STARTED! EPL Strategic Goals EPL Business Plan

Transcription

1 STARTED! EPL Strategic Goals EPL Business Plan

2 STARTED! EPL Strategic Goals EPL Business Plan

3 INTRODUCTION ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Edmonton Public Library s Strategic Goals and Business Plan, Just Getting Started, lays out an exciting and challenging path for EPL as we celebrate our Centennial birthday and set our sights on the future. Knowing success starts with our people, EPL enlisted the ideas of our trustees, staff and customers to grow this plan into the ambitious road map it is today. EPL s Strategic Goals were created by the Board of Trustees and will guide us through the next five years. EPL s Business Plan team then developed the Business Plan which outlines the plans for the upcoming three years. Our direction has shifted from our last business plan by tightening our focus to excel at four strategic goals: Transform communities; Evolve our digital environment; Act as a catalyst for learning, discovery and creating; and Transition the way we do business. Although our focus is refined, our impact and reach will be wider. EPL s reputation has long been as an innovator and leader in Canadian libraries, and we will continue to be defined as trendsetters as we grow our community-led service philosophy. At EPL s core, we provide excellent customer service to help Edmontonians grow and learn. We deliver an essential service that s focused on the betterment of people, our communities and our future. We celebrated many successes in our first 100 years, and we re committed to filling our next century with interesting and inventive programs and services for Edmontonians. The Strategic Business Plan Team offers its sincere gratitude to EPL s Board of Trustees for their leadership and support in developing the Just Getting Started Strategic Goals. Guidance through the board s strategic plan helped to align our priorities and set a path for the next five years. The staff at EPL were also instrumental in setting the direction of this plan. Our people on the front lines know our business best and interact daily with our customers. The Strategic Business Plan Team sends a heartfelt thanks to all staff who participated in sharing sessions. Your courage and confidence in having your voices and opinions heard helped build our blueprint for success. The Strategic Business Plan Team was comprised of Xenia de Graaf, Linda Garvin, Erik Kormarnicki, Mike Lewis, Lisa Old, Pam Ryan, Peter Schoenberg, Soleil Surette, Richard Thornley and chair Pilar Martinez who worked diligently over the past year. This team s dedication and commitment was everpresent while building Just Getting Started, which will serve as a compass for all our actions and efforts in the coming years.

4 LONG TERM PLAN SHARED VALUES WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE DO SHARED VALUES WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE VALUE OUR MISSION WHY WE EXIST LONG TERM FUN & FRESH OUR VISION WHERE WE ARE GOING OUR STRATEGIC GOALS HOW WE WILL GET THERE OUR BUSINESS PLAN WHAT WE WILL DO MEDIUM TERM SHORT TERM Community Activator COMMUNITY ACTIVATOR OPEN IDEAS CHAMPION PASSIONATE ABOUT SHARING HUMAN INNOVATIVE Together with our values, mission, vision and strategic goals, EPL s business plan strategies and actions provide the framework for our long-term planning. What we believe and why we exist, as outlined in our values and mission, are the foundation. Our vision sets the direction. Our strategies, objectives and actions clarify how we will reach our goals. EXPERT NAVIGATOR UNRIVALED VALUE KNOWLEDGE SEEKER INCREDIBLE CONTENT EPL s values wheel is a reflection of who we are and what we value as an organization. It is an expression of our passionate commitment to share with everyone. It describes, defines and inspires us.

5 MISSION WE SHARE. VISION EPL shares expertise, information, technologies and spaces with Edmontonians for learning, connecting, creating, discovering, enjoying and enriching our communities. EPL is the gathering place for people and ideas, enabling a lifetime of learning, engagement and possibility for every Edmontonian. STRATEGIC GOALS TO REALIZE OUR VISION BY 2018 WE WILL: TRANSFORM COMMUNITIES: Our goal is to grow literacies and life skills for an active, engaged community to enhance their health and success. The input and ideas of our diverse communities will drive our services. EVOLVE OUR DIGITAL ENVIRONMENT: Our goal is to create a digital environment that fuels Edmontonians experimentation, discovery and wonder. We will delight and engage our customers with incredible content, and rich, collaboratively-created and nurtured digital public spaces. ACT AS A CATALYST FOR LEARNING, DISCOVERY AND CREATING: Our goal is to be an integral part of the daily lives of Edmontonians. We will enable personal discovery through informal and formal learning, and inspire life-long learning through connections, resources and expertise. TRANSITION THE WAY WE DO BUSINESS: Our goal is to change the way we do business, enabling us to lead in our changing environment. Our advocacy, partnerships, service delivery, funding models and budget allocation will reflect our progressiveness and passion. Transition the way we do business Transform communities Just Getting Started Act as a catalyst for learning, discovering and creating Evolve our digital environment

