free library of philadelphia STRATEGIC PLAN 2012 2017
Building on the Past, Changing for the Future The Free Library has been a haven and a launching pad for the people of Philadelphia from school-age children to senior citizens for more than 100 years. It exists to serve the entire population of the region. We intend to continue to serve the city and foster a community of lifelong learners for the next 100 years. Serving the public over the next decade and the next century means building on our past on our strengths and tremendous resources including staff, facilities, and reputation. But it does not mean standing still. We will need to build new capabilities and resources to continue to provide world-class service. We need to plan and act strategically with a clear view of what the future will demand of the Library. Despite the massive changes from light bulbs to space travel that transformed the lives of citizens from our founding to the dawn of the 21st century, the work of libraries changed little. The same cannot be said today. The work of libraries has changed more in the last decade than it did in the prior 100 years. And that work will likely change more in the next decade than it did in the prior one. If the Free Library is to be the same the same institution that the citizens of Philadelphia can trust to inspire their curiosity and guide their learning it has to change. Recognizing the need for change is the easy part. Figuring out how to change, how fast to change, and how to remain the same through those changes is the hard part, especially given the vast uncertainties over what the decade ahead holds. Our new strategic plan, created with those uncertainties in mind, gives us the clarity and focus we need to achieve our vision and continue to be a core driver of the life of our city. Planning for A Volatile Decade The future always holds surprises, but these days it seems even more difficult to predict how the world will change over the next few years. Forecasts about what the next decade holds economically, technologically, and politically are wildly divergent. Uncertainties seem to be multiplying. The unstable global economy and the pace of innovation in information technology make for formidable planning challenges. A rapid rebound in the economy driven by innovation will increase the rate at which the Library has to adapt its array of services. A rapid rebound is far from certain however. Some economists are predicting an extended stagnation that would put increased demands on the Library to meet more basic needs, such as providing public learning spaces, access to the internet, and assistance with job searches. These economic scenarios will affect the technological landscape, particularly what parts of the community have easy access to technology advances. We can envision a long era of divergence between wealthier residents of the city and other patrons of the Library such as those with disabilities, new Americans, and job seekers. A prolonged and deep divide will have a major effect on the services that the public needs from the Library and on the funding model necessary to provide those services. To be prepared for whatever the future holds, the Library and the community must have a clear sense of our constant mission. And we must continue to build on our existing resources, assets, and capabilities so we can meet the needs of the public no matter how the economy and technological environment evolve. A New MISSION and Vision To achieve the clarity we need to succeed, we have recrafted our mission and vision statements. Mission The Free Library of Philadelphia advances literacy, guides learning, and inspires curiosity. Vision Building an enlightened community devoted to lifelong learning. While the statements are new, the commitment to the needs of the community remains the same. The Free Library will continue to be, as it has always been, a place for the people of Philadelphia to gain literacy in all its forms (functional, technological, career, financial, cultural, and civic), to receive guidance as they learn, and to be inspired to pursue continuous learning. 2 FREE LIBRARY OF THE 21ST CENTURY STRATEGIC PLAN 2012 2017 FREE LIBRARY OF THE 21ST CENTURY STRATEGIC PLAN 2012 2017 3
Getting There from Here The unpredictable environment we face over the next decade will require an unprecedented level of flexibility that will allow us to change our services and how we provide them. We must be willing to break with the past where necessary and be bold in identifying new directions, while holding on to our core commitments. A number of key success factors have been identified that will be essential to allow us to change quickly and adapt to serving the community s needs in the most effective ways: Operational efficiency The first step toward greater flexibility is increasing our operational efficiency. We will review our organizational structure so that staff can be most effective and equipped to meet the challenges ahead. To adapt quickly, we have to execute quickly. That in turn, requires removing barriers that limit and impede communication or hamper staff from achieving their goals. Marketing We no longer live in a world where people turn first or ever to a Library for help. We cannot serve the community if the community does not know and understand our value. We have to ensure that the public is aware of what we have to offer be it our existing excellent resources or new services that we develop. Programming Many of the programs and resources that have been outstanding features of the Library will continue to be highly relevant over the next decade programs built around literacy, jobseeking, and entrepreneurship, for instance. But we will also have to aggressively develop new programming relevant to the shifting needs of the city and ensure that our resources are appropriately deployed. Virtual presence An increased virtual presence and ability to deliver programming and services digitally is also vital to being known and perceived as the vibrant cultural and educational institution we are, both in Philadelphia and around the world. Improving our website, intranet, and electronic resources to make them more robust and accessible will not only serve our users better but will also improve our operational efficiency and flexibility. Facilities There will always be a need for physical spaces, but the configuration and design of those physical spaces has to be adapted to the changing needs of the neighborhoods we serve. We must be willing to rethink all our facilities, from Parkway Central to the branches to mobile locations, so that they are appropriate to the programming they deliver and the needs of the audiences we serve. Using our existing spaces in new ways, while also identifying unmet areas of need, will allow us to meet many of our goals. Taking Action An understanding of our mission and the capabilities we need to achieve it are an important beginning. But we must take action as well. The number of activities we could pursue on this path are innumerable. Success requires that we be specific and focused about our priorities and what we will and won t do in our drive toward the future. We believe the path ahead requires the following steps: Aspire to be a world-class institution No organization achieves a higher level of performance and excellence than that to which it aspires. The city of Philadelphia deserves a world-class public library, an institution that is a vital part of the community and that enriches its life through learning and literacy. If we do not aim to be world-class in all that we do, we will not be. This aspiration extends from our programming