For several months New City Library Board Trustee Ed Kallen has been asking the trustees to agree to get proposals for an updated strategic plan. As chair of the Planning & Policy Committee, Kallen warned the board it should not simply change the date on the existing plan but have one created that develops the library’s future direction.
Kallen said the library is required by state law to certify every year it has a strategic plan. However, he pointed out all the New City Library Board has done is put the current date on the same plan for the past six years.
Kallen said the committee met on August 31 and agreed there were two options for developing a plan, basing it on either cost or need. He suggested finding out what other libraries pay for their plans to get an understanding of potential cost. If the plan is based on need, Kallen said it would have to look at what the library needs to get it back on track and give consideration to the “undercurrent of staff dissatisfaction,” “inability to function as a board,” and various administrative vacancies.
“I think our foundation as a library has been substantially shaken,” said Kallen.
He recommended hiring an independent professional to review the library from top to bottom.
Although Board President Joe Reiter said he did not want to spend any money on a strategic plan, the six trustees at Thursday’s meeting voted to solicit proposals for the next meeting in October. Kallen asked Interim Library Director Marianne Silver to get the proposals.
Other board action included the congratulating employee Veronica Reynolds for receiving the 2012 Forty Under 40 Award from the Rockland Economic Development Corporation. Silver said Reynolds, who joined the adult staff in 2009, designed and created the library’s website. Silver noted Reynolds convinced several staff members to become bloggers on the website and join various book groups.
Silver said she nominated Reynolds because she uses her skills to make the community a better place to work and live. Silver then presented Reynolds with a bouquet of flowers.
The board did skip one item on Thursday’s agenda. Gail Seidenfrau, the head of circulation services, was supposed to give a report on her department but was not asked to present during the meeting.
The website is a totally different entity. Through the efforts of Ms. Reynolds and other members of the staff, it is produced inhouse using an open-source, content management system (CMS) called Drupal that costs the library a nominal fee for hosting only. She has done us and the community a great service by exploiting this and other free, open-source software. Since the website is over three years old at this point, I can only assume you are not referring to it when you say "new." If you are having difficulty with using the catalog (or the website, for that matter), please feel free to call the Adult Reference Desk or stop by the library and we will gladly assist you. Thank you.
The best type of long-range planning involves identifying community stakeholders, the leaders of the various demographic groups within our service area, and inviting them to join in on a conversation discussing the role and the future of the library. Having a professional consultant lead the process and keep everyone on track ensures that the task will be completed thoroughly and efficiently. Of course, finding the right consultant is a task in itself! I am a Clarkstown resident, too, so I understand your concern. But please consider it this way: any publicly-funded agency that takes your tax dollar should have an intelligent, responsible, written plan on how to spend it. Otherwise, they are just flying by the seat of their pants.