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Community SummaryFocusing on the Future:Key Questions The Public Library has been at the center of Park Ridge's cultural life since 1913. Through these 90 years, residents--both children and adults--have used the library for study, business and research, reading enjoyment, introducing children to books and learning, and, more recently, as a portal to the world through the Internet. This year, the Library's Trustees and staff explored what the future holds for Park Ridge and its library. They asked: How well are we serving the community? What kind of library do Park Ridge residents expect? How can we develop library services and better coordinate how we offer them? What are some of the emerging needs of Park Ridge residents and how can we prepare to meet them? In order to answer these questions, Library Trustees engaged the service of an independent consultant, Dr. John R. Throop, to seek input from community leaders and residents. Armed with community input, the consultant worked with trustees and staff to develop strategic directions for 2004-2008. This report reflects the perspectives of community leaders and residents and details the five resulting strategic directions. There were three major parts to the strategic planning process: community input, identification of strategic directions, and goal setting. One community segment, "Community Stakeholders," involved community leaders including educators; elected officials; business, nonprofit and religious leaders; civic and service clubs. These stakeholders were asked to share their vision of the Park Ridge of the future--especially the next 10 years--and the Library's role in that future. Resident focus groups were another source for community input. Randomly chosen residents who agreed to participate in 1-1/2 hour sessions commented on the role and function of the Park Ridge Public Library, whether and how it should serve as a cultural and community center, how it can collaborate effectively with other parts of the community, and the effectiveness and efficiency of the library's services and collections. Using input from the community stakeholders and the resident focus groups, library trustees and administrative staff met jointly to create mission and vision statements to guide the Library into the future. They listed strengths and weaknesses of the Library and community, reviewed the library's funding and service sources, and discussed the opportunities and challenges facing the Library and the community. Based on community input and an internal review of the Library and its operating environment, the Board and Staff identified five strategic directions. These strategic directions describe the key issues that must be addressed in order for the Library to achieve its vision and fulfill its mission. The Library Trustees have developed five to ten implementation goals for each of the five identified strategic directions. These goals, which will be the basis for annual work plans, will be monitored by the Trustees and Administrative staff. This report is being provided so that Park Ridge residents can be informed about the library's strategic focus and have a better idea of what to expect from the use of tax dollars in the coming years. If you have questions about this report or other library-related matters, please contact a Library Trustee; the Library Director, Mrs. Janet Van De Carr; or a Department Manager.
The Park Ridge Public Library:
The mission of the Park Ridge Public Library is to provide access to information, literature, and the arts relevant to the community it serves. As part of the Library's strategic planning process, 58 community, educational, civic, religious, service, and governmental organizations in Park Ridge were invited to participate in a three-hour discussion session about the library's role in the community. Organizations chose their own representatives. Neither the consultant, Library trustees, nor Library staff had any role in the selection of participants other than to invite organizations to participate. In total, 32 people representing 27 organizations came to the stakeholder gatherings (about evenly split in attendance between two different three-hour evening sessions). The library's consultant, Dr. John R. Throop, conducted the community stakeholder meetings; neither library staff nor trustees were present. Dr. Throop followed the process for eliciting community input developed by Sandra Nelson in The New Planning for Results, published by the American Library Association. 20th Century Club of Park Ridge Brickton Art Center Chamber of Commerce Community Consolidated School District #64 DAR, 21st Chapter Economic Development Corporation Friends of the Library Kiwanis Club of Park Ridge (AM) Kiwanis Club of Park Ridge (Noon) League of Women Voters of Park Ridge Lutheran General Hospital Maine Center for Mental Health Maine Township High School District #207 Mary, Seat of Wisdom Church and School Park Ridge Art League Park Ridge Community Women Park Ridge Garden Club Park Ridge Recreation & Park District Park Ridge Rotary Club Park Ridge United Way (now Park Ridge Community Fund) Park Ridge Youth Commission Rainbow Hospice St. Paul of the Cross Church and School The primary purpose of the community stakeholder group sessions was to get community views on five specific issues:
The participants in both groups held vigorous discussions about the issues before them. Some indicated that similar questions had been discussed during the city's strategic planning process and wondered whether the findings from that process ought to be included in this one. Others disagreed and indicated that the Library has specific issues and questions related to Park Ridge's future, and that this venue was appropriate for the discussion despite possible redundancy. The primary assets of Park Ridge as identified by community stakeholders are the small town atmosphere; excellent amenities and value for the tax dollar paid; open communication between groups, organizations and officials; and stability in population and housing. The primary deficits of Park Ridge are a lack of consensus on a vision for the community, Uptown parking congestion, the business/retail climate in the city, and challenges outside of the community's direct control (such as O'Hare noise and expansion plans, and the proposed Rosemont casino). There was no consensus vision for the future of Park Ridge. The community stakeholders indicated that the Library's role now and in the future of Park Ridge is to be an information provider, a cultural resource, an Uptown anchor, and an institution fully open to all in the community. In addition to the community stakeholders, four resident focus groups were convened for direct community input. Individuals were selected at random from the Park Ridge telephone directory and invited to attend. An attempt was made to balance gender, age, employment status, and frequency of library use. In total, 350 phone calls were made to residents, with fifty residents agreeing to participate in one of four sessions. Twenty-two actually attended. Participants had lived in Park Ridge an average of twenty-six years. Some individuals had grown up in the community and moved away, only to return. Participants reflected a wide range of library use, from once or twice a week to no use within the past year. A majority of participants were female but each of the four groups included men of various ages. Overall, ages ranged from 25 to nearly 80. The primary purpose of the resident focus group sessions was to get residents' views on five specific issues:
