05.01 Pequot Lakes Community Library's Strategic Plan

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The Planning Process Why this Planning Process? The Library has now been established in the community for well over a decade. Through the community's support, a building has been pwchased,materials are donated and purchased, and the library is staffed entirely by volunteers. It was determined by the Board that it was time to consider which constituencies the library is serving well, where there may be gaps, and how the library might better meet the needs of the Pequot Lakes community, given the changing nature of media, informational technology, and the community itself. It was also time to consider the changing needs of the library in terms of staffing and other resources. What was the Planning Process? The planning process used the standazd public library pla.nning manual, 7'he New Planning for Results, as the framework for developing the library plan. This process was a collaborative efFort between community residents and library staff—in this case, library volunteers. First, a Planning Committee made up of community members representing various sta.keholders and constituencies helped the library identify community needs. To provide additional public input into this process,there were also five Focused Conversations centered on specific topics that were open to all members of the public. After the Planning Committee identified community needs and service priorities, library staff and board members (the Library Team) created a draft Library Strategic Plan based on these service priorities. The Planning Committee met once more to provide feedback and suggestions on the draft Plan before it was finalized. Finally,this Plan was submitted to the Library Board and Pequot Lakes City Council for approval. Who ParYicipated? �i.ib�ary T��ru Nine library volunteers invited Planning Committee members;planned,publicized, and hosted planning meetings; gathered data; and drafted the strategic plan based on input from Planning Committee and Focused Conversation participants. P'l�nning Co�rnnuttee Ten community members,library volunteers,board members, and city staff inet to identify community needs, set library service priorities, and provide feedback on the draft Library Strategic Plan. 'rl��se� f�'oi��e�'S?��D�dA ��E'�Il�Ap�H�.lii� Thirty-seven community members and library volunteers participated in one or more of five conversations focused on individual topics: (1)Children and Youth; (2)Jobs and Economic Development; (3) Diverse Literacies; (4) Library as a Civic Resource; and(5) Library Staffing. I��cilet�toi-s Trained facilita.tors from Abdo, Eick, and Meyers facilitated the meetings to ensure that all voices were heard. Page 3 of 9