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Long-Range Plan: October 1, 2006--September 30, 2011
Introduction. This long-range plan is the Polk County Public Library's
first attempt to incorporate outcomes-based evaluation into our goals,
and covers the next five years. An outcome is defined as a program participant's
changed behavior, skills, knowledge, attitude, or status of life condition
related to the program. As the county moves toward a system of outcomes-based
budgeting for county departments, the library will use outcomes-based
planning and evaluation to identify what we want to do and how we want
to do it--in order to show efficiencies, economic impact and the general
positive affect of the library's services and programs on individual
user's lives. By this method, we will attempt to justify county government
support of the library program through adequate funding.
Two documents have been used in the creation of this long-range plan:
1.)
A summary report of the five service priorities identified in 1999 by a
library board-appointed planning committee as part of the Public Library
Association's Planning For Results planning process; from which five service
responses were chosen as priorities for Polk County Public Library, which
will continue to guide library development over the course of the next
five years:
- Lifelong Learning
- General Information
- Current Topics and Titles
- Information Literacy
- Basic Literacy
2.) A survey of library users and analysis of the survey results published
in August, 2005 as part of our LSTA Marketing Grant Project.
Mission Statement: The mission of the Polk County Public
Library is to provide all users of the library with educational, informational,
cultural and recreational resources.
We seek to:
- Provide opportunity, encouragement and assistance for
library users.
- Lead the way to diverse information and technology for personal
growth and development for library users.
- Meet the needs and interests of a multicultural community of all ages.
- Develop and provide inviting facilities and a welcoming environment.
- Respond to the need for lifelong learning and general information among library users.
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| Objective 1: Lifelong Learning: Library users
will be encouraged and helped to use the library from early childhood through
their senior years, so that self-directed personal growth and development
opportunities are available through an organized program of lifelong learning
at the Library |
Objective 2: Children's Learning Resources: Babies,
toddlers, preschoolers, and children will be provided with emergent literacy
and reading programs at the library. |
Objective 3: School Partnerships:
Provide preschool, elementary, middle school, high school and home-schooled students
of the Polk County area with materials that will supplement and complement
the curriculum of their schools. The library will partner with K-12
schools. |
Objective 4: Youth Resources:
Children and youth will find materials, programs and services at the library
that will support and satisfy their personal reading interests and educational
needs. |
Objective 5: Senior Resources:
People 55 and older will find books and library programs responsive to their
needs. |
Objective 6: Classes & Training:
People of all ages will be helped at the library to seek, find, evaluate and
use the information resources that best meet their needs. |
| Goal Two: Information: Changing
Lives <view selected
activities> |
| Objective 1: General Information:
Library users' need for information and answers to questions on a broad array
of topics related to work, school, and personal life will be addressed through
the library's reference and information services.
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Objective 2: Quality Materials, Programs, Resources:
Children
and adults will be provided with an abundance of current and popular
materials and programs will stimulate thinking, satisfy curiosity, solve
problems and provide leisure time enjoyment. |
Objective 3: Business and Economic Sustainability: Small
businesses (fewer than five employees) will know about and effectively
use the resources and services of the library.
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| Goal Three: Literacy: Awareness
for All <view
selected activities> |
| Objective 1: Information Literacy:
Library users' need for skills related to finding,
evaluating, and using information effectively will be addressed by the library.
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Objective 2: Basic Literacy:
Community members, including literacy students and their teachers, seeking to
address the need to read and to perform other essential daily tasks will find
resources and facilities at the library to assist them. |
| Objective 3: Cultural Literacy:
Library
users from diverse cultures and subcultures will engage in program opportunities
relating to American ethnicity, social equity and global awareness at
the library.
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Objective 4: Visual and Media Literacy:
Library
users will engage in public forums and dialogue by viewing, hearing and
discussing current issues prominent in the media, in programs at the
library and in family discussions in the home, supported by library audiovisual
materials and computer technology. Library users will
also gain the ability to construct and present visual and written statements
and engage actively in design and evaluation of their own web pages. |
| Goal Four: Access and Equity: Something for Everyone<view
selected activities> |
Objective 1: Adequate and Efficient Use of Space
and Resources:
Library
users will have a 21st century library facility in which to access resources. |
Objective 2: Library Outreach:
Children
and adults who do not have access to the library will have access to
information and resources to meet their lifelong learning needs by means
of a dependable and consistent outreach program. |
| Objective 3: Languages:
Current materials will be available
Polk County residents, especially Latinos, in the languages they read,
speak or understand.
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Objective 4: Remote Access:
Library
customers will have access to information resources and services without
visiting a library building. |
Objective 5: Valuing
of the Library:
Library users and community stakeholders will recognize the library as a unique
community asset and a personally valuable resource. |
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Ethical Impact Statement: |
Libraries build sustainable
communities. Community development is enhanced by optimal library and
information services.
Without the formal and informal lifelong learning and literacy opportunities
provided by libraries, other root-cause social problems and issues will
not be addressed sufficiently.
As a result, the entire community will experience a poorer
quality of life and there will be less economic development for the community.
There will also be fewer opportunities for personal development provided
to members of the community.
An excellent library, on the other hand, is a doorway to and a mirror
of community and personal success.
The quality of a community's library services is one of the very first
items many businesses and families look at when deciding which community
of the many under consideration will be their choice for relocating and
living.
Excellent libraries make excellent economic sense.
Excellent libraries mean excellent local government.
Polk County Public Library Long-Range Plan
October 1, 2006--September 30, 2011
Last Updated: August 25, 2006 |
Download complete version
of the Long Range Plan(pfd)
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