Introduction

The Rapid City Public Library began its Strategic Plan review and renewal process in June 2007. A series of meetings were held with the Library Management Team, Library Support Services, Circulation-Technical Services and Public Services staff members. The meetings’ purposes were to:

a) gather staff members’ input regarding current Library goals

b) begin the process of shaping program objectives

c) promote an understanding and support of Library program objectives in an effort to develop a more collaborative and productive work environment

Simultaneously and independent of the staff development process, the Library Management Team was engaged in collecting information regarding Library services from patrons. A Strategic Planning Work group comprised of four Library staff and Library Management Team members met during the months of November 2007 through February 2008 to distill and further refine the information gathered from the staff meetings and patron input. A Staff Survey was administered to all Library employees in March 2008, covering working conditions, working together, management, involvement, reward and recognition, competency, and commitment. The findings from the survey were incorporated into the planning process with the resulting addition of a program objective entitled Communication. The program objective was designed to enhance communication among staff members and between staff members, supervisors and the Management Team.

An updated 2005 – 2010 Strategic Plan was approved by the Board of Trustees in March 2008. An Ongoing Strategic Plan Implementation Management Plan was included in the Trustees’ documentation. The Plan was based on the following principles:

1) Be Process-based: that is, involve staff members in its creation, implementation and assessment

2) Serve as a guide to staff members’ courses of action that will be focused on and defined in customer-oriented language

3) Serve as a baseline for regular, periodic progress assessment and further analysis. As such it will identify measures of progress and measurement and reporting processes

4) Identify priorities and establish time lines for activities

The approved Strategic Plan Goals and Objectives are located in the Goals, Objectives and Logic Map section of this report.

Goals, Objectives and Logic Map

Tables 1-3 represent the Library’s goals and objectives. The goals identified are those initially established in 2005. Some program objectives established prior to 2008 were modified and are identified as continuation objectives. And, new program objectives were added to further enhance efforts to achieve certain Library goals. Note the italicized information associated with certain objectives.

Table 1

Goal 1: Maintain the Libraries as Community Gathering Places for All Ages.
Objective 1.1: The library will continue implementation of it Space Use Plan at the Downtown Library.
Objective 1.2: The library will establish an understanding how the libraries will operate as it serve as virtual gathering places. New objective for 2008-2010.
Objective 1.3: Library staff members will develop and implement a plan to further enhance Library Customer Relations.New objective for 2008-2010.
Objective 1.4: The library will establish a study group to learn more about library working conditions regarding facility security and personal safety issues.New objective for 2008-2010.The staff survey category of library working conditions indicated 53% of staff rated conditions as positive. Review by this study group may discover findings that will increase this rating.

Table 2

Goal 2: Continue to develop intuitive, mobile, and user-friendly library services for all ages
Objective 2.1: To establish and implement a Personnel Professional Development Program.New objective for 2008-2010. The staff survey category for training indicated that 86% of staff rated their skills as what is needed to do their jobs well. 89% indicated they are proud of their association with the library in the survey category of commitment.
Objective 2.2: To acquire and implement an ILS system. New objective for 2008-2010.
Objective 2.3: The library will continue implementation of its plan to develop General Beadle as a community library resource center. Development of model.
Objective 2.4: Develop and carry out a plan to implement the City and County Archival Historical Documents.Development of model.

Table 3

Goal 3: Increase public and staff awareness of existing and evolving services.
Objective 3.1: To complete and implement the Marketing Plan for the libraries.
Objective 3.2: Establish in the working groups tools and skills to improve upon communications between work groups, employees and supervisors, and employees and senior management. New objective for 2008-2010. The staff survey categories of working together and involvement at the library indicated 71% worked together well and effectively, and are involved in library operations. 62% of staff rated positive the categories of management and recognition and rewards.

The Library Management Team developed a program logic map that was intended to show the relationship among the Library’s various program components. This logic map is shown in Figure 1 on the following page. As Figure 1 makes evident, the successful implementation of a professional development model is essential to the success of the Library’s efforts to provide patron-centered, high quality services. This document neither defines a professional development model nor describes how such a model is to be deployed. That information will be appended to this Implementation Plan as it becomes available.

The following section, Implementation Action Plan, describes the ways in which the Library’s Strategic Plan Goals and Objectives will be attained.

Implementation Action Plan

The Library’s Management Team developed an Action Plan in April 2008. The Team selected the respective Work Group members by identifying several staff members who were associated with Library service areas most closely associated with respective program objectives and who had personally identified their Performance Review work goals as being closely associated with specific program objectives. (See the column labeled Work Group Members.) Team members then defined the “End Product Description”, stating in measureable terms what it was that each Work group was to accomplish to complete its work. (See the column labeled Work Group Starting – Ending Dates, Comments.) Tables 4 -6 provide detailed information.

The Library Management Team has responsibility for facilitating the efforts of the various Work groups. A Progress Assessment process designed to provide formative and summative feedback has been developed. See Attachment A for a form that is designed to facility the progress assessment process. The Management Team will meet with Work group members on a regularly scheduled basis (See the Implementation Time line, Figure 2.) to collaboratively ascertain progress achieved toward the “End Product,” determine the quality of work completed and to provide guidance for future Work Group activities.

