Documents for Strategic Planning Assignment



Weston Elementary Library Media Center

Strategic Plan 2002-2007

Step I: Analysis

Understanding Your Company Mission

The Weston Elementary School Library Media Center is a fictitious information organization located in the East Bay of California and run by myself, a part-time certificated Library Media Teacher. Currently, we are below standards in training, funding, and staffing for our school’s size. This is the first strategic plan that has been written for our school library its thirty years of operation; through planning initiatives, we hope to improve the library within our means during the next five years. Overall, our library mission is to provide students, staff, and community members with outstanding resources that will nurture life-long education.

Assess Core Values

In our school library media center we value and support student, teacher, and community needs by:

• Fostering competence in acquiring, using, and evaluating resources

• Stimulating interest in reading and appreciation of literature

• Providing intellectual and physical access to information

• Collaborating with educators to integrate curriculum (Texas State Library, 1997).

Statement of Goals

Goal 1: Exceptional Resources—Library staff will continuously assess and improve library resources with regard to collection age, current technology, books-per-student ratio, and collection diversity.

Goal 2: Applicable Student Learning—To best support the student curricular needs, the library staff will regularly survey teachers regarding curriculum, special projects, and themes or units of study and make related materials available to students and staff. Class library time will include lessons on acquiring, using, and evaluating resources.

Goal 3: Quantity & Quality of Staff—A sufficient quantity of library staff will be trained regularly through professional growth and development opportunities at the school site and district office.

Goal 4: Community Involvement—The library will encourage parent and community involvement through volunteerism within the library, fundraising, and inclusion on the library committee (FUSD, 2000).

Mission Statement

The mission of the Weston Elementary School Library Media Center is to ensure that students and staff are effective users of ideas and information enabling them to be literate life-long learners. This mission is accomplished, with sufficient funding and resources, by the school library staff, in collaboration with the school community:

• by providing instruction to foster competence in acquiring and using information and ideas, and in evaluating information resources

• by stimulating interest in reading and appreciation of literature through group instruction and individual guidance

• by providing intellectual and physical access to materials in multiple formats

• by working with other educators to design and carry out learning experiences to meet the needs of individual students (Texas State Library, 1997), (McNamara, 1999).

SWOT Analysis (McNamara, 1999).

STRENGTHS

Internal

• Flexible scheduling for planning instruction with teachers

• Wide selection of materials for all interest areas

• Automated circulation system

• Internet access in the library

• Online catalog (Gonzalez, 1996).

External

Support and training for students and staff members in library skills

WEAKNESSES

Internal

• Lack of school library web presence

• Not enough volunteer help

• Have only ten books per student (4,000 books for 400 students)

• Library facility is too small

• Struggle to find sufficient funding from year to year

External

• Rely heavily on volunteer help

• District-wide training only offered twice per year

• Dwindling number of library directors. Only one district-level director for forty library media centers.

• Lack of certified librarians. Media specialists, with a degree in school library media, staff only six out of forty district library media centers. The remaining “technicians” have no training beyond an undergraduate degree.

OPPORTUNITIES

Internal

• Promoting a school library website

• Always room for growth and training

• Develop a library with at least twenty up-to-date, relevant, enticing books per student

• Continue discarding obsolete materials to make room for the new

• Provide more hours for library staff or hire another part-timer

External

• Use of state or regional library databases

• Workshops, meetings, and support from director of library services on a monthly basis

THREATS

Internal

• Budget cuts

• Non-sufficient staffing

• Shortened library hours would eliminate break time, lunchtime, and before school hours.

• Rise in spending for “Web-based products”—online subscriptions, software, and other fee-based Web resources.

External

• Lack of funding, staffing, and training through the district

• Loss of funding and support for school libraries by the community (Willer, 2002).

Products & Services

Our products and services have grown in the last five years to accommodate the multiple styles of student learning and teaching. We have developed a wide variety of multimedia products for teacher use within the classroom. Our products are kept up-to-date as we slowly increase the amount of spending per student for new materials. The entire collection has been automated with barcodes and all resources may be accessed by our online catalog. We have seen an increase in both materials checked out and library use during non-class time hours. Eighty percent of the collection has been checked out within the last five years.

