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"It is a desirable objective, as well as a State
requirement, to have a written plan which helps in deciding what is to
take place at our library over the next few years in order to be most
responsive to the needs of the community, consistent with our existing
and future capabilities to deliver. Developing a long-range plan
requires following a process wherein we examine the role of the library
and the needs of the community and then formulate how we are to satisfy
each."
Pioneer Library
System Workshop for Trustees, 2004
In keeping with Pioneer Library Standards, the Board of Trustees of the
Gorham Free Library has established a new committee to prepare a new
long-range plan or FIVE YEAR PLAN. This committee was
composed of the Director of the Library and three members of the
library's Board of Trustees. The committee has served to identify
priorities of service, determine additional or alternative needs, and
improve the management of the Library. An effort was made to keep in
mind the Mission Statement, which was formulated many years ago. This
simple statement is still a valid and useful yardstick in this process.
The Gorham Free Library is committed to serving as a lifelong
center for learning, information gathering, and leisure reading for
those of all ages in the community.
Library Service Roles
The Gorham Free Library has chosen to emphasize the following roles in
its service to the community:
I. Popular Materials Library
Realizing that the majority of users want to obtain
recent and popular materials, both print and non-print, the library's
main role will be to provide this service to the community. The Library
is a primary resource by which people keep themselves well-informed and
well-entertained in a world of ever-changing and seemingly endless
information. In such a fast paced world, the need for recreation and
leisure activities is as important as ever. The Popular Materials
Library can meet the need for life-long learning and quality leisure
time pursuits. Characteristics are:
- Includes recreational material in
collection
- Provides videos/DVDs and music
CDs in collection
- Uses merchandising techniques
- Serves all ages groups
II. Preschooler's
Door-to-Learning
Because the Library should be a center for life-long
learning, it is very important that a proper foundation be laid early
in life for this. The role of Preschooler's Door-to-Learning has been
chosen as one of this Library's main service roles because we believe
in the importance of establishing a love of learning and an
appreciation of language and literature. Statistics have shown that
early exposure to language and literature can make a significant impact
on a child's later academic success. Gorham Free Library places a high
priority on our children's programs. The staff expends time, money and
effort laying a foundation to affect a child's entire life in a
positive way. Characteristics are:
- Focuses services to meet the
needs of preschoolers
- Fosters reading readiness
- Provides interactive story hours
III. Reference Library
The Reference Library seeks to meet the information
needs of the community it serves. These needs are important and
immediate: from the preschooler looking to learn more about bugs, to
the farmer who needs information on lambing, to the retiree seeking
information on creating a Living Will. The scope of information and the
consumer's need for it are increasing rapidly, and to function well in
the world today, access to information is critical. The Reference
Library goes to great lengths to meet this need by providing current
reference materials, expertise in searching and evaluating these
materials, and access to the world of information beyond the Library's
doors. Characteristics are:
- Serves people of all ages
- Supports learning projects
- Cooperates with schools
- Provides materials in a variety
of formats
- Supports literacy training
- Supplements services provided by
educational institutions
- Provides instruction in Library
Usage
Goal I: Increase community
awareness of the Library's services, collections, programs and needs.
Objective 1: Publicity will be
increased.
Action Plan
- Assess the Public Relations
program
- Decide what to promote
- Target audiences
- Determine ways to promote
activities
- Publicize events in the Marcus
Whitman newsletter, the Daily Messenger, the Finger Lakes Times, and
the Pennysavers for Canandaigua, Geneva and PennYan
- Provide tours of the library
- Continued publicity at Memorial
Day parades
Objective 2: Increase
circulation and registrations.
Action Plan
- Participate in community
activities
- Develop unique ideas for
programming
- Create and promote a positive,
user-friendly, welcoming environment
- Make consistent use of Library
logo on all materials
Objective 3: Develop a method to
determine the community's needs.
Action Plan
- Get feedback from staff
concerning community's perception of library
- Create and disseminate a
Community Survey
- Evaluate survey results
- Publish an Annual Report to the
Community
Objective 4: Produce an
attractive, professional brochure to describe library services and
policies.
Action Plan
- Assess current literature
- Make a list of services and
programs
- Target audiences
- Determine use and distribution
- Create the brochure
- Update the brochure when changes
occur
Goal II: Create a "Friends
of the Gorham Free Library" group.
Objective 1: Research Friends
groups.
Action Plan
- Rety of Professional books to
gather information
- Determine the Library's needs and
Friends group's goals/activities/methods
- Create a list of posead through a
varisible Friends
Objective 2: Promote Friends
membership.
Action Plan
- Create a Public Relations plan
- Distribute welcome flyers to
patrons as they check out books
Objective 4: Establish
Friends/Trustees/Library Staff communication.
Action Plan
- Librarian and at least one
designated Trustee will attend initial Friends group organizational
meetings
- Librarian and designated Trustee
will aid Friends group with formation
- Librarian will make a list of
possible tasks, programs and projects to be accomplished by volunteers
- Friends will determine which of
the tasks they would like to accomplish
- Friends will send a delegate to
Trustee meetings
GOAL III: Improve
relationships with public school librarians, administrators, and
teachers to provide learning support services.
Objective 1: Provide Public
library awareness and interest at the schools.
Action Plan
- Librarian will maintain contact
with all school principals
- Librarian will attempt to speak
at faculty meetings at least once annually
- Librarian will attend applicable
events held at the schools and promote the library
- Librarian will attempt contact
with Parents Organization officers at the schools
- Librarian will disseminate
program flyers by getting copies to the schools
Objective 2: The library staff
will assist students with materials and services supplemental to the
school libraries.
Action Plan
- Written lists of specific
projects will be requested from the school librarians.
- Field trips from the schools will
be encouraged
Objective 3: Provide a separate
Young Adult section within the library.
Action Plan
- Move Young Adult (YA) materials
into the current Juvenile Non-Fiction area
- Conduct YA programs
Goal IV: Create a separate
Children's Room.
Objective 1: Assess need for
Children's Room
Action Plan
- Gather information from families
who use the current Children's area
- Discuss with Trustees
- Propose alternative to current
area
- Trustees vote to make decision
Objective 2: Create plan for
proposed decision
Action Plan
- Identify purchasing needs for plan
- Determine staffing needs for plan
- Research possible grants and
write grant
- Determine other means of funding
- Make plan to move Juvenile
materials
Goal V: Increase alternate
sources of funding.
Objective 1: Increase individual
donations
Action Plan
- Provide information about
memorial gifts, Adopt-a-Book, Birthday books, and donations for annual
Book/Bake Sale
- Promote membership in Friends
group
- Publish annual donation list
Objective 2: Increase business
donations
Action Plan
- Identify local businesses
- Solicit contributions
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