The Promise of Tomorrow
Strategic Plan of Princeton Public Library 2011–2013
TABLE OF CONTENTS A Transformed Library for a Digital Future Vision, Mission, and Values We Listened Carefully Strategic Priorities and Focus Delivering on Our Vision and Achieving Our Mission
A C K N O W L E D G E M ENTS Planning Committee Members Vivian Allen, Friends of the Library Peter Bromberg, PPL Staff Leslie Burger, PPL Staff Andrew Erlichson, Board of Trustees Lindsey Forden, PPL Staff Janie Hermann, PPL Staff Richard Levine, Board of Trustees Katherine McGavern, Board of Trustees Bonnie Piper, PPL Staff Ellen Pitts, Friends of the Library Tim Quinn, PPL Staff Jane Silverman, Library Foundation Board Of Trustees Katherine McGavern, President Robert Ginsberg, Vice-president Ira Fuchs, Treasurer Andrew Erlichson Beth Jamieson Alison Lahnston Richard Levine Chad Goerner Mildred Trotman
The quotes in this Strategic Plan have been selected from the more than 1,600 surveys filled out by our customers.
“I have been a patron of the library since 1960. I remember when the children’s collection was in a little room at the top of the stairs in the Bainbridge House. I’m very proud of the Princeton Public Library. I think the library is broad in scope, comfortable and useable from a physical perspective, modern in offerings, and seems genuinely interested in improvements. The library sure has come a long way in the past 50 years.”
A TRANSFORMED LIBRARY FOR A DIGITAL FUTURE
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ublic libraries today are facing significant challenges on many fronts — defining their role in a digital future, coping with a difficult funding environment and implementing changing policies at the state and federal level. With more and more content easily accessible on the Internet, the role of libraries as primary information authorities is decreasing and the fundamental role is shifting from the provision of physical objects to content distribution. The role of staff is evolving as well, with an emphasis on technology skills and exceptional customer service. It is too soon to predict what the future may bring with regard to the mix between physical objects and digital content and the way in which people read and use information, but libraries are well-positioned to lead these changes as they offer customers more reading options than ever. The challenge for the Princeton Public Library is to continuously transform our services, programs and content offering so we remain relevant and essential to the community.
The transformed Princeton Public Library acknowledges the strength of its past but embraces the promise of the future with services and programs that respond to the changing way people learn and consume information. The library plays a leading role in community building and improves the quality of life by offering programs and services that respond to community needs. Creating inspiring public spaces and offering opportunities for chance encounters and formal learning are essential building blocks of the reimagined library. There is no doubt that public libraries will be much different in the coming decade. It is up to us to create the future we want and to transform the Princeton Public Library in a way that both meets the needs of our community and provides a model that inspires others. Developing a strategic plan in the current economic climate creates both challenges and opportunities. The Planning Committee recognized that, in the current period of constrained public resources, every tax dollar spent on municipal services is carefully considered to determine the return on investment. During the three-year period addressed by this strategic plan, it is likely that municipal, state and federal tax support for the Princeton Public Library will remain
“The Princeton Library is the new commons for the community. Just as it nourishes us today, we must be good stewards to ensure its sustainability.�
“As someone who loves to read and learn, the Princeton Library must be what heaven looks like.” stagnant or even decrease. This will put increasing pressure on the library staff and stakeholders to find other sources of revenue and to ensure that the library achieves maximum operating efficiencies by working smarter. Toward that end, the library now has its first endowment fund, which, when pledges are fully realized, will generate income that can be used to support collections, programs and innovation. Still, we need to generate additional private donations, identify new revenue and maintain an entrepreneurial attitude that enables the library to deliver on its promise to provide excellent service to the community.