Products

Each product has been assigned value in dollars and longevity in years:

• Fiction and non-fiction hardcover books ($18 each; 12 years)

• Fiction paperback books ($6 each; 6 years)

• Magazines ($1 each; 1 year)

• Online article databases ($300 per year; indefinite)

• VHS and DVD educational videos ($10 each; 15 years)

• Computer software ($30 each; 10 years)

• Cassette tapes ($5 each; 10 years)

• Compact Discs ($10 each; 20 years)

• TV/VCR/DVD players ($300 each; 10 years)

• Computer hardware ($500 each; 5 years)

• Digital Cameras ($200 each; 5 years) (CIL Web Team, 2002).

Services (Kelsey, 2001).

• Materials check in/out (limit: three per week, per student)

• Read aloud story or book talk

• 45 minutes of library time per class, per week

• Online catalog

• Five computers available with Internet access in library

• Librarian/teacher instruction on class set of computers in attached computer lab

• Assistance finding materials on shelves or online

• Displays of materials for classroom curriculum

• Integration of text resources and multimedia with curriculum

• Explanation of library methods during mini lessons

• Teacher support for web page design and maintenance

• Open before school, recess, lunch, and after school every day (8 am-3 pm)

• Library Media Teacher on duty for four hours per day

• Library Technician on duty for three hours per day (Willer, 2002).

Library Users

Weston Elementary School directly serves students and teachers, while indirectly serving the community. Students and teachers are able to take materials into their homes or classrooms to share the joys of literacy with others. Their excitement for library resources encourages family and friends to visit their local public libraries.

Students

• There are four hundred students in Kindergarten through sixth grade.

• They come from families with average incomes for the area and in most households both parents work.

• Regarding student ethnicity, fifty-one percent of the student population is Hispanic, twenty-four percent is Caucasian, seventeen percent is Asian, three percent is African American, and one percent is Native American or other.

• Students need library materials and computers to complete homework assignments, science projects, and reports.

• They are also motivated to check out books that qualify for Accelerated Reader points in classroom competitions for prizes.

• However, the top reason students use the library is their love of reading; a love that is fostered throughout the school (Willer, 2002).

Teachers

• There are twenty teachers at Weston Elementary School.

• Twelve are Caucasian, four are Hispanic, three are Asian, and one is African American.

• Teachers are able to quickly and easily access library resources that will enhance their classroom curriculum without having to travel to the local district, public, or academic libraries.

• Our teachers are impressed by the variety of resources we have available, the continual improvement of our collection, and the individual support we provide to assist teachers in providing students with high quality learning tools.

• Library resources are frequently discussed and recommended between teachers throughout the collaborative workday, increasing the numbers of requests we receive for curriculum-related materials.

Our Competition

Sadly enough, school library media centers face competition. Two information organizations competing with our business are bookstores and public libraries. We lose to these organizations in: materials, building size, and extended hours.

Bookstores

• Local super bookstores such as Barnes & Noble and Borders have more selection, unlimited numbers of best sellers, no limit on number of books you can obtain, and a wealth of materials on the latest trends, technologies, and topics of interest.

• However, their products are not free. Being that many of our users come from families of average incomes, excessive spending on books does not usually occur. Our students and teachers will usually only purchase a book that is well loved, not available, or just released from a bookstore.

• Customer service tends to be of a higher quality, hours are longer, more employees are available for assistance, there are sections devoted to children and teachers, free programs, and there are comfortable places to sit and read.

• Yet, the bookstore does not yet offer Internet access or individuals trained to help the customer find anything more than a book on the shelf.

Public Libraries

• Public libraries should not be considered competition to school libraries because we are both fighting for the same cause—freedom to knowledge for everyone, including children.

• Although public libraries provide a greater quantity of products and services than our school library, it can be harder for children to access their public library if the distance is far enough to require transportation from a parent or guardian.

