

• Staff will create new fiction and nonfiction booklists each quarter for distribution to residents.

• Staff will set up topic-based book display near or at the check out desk.

• Processing procedures will be reassigned to ensure new materials arrive at the shelves as quickly as possible.

• Staff will participate in Bookletters, (a media-alert newsletter) purchasing through Pioneer Library System.

• The collection will reflect participation in the last-copy program as organized by Pioneer Library System.

CURRENT TOPICS AND TITLES, con’t

• Staff will purchase multiple copies of popular fiction.

• Staff will attend reader’s advisory training.

• Staff will provide reader’s advisory assistance and training to readers.

• Staff will maintain a video/DVD list of patron requests unfilled to assist in purchasing decisions.

• 20% of the Young Adult fiction collection will be replaced each year.

• The children’s paperback collection will be inventoried in 2009.

• Children’s paperback books and the spinner racks to house them will be purchased in 2010 and 2011.

CURRENT TOPICS AND TITLES, con’t

GOAL #2

The library will serve as a gathering place for recreational and topical programming of current interest.

Objective #1

The library will provide 12 programs of interest each year, 8 for youth and 4 for adults.

Activities:

• Staff will develop a survey to determine topics of interest for possible programs by May 2007.

• Attendees at programs will complete a survey to evaluate satisfaction and to collect additional topics of interest.

• The library will offer program space with state of the art audiovisual equipment for 100 attendees by the year 2010.

• The library will provide small meeting rooms for the public to utilize as tutor areas or for small group gatherings by the year 2010.

Objective #2

Attendance at programs will increase by 5% each year.

Activities:

• All programs will be advertised in a minimum of 3 publications.

• Mini-flyers will be distributed at the front desk 3 weeks before each program.

• Posters will be distributed to churches, schools, and neighboring libraries.

• Posters will be hung in participating businesses throughout the community.

• Programs will be sent to the community bulletin board on local cable TV.

• Programs will be announced on the local radio station’s community calendar.

• All events will be posted to the community calendar on the library’s website.

• Appropriate organizations will be asked to co-sponsor an event or events.