to our staff to our leadership to our operations. Strive for increased private support to supplement public funding The uncertainty of the economic future extends especially to public financing. The public funds the Library receives have been steadily dwindling. Reliance on these funds has left branches with serious physical needs unaddressed, insufficient staffing levels, and collections that do not meet the needs of our constituents. Executing on our ambitious plans to serve Philadelphia s needs in new, innovative, and exciting ways requires that we lessen our dependence on these uncertain and insufficient public funds. True flexibility to respond to a changing environment in world-class ways requires increasing private support significantly. Ask customers to pay for some premium services An economic environment where public funding is increasingly uncertain requires that we think creatively about how to deliver services to the community. While no one should be shut out of Library programs because they cannot afford them, charges for some premium services may allow greater flexibility to deliver some services at a scale and frequency to have a greater impact. In addition, even nominal service fees can perform a vital function by enhancing the perceived value of a service or program, thus encouraging greater use. The addition of premium services will help to raise revenues, increase service offerings, and potentially draw new audiences to the Library. Talent Our staff will have to be masters of new technologies, new services, and new programming. That is the only way we will have the knowledge necessary to serve the public and the only way we will be able to adapt rapidly. But achieving mastery requires specialization. In addition, specialized talent will improve the quality of the services delivered to our community, and can improve efficiency and productivity. 4 FREE LIBRARY OF THE 21ST CENTURY STRATEGIC PLAN 2012 2017 FREE LIBRARY OF THE 21ST CENTURY STRATEGIC PLAN 2012 2017 5
Reach a balanced physical and virtual presence The most heavily visited Library location is now freelibrary.org. Due to the internet and social networking sites, our public has become accustomed to the availability of an infinite amount of information and instantaneous response times. Our physical locations cannot easily compete with impact of instantaneous service delivery. On the other hand, we cannot underestimate the value of our physical presence within neighborhoods. The demand for local library service has been pervasive and unrelenting. For Philadelphia, there will always be a need for public libraries serving as community anchors. Yet many of our branches are worn and some perilously close to being unusable for safety and comfort reasons. Parkway Central also fulfills a neighborhood role in addition to a larger civic, scholarly, and administrative function. It too demands attention, and we are committed to returning much of the 65 percent of the building now reserved for internal purposes to public use. While upgrading our facilities, we must recognize the new demands and opportunities that electronic resources and e-services place on our spaces. Looking forward, we will continue to enhance our virtual presence while also ensuring that our physical locations are able to deliver their full value. Make new technology available that will include the most cutting edge tools Full and active literacy in our society will be achieved through various means, but technology will be one of the primary pathways. A quick return to broad-based economic growth will accelerate the pace of technology change and increase the percentage of the public that has access to cutting edge tools and expects the Library to keep pace. On the other hand, a slower recovery or unbalanced growth will deepen the digital divide and increase the number of community members who look to the Library for access to the latest technology and for training on how to use it. No matter what scenario emerges the Library needs to stay ahead of the technological curve so we can preserve our relevance and serve people at all levels of sophistication. Organize labor around specialized areas The demands for flexibility and the aspiration to excellence require a new way of deploying our people. Many of the priorities identified will require dedicated staff who can develop expertise in specific areas, be they operational, programming, technology, or audience-based. A more specialized workforce will improve our chances of success, take better advantage of staff interests and existing skills, increase accountability, and improve the pace at which we can meet emerging needs. Adopt an aggressive entrepreneurial mindset that will encourage experiments and pilot programs The uncertain environment we face requires us to become more entrepreneurial. That means we must encourage experiments and pilots and view failures as opportunities to learn and improve rather than defeats. We simply cannot know what programs, approaches, and resources will work best no matter how much planning or study we undertake. The way forward will be marked by trial and error, rapid learning, and rapid adjustment. That will require that all staff at every level in the Library begin to think like entrepreneurs. Pursue community engagement by actively initiating partnerships In meeting our new mission, our success will be greatly enhanced by partnering with other organizations dedicated to a shared vision of making Philadelphia as vibrant and as educated a city as it can be. Collaborating with other organizations working to address the cultural, educational, and literacy needs of greater Philadelphia will allow us to dramatically accelerate and enhance our impact, especially among target populations. We should not wait for these new partners and opportunities to come to us. We should use our entrepreneurial spirit to identify collaboration opportunities and initiate partnerships to take advantage of those opportunities. Focus on five target populations While committed to serving all, in order to do the most good we must prioritize which segments of the population we can best serve and which have the greatest need for our programs and resources. We cannot, as the phrase goes, be all things to all people. With this in mind, we will focus on five groups that are heavily represented in our region, have clear needs for the Library, and who we have expertise in serving. The five groups are job seekers, entrepreneurs, new Americans, children under five, and people with disabilities. We will build on our current strengths and enhance the services that we provide to these target populations with additional programming and dedicated staff. But this focus will achieve little if we do not aggressively pursue and attract these audiences. Through innovative marketing and partnerships we will exert our best efforts to drive awareness of the Library in these five target populations to ensure that they take full advantage of the world-class services we will be able to offer them. The Free Library of Philadelphia is well-positioned to move in these new directions and increase its impact throughout greater Philadelphia. Two committed Boards will provide oversight, and a dedicated staff will endeavor to meet the specific goals that the plan outlines. It is an exciting time for the institution, and we are committed to taking full advantage of all of the opportunities that this plan presents. 6 FREE LIBRARY OF THE 21ST CENTURY STRATEGIC PLAN 2012 2017 FREE LIBRARY OF THE 21ST CENTURY STRATEGIC PLAN 2012 2017 7
1901 VINE STREET, PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA 19103 freelibrary.org