Creating Our Strategic Plan
Today’s Princeton Public Library reflects the values, passions and diversity of our community and is perceived as a leader and innovator for others in the library field. We are proud of our reputation and grateful for the positive feedback we receive from those who use the library. We pride ourselves on being a learning organization that embraces change and thinks strategically about its future. And, we want to continue as a catalyst for discovery, a conduit for information and the community’s living room for years to come. For these reasons, during the past year we have invested significant time and energy to learn more
about your future needs to guide our transformation. This strategic planning process began with a Board of Trustees retreat to assess our progress since the last strategic plan. Although we accomplished the majority of our goals, we also learned some valuable lessons about the importance of staying tightly focused. A 12-member Planning Committee consisting of representatives from the library’s major stakeholder groups — the Board of Trustees, Friends of the Princeton Public Library, Princeton Public Library Foundation — and staff met regularly with planning consultant Regina Podhorin to determine the library’s strengths and weaknesses, assess the community’s needs and identify strategic directions for the library during the next three years.
VISION AND MISSION Vision: Our vision is to remain the heart of a vibrant, civically engaged community. Mission: The mission of the Princeton Public Library is to be the community’s living room, connecting people through words and ideas to enrich their lives and help them realize their dreams.
“One day I was in the library and from the other side of the stacks I heard a child about 2 years old say ‘I’m happy’ and I thought that is often the way I feel in our library.”
“Princeton Public Library is one of the crown jewels of the town and one of the determining factors in my decision to move here five times and finally to stay in town and raise my family here. I’ve considered living in other towns with pretty libraries but they were underused, misguided and vacant places. The library is a model for what public space should be in the future.“
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o accomplish our mission, the library will engage the community with: • First-rate programs that entertain and inform; encourage discussion, debate and action; and expose the community to new ideas. • New and ever-changing collections that enable people to read, learn and grow. • Inspiring spaces that support social interaction, community gatherings and personal discovery. • Technology that enables everyone to read, write and interact across a variety of platforms.
Values to Support Our Strategic Future
We are guided by these shared values in everything we do at the library; it’s our promise to you: • We make you smile. Excellent customer service is what sets us apart from other libraries. You will have a great experience each time you visit the library. • We innovate. Our staff, trustees and stakeholder groups have a shared passion for innovation and creativity. We think about new ways to deliver exceptional service every day. • We inform. We are committed to providing the best content possible to help connect you with the information you need to make good decisions. • We listen. We love to hear from you, our customers, about how well we meet your needs and how we can do better. Talk to us; we are happy to learn from you. • We collaborate. We know we work better together. We are committed to working with each other as well as other community organizations to make Princeton a better place to live, learn and work. • We learn. Our staff is eager to learn and love to lead. We continually look for trends and ideas that we can adapt to meet the needs of library customers.
Our Core Services
While we are focused on the future, we know that at the heart of the library there are core services that are essential to the institution. Among these are: • Easy access to content in any format. • Research assistance to help you find the information you want when you need it. • Expert advice and recommendations about what’s good to read. • Ready access to the Internet and computers. • A variety of gathering spaces and programs to educate, entertain and inform people of all ages.
WE LISTENED CAREFULLY During the strategic planning process, our Planning Committee reached out to a targeted list of stakeholders through interviews and focus groups to solicit input on current services and identify future priorities. The results of these surveys, focus groups and interviews heavily informed and influenced the final plan. More than 1,700 people provided input that helped shape this plan.
Focus Groups Focus groups were held with seniors, teens, people with limited access to new technologies, library staff, parents with young children and business leaders. These attracted 86 individuals for open-ended discussion about their current satisfaction with the library and their expectations for the future. Interviews One-on-one interviews with key community leaders, including the mayors of Princeton Borough and Township, the Borough and Township administrators, Superintendent of Schools, Princeton University Librarian, and Princeton Futures leadership, complemented the focus groups and enabled the committee to obtain information related to the prospects for future funding, the future of libraries and the Princeton Public Library’s contributions to the community. Survey A web-based and paper survey was widely distributed to library customers and promoted in the local press. More than 1,600 people responded to the survey, providing invaluable feedback about the library’s current services, suggestions for new or enhanced services and commentary about the value of the library to the community. You told us many things that were very helpful in planning the library’s future. The Planning Committee carefully reviewed and discussed your comments. We learned that: • Seventy-eight percent of you were extremely likely to recommend the Library to a friend, colleague or neighbor. As compared to other businesses this is an exceptionally high “net promoter” score. For the library, this is now the standard we must maintain or increase over time.