6 TRANSFORM COMMUNITIES: OBJECTIVE 1: WE CONTRIBUTE TO INCREASED LITERACIES OF ALL TYPES, GROWTH OF LIFE SKILLS AND AN INCREASE IN HIGH SCHOOL COMPLETION RATES. Contribute to the provision of tutoring, homework help, digital literacy skill development, employment and other life skills programs. Promote the value of public library services in supporting various literacies, emphasizing staff expertise ( ) Expand literacy programs to better meet demand and seek opportunities to partner with other organizations ( ) Implement Welcome Baby in the Community in health units across Edmonton (2014) Engage with partners to undertake longitudinal studies to investigate the value of select EPL literacy programs ( ) In collaboration with educational providers, explore ways to support students in completing high school courses ( ) Customer self-rate skills as improved Library literacy services promoted through new messaging Demand met for most popular literacy programs Increase in the number of babies with library cards by 25% Our goal is to grow literacies and life skills for an active, engaged community to enhance their health and success. The input and ideas of our diverse communities will drive our services. DESIRED IMPACTS: 1. Socially excluded communities confidently engage with the library to contribute their views to service development. 2. EPL and its services are considered to be an essential part of eliminating homelessness and poverty. 3. Literacies and life skills of Edmontonians are improved. 4. Increase in organizations partnering with EPL on literacy initiatives.

7 OBJECTIVE 2: WE ARE AN ESSENTIAL PARTNER IN COMMUNITY SAFETY INITIATIVES AND EFFORTS TO ELIMINATE HOMELESSNESS AND POVERTY. Collaborate with EPS on their community development initiatives ( ) Place social workers in branches with the greatest need (2014) Help staff enhance abilities to engage Edmontonians experiencing homelessness ( ) Join the Committee to End Homelessness, Edmonton s Poverty Elimination Committee and work with agencies to strategically increase the library s role in eliminating homelessness (2014) Collaborative initiatives with EPS Decrease in security incidents year over year Testimonials of referrals and services that made a difference 85% of staff surveyed are comfortable and confident in engaging the customers (In branches identified as serving significant populations of customers experiencing homelessness) OBJECTIVE 3: WE IDENTIFY AND MEET COMMUNITY NEEDS. Further engage with communities to identify strengths, gaps, needs and priorities around EPL services ( ) Undertake an in-depth evaluation of EPL s community-led service philosophy framework ( ) Develop a community consultation process for building design (2015) Review public computing needs and develop strategies to meet those needs (2015) Organizational reviews will inform our annual community consultation Upcoming building projects include enhanced community consultation Achieve a 90% satisfaction rating with public computer usage OBJECTIVE 4: Together, with our community, we provide successful, meaningful services that are highly rated and heavily used. Evaluate our foundational programs to ensure they are successful, meaningful, highly rated and heavily used (2015) Promote new program pilots to ensure continual innovation (2014) Hold annual customer appreciation events ( ) Participate in the initiatives of the National Reading Campaign ( ) Achieve a 90% satisfaction rating within foundational programs Conduct new pilot programs Increase adult and teen program attendance by 50%

8 OBJECTIVE 5: Our libraries reflect the diversity of our communities through staffing, services and resources. Explore additional opportunities to work with Edmonton s Aboriginal communities ( ) Analyze services and resources to ensure EPL meets the needs of our growing newcomer populations and English language learners (2015) Enhance and promote our work experience program to assist in the development of Edmonton s Aboriginal, developmentally disabled, newcomer and youth communities (2014) Evaluate the library settlement practitioner program and expand or redirect where necessary (2015) Achieve a 90% satisfaction rating with library services among Aboriginal organizations Increase services delivered in other languages Align world language collection more closely with usage and census data Work experience program is fully utilized Achieve a 90% satisfaction rating with the work experience program by staff and participants OBJECTIVE 6: We reduce barriers to accessing library services. Eliminate membership fee (2014) Establish a fine-free day to take place every second year (2014) Explore simplification of fines (2014) Extend literacy van services to underserved communities in Edmonton and surrounding areas ( ) Implement lending machines in underserved areas of Edmonton ( ) Explore alternate library service delivery models for the Enoch Cree Nation #440 and other Aboriginal communities in the immediate Edmonton area (2015) Design new eplgo spaces with a greater focus on digital literacy services and with media spaces for underserved communities ( ) Expand the book borrowing project and other library services beyond the Edmonton Institution For Women to other correctional institutions (2015) Expand homebound service beyond those already served by our existing Library Access Service (2015) Take action to reduce customer barriers in accessing library services by implementing the approved recommendations of the 2013 Top Five Barriers Study (2014) Reach out to customers whose membership has lapsed (2014) Participate in initiatives with Canadian Urban Libraries Council, Canadian National Institute for the Blind and NNELS for services to the print disabled ( ) Increase membership renewals by 25% Increase library use by underserved communities Increase knowledge by underserved communities of EPL services Achieve a 90% satisfaction rating for new and expanded services Increase computer usage by 20% Increase in-person visits to the library by 5% each year

