Trustee Manual: Appendix - Public Library Service Responses for Strategic Planning
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The Public Library Association's planning model, Planning for Results has combined elements of two earlier library planning models, Planning and Role Setting for Public Libraries and TELL IT!, with a focused emphasis on translating planning decisions into resource allocation. In the PLA model, "Service Responses" are used to generate roles for the library in its overall mission statement. They are specific responses to meet a set of well defined community needs and to get specific results. They are presented here to introduce you to the PLA model and, hopefully, encourage you to learn more. In Planning for Results: A Public Library Transformation Process, available through the Utah State Library, each service response described below is accompanied by a description of target audiences, possible components, allocation issues, possible measures, and actual case stories. Remember; this list is not intended to be a recommendation of what any public library should be, but rather a common list of proven roles from which a public library may choose what role(s) it wants to fill.
1) Be an Informed Citizen - Local, National, and World Affairs: Residents will have the information they need to support and promote democracy, to fulfill their civic responsibilities at the local, state and nation levels, and to fully participate in community decision-making.
2) Build Successful Enterprises - Business, Non-Profit and Career Support: This response addresses a need for information related to business, careers, work, entrepreneurship, personal finance, and employment. The library provides expert personal assistance, specialized electronic and print resources, and services of interest to the business community, investors, and those seeking employment or changing careers. A significant amount of library information can be accessed by users remotely.
3) Celebrate Diversity - Cultural Awareness: This response helps satisfy the desire of community residents to gain an understanding of their own cultural heritage and those of others. An in-depth collection of material and resources in many formats, programs, and displays that reflect cultural heritages are provided. The staff may be multi-lingual.
4) Connect to the Online World - Public Internet Access: Residents will have high-speed access to the digital world with as much freedom to access as possible to ensure that everyone can take advantage of the ever-growing resources and services available through the Internet.
5) Create Young Readers - Emergent Literacy: Pre-school children will have programs and services designed to ensure that they will enter school ready to learn to read, write and listen.
6) Discover Your Roots - Local History and Genealogy: This service addresses the desire of residents to know and understand personal or community heritage. The library provides a significant collection of genealogical materials and access to web resources, also regional histories and related archival documents. The staff have specialized skills for such research.
7) Express Creativity - Create and Share Content: Residents will have the services and support they need to express themselves by creating original print, video, audio, or visual content in a real-world or online environment.
8) Get Facts Fast - Ready Reference: The library helps meet the need for answers to questions on a broad array of topics related to school, work, and personal life. Print, non-print, and electronic resources cover a wide range of topics and librarians are effective in reference skills and resources. The library provides help and resources in a variety of formats to help users get information about and from government agencies and elected officials. Internet access is essential.
9) Know Your Community - Community Resources and Services: This addresses the need for information related to services provided by community agencies and organizations. The library establishes ongoing relationships with those organizations and agencies and data bases on their services. The library provides convenient and confidential means of accessing the information.
10) Learn to Read and Write - Adult, Teen, and Family Literacy: This service response addresses the need to read and perform other essential daily tasks. The library provides an environment, specialized materials, and trained tutors to help people reach personal literacy goals, and fulfill their responsibilities as parents, citizens and workers.
11) Make Career Choices - Job and Career Development: Adults and teens will have the skills and resources they need to identify career opportunities that suit their individual strengths and interests.
12) Make Informed Decisions - Health, Wealth, and Other Life Choices: This service response addresses the need for information to make informed consumer decisions and helps residents become more self-sufficient. The library provides specialized relevant print and electronic resources, including pamphlets and brochures, and programs on consumer related topics that they need to identify and analyze risks, benefits, and alternatives before making decisions that affect their lives.
13) Satisfy Curiosity - Lifelong Learning: This response addresses the desire for self-directed personal growth and development opportunities for all ages. The library provides an extensive collection in varied formats on a wide range of topics of interest to users, creates pathfinders and other topic aids.
14) Stimulate Imagination - Reading, Viewing, and Listening for Pleasure: This response helps satisfy residents’ appetite for information about popular cultural and social trends and their desire for recreational reading. The library provides a current collection with sufficient copies of high demand titles. Items are also easy to find and popular demand guides collection development. Programming includes book talks, and assistance in choosing materials that meet their interests.
15) Succeed In School - Homework Help: The library helps students who are enrolled in a formal program of education or those who are home schooled. Information resources, personal assistance, and educational tools such as computers are provided. Library facilities are conducive to studying and activities, and materials support curricular objectives. There is Internet access for distance learning.
16) Understand How to Find, Evaluate, and Use Information - Information Fluency: This service response addresses the need for skills related to finding, evaluating, and using information effectively. The library provides training in skills related to finding, evaluating and using all types of information resources. Information is provided in a variety of formats and the staff is knowledgeable about how people seek information and learn.
17) Visit a Comfortable Place - Physical and Virtual Spaces: This "Commons" response addresses the need of people to meet and interact with others in the community, and to participate in public discourse about community issues, or simply sit quietly and read. The library provides public space for meeting, and the electronic means of assembling, such as videoconferencing facilities.
18) Welcome to the United States - Services for New Immigrants: New immigrants will have information on citizenship, English Language Learning (ELL), employment, public schooling, health and safety, available social services, and other topics necessary to successfully participate in American life