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| Written by Asante Cain, 2014-2015 MLA President |
President's Update - April 9, 2015"In winter, I plot and plan. In spring, I move." - Henry Rollins This past winter has been a season of strategic planning for me. I participated in strategic planning at my home library this winter and for the Michigan Library Association in March. It is interesting see all the different ways strategic planning can be done. No matter how it's completed, it is great to get results that your organization can use as a focal point for guidance. It is reassuring in being able to refer back to a document to help navigate all the opportunities you have in front of you. A quality strategic plan gives organizational focus that can’t be duplicated. As part of the MLA Board orientation last July, we did some pre-work that helped inform the 2015 strategic plan process. For our actual planning in March we spent a very long day having discussions about what we thought the future of MLA should look like. We followed up at our next Board meeting with continued discussion. The plan is now in the hands of a smaller group of the Board to clarify a few things but we’ll present to members a new strategic plan soon. At the Grand Rapids Public Library my immediate role in our finished strategic plan is a supportive piece where I'm looking at information to help us understand more about the citizens of Grand Rapids. I've been using US Census tools like American Factfinder and the Community Survey for demographic information. Take a look at your local population of single parent households and level of educational achievement. You might be surprised what you find in comparison to who uses your library. Are all these populations using your distinct services and programs? I’ve also been using tools available through MeL databases, Business Decision and DemographicsNow, to attain psychographic information through the Mosaic and Landscape reports. Again interesting information that is worth your time to apply to your areas of service. During the last months there has been a lot plotting and planning. Now it's time to move! Make it an outstanding day! Asante |