9 EVOLVE OUR DIGITAL ENVIRONMENT: OBJECTIVE 1: EPL has defined and created a digital public space in collaboration with community and partners. Digital online spaces are intended to provide a venue for sharing the best of what Edmonton has to offer. Develop a plan to curate online community-created content and determine the infrastructure needed (2014) Host a major event to engage Edmontonians in developing digital public spaces and to inspire demonstration projects (2014) Seek out, crowdsource and host open, local, digital content online ( ) Investigate options for providing online space and services that promote local community events and information (2014) Work collaboratively with Alberta partners to support a local ebook platform that provides access to content sourced directly from authors, small publishers and independent distributors ( ) Develop an Open Data policy that includes how we will use and share our own data; participate in Edmonton s Open Data community and support data literacy initiatives ( ) Digital space populated and used by the community Achieve a 90% satisfaction rating by digital space users Our goal is to create a digital environment that fuels Edmontonians experimentation, discovery and wonder. We will delight and engage our customers with incredible content, and rich, collaboratively-created and nurtured digital public spaces.* DESIRED IMPACTS: 1. EPL public digital spaces are welcoming and accessible to all. 2. Edmontonians use EPL s digital public space and tools for creation and experimentation. 3. EPL is recognized as a leader for its online content and spaces. * Online spaces created for sharing and collaboration.

10 OBJECTIVE 2: We are reaching, engaging and connecting to new communities. Promote and cultivate EPL s emerging role as a digital public space provider and active member of Edmonton s tech/digital community ( ) Seek out innovative partners for online content and services and get EPL s online content into new spaces ( ) EPL s new digital initiatives form the basis of a new media campaign New collaborative partners are identified EPL online content is in new spaces Customers are aware of EPL s role as digital public space provider OBJECTIVE 3: The ease of use and integration of content is praised by customers. Increase our e-collections, taking risks with new initiatives and partnering to develop new collections and access models ( ) Improve EPL s website by implementing the approved recommendations of the 2013 Web Services Librarian (2014) Pilot and evaluate online programming (2015) Implement a single point of discovery for EPL content (2015) Implement an integrated and more efficient customer feedback service (2014) Investigate possibilities for expanding the Metro ME initiative to include access to online collections and services to cardholders ( ) Achieve a 90% satisfaction rating with a single point of discovery for EPL content New partnerships to deliver and access e-collections OBJECTIVE 4: Online services are highly used and valued. Assess and leverage opportunities to integrate online and in-branch services to offer a rich customer experience and attract new customers ( ) Provide online Makerspace services that offer user-friendly creative software options and instruction (2014) Increase online traffic Staff contribute to online services Achieve a 90% satisfaction rate with Makerspace services Increase e-usage by 200%

11 ACT AS A CATALYST FOR LEARNING, DISCOVERY AND CREATING: OBJECTIVE 1: We have flexible, multimedia, study, meeting and creation spaces. Develop community gallery spaces outside of Milner (2015) Expand creation technology and services to other service points ( ) Meet needs for quiet and collaborative spaces ( ) Achieve a 90% satisfaction rating with creation technology services Achieve a 90% satisfaction rating with collaborative and quiet space opportunities OBJECTIVE 2: We have sustainable partnerships and services with schools, higher education, continuing education and others. Partner with schools to embed EPL services into kindergarten to Grade 12 learning ( ) Our goal is to be an integral part of the daily lives of Edmontonians. We will enable personal discovery through informal and formal learning, and inspire life-long learning through connections, resources and expertise. Expanded EPL services in kindergarten to Grade 12 DESIRED IMPACTS: 1. Edmontonians use library services. 2. EPL is recognized by Edmontonians as a leader in lifelong learning. 3. Staff are confident in their technology and customer service skills. 4. Staff are enthusiastic about their lifelong learning.