• The selection of content is very important to you. Some of you want books, but a growing number of you want more downloadable content. • You like our building, its variety of spaces, our helpful staff and program offerings. • You would like more convenient hours, especially more evening and weekend hours. • A number of you have concerns about parking fees and availability and fees for DVD rentals. • More than 80 percent of the survey respondents took the time to answer an open-ended question asking for words that best describe the Princeton Public Library. The responses were overwhelmingly positive describing the library as a “hub,” “community center,” “leading and cutting-edge,” and “a main reason to live in Princeton or stay here.”
“I particularly love that the library is in the center of town and walkable from the high school and middle school. My children walk here after school, as do many others. The fact that they go to the library after school reflects the value system and character of Princeton. I like that.”
OUR STRATEGIC PRIORITIES 2011-2013 Based on the outcomes of the environmental scan, an assessment of trends likely to affect the future of libraries, consideration of the current economic environment and customer demands, the Planning Committee recommends that the library focus its attention in four areas: • Enrich the quality of life for all who live, study and work in Princeton. • Lead the way in transforming the public library for the 21st century. • Provide superb customer service. • Create a sustainable and much-loved library.
STRATEGIC FOCUS: Enrich the quality of life for all who live, study and work in Princeton Encourage greater participation in library programs and services
• Co-marketing opportunities were of special interest to area business owners. • The library’s role in “civic engagement” came up repeatedly as an important focus expressed as “creating an educated citizenry” and acting as”community builder.” • The Library’s role as an important “equalizing force” in the community was mentioned in interviews, focus groups and the survey. Ensuring equal access to information and technology for all is a very strong community value. • Government representatives and donors are concerned about the current economic situation and expect the library to “do more with less” and to maximize opportunities for new sources of revenue to support the library.
Actions • Refresh and renew the library’s space to meet the changing needs of the community for flexible, contemporary space that allows for “low-impact” social interaction by increasing meeting space and seating, and creating a digital media center. • Use a variety of communication tools to ensure that customers and staff are fully informed about what is happening at the library. • Offer more networking opportunities for job-seekers, home-based business owners, young professionals, singles, etc. Support creativity and learning for all ages Actions • Promote and invite participation in early literacy programs that will enable children to start school ready to read. • Expand efforts to improve learning during out-ofschool time through year-round programs for children and teens that provide fun, engaging, and productive opportunities to spark creativity and encourage positive social interactions. • Provide volunteer leadership opportunities for preteens and teens. • Expand programs targeted to the interests and concerns of baby-boomers, older adults and young professionals.
Foster civic engagement to create a more informed community Actions • Offer programs and resources that encourage greater discussion of important social and community issues. • Offer information-related services to support learning about hot-button community issues. • Provide a neutral, safe environment for public discussion of the issues affecting our town, region and nation.
STRATEGIC FOCUS: Lead the way in transforming the public library for the 21st century Expand access to technology and digital content Actions • Lead the transition from print to online digital content with a special focus on providing access to premium content such as movies, music, and language learning. • Enhance access to technology and application training to increase digital literacy and support a digital future. • Develop a new model, in partnership with publishers, for the distribution of e-books to library customers. • Lend e-readers and other cutting-edge devices. • Digitize and distribute unique local collections, including Town Topics, local history archives and special collections. Secure the role of the library as a critical place to access, create and consume content Actions • Create a media lab (PC and Macintosh) to provide customers with tools and technology to create digital content. • Expand public meeting space with the flexibility to be used to accommodate large and small groups. • Make library-produced digital content: webcasts and podcasts of programs, live streaming, instructional webinars — available on the website.
