What has your library been doing since 1982?

Can you (your board) look back over the past 28 years and say that a lot has changed or is your library pretty much the "same"? This question came up at the recent system board meeting for Washington County. 1982 is the year the library system was formed and system member agreements were signed.

Did your library have a plan and goals in 1982; does your library have a plan and goals in 2010?

Yes, Peters Township is a booming community with an excellent tax base for local library support and home to an award winning library--NOW. But 28 years ago the library existed in one room over the police station. Someone had vision. Someone had a plan. Someone had goals. It didn't happen overnight.

District Centers were put into place back in 1961. One of the roles of the district center has been member library development or improvement. In the past 11 1/2 years our district has experienced library automation, help from the Gates Foundation in the area of technology and technology training; professional board training by Duquesne University's Non-profit Leadership Institute; training for the library's Friends by members of PCBL (Pennsylvania Citizens for Better Libraries); several sessions on fundraising by a certified professional fundraiser with 30 years of experience; countless local and state sponsored sessions geared towards local library directors and support staff; regional opportunities for continuing education for both staff and boards; an infinite number of online resources and answers available literally at our fingertips... I guess the question is: has your library improved?

At your next board meeting take a look back at where your library was in 1982 and then think about all that has changed (planned & unplanned). What is your library's plan for the next 28 years? By now, there should be no "mystery" as to where your funding is coming from, the role of the library board or why it is so important to plan for the future.

Pennsylvania Libraries are in an organizational transition: regions have been put into place; Senator Peliggi wants a review of the funding & structure (Library Code) by November 30; pilot projects are in place around the state. Pennsylvania's Libraryland will see even more changes over the next 3-5 years.

Now is the time to look at where your library was, where it is and where it is going in the next 3-5 years.