Competency D
“Apply the fundamental principles of planning, management, marketing, and advocacy.”
Statement of Competency D
The success of a library highly depends on how well its administrators understand and apply the fundamental principles of management, planning, marketing, and advocacy. Below is a discussion of how these principles can be applied in a library organization setting.
Planning
In today’s world, library organizations operate in a complex, uncertain, and ever-changing environment. As a social organization, a library cannot afford to ignore increasing government regulations, community interests, and union activities. Additionally, a library, just like any other organization, can grow into a large and complex organization. All of these factors mean that a library has to apply the tenets of planning in order for it to serve its purpose effectively. Planning is said to be one the most important functions of management, and it is required at every level of an organization (Matthews, 2005). Without planning, all the activities of an organization become meaningless. Planning provides a guideline in which the objectives and goals of the organization are to be achieved. This is important in providing direction and purpose to a library, in addition to justifying its operations. Before the actual planning process occurs, it is important for a library organization to identify its problems and opportunities in respect to its current status and future possibilities (Velasquez, 2013). Since a library is a service organization, understanding the expectations and needs of its users is a necessary part of ensuring success. Identifying the library’s strengths and weaknesses in light of its current status is also important.
While there are many types of planning, strategic or long-term planning may be the most appropriate type for a library. In simple terms, strategic planning involves creating a strategic plan for an organization. A strategic plan is made up of an organization’s mission, vision, long-term and short-term targets, and the strategies that will be used to accomplish the vision’s objectives and goals (Matthews, 2005). Strategic planning should be a systematic and continuous process in which the individuals tasked with planning in an organization make decisions concerning its future, ensure that operational policies and procedures are developed, and determine standards for measuring success. Operational policies and procedures should be designed to control the activities and actions needed to achieve success. These actions may include the allocation of resources and specifying strategic goals that are in-line with the library’s vision (Nelson, 2008).
Setting standards for measuring success is an important feature of strategic planning; this is because it is a means of determining whether the library is making any progress toward achieving its targets. Although there are various methods of carrying out the process of strategic planning, one of the most crucial factors that must be observed in the process is focusing on the customer (i.e. library users). An organization that is customer-driven focuses on the both the unspoken and spoken needs and expectations of the customers (Velasquez, 2013). These user needs and preferences, as well as cost, timeliness, and performance standards, should all be part of the strategic plan. Focusing on users entails examining the products, services and process through the eyes of the users. The users should be the focus for planning, and their needs should drive the activities of the library. During strategic planning, it is important to differentiate between what the library’s users say they want and what the actually want. A library organization should do more than just ask its users what they need; this is because the users may not know what they actually want, or their actions may show that their needs differ from their actions.
Management
Adhering to key management principles plays a great role in the effective running of a library. Researchers and management experts acknowledge that proper management is required for the success of every aspect of human endeavor (Velasquez, 2013). Every organization, regardless of its nature, needs effective management in order for it to function smoothly. The continued existence and prosperity of any organization is rooted in generally accepted and well-tested management principles. The process of management is present in almost every organization due to its crucial role. Whenever people come together in order to achieve certain goals, there is always a need for management. This management ensures that the mission and goals of the organization are achieved.
The role of management is not given to everyone. But any individual who oversees or supervises the work of the work of other people in lower positions is said to be a manager (Velasquez, 2013). The main responsibility of managers is to ensure that the organization goals are achieved. Because of this, the success or failure of any organization is the responsibility of its management. Managers offer an essential resource by providing direction to the organization. Management can be defined as the act of getting things done through others (Matthews, 2005). It is the coordination of organizational resources through planning, controlling, and directing others in order to achieve set objectives. The level at which an employee is committed to the organization, his willingness to work extra hours or his readiness to accept responsibilities, depend more on the manager’s behavior towards the workers, rather than monetary rewards. Similarly, the extent to which the manager is able to involve and motivate his subordinates depends on how he perceives them.
