Themed Programming

We’ve been working on our new Strategic Plan for several months. We have a new mission, vision, 20 year goal and values.  Recall the opportunity we each had in the process of developing these.

We’ve been working with OrangeBoy who is helping us with how to measure where we are and in developing our own plans for things to try in order to reach our 20 year goal. Our ability to achieve this audacious goal relies on three key understandings:

• community members choose to use at least one library service
• community members choose Metro over other options, including doing nothing
• Metro is successfully able to measure the outcomes of our members choices

OrangeBoy’s Savannah is a suite of tools available online that allow Metro to measure and analyze member behavior, gather member feedback, and communicate with target member groups. This dashboard includes graphs and charts updated frequently that we will use to gauge our progress toward specific metrics.  Take a moment to reflect on what you've heard about these metrics.

Last week Metro finalized the choice of the 2 metrics for which we have data and will focus on: Market Penetration and Member Retention, I remember this as M&M.

1. Market Penetration - A calculation of the Library’s reach throughout the community. Measured by household rather than individual in order to account for families. This calculation provides the estimated percentage of households in the Library’s service area that have at least one active library card.
2. Member Retention - A ratio that presents the net gain, or loss, of members for the quarter. It looks at the number of new cardholders added during this time compared to the number of cardholders that went inactive.

All of this information about our Strategic Plan and metrics is foundational to understand that our choices of what we do will be driven to achieve our long-range goal and the specific metrics (M&M) will be used as our gauge to assess our progress. Much like the gauges in a vehicle dashboard that help us understand the condition of our vehicle (the mpg, the level of fuel, oil, etc.), our metrics will help us understand our ‘vehicle’. Additionally, much like we use a navigational aid such as a GPS with the ‘you are here’ little dot that shows the dot moving toward or away from your destination, we will use the Savannah dashboard in that kind of way. Again, we will use the dashboard along with our business plans to help us know which direction we are moving and which direction we want to move to reach our desired outcome.

We hope this information piques your curiosity because we do have an audacious goal in which ‘all hands on deck’ or ‘many hands make light work’ clichés will ring true. Consider ways this information piques your curiosity about how you will contribute to increasing our Market Retention & Member Retention (M&M) and moving us closer to our 20 year goal. Think of your own contribution to affecting these changes.

One of our first ideas has been in discussion for several months and I think that there is a gap in understanding its intent. Specifically, the new themed programming approach. First, let me say that the intent behind this idea is only to help us test a theory for ‘moving the needle’. It has no overt or underlying intent to squash anyone’s role or creativity. The explanations shared with Library Managers and at the YA Service meeting recently created some excellent discussions. Those discussions combined with the Leadership Team’s clearer understanding of the two metrics (M&M) have led us to the point of pausing to re-evaluate aspects of the idea.

The idea of a themed approach to programming is thought to be a way for us to assess members’ choices with programming. By having a focus we hope to be able to identify a bit more information on members’ choices to affect our future offerings to in turn increase usage (market penetration and member retention). Think of this like troubleshooting where you have a few variables you can change and then you are able to isolate the components that seemed to make the most difference in affecting the metrics.

By refining our development process for system-wide programming we can leverage our strengths with collaborative planning and implementing of programs. In so doing we may also streamline our process that results in carving out staff time that is then available for engaging with the community both inside and out of the physical library building plus our other services.

Consider the ways that a collaborative approach to work (such as planning a program) is similar to a group activity that happens when an orchestra plays a musical score, a choir sings a song or a basketball team plays a game.

The individual is crucial to the group’s success.

Metro envisions with collaborative work our themed system-wide & local programs will help identify which factors help us influence member choices so that they use the library as the community’s hub for critical thinking, creative problem-solving and lifelong enrichment. Those are our vision. Additionally, as we practice and learn more about ways to implement this idea we will make adjustments. It is an idea or theory that we’re going to test. To get this idea started here are a few definitions that the Program Mapping Committee wrestled with to help guide us with our first steps in learning:

• Program Definition: any library facilitated learning event designed to fulfill the System’s strategic initiatives and spark, build, and hold member engagement.  (Spark, build and hold are part of our model for building stronger member relationships that grow market penetration and member retention.)
• For the purpose of the themes and dimensions:
  • Try to keep events such as the following on the theme: facilitated learning events such as storytimes, clubs, classes, seminars, workshops
  • The following may or may not be on the theme: self-directed activities such as displays, exhibits; library off-site visits, onsite visits, tours; community partner planned events such as tax preparation, health screenings, ESL and GED classes; library volunteer services, such as homework help, Children Reading to Dogs, Teen Service Team

Previously we discussed having a ratio of system to local programs but that is not the focus, let it go. We also talked about a deadline for all the programs to be on the theme. That’s not the focus, let it go. The idea here is to move toward a themed approach, with collaboratively designed system-wide programs then observe our gauges, the dashboard, and assess the components of our efforts that impact their positive movements. Then you, your team and the System will step back to get feedback, review, adjust and then move forward with the next set of ideas.