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Table 4

Implementation Action Planning Goal: Professional development and training to accomplish the objectives will include two primary areas of focus: Content – knowledge, understanding, and proficiency of topics Delivery (process) – understanding of variances in adult learning, and creating training opportunities that address various learning methods Priority A[i] – work being done now
Work Group Name	Objective	Objective number	Work Group Members	Work Group Starting – Ending Dates, Comments
Library Customer Relations	Library staff members will establish an understanding of how the library will operate as it serves as a virtual gathering place – training on social networking tools	1.2	· Librarian Is · Jean · Jo	Starting – Ending: In progress—June 2009 End Product Description: (How we will know the work is complete.) · Description of virtual gathering place will serve as a product of this group. · An action plan related to achieving a virtual gathering place as a product of this group. · A plan for informing others in the library about a virtual gathering place as a product of this group’s work.
Library Customer Relations	Library staff members will develop and implement a plan to further enhance library customer relations – training with Tim McGowan on working with youth	1.3	· Jason · Ed · Staff who have social networking goals	In progress—April 2009 · Development of a communication module that includes virtual, telephone, and face-to-face interactions. · Create a definition of customer relations. · Development of communications modules for all ages and implementing them.
Physical security	Library will establish a study group to learn more about library physical security issues – training on monitoring	1.4	· Kim B. · Tim McGowan · Travis	In progress—October 2008 · Complete development of a training module for adult and youth problem behaviors. Module to address staff’s self-awareness and confidence in dealing with the public and working in public spaces.
Physical security	Library will establish a study group to learn more about the facility security issues – installed two internal monitoring cameras; re-arranged stack configuration	1.4	· Carlos · Ed · Jason · RCPD Community Relations Office	In progress—July 2008 · Documentation and map of facilities’ physical security concerns with recommended remedies. Implementation of plan will be based on Space Use and other budgetary concerns.
Facility Development (space use)	The library will continue implementation of the current space use plan – plan implementation continuing with new furniture, lobby office demolition	1.1	· Mgment · Facilities · Business Office	In process – conclude August 2008 · See existing Space Use plan · Obtain consulting services to review downtown youth areas and school community library

Table 5

Implementation Planning Document Priority B – Implementation in the short term
Work Group Name	Objective	Objective number	Work Group Members	Work Group Starting – Ending Dates, Comments
Marketing	Develop a growth model to further facilitate the development of satellite sites and special collections	2.3	· Existing Marketing Group	Starting – Ending: December 2008 – March 2009 End Product Description: (How we will know the work is complete.) · Conduct an assessment of the Library’s community and users to identify current strengths and future opportunities for growth to include environmental assessment of current and future business community. Establish schedule for future assessments.
Marketing	Complete and implement the library’s marketing plan – marketing consultant hired to develop library’s marketing skills; internal marketing group established	3.1	· Existing Marketing Group · Marketing consultant for review	March 2009 – May 2009 · Follows the work in 2.3. Create a formal marketing plan to include community assessment and descriptions of effective markets for the Library, effective message development, and branding.

Table 6

Implementation Planning Document Priority C – Future implementation
Work Group Name	Objective	Objective number	Work Group Members	Work Group Starting – Ending Dates, Comments
Historical Archive	Develop and carry out a plan to implement the city and county virtual archive – flood wiki, neutrino wiki	2.4	· Members of Wiki Group · Marjorie · Network Services	Starting – Ending: In progress – November 2009 End Product Description: (How we will know the work is complete.) · Define for Library’s use terms o City archive o County archive o Virtual archive · Define metadata subject headings for the above. · Establish technology needs that address internal and external access. · Defining policy issues for collection development. · Establish formal partnerships with related organizations and possible future grant partners. · Establish funding resources for equipment to be used as public access work space in the downtown library
	To acquire and implement a new ILS – reviewed available systems at PLA conference	2.2	· Network Services · Mgment · Librarian Is · SDLN?	Starting – Ending: Ongoing – June 2010. End Product Description: (How we will know the work is complete.) · Select and implement a new Integrated Library System.
Com-munication	Establish in the working groups tools and skills to improve upon communications between work groups, employees and supervisors, and employees and senior management	3.2	· TBD	Starting – Ending: End Product Description: (How we will know the work is complete.) · Establish baseline expectations for communication, and communication pathways. Identify opportunities for communication. Identify and implement communication tools that aid the above.

Next Steps

The following Next Steps are recommended for implementing the Strategic Plan.

1) The Management Team will review the Implementation Time Line and adjust to accommodate current conditions.

2) Work groups will have an initial meeting for the purpose of establishing Working Guidelines and mutually shared Expectations/Responsibilities. Working Guidelines will be developed on the following principles:

a. Team work and collaboration.\

b. Documentation of all work group meetings is required.

c. Individual work responsibilities previously assigned to individuals will not materially change. However, it is intended that the work will be in terms of service (i.e., Increasing Public Awareness, Intuitive and User-friendly Services).

d. The Work Group will regularly collect data and assess their progress toward achieving and maintaining their respective objectives.

3) A method of documenting (a) Work Group meetings, (b) results of Work Group progress assessment meetings, and (c) Ongoing “Lessons Learned” should b established with the intent of sharing information with Library staff members, policy makers, and support groups.

Attachment A

Progress Achievement Rubric
Excellent	All of the progress measures used indicated we accomplished 100% of the desired Outcomes.
Very Good	All of the progress measures used indicated we accomplished at least 80% of the desired Outcomes.
Adequate	Some of the progress measures used indicated we accomplished at least 80% of the desired Outcomes.
Inadequate	Some of the progress measures used indicated we accomplished at less than 80% of the desired Outcomes.

Level of Quality Rubric
Excellent	All of the quality measures used indicated 100% positive response from target audience members and service delivery members
Very Good	All of the quality measures used indicated 80% positive response from target audience members and service delivery members
Adequate	Some of the quality measures used indicated 80% positive response from target audience members and service delivery members
Inadequate	Some of the quality measures used indicated less than 80% positive response from target audience members and service delivery members

[1] Priority A identified as “High Priority” in the logic map. Priority B identified as “Mid Priority”. Priority C identified as “Lower Priority”.