Managing a library requires a set of skills. Technical, conceptual, and human skills are the main skills required in library management (Velasquez, 2013). Although these skills are completely independent, they complement each other in bringing about organizational harmony, efficiency, and productivity. Technical skills are generally acquired through education; other sources include training and experience. Some of the key technical skills that are needed in library organizations include abstracting and indexing, cataloging and classification, and information technology (IT). These skills are important in forming the foundation for a library organization’s success, and are important to the management of the library because a manager must have a good understanding of what his employees do in order to supervise them effectively. Employees tend to obey managers who are technically competent (i.e. those who know the technicalities of a job) (Velasquez, 2013). Human skills are also important: these include applying effective leadership and understanding motivation. An effective library manager is able to meet the needs of his staff, and most importantly, the needs of the users. Such a manager is a good communicator, values others, and listens to both users and employees, regardless of position or seniority. Human skills go hand in hand with effective public relations. In library management, public skills are the deliberate and planned efforts aimed at promoting the image of the library to the public.
Conceptual skills in management are the ability to understand the complexity of the entire organization, as well as to identify where one’s best fit is in an organization. This skill enables an individual to act according to the objectives of the entire organization, rather than on his or her own interests. The importance of conceptual skills increases as one moves up the leadership ladder. Interestingly, less technical skills are required as one moves from lower to a higher level; this trend allows efficiency and effectiveness. For example, an assistant librarian needs more technical skills because they often needed to handle the technical processes of the library, handle users directly, and train other support staff. A chief librarian does not need to handle technicalities; however, he or she needs to understand them in order to supervise others effectively.
Marketing
The success of a library also depends on appropriate marketing strategies. There are several ways to view marketing. A general definition for marketing is “the management process for identifying, anticipating, and satisfying customer requirements profitably” (Evans & Ward, 2007, p. 83). A more specific definition related to the field of library science states that marketing is “a process of exchange and a way to foster the partnership between the library and its community” (Evans & Ward, 2007, p. 83). Marketing within a library organization is the process of finding, attracting, and serving specific users in a way that promotes the library’s goals; it also involves gaining support from various stakeholders. Library marketing focuses on quality customer service, the involvement of the community, and developing strategies in anticipation of future changes. Marketing helps the library understand its strengths and weaknesses, identify the needs of specific users, and reach out to more users - all of these feats are achieved through providing useful services. A library can only remain relevant if it assesses the needs of its users and then reaches out to them with services that are designed to meet their actual needs. Given the financial difficulties and the increased competition they are facing, library organizations today can greatly benefit from marketing.
There are a number of techniques that a library can use to market itself. These include market research, market segmentation, marketing mix strategy, and evaluation. Market research involves the collection of information about library users, both through primary and secondary sources. Gathering this data is key to designing services and programs that users need. Market segmentation involves grouping users according to similarities; these may include age, location, tastes, etc. A marketing mix strategy is comprised of the product, place, price and promotion (also known as the four “P”s of marketing). The marketing mix strategy is developed after the collection of users’ information and segmentation; it attempts to satisfy the needs of specific users through the variation of the four Ps. A library organization can use various avenues for promotion, based on the age of those it wishes to reach. For example, it can reach young adults and teens through the internet and social media, and seniors through more conventional means such as television and newspapers. Evaluation occurs when the library assesses whether its marketing strategies are working and makes necessary tweaks or changes to make the strategies more successful.
Advocacy
Given recent economic difficulties, the reduction of budgets, and the increasing need for accountability in the allocation of funds, libraries require a means for fighting for resources. Advocacy refers to the actions or activities taken by library organizations needed to ensure adequate funding for their operations (Siess, 2003). These actions may include getting media coverage, lobbying, organizing rallies, among other activities. Libraries can also use advocacy to justify their existence and the need for their continued existence. Advocacy activities by library organizations are crucial to their future survival and success.
Evidence
Evidence 1: LIBR-204: Howard County Library Strategic Plan, 2013-2016.
This group paper was created for LIBR-204: Information Organizations and Management. I, along with three other classmates, created this strategic plan using the management, planning, and marketing techniques that we learned during our time in this course. The Howard County Library system, located in Maryland, was chosen because it was the place of employment of one of our group members, and we could ensure access to various documents (such as budget, circulation numbers, etc.) needed by the group. My role in the team was group leader, in which I had the responsibility of coordinating with all members to arrange for the best times for meetings, creating and maintaining a shared cloud folder that could accessed by all group members on Google Drive, editing the work of my group members, and assembling the individual parts worked on by each group member into one cohesive document for submission. I was also in charge of the historical background and environment scan sections of the planning document, in addition to brainstorming goals and strategies together with my group members.