This report combines specific information from the four resident focus group sessions. The library's value and role: The Library is an informational/recreational center. It is a place for children to learn. It is a community gathering place. Community cultural center: There was no consensus in the groups regarding the library's function as a community cultural center. Library programs and services: Participants overall were favorable in their view that the Library offers relevant programs and services of a high quality. Some thought the focus needs to remain on core services rather than on programs that are not central to what they see as being the library's primary role. This point was more contested when participants separated programs and services for children from those offered to adults. There was a great deal of consensus on the value of having a variety of programs and services for children. Participants unanimously agreed that the Library in general provides excellent service. Some problems noted by participants include: high noise level in the building; lack of convenient parking; frustration that users sometimes have to travel to other libraries to find materials (especially for last-minute school projects); lack of policies regarding use by Chicago residents; and the need for better communication of services offered by the library's Web site. There was significant confusion regarding the case for a new building, how the referendum was offered to the community, and to what extent a final plan had been prepared. The potential for collaboration with other organizations and governmental units: Collaborative efforts are desirable in some circumstances, but residents agreed that each organization and governmental unit also has specific programs or services that it needs to provide independently. At a minimum, there is a need for better coordination between groups regarding programs and services so that the general public has a better and more comprehensive idea of what is happening in Park Ridge. Emerging needs in Park Ridge: Participants had few insights into emerging needs and changes in Park Ridge in the next 10 years. Essentially, they believe that the community will be pretty much the same as it is today, except that Baby Boomer families will have empty nests and that couples will age in place. Paradoxically, participants think the community may become younger. Library Trustees identified five strategic directions for use in setting major work priorities, evaluating library performance, and assuring accountability. These strategic directions also will help the community understand how the Library is adapting and changing to meet resident needs, preparing effectively for the future, and staying focused on providing quality services. Internal Development/Services/CollectionThe Library will make necessary decisions about the management of our collection and services, the incorporation of new technologies, and training and development of staff to achieve greater flexibility and continually improved customer service.The Library will continue to manage a collection of books, magazines, audio/visual, and electronic materials based on the needs of Park Ridge's increasingly diverse population. Although participants in focus groups universally extolled the Library staff, the Library recognizes that it can make improvements in customer service by identifying and resolving problems more quickly and by cross-training staff so that they can respond to needs and queries. As Park Ridge residents become more culturally and ethnically diverse, the Library will strive to provide materials in more languages. It is anticipated that more large-print materials will be needed for the increasing senior population. The Library will expand service to pre-teens and teens so that they will increasingly benefit from library services. The Library will be a community library serving general interests, while simultaneously becoming more proficient at meeting specialized needs, accessing national and regional collections, enhancing the Interlibrary Loan system, and providing more on-line reference materials. Collaboration/New Services/Reaching the UnderservedWe The Library will actively assess emerging community needs, identify underserved populations, and strengthen collaborative relationships with groups and agencies to better provide services to the diverse populations the Library serves.The Library we will continue to work closely with local schools and with community groups to support their work and provide services that they need. The Library maintains a community Internet website through which community organizations can publicize their activities and services. We plan to The Library will conduct more community needs assessments, work directly with community organizations and governmental units to determine ways to reach underserved populations, and develop new services to meet emerging needs. Facility DevelopmentWe The Library will complete necessary capital improvement projects; provide a safe functional facility; and continuously assess needs and seek appropriate solutions.At the same time, we We intend to The Library will address issues of limited space and collection management. We recognize The Library will continue to work with the City of Park Ridge to address the parking issues. Marketing/CommunicationThe Library will develop methods to communicate the benefits of the library's services and programs, and provide additional channels to receive resident feedback, so that they can be better served, be better informed of the library's value, and take advantage of all that we provide.In the next five years, residents will see greater personalization of communication based on their specific interests. For those residents who fill out personal interest profiles and provide e-mail addresses, the Library will call attention to materials, services and programs that match their profiles. The Library will strengthen two-way communication with residents in order to address the needs and concerns of individuals who are infrequent or non-library users and to gather more specific information from regular library patrons in order to stay abreast of their needs. FundingThe Library will ensure stable operating support and, when possible, will seek alternate funding sources for special projects and facility needs to meet the community's expectations.The Library will work diligently with city leaders to demonstrate needs and the value realized through taxpayer support. The Library will carefully manage tax monies received. For designated programs and services, the Library will increase efforts to develop additional financial support through foundation and government grants and/or from fund development campaigns. The Friends of the Library, who have contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Library over the years, will continue to be an integral part of planning for special programs and services. The Library Trustees and staff are proud to serve the residents of Park Ridge. We thank everyone who gave their time and effort to shape this plan and to help the Library better serve the people of Park Ridge. |
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