• On the other hand, public libraries are open during evening hours when families can make a visit together; through this service, they pick up where we leave off.

Resources of Weston Elementary School Library Media Center

Staff Competencies

Two trained personnel, currently staff our library for seven hours per day, thirty-five hours per week. During the school day there is at least one competent library staff member in the library to oversee volunteer workers:

• Library Media Teacher has a teaching credential, library media services credential, and Master’s in Library and Information Services; works part-time, four hours per day (8 am to 12:30 pm), twenty hours per week

• Library Media Technician with a certificate in library services; works part-time, three hours per day (11:30 am to 3 pm), twenty hours per week

Funding Sources & Stability

• A majority of our funding is provided by a four-year grant for which we applied in 2000.

• Scholastic Book Fairs, run by parent volunteers, successfully raise money to buy books for our library each year.

• The district provides funding for expensive on-line services, software licenses, and union cataloging. In addition, a small amount of funding comes through the district from the federal Title VI Program (CIL Web Team, 2002).

Decision Makers

• I am able to make most decisions as long as the district director of school library services and our school principal approve them (Willer, 2002).

Step II: Formulation of Strategies

Wish List

• Greater books-per-student ratio (internal)

• Collection will reflect the cultural diversity of the student body in an increasingly culturally diverse society (external)

• More parent and community volunteers (external)

• Larger library media facility (external)

• More library staff (internal)

• Longer library hours to include some evening and summer hours (external)

• Funds to purchase and maintain digital camcorders and LCD Projectors (external)

• School library website allowing access to the online catalog and search engine links from students’ homes (internal)

• More professional growth and development training for library personnel during the school year and breaks (internal)

• Access to state or regional library databases (external)

• Sufficient funding for library growth from the state, district, and community (external)

Ability to Implement

With funding and leadership assistance from the community, district, and state, the Weston Elementary School Library Media Center will be successful in its quest to implement ideas for improvement through three key strategic initiatives:

• Library Learning Environment

• Learning Resources & Curriculum Integration

• Library Program Management

However, if support for the library is lacking, it will continue to struggle with meager resources until funding and assistance are available. The Weston School Library Committee intends to stay on track with funding requests, spending, and volunteer recruitment as outlined by the 2002-2007 strategic plan (Wisconsin DPI, 2002).

Initiative 1: Library Learning Environment

In an ideal library learning environment, the Weston Elementary School Library Media Center:

• Is an integral part of the school curriculum (external)

• Offers flexible, open-access to library resources at the time of need (internal)

• Provides an active and stimulating atmosphere for information users (external)

• Is housed in a barrier-free, flexible, functional facility of sufficient size, proportionate to the student population (external)

• Ensures access to resources and information during and beyond the instructional day and school year (external)

• Is designed to be attractive and inviting, with room for growth (external)

Actions:

• Offer barrier-free access at a location designed to permit use before, during, and after the instructional day, and where appropriate, beyond the school year

• Provide space proportionate to enrollment for students, teachers, and other users to engage in multiple learning experiences, as well as classroom space for direct instruction, conference space for small group study, and space for use of media, computers, and electronic information resources

• Provide space for a professional collection, planning space for faculty, a secured audiovisual room, office space for librarian(s) and support staff; and wired workroom space with areas for materials processing

• Provide an appealing, effective environment that is age-appropriate for students and reflective of their interests, the community, and instructional programs

• Have a lighting management system and an energy management system that ensures a draft-free and comfortable environment that is appropriate for preservation of materials and equipment and includes sufficient electrical outlets to support necessary usage

• Provide for displays of student work and curriculum-related materials and for faculty and community-produced materials and collections

• Allow for expansion and remodeling to accommodate a changing information technology environment

• Have space available that includes, where appropriate, secured entrances and exits with exit-only doors, ergonomic office furniture (desks, chairs), a sink, adjustable areas (shelving, etc.), cabinets, electrical outlets and dataports as necessary (phone, fax, telecommunications, etc.), and appropriate storage and production areas

• Provide access to national, state, district-wide, and local electronic information sources through digital drops and cable and fiber optic capabilities for library functions (circulation, catalogs, and telecommunications) and networked resources (Texas State Library, 1997).