This document was crucial in my understanding of the importance of a strategic plan; additionally, I gained first-hand experience of how to create such a plan for a real-world public library system. Our strategic plan document includes all aspects of such a plan, such as a historical overview of the library system, the mission and vision of the library, an environmental scan of the community in which the library is embedded, a thorough strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) assessment, and specific evaluations for these goals. This project helped me to better understand the nature of working together with colleagues in a team environment in the creation of such a document. As group leader, I faced many challenges including coordinating synchronous meetings between four individuals (all of whom lived in different areas and time-zones), delegating work between individuals to make the best use of their skills, and combining and editing our final document (made up of the work of four different people) into a uniform whole. Additionally, I was able to explore a public library organization setting in-depth, in addition to the unique way a strategic plan is created for such an organization. This experience is one that every future library professional must have, because a planning document ensures that the library organization as a whole is moving forward with its goals in order to meet its mission and vision. My experience with creating this strategic plan document, together with my group members, will aid me in my future career as a library professional to understand both the process and importance of creating such a document.
Evidence 2: LIBR 260A- Twelve Month Programming Plan
This document was created for LIBR 260A: Programming and Services for Children. The document is a detailed 12 month programming plan created for a public library, aimed toward children and young adults, aged 0-12 years old. Planning is an important part of a youth librarian’s duties, and such planning often must occur many months before the actual time of execution of programs and activities. Careful planning of appropriate services and programming is needed to meet and support the needs of the community, in addition to fulfilling the mission and vision of the library. This programming plan is the result of such preparation and it presents programs that have been crafted to meet the unique needs of children, young adults, and their families. The specific needs and challenges of particular communities will vary from place to place. Because of this, I specifically created this plan for the children’s department of my former library of employment, the Berkeley Public Library. An important source of information that I used for this planning document was the Association of Children’s Librarians of Northern California (ALC) 2013 Performer’s Showcase, in which local performers have the opportunity to perform their acts in front of a large group of librarians (who may book these performers for programs at their libraries). Attending this showcase allowed me to observe a variety of acts, and many of these performers were incorporated into this programming plan.
The plan itself is divided into monthly parts, with specific events, activities, and programs outlined and described in detail. Programs such as weekly storytimes, special holiday events, craft hours, movie nights, book discussion groups, and cultural events are just some of the types included in this plan. One of the important parts of planning is creating a budget so that the proper amount of funds can be allocated for programs and activities. Each different program I have included in this plan includes an estimate of costs, and the total budget necessary for the entire 12 month plan is included in its appendix. Marketing and publicity are also important parts of any programming plan because the library must make potential attendees aware of the programs to be held. My plan includes a discussion of the mix of traditional and current marketing techniques that will be used to promote the variety of programs outlined. This plan helped me to appreciate just how important planning is in a children’s department in a public library. While it was a lot of work to create, and required consultation with multiple sources of information, the programming plan has prepared me for the type of work that I will be expected to complete as a future professional in a public library.
Evidence 3: LIBR-266- Collection Development Policy Manual- Chapter 10: Marketing and Promoting the Collection
This collection development policy manual was created for LIBR-266: Collection Management. This manual was produced by myself and two other classmates throughout the course of the semester. The policy manual was created for a fictitious public library (Roald Dahl Public Library), with a specific focus on children’s, young adult, and teen services. My role in the group was team leader, and required much responsibility and delegation of tasks in the creation of our collection development policy manual. My tasks as group leader included: creation and maintenance of a group folder on Google Drive, setting deadlines for individual group member work, coordinating and leading synchronous group meetings via Skype, copy-editing each group member’s individual contributions, and collating and formatting our final policy manual into a cohesive document.
