In Rockford, IL, a Strategic Plan Sparks Debate
By Norman Oder Aug 19, 2010A good number of library leaders might feel fortunate to see their library's draft strategic plan read and critiqued by the local newspaper's editorial board, but the Rockford Public Library (RPL), IL, last week saw its hometown Rockford Register-Star look askance at its three-year plan.
The newspaper disagreed with plans to eventually close two locations, questioned the RPL's desire to become its own district (saying it shouldn't increase its taxes), and suggested RPL should emphasize "trained volunteers to augment paid staff."
Some commenters on the newspaper's website piled on, with one criticizing the library for embracing DVDs and games. Then again, the library had its defenders, with one commenter suggesting that the library can't live up to anyone's expectations if it's not fully funded.
Another, a self-described library director in a nearby community, pointed out that there's little difference between fiction and movies, and that relying on volunteers can be dicey.
Emily Hartzog, the library's community relations officer, told LJ that RPL wasn't responding formally to the newspaper, since the draft document was put forward for the board's consideration. "It's more about coming to a consensus about what's the best way to provide service," she said.
Funding pressures
Typically, Hartzog said, RPL produces a five-year strategic plan. "This is shorter, because of the current economic situation," she said. "With our environment having capacity to change so drastically, we were hesitant to look at a five-year strategic plan."
Between 2009 and 2010, RPL went from 115.08 FTE staffers to 82 FTE, a reduction of nearly 29 percent. Of the 33.08 positions lost, four managers and four non-union staffers were laid off, as well as eight union staffers, three of them librarians. The other job cuts came via an early retirement benefit and general attrition.
That led to a 36 percent cut in open hours, from 351 weekly to 224.
"Our service hours aren't as convenient," Hartzog said, noting that branches don't open until noon. "Customers are telling us they loved morning storytimes."
New locations
Thus, the strategic plan suggests that two branches in leased facilities (10,500 square feet and 8000 square feet, respectively) be closed when the leases expire in 2012 and 2015.
"We're better off having fewer locations open more hours," Hartzog said. Moreover, they'd be relocated, spaced along the city's central axis and likely larger than all but one of the current branches.
As director Frank Novak explained to the Register-Star, other peer communities have three facilities, not six.
Control your destiny
RPL this year faced an 11 percent budget cut that represented a bigger hit, given the typical increase in costs.
"In writing this draft strategic plan, the case is made to be able control your destiny, to know when something is going to happen rather than have something happen to you," Hartzog said.
"Our community was hard hit by recession in the ‘80s and has never fully recovered," she said. The move to become a library district isn't motivated by a desire to increase the tax rate but rather to plan for consistent service rather than have to take mid-year adjustments at the will of the city.
New collections
The strategic plan suggests that, compared to peer libraries, RPL lags in its total spending, and share of spending, on digital collections.
RPL already has a relationship with OverDrive and offers Playaways, so Hartzog said the move would involve more database subscriptions and an emphasis on transferring the reference collection to a digital format.
The strategic plan even discusses RPL gaining the expertise to teach game programming, an effort to engage youth that might be unique in the library world.
More changes
The plan discusses several ways RPL could improve its operations, such as offering training to all staff, hiring programmers to work on open source projects, and to increase the diversity of its board, its foundation, and its Friends group.
The plan points out that the foundation's main annual event is more of a marketing tool than a fundraiser, and that bigger ticket events should be planned.
And the plan suggests that RPL acquire its own event space, so it can "take its place as the cultural center for Rockford." Currently one branch has a 50-seat room, while the main library has 150-seat auditorium; RPL has also rented space.
Acquiring such a space, Hartzog said, is "down the road, but the flip side to the auditorium coin is it's not only something we can provide but an added service to other groups" in the city.