One particular metaphor came to mind as I pondered various comments I’ve heard about a themed programming approach.

Bedrich Smetana’s symphonic poem entitled Die Moldau is about a river running from the mountaintop down through Prague and eventually to the sea. This music of the river is a metaphoric truth – “the truth that our lives resemble a melody.” Listen as Smetana creates his story musically: the Moldau begins as two little springs in the mountain, bubbling and trickling, join together to create a living, moving, growing river. Soon the bubbling develops a voice – a beginning melody, not totally defined, that winds its way down the mountain. Every time the river goes by a city or village, the music and activities of the city hide the melody of the river; then as it gets beyond the activities, the bubble begins again and the melodic song returns. As the river continues on, the rocks in the river create an area of rapids and the melody’s place is taken over by tension and rolling timpani and clashing cymbals. Of course, it’s exciting, and has its own kind of beauty, but it’s not the melody. As the rapids dissipate, the rolling bubble is heard again and its melody erupts in a joyous song. Finally the river gets quieter and quieter, more and more at peace as it approaches the end of its journey – to meet and join with the sea. As the sea rolls in and the river rolls out they meet and the river is united with the whole body of water in a great and satisfying clash of cymbals.

That’s the way it is with life and with us. We, too, have a voice – a special melody that is our own. But sometimes a loved one, or a job, a crisis or a national calamity comes along and our voice gets hidden in the circumstance – and we’re left with just a nagging sense that something is missing. My mother expressed what was missing for her when she talked about remarrying after my father’s death. Her new husband asked her, “Why do you love me?” and she said, “Oh, that’s easy; because you listen to me.” It is such a deep need within us to be heard and yet sometimes the very voice with which we speak isn’t even our own voice – it is the voice of all the people and responsibilities and circumstances around us.

In this river of life, your mission is to uncover your song (not discover it, because it’s been there all along) and once you uncover it, sing it for all you’re worth. When the river of life joins with the sea of eternity – the sea will not be complete without my melody or without yours. – Donna M. Brown 

What relevance does this metaphor have to this topic? Remember I said as I pondered the feedback I heard about the themed programming, one thing kept being stated “I don’t see the creativity that I have, where is it?” Understanding what you were telling me took me a while but what I finally think that I heard being said is “I don’t see my voice here. I don’t see my melody here. How can I participate, how can I contribute, how can I share my melody. I want to be a part of this song, I want to be part of this orchestra that plays this beautiful music.” 

Your melody and my melody are wanted on this journey toward Metro’s vision “to be the community’s hub for critical thinking, creative problem solving, and lifelong enrichment.”

Recently I read a couple of books by Brene Brown that have some thoughts I find fascinating that I’d like to share:

“curiosity is correlated with creativity, intelligence, improved learning and memory, and problem solving.”

“The Asaro tribe of Indonesia and Papua New Guinea has a beautiful saying: “Knowledge is only a rumor until it lives in the muscle.”

“A study published in the October 22, 2014, issue of the journal Neuron suggests that the brain’s chemistry changes when we become curious, helping us better learn and retain information. But curiosity is uncomfortable because it involves uncertainty and vulnerability.”

Be curious!  Think of the ways you will contribute to this fascinating time in Metro’s history of increasing our market penetration and member retention.

Resources:

1. Strategic Outline and Principles (SOaP) – printable copy of our new mission, vision, 20-year goal and values. Intranet link to the SOaP page
2. The following individuals helped identify themes for FY 17 programs by participating in a brainstorming session facilitated by Jim Freidemann: Mary Robinson, Vanessa Davis, Meghan Attalla, Angela Hill, Ashley Welke, Emily Williams, Kristin Williamson, LaVetta Dent, Rachel Kopchik, Randy Wayland, Melody Kellogg, Julie Ballou, Chris Kennedy, Kim Terry, Heather Zeoli, Kay Bauman. The dimensions also came from the brainstorming session.
3. The Program Mapping Committee members: Jana Hausburg, David Newyear, Risa Sargent, Angel Suhrstedt, Chris Kennedy, Rachel Kopchick. They used the following tools to assist in developing definitions for the themed programming and suggesting some next steps:
   • Programming mapping content from each library location
   • Themes and Dimensions from the brainstorming session
   • Boston Public Library: Youth Services Program Report (2013)
4. FY 2017 Themes and Dimensions is a document that LaVetta Dent, Emily Williams, Kristin Williamson put together with the information from the brainstorming session and the suggestions from the Program Mapping Committee that will help guide us with our first steps in learning as we move toward a themed programming approach. Keep in mind that the specific language of the themes and dimensions may be further refined. We want and hope that you will see that this is where we’re headed and we want to have a dialogue with you.
5. A view of the Savannah dashboard