STRATEGIC FOCUS: Provide superb customer service Make it easier and more convenient for customers to use the library Actions • Examine the financial impact of changing evening and weekend hours to better meet customer needs. • Reduce fees and eliminate barriers that inhibit people from taking advantage of the library. • Simplify and enhance the customer experience when using the library. • Promote the availability of two-hour free parking when visiting the library. • Evaluate current practices with regard to collection management and cataloging to improve the user experience. • Ensure all library policies are user-friendly and are supported by a strong culture of customer service. • Expand and improve self-service options both in the library and online. •Create more effective and engaging displays. • Explore new methods to deliver content and programs to people unable to visit the library. • Assess the print collection, replace and refresh titles, and reduce the size of the collection where better alternatives exist in digital format. • Consider addition of ATM machines for convenience of users. • Explore options for reducing rental and other fees associated with the use of library resources. Improve online access to library resources Actions • Make it easier for customers to locate information on the PPL website. • Enhance the catalog interface and improve the ability to find needed titles. • Expand access to content by integrating public domain e-books into the library catalog.
“I have been all around the world as a UNO professional and never found such a useful library.” Expand the library’s brand as a trusted source of information Actions • Provide research and information resources that create a more informed community. • Work with community organizations to expand their capacity and capabilities through the provision of targeted research by librarians. Develop a comprehensive marketing strategy to improve awareness and use of the library Actions • Create a comprehensive marketing and communicaton strategy to increase awareness about library services and reach new audiences. • Use social media to get the community more connected to the library.
STRATEGIC FOCUS: Create a sustainable and much-loved library Create opportunities for library staff and stakeholder groups to work more productively and efficiently Actions • Increase the use of technology to support routine library practices such as checkouts and returns. • Create a challenging work environment that redefines the role of librarians in providing 21st century library service, with an emphasis on developing
community collaborations and partnerships, becoming information partners, and creating digital content. • Revise job descriptions, provide training and reorganize into work teams for improved job satisfaction • Realign staffing to meet customer needs Realign the library’s governance and organizational structure to ensure success Actions • Explore opportunities to increase fundraising capacity by combining the efforts of the Friends, Foundation and library Development Office. • Consider the role of the Board of Trustees, Friends and Foundation and how each group complements the work of the library and each other. • Institute an annual planning retreat for library stakeholder boards to develop annual goals in support of the library. • Work with the Friends of the Library to develop a strategic/business plan. • Continue efforts to enable staff to become more involved in decision-making and planning for the library’s future. Implement environmentally responsible practices for the library Actions • Explore the possibility of installing a solar energy array on the library roof to offset the carbon footprint.
• Develop a comprehensive “green strategy”for the building and systems, energy consumption, waste reduction and recycling. • Continue efforts to inform and educate the community about environmental issues. Continue to grow the library’s endowment fund and increase private support for programs and services Actions • Streamline the library development effort to eliminate confusion for potential funders, reduce overhead costs, and increase the amount of private funding going directly to support library services and programs. • Secure corporate and private underwriting for library programs and services. • Expand the planned giving program. • Explore the creation of social enterprises and new revenue streams to increase library income. • Increase the endowment by 10 percent each year. • Retain existing donors and increase the number of people contributing to the library’s annual appeal by 10 percent annually. • Clarify roles and responsibilities for the Trustees, Friends and Foundation to support the library’s development efforts. Create a challenging and productive work environment for staff Actions • Strengthen the staff development and training program so staff is better prepared to embrace continuous improvements in the workplace. • Develop customer service standards and training so that every staff member provides consistent and high quality customer service. • Establish ongoing methods to obtain customer feedback about the library. • Revise library position descriptions to more accurately reflect the current work environment. • Review staff compensation to develop a fair and equitable way to reward performance.