Initiative 2: Learning Resources & Curriculum Integration

Through model learning resources and curriculum Integration, the Weston Elementary School Library Media Center:

• Provides relevant, meaningful instruction based on multiple resources (external)

• Applies an information problem-solving process to curriculum-related learning objectives (external)

• Encourages and provides opportunities for collaborative planning and teaching by librarians and teachers (external)

• Stimulates students to be active and independent learners (external)

• Offers education, training, and guidance to students and staff in the use of information technology resources (external)

• Encourages the production of appropriate products, including multimedia presentations (external)

• Works with individuals and groups as determined by student need (external)

• Offers a balance of print, multimedia, and electronic resources based on district-adopted, board-approved selection policies (internal)

• Develops and maintains a balanced collection based on curriculum and user needs, proportionate to student population and special programs (internal)

• Provides access to state-of-the-art technology (internal)

• Offers access to resources via world-wide networks (internal)

• Reflects a diverse community (internal) (Kelsey, 2001).

Actions:

• Collaborate with teachers through formal planning sessions to develop, implement, and evaluate learning experiences in a flexibly-scheduled environment, and to teach problem-solving process models and literature appreciation

• Engage, direct, and encourage students, individually and in groups, in extensive problem-driven research; in the application of information to solve problems; in the process of building on previous learning; and in the use of technology to locate, gather, select, synthesize, and evaluate relevant information

• Provide a balanced collection of at least 8,000 books, software, and electronic resources

• Offer real time access to the Internet, electronic databases, and full participation in statewide information sharing projects

• Provide at least 45 periodical subscriptions for students and staff

• Offer access to a full text periodical database

• Provide students and staff with one local and at least one state or national news source, and access to a full text news database (Texas State Library, 1997).

Initiative 3: Library Program Management

With restructured library program management, the Weston Elementary School Library Media Center:

• Has a manager who plans, organizes, staffs, directs, coordinates, reports, and budgets (internal)

• Is staffed proportionate to student population throughout the entire instructional day by certified librarians and technicians (internal)

• Receives annual funding sufficient to facilitate student academic achievement based, at minimum, on a percentage of the district and school instructional budget (internal)

• Receives additional funding for library materials to support special programs assigned to the school (external)

• Offers opportunities for professional growth and staff development for library staff (internal)

• Is evaluated by tools and standards designed for school library programs (internal)

• Seeks collaborative library and information technology initiatives, such as partnerships with other school libraries, public and academic libraries, and technology consortia (internal)

• Informs the school community about library programs, resources, and services (external)

Actions:

• Designate head school librarian to manage the library media center by planning, evaluating, organizing, staffing, directing, coordinating, reporting, and budgeting as appropriate

• Maintain one certificated librarian and 1.5 trained technicians on staff during the instructional day

• Manager oversees that the library receives sufficient funds for facilitating student academic achievement, supporting special programs, and providing professional growth opportunities (Texas State Library, 1997).

Effectiveness of Internal Initiatives

After posting our mission statement and distributing highlights of the plan to members of the school staff and the Weston School Library Committee, even the newest member will gain quick context, appreciation, and meaning from review of the strategic plan initiatives. Portions of regular monthly meetings will be spent training members on sections of the plan incorporated into library policies and procedures. Additionally, committee members will evaluate and undertake actions suggested by the strategic plan through the development of timelines, checklists and benchmarks.

Effectiveness of External Initiatives

To measure and evaluate the effectiveness of initiatives focused on library users, we will distribute and perform surveys, questionnaires, and interviews will help identify both barriers and program strengths. These measures will also validate initiatives by broadening the number of persons agreeing on them. Library staff, teachers, parents and students will provide quarterly feedback in regards to funding, training, and resources through questionnaires, interviews, and suggestion boxes.