12 OBJECTIVE 3: Customers are in both the physical and virtual library learning, discovering and creating. Create sustainable, flexible, virtual and physical learning environments at EPL, for online and in-person courses delivered by EPL experts and/or partners. ( ) Implement additional in-residence programs to feature community experts who promote EPL s business plan priorities (2014) Provide self-publishing services including new programs for aspiring creators (2014) Customers and staff are using online learning opportunities Achieve a 90% satisfaction rating with EPL learning environment Creation of a Milner classroom OBJECTIVE 4: EPL is a staff of learners confident in their abilities to assist customers. Focus staff training on customer, discovery and digital literacy services (2014) Attract, develop and retain staff who embrace co-learning and are passionate about discovering, creating and delivering great customer service ( ) Develop new ways to implement and evaluate employee learning and development ( ) Review technology needs to provide services and implement strategies to meet them (2015) OBJECTIVE 5: Edmontonians view EPL as integral to their lifelong formal and informal learning. Increase adult programs that are fun, intellectually stimulating and provocative ( ) Promote open courses in areas that complement EPL s programs and services (2015) Edmontonians identify EPL as a life-long learning organization Adult program attendance increases by 50% Achieve a 90% satisfaction rating with adult programs OBJECTIVE 6: EPL is the home for Edmonton s City of Learners. Facilitate the implementation of the City of Learners strategic plan (2014) Member organizations are satisfied with EPL s facilitation of the plan 85% of staff feel confident and knowledgeable around digital literacy, customer and discovery service Achieve a 90% staff satisfaction rate with learning opportunities Evaluation is skills based (e.g. through a rubric model)

13 TRANSITION THE WAY WE DO BUSINESS: OBJECTIVE 1: We have transformed our approach to service delivery and use of physical spaces. Develop a strategic assessment plan that ensures EPL services are regularly reviewed (2014) Identify new opportunities to seek out employee feedback and suggestions (2014) Share EPL-developed successes, solutions and research ( ) Review EPL services for usability and accessibility (2015) Simplify online payment options for EPL fees, merchandise and fundraising (2014) Complete reviews to ensure ongoing improvement of interlibrary loans, custodial, service point operations and other areas determined to be a priority ( ) Continue to promote and implement environmental stewardship strategies ( ) Staff and teams have objectives around sharing their success, solutions and research Meet usability and accessibility standards where relevant Increase in online payments year over year Achieve a 90% satisfaction rating with interlibrary loans and other areas as they are defined Our goal is to change the way we do business, enabling us to lead in our changing environment. Our advocacy, partnerships, service delivery, funding models and budget allocation will reflect our progressiveness and passion. DESIRED IMPACTS: 1. Edmontonians build life skills through EPL s volunteer program. 2. Socially vulnerable communities have unique opportunities to engage with their community through EPL services. 3. EPL expands its services through successful fundraising. 4. EPL is available where and when customers need. 5. EPL continues to receive strong support by the new city council.

14 OBJECTIVE 2: There is an increase in services delivered collaboratively. Establish relationships with governmental and educational organizations to promote and support services Investigate ways to share access to arts, sports and recreational events and facilities Establish partnerships with local historical, archival and cultural organizations to showcase Edmonton s past, present and future Growth in new and existing partnerships to support community needs OBJECTIVE 3: An increase in meaningful volunteer numbers and contributions. Identify and engage adult and youth volunteers in meaningful opportunities. Promote EPL volunteer opportunities internally and externally ( ) Achieve a 100% increase in volunteers and opportunities Achieve a 90% satisfaction rate among volunteers All volunteer opportunities at EPL are filled OBJECTIVE 4: There are established partnerships to support programs and services. Identify opportunities for growth within existing partnerships and create new partnerships, celebrating and communicating outcomes ( ) Growth in new and existing partnerships Share partnership annual reports to communicate outcomes OBJECTIVE 5: We have a vibrant fund development program with increased donor diversity, and increased value of grants, donations and sponsorships. Establish a volunteer fundraising committee comprised of high-profile and well-connected Edmontonians (2014) Establish a major giving program, identifying ways to recognize significant donors (2015) Explore the opportunity for a capital campaign focused on a renewed downtown library Increase revenues from fundraising by 350% Staff have a positive perception around their fundraising role Approved recommendations from the fund development consultant report are implemented

15 OBJECTIVE 6: We have a fully developed and implemented advocacy plan. Under the Board s leadership, develop and implement an advocacy plan for EPL (2015) Develop a planned approach to raise awareness and knowledge of EPL through our media partners (2014) Monthly positive presence in a variety of Edmonton media City council continues to provide funding to meet operational needs and support new initiatives Councillors attend library events Thank you to the EPL Board of Trustees for their leadership and guidance in developing the Strategic Goals. Ellen Calabrese-Amrhein, Chair John J. McDonald III, Vice-Chair Jay Ball Kate Freeman Councillor Don Iveson Michael Janz Miranda Jimmy Dr. Sherrill Johnson Nazir Mulji Jeff Reynolds

16 Each and every staff member has the ability to move our business plan forward through their contributions and dedication. It will take our entire team to achieve these goals. We have an incredibly talented and agile team at EPL and we know we can count on each other s hard work and dedication to get us there. The next three years represent a pivotal opportunity for EPL to build on the tremendous successes of our first 100 years. After all, we re just getting started!

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