“The overall operation and services are truly wonderful, and in a town such as Princeton that is saying a lot. I speak of the town library with great pride.“
“The library should aim to serve as a kind of digital version of the 19th century lyceum, a place where all kinds of learning and courses are available.”
DELIVERING OUR VISION It Takes a Community
Creating strategic goals is one thing but reaching them is quite another. We need everyone’s help to bring this ambitious plan to life and to achieve our mission. The best part of being the Princeton Public Library is the vitality, energy and support of the entire community. Specifically, we need: Our Customers Without you, we are just a building. While we are undergoing this transformation we need your feedback on the changes we will be making. Tell us both what is working and what isn’t. Tell your friends and neighbors about what is happening at the library and what they might be missing. Check the website regularly to see what has changed. Our Donors, Funders, Friends and Foundation Your continued strong support is essential to our transformation. We’ll tighten our belts and increase efficiency but we must also make strategic investments in new technology, space upgrades and new content, which will require new financial resources. Our Business Community Consider how we can become even better strategic partners in meeting the needs of the community.
Public-private partnerships are the way of the future, and we both have a joint stake in making the Princeton area a great place to live and work. Our Volunteers Each of you has played and will continue to play a vital role in keeping this library on the cutting edge. Your continued volunteer support in sustaining day to day library tasks and efforts in fundraising will be essential for reaching our goals. Our Governmental Partners We know the next few years will strain public budgets. The feedback from the community during the planning process made clear that the vitality of the library is a key consideration for why people move here, stay here and enjoy living here. We are grateful for your continued support and look forward to expanding our role in the civic life of the community. An informed and engaged citizenry benefits us all. Our Board of Trustees We can’t lead in the field without the trust of our own leadership. This strategic plan will require all of us to take informed risks, think creatively and make difficult choices. You will be important overseers and ambassadors in the community as we make this transformation.
“The library needs to take a leadership role and provide the community with a technology path so people can see what the future looks like and how to use all the devices.�
“The library is an equalizing force that nurtures all ages, regardless of status in the community.”
MEASURING SUCCESS
During the course of this plan we will continually monitor our progress toward achieving our goals and objectives. The library’s executive director will report annually to the Board of Trustees regarding achievements and work with the board to revise the plan, as needed, to accommodate new realities. In addition, the following metrics will be used to assess performance. Library Use • Traditional library metrics that measure use including number of items borrowed, number of visitors, program attendance and types of items borrowed will continue. • New metrics will be developed to assess the impact of services and programs throughout the plan. Customer Service • The library will develop an online, annual customer survey to measure our net promoter score and other indicators of customer satisfaction. • Customer service standards will be developed and implemented throughout the library. Leadership • The library will continue to be at the top of state, regional and national rankings.
• Library staff will continue to play a leadership role in regional, state and national library association activities. • Library staff will be recognized for their contributions through awards, honors and publications. • The library will retain its position as the community’s living room and a key partner in the economic vitality of Princeton. Awareness • The library will extend its reach to new demographic groups that currently underutilize the library. • The Princeton Public Library is recognized as one of the top three community assets. • The library continues to build community partnerships. • The number of followers on Facebook, Twitter and other social media outlets continues to grow. • The number of people who open the weekly email newsletter increases. Sustainability • The library grows the number of repeat donors to the annual appeal each year. • The library endowment continues to add assets with a planned giving program, additional major gifts. • New efforts are undertaken to enlarge the circle of contributors to the library through a variety of social events, lectures and other avenues.
“One of the few truly democratic places left.”
PRINCETON PUBLIC LIBRARY Sands Library Building I 65 Witherspoon Street Princeton, New Jersey, 08542 I 609.924.9529 www.princetonlibrary.org
Editing and Design: Tim Quinn Photography: Michael Mancuso and Leticia Braga (Pages 12 and 13)
Printed on 100 percent recycled paper