Much of the work of the individual chapters that make up the policy manual were produced collaboratively between the group, but some of the chapters were worked on by only one or two members of the group in order to divide up the work more equitably. Chapter 10 of the collection development policy manual specifically focuses on the marketing techniques to be used by the Roald Dahl Public Library (RDPL) in order to promote its collections. This particular chapter was researched and written by only myself. Included in this chapter is the marketing policy of the RDPL, a discussion of what marketing is, a description of each market segment of the children’s and young adult departments of the RDPL, and an in-depth overview of the specific promotion strategies to be used by these departments. These strategies include a variety of ways to reach library users and nonusers, both inside and outside of the library, and through traditional and newer, virtual means. This chapter helped me to better understand the role of a marketing plan and specific promotion strategies tailored to reach different market segments in a collection development policy manual. Additionally, I learned about many different marketing techniques and promotion strategies that I can employ in a future professional library position.
Evidence 4: Berkeley Public Library- Book and Material Displays
During my months of employment at the Berkeley Public Library, I was given the opportunity to try out first-hand some of the marketing techniques and promotion strategies that I researched in Evidence 3. Specifically, the branch manager of my library allowed me to create in-house displays of books and materials in order to promote these items of our collections. I created three different book displays for my branch library, each with different themes. For these displays I crafted display banners and signage, and decorated the shelves designated for library displays in a creative and eye-catching way.
The theme of my first display was “Read Local”. This display highlighted materials by authors, artists, and performers who have been affiliated or influenced by the San Francisco Bay Area (where my library is located). In addition to the banner I made from recycled paper materials, I already created a custom bookmark for this display concept, which I inserted into every material placed on display. I also created a printed document, called “Eat Local”, which specifically highlighted digital items available through our OverDrive website. I achieved this through a juxtaposition of pictures of the covers of cookbooks along with custom created QR codes that would link to the OverDrive page of that item owned by the library. In this way, I was able to utilize a newer technology with a traditional marketing strategy to connect library users with collection materials in a novel way.
The theme of my second display theme was “Blind Date with a Book”, which occurred in February and corresponded with Valentine’s Day. The contents of the display were individually gift-wrapped books, so their titles and contents remained a mystery to their borrowers. The display urged library users to “take a chance” with a book, in hopes of finding their next great read. For this display, I created an eye-catching banner and background for the wrapped books, and I creatively wrapped each book myself. Additionally, I created a custom sticker label that stated, “This book seeks _______ lovers”, which I filled in by hand with a brief description of the genre/topic of the wrapped and displayed book. I also pasted strips of paper with funny book “pick-up lines” on them such as, “I’ve got your (Dewey Decimal) number!” and “It’s a good thing you have a library card, because you’re totally checking me out!” This display was a lot of fun to make, and since it was so visually eye-catching, it was also very successful with library users.
My last display was in March, and the theme celebrated Women’s History Month. The purpose of the display was to highlight items in the collection that celebrated historic female figures. Materials included in the display were geared toward readers of all ages, and highlighted books from the adult, teen, and children collections from the library. While I had less time to dedicate to this display, I still incorporated bright colors in order to attach library users to it.
Each of the three displays I created for my branch library were a great way for me to execute first-hand a marketing and promotion technique that I learned about during the research and writing of Chapter 10 of my group’s collection development policy manual. I learned much about creating themes that would be interesting to members of my library’s community, displaying a variety of materials to highlight the library’s various collections, and crafting attention-grabbing displays. This is certainly a skill that I will continue to hone in my future professional career, and one that is important in piquing library users’ interest in materials from our carefully selected collections.
References
Evans, G. E., & Ward, P. L. (2007). Management basics for information professionals (2nd ed.).
New York, NY: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc.
Matthews, J. R. (2005). Strategic planning and management for library managers. Westport,
CT: Libraries Unlimited.
Nelson, S. S. (2008). Strategic planning for results. Chicago, IL: American Library Association.
Siess, J. A. (2003). The visible librarian: Asserting your value with marketing and advocacy.
Chicago, IL: American Library Association.
Velasquez, D. L. (2013). Library management 101: A practical guide. Chicago, IL: American
Library Association.
Evidence Files
Click to download the following files:
LIBR-204 Howard County Library Strategic Plan 2013-2016
LIBR-260A Twelve Month Programming Plan
LIBR-266 Roald Dahl Public Library Collection Development Police Manual