Is Community Assessment a High Hurdle? Get Over It!

Abstract

Strategic planning can be a galvanizing experience for any library, and, for public libraries, it all starts with digging deep and understanding your community. Today’s fiscal uncertainties challenge library leadership to put reliable information to the best possible use—for services, collection development, outreach, facilities, technology, fundraising, marketing, advocacy, and more. The instructors draw on case studies from two libraries—one, a five-branch urban system headquartered in a modern iconic building and the other, a small library housed in a crowded, historic facility in a town one mile square—to demonstrate how the process (and key techniques) can be applied in a variety of circumstances. This on-demand webinar reviews who does what, how long it will take, and what you can (and cannot) omit along the way. Learn about the pros and cons of town meetings, focus groups, and surveys; how to engage community “influentials”; and the nuggets mined through peer benchmarking