This is a talk that Tom Peters gave on Feb. 4, 2014 to the students in a library management course in the School of Library and Information Science at San Jose State California. The talk was given online as a webinar.

1. Long-Range
Strategic Planning:
Some Ideas About
Libraries
A Talk Given by Tom Peters
Feb. 4, 2014, online

2. The Plan for the Next 45 Mins.
1. Why engage in long-range strategic planning?
2. How to engage in worthwhile strategic planning
3. Implementing your strategic plan
4. Assessing your plan and the planning process
5. Discussion (possible at any time, really)

3. How Long is Long-Range?
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1 year
3 years
5 years
10 years
20 years
25 years

4. Case Study: 25-year Space Plan for
Meyer Library at MO State Univ.

5. 1. Why Do This?
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To define a desired future state
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To deliberately allocate precious resources
To define a path or direction to achieve that
desired future state
The process itself can be salubrious for a
library organization

6. Why? (stated negatively)
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To avoid mission creep
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To avoid employee ennui or confusion
To avoid avoiding program assessment
To avoid losing focus as a library
To avoid becoming marginalized or irrelevant
during a time of change

7. 1. Really, Why? Space Zombies

8. 1. Why? Because the Pres. Asked

9. 1. Why? Library as Third Place

10. 2. How: Tools for Strategic Planning
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Mission Statement
Vision Statement
A Core Values Statement
A Sense of Possible Strategies
A Thorough, Current Environmental Scan
Collective Will to Plan and Implement
Every Initiative Needs a Professional Leader

11. 2. How: Gather and Analyze Data
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700,000 gate count in FY13
Gate count doubled in a decade
Use of the main circulating collection has
been in a 20 year decline
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Circ stats are now approx. one-third of their
peak year.

12. 2. Gather Input; Involve Stakeholders
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Google Doc for sharing ideas and comments
Outside space consultant from CNI
Meetings with various stakeholder groups
Public Forums
Marketing campaign?
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Snappy Slogan?
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Logo or some sort of graphic design?

13. 2. Develop Working Principles
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Physical library as important third place on
the campus
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Blended building should be driven by true
collaboration among the cost centers
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Tenants in the library building should offer a
bona fide walk-up service to users

14. 3. Implementing the Strategic Plan
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Manage the fears
Manage the hopes
Manage the delays and frustrations
Assess the everchanging conditions
Harken back to the plan almost ad nauseum

15. 3. Phase 2: Furnish the Spaces
• It ain’t the space and the location;
it’s the furnishings, the ambiance,
and the overall, complete information
experience
• The library of the future will blend the
best of library, museum, and theme
park experiences

16. 3. What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
Beware the 3 P’s:
•Personalities
•Politics
•Pecunia (money)
Planning exhaustion
NIMBY attitudes
Fiefdom: Guarding the borders

17. 4. Summative Assessment of the
Plan and Its Implementation
Are most strategic plans destined
to miss the mark or languish
unfulfilled?
How quickly do strategic plans
become outdated?

18. 1. Why, Again?
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Avoid the lure of the here and now
Lulled libraries rarely thrive
Rapidly changing environmental conditions:
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Information and communication technologies
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User expectations and preferences
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User behavior

19. Strategic Plan is Not Etched in Stone

20. 5. Discussion
Thank Your for Your Time and Attention
Tom Peters
Dean of Library Services
Duane G. Meyer Library, Room 302
Missouri State University
901 S. National Ave.
Springfield MO 65897
Email:
tpeters@missouristate.edu
Office:
417-836-4525
Mobile: 309-660-3648
FB:
Thomas A. Peters
Twitter: TAPintoIT