I think we may be better served if we made this a S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely) goal.
It is difficult to see how a goal like this would be measured-even if we could cross reference every person living in Oklahoma county with those that have library cards, can we tell if they are using that card without going into every individual account and see what they have checked out? Also, how would we measure services we offer that do not require library cards such as programming and Summer Reading?
I think a more realistic goal might be to lower the percentage of the community we are attempting to reach. I know we strive to reach everyone, but I do not believe that is possible.
Another potential for making the goal more realistic is something like "By 2035, every person (adult) in the community will be aware of the library services available to them, through continuing and expanding our marketing/advertising and outreach." However, that still leaves us with a lack of measurability.
I agree with Mary S. I would be more compelled to reach this goal if it were something measureable. I also like the idea of focusing on awareness because sometimes even people with library cards are unaware of all of our services.
I'm thinking something along the lines of "By 2035, we will have recorded a steady 5% yearly increase in our outreach efforts to reach adults, teens, and children where they are--in hopes of becoming intertwined in their daily lives."
What would our evaluation methods be for this goal? (I'm sure by 2035, there will be methods available that we can't even dream of yet.) Would we poll community members differently depending on age? I think this is an attainable goal, but in order for it to carry weight, we would need to outline specific steps and have a plan in place for measuring results.
I agree with the statements of trying to make the goals demonstrable/measurable.
Perhaps something more along the lines of "By 2035 we will increase library card ownership by x%"
We would need to get creative for measuring the use of other library services, as many are usable without a library card.
We can use program attendance, door count statistics, and statistics for how many individuals have a library card. The online usage and Wi-Fi usage are more difficult to track.
I love the goal, but I'd like to know how we will define a library service. Does it mean attending a program? Searching the catalog? Seeing a commercial? (Okay, I'm reaching there.) Does using a library service mean using it successfully? From my perspective, I know there is a difference between searching in the catalog and finding in the catalog. There is a difference between searching for something specific (a title) and searching for something vague (a subject). The truth is that we don't have a lot of ways to know how successfully our services are being used. I'd love to know how effective our catalog is and how we can make it more so.
What about something like "By 2035, every person in the community can recognize a need that can be met by the library." I know that I can fax from here, but I haven't needed to use that function. Alternatively we have people who need to fax things who didn't know they could do that here. I think, especially regarding measurement of success, recognizing that the library can meet needs outside of storytime or pleasure reading is essential.
When I read this goal, I immediately thought of ways the library could accomplish this by weaving our services into other organizations and building more partners, being more mobile and maybe even surpassing some of our defined roles in the community. We are an essential service so I think we can accomplish getting very close to this goal if we focus on connecting with people through more creative avenues.
"Digital Life in 2025" issued by the Pew Research Center may be of interest when thinking about future services. This was based on 2558 experts and technology builders. Most of them believe that by 2025 there will be:
◾A global, immersive, invisible, ambient networked computing environment built through the continued proliferation of smart sensors, cameras, software, databases, and massive data centers in a world-spanning information fabric known as the Internet of Things.
◾“Augmented reality” enhancements to the real-world input that people perceive through the use of portable/wearable/implantable technologies.
◾Disruption of business models established in the 20th century (most notably impacting finance, entertainment, publishers of all sorts, and education).
All of these impact libraries. And keep in mind, we're projecting library services 10 years beyond this study. Here's the link:
Comments
I think we may be better served if we made this a S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely) goal.
It is difficult to see how a goal like this would be measured-even if we could cross reference every person living in Oklahoma county with those that have library cards, can we tell if they are using that card without going into every individual account and see what they have checked out? Also, how would we measure services we offer that do not require library cards such as programming and Summer Reading?
I think a more realistic goal might be to lower the percentage of the community we are attempting to reach. I know we strive to reach everyone, but I do not believe that is possible.
Another potential for making the goal more realistic is something like "By 2035, every person (adult) in the community will be aware of the library services available to them, through continuing and expanding our marketing/advertising and outreach." However, that still leaves us with a lack of measurability.
I agree with Mary S. I would be more compelled to reach this goal if it were something measureable. I also like the idea of focusing on awareness because sometimes even people with library cards are unaware of all of our services.
I'm thinking something along the lines of "By 2035, we will have recorded a steady 5% yearly increase in our outreach efforts to reach adults, teens, and children where they are--in hopes of becoming intertwined in their daily lives."
What would our evaluation methods be for this goal? (I'm sure by 2035, there will be methods available that we can't even dream of yet.) Would we poll community members differently depending on age? I think this is an attainable goal, but in order for it to carry weight, we would need to outline specific steps and have a plan in place for measuring results.
I agree with the statements of trying to make the goals demonstrable/measurable.
Perhaps something more along the lines of "By 2035 we will increase library card ownership by x%"
We would need to get creative for measuring the use of other library services, as many are usable without a library card.
We can use program attendance, door count statistics, and statistics for how many individuals have a library card. The online usage and Wi-Fi usage are more difficult to track.
...but this is what a Big Hairy Audacious Goal looks like. It's shooting for the moon.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Hairy_Audacious_Goal
I love the goal, but I'd like to know how we will define a library service. Does it mean attending a program? Searching the catalog? Seeing a commercial? (Okay, I'm reaching there.) Does using a library service mean using it successfully? From my perspective, I know there is a difference between searching in the catalog and finding in the catalog. There is a difference between searching for something specific (a title) and searching for something vague (a subject). The truth is that we don't have a lot of ways to know how successfully our services are being used. I'd love to know how effective our catalog is and how we can make it more so.
By 2035, EVERY social and educational aspect of our community members, will be closely tied to the library system.
What about something like "By 2035, every person in the community can recognize a need that can be met by the library." I know that I can fax from here, but I haven't needed to use that function. Alternatively we have people who need to fax things who didn't know they could do that here. I think, especially regarding measurement of success, recognizing that the library can meet needs outside of storytime or pleasure reading is essential.
When I read this goal, I immediately thought of ways the library could accomplish this by weaving our services into other organizations and building more partners, being more mobile and maybe even surpassing some of our defined roles in the community. We are an essential service so I think we can accomplish getting very close to this goal if we focus on connecting with people through more creative avenues.
"Digital Life in 2025" issued by the Pew Research Center may be of interest when thinking about future services. This was based on 2558 experts and technology builders. Most of them believe that by 2025 there will be:
◾A global, immersive, invisible, ambient networked computing environment built through the continued proliferation of smart sensors, cameras, software, databases, and massive data centers in a world-spanning information fabric known as the Internet of Things.
◾“Augmented reality” enhancements to the real-world input that people perceive through the use of portable/wearable/implantable technologies.
◾Disruption of business models established in the 20th century (most notably impacting finance, entertainment, publishers of all sorts, and education).
All of these impact libraries. And keep in mind, we're projecting library services 10 years beyond this study. Here's the link:
http://www.pewinternet.org/2014/03/11/digital-life-in-2025/