Budgeting for the Strategic Plan

• The school will annually designate 1% of the school instructional budget towards for library program.

• Funds will also be budgeted for professional development and growth for library personnel during the school year and breaks.

• The Parent Teacher Student Association will support the library by seeking volunteers and consider funding requests.

• Local businesses will be encouraged to support our school library program.

• Adequate funding for facilities will be included in the school budget for the library to meet minimum standards.

• I run two Scholastic Book Fairs per year, using back-to-school in the fall and open house in the spring for greater parent convenience. With total yearly sales of $10,000, I bring in a profit of $4,000 (Willer).

High Level Budget 2001-2002

Funding Sources

School Budget Allocation for Instructional Materials $2,000

Title VI Funds $2,000

State Grant Funds $8,000

Fundraising $4,000

Total Funding $16,000

(Willer, 2002).

Expenditures

Books $6,000

Periodicals $800

Audio-Visual $1,000

Technology

Software & CD-ROMs $1,000

Online Subscriptions $1,000

Hardware $5,000

Supplies $1,000

Miscellaneous $200

Total Expenditures $16,000

(Miller & Shontz, 2001).

Step III: Preparation of Plan (Coffman, 2002)

Informing and Rallying the Organization

Inform. The Weston Elementary School Library Media Center will inform students, teachers, parents, and community members of strategic planning measures, meetings, and actions taken, through the online strategic plan within the new library website. The website will be maintained by the school librarian and will be easily accessed through the school site so that students and teachers will become familiar with the resource. Parents will be notified of the plan in school newsletters and during back-to-school night, open house, and book fairs. Community members will be notified of the strategic plan in the local paper as publicized by the school library committee.

Rally. The Weston School Library Committee will be responsible for following the strategic plan and putting concepts into actions. The school library committee will meet monthly at the library for promotion of the current strategic plan and preparation for future plans and will contain equal representation of constituent groups across the K-6 spectrum (grade level, discipline, and position). The committee will include teachers, library media specialists, administrator, district curriculum coordinator, technology coordinator, school board representative, student(s), and parents or community members.

Organizational Issues and Impacts

The Weston Elementary School Library Media Center will be organized such that it:

• Provides a balanced, carefully selected, and systematically organized diverse collection of library resources that is sufficient to meet students needs and is continuously monitored for currency and relevance in each subject area

• Ensures a user-friendly resource facility that is centrally located to staff, building(s), and curriculum activities

• Serves as an information center that provides equal, open, and flexible access to resources and technologies, fully integrated into the instructional process

• Maintains access during and beyond the instructional day for extended patron access to the staff, facility, and resources

Focusing Key Resources

Time

The Weston Elementary School Library Media Center will continue to be open between 8 am and 3 pm, Monday through Friday if:

• Funding exists to provide both library media teacher and technician positions

• Parents and community members continue to volunteer

• Training through the district can be done during after school hours and on professional development days

The Weston Elementary School Library Media Center will have extended hours at least one evening per week and during summers if:

• Funding exists to hire one or more library staff for additional hours

• Parents and community members continue to volunteer

Personnel

Library staff quality will improve if the school and the district:

• Provide appropriate professional and support staff to facilitate access and equity for all learners and to allow for collaboration with teachers for total integration of resources into the curriculum by hiring more qualified individuals to library media teacher (1 full time) and technician (1.5 full time) positions (Texas State Library, 1997).

• Maintain district level professional staff to coordinate all district school library programs, interpret national, state, and local standards, recommend or establish policy, coordinate compatible technology development to facilitate the sharing of library resources and access by patrons at the point of need, and coordinate instructional efforts with district curriculum administrators (AASL, 2001).

Money

The Weston Elementary School Library Media Center will have sufficient funds to maintain a collection of valuable resources by:

• Applying for grants on a yearly basis

• Complying with state standards for school library media centers

• Recruiting volunteers to assist in routine tasks within the library

• Addressing the school and district with funding requests

• Asking for public donations and gifts

• Engaging in yearly fundraising efforts such as book fairs

• Receiving appropriate funds for staff as indicated in the staffing chart

• Receiving sufficient funds, but not less than three (3%) percent of the total instructional budget annually, to acquire library materials, equipment, and supplies in support of school library programs

• Receiving funds to provide access to staff and resources beyond the instructional day

• Receiving additional funds to replace dated, worn, and missing materials and for special programs assigned to the school (CIL Web Team, 2002).

Support Issues

Planning

The Weston School Library Committee will oversee monitoring, evaluating, and revising the strategic plan by:

• Producing a monitoring and evaluation process such as checklists and benchmarks

• Incorporating evaluation methods into ongoing planning

• Establishing a process for reporting to supporters

• Creating a timeline for ongoing long-range planning (Wisconsin DPI, 2002).

Information

Initiatives of the 2002-2007 strategic plan must be publicized to library and school staff, district supervisors, parents, students, and the community through:

• School library website

• Newsletters

• School-wide events

• Meeting agendas

Controls

Several constants must exist in order for strategic planning to be effective:

• Sufficient funding for improvements and changes

• Continuation of excellent service for library users

• Trained personnel to manage and direct the planning and execution of initiatives

Leadership Issues

The Weston Elementary School Library Media Center will set an example for other school libraries within the district through several management policies. Our library will:

• Have a manager who plans, organizes, staffs, directs, coordinates, reports, and budgets

• Include strategic planning, resulting in the development of policies and procedures, long-range plans, and operational tasks that ensure a library program that provides exemplary service for students, teachers, and staff

• Maximize library funding to facilitate access for all learners to a certified librarian(s) and technicians and to sufficient library resources and materials

• Support professional development, as it provides library staff opportunities for continual self-assessment and professional growth through both academic and non-academic experiences (AASL, 2001).

With the implementation of the 2002-2007 Strategic Plan, the Weston Elementary School Library Media Center will continue to:

• Serve as a catalyst for learning

• Support the curricular needs of students and staff through both text and multimedia

Step IV: Public version of the Plan

For the public version of the plan, please go to the following URL (Hobrock, 2002):



References

American Association of School Libraries. (April 2001). Role of the School Library Media Specialist in Site-Based Management. Retrieved August 5, 2002 from the AASL Internet resource:

Coffman. Kansas State University Libraries Strategic Plan 2002-2005. (July 2002). Retrieved July 29, 2002 from the Kansas State University Internet resource:

Curriculum and Instructional Leadership Web Team. Classroom and School Library Funding. (June 2002). Retrieved July 31, 2002 from the California Department of Education Internet resource:

Curriculum and Instructional Leadership Web Team. Statistics About California School Libraries. (January 2002). Retrieved on July 29, 2002 from the California Department of Education Internet Resource:

Gonzalez, B. Virtual School Libraries: A Dream or Reality? (1996). Retrieved July 29, 2002 from the Info Today Internet resource:

Hobrock, B. Kansas State University Libraries Public Document Strategic Plan 2002-2005. (July 2002). Retrieved July 29, 2002 from the Kansas State University Internet resource:

Kelsey, A. Creating and Implementing a Technology Plan. (November 2001). Retrieved July 29, 2002 from the Documentors Consultants Internet resource:

McNamara, C. Strategic Planning (in nonprofit or for-profit organizations). (1999). Retrieved on July 29, 2002 from the Management Assistance Program for Nonprofits Internet resource:

Miller, M. & Shontz, M. New Money, Old Books. (October 2001). Retrieved July 29, 2002 from the School Library Journal Internet resource:

Texas State Library and Archives Commission. School Library Programs: Standards and Guidelines for Texas. (May 1997). Retrieved August 5, 2002 from the Texas State Library and Archives Commission Internet resource:

Willer, S. (2002, July 21). Personal communication.

Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Long Range Planning for School Library Media Programs. (March 2002). Retrieved July 31, 2002 from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction Internet resource:

-------. Fremont Unified School District Library Improvement Plan. (August 2000). Retrieved July 29, 2002 from the Mission San Jose High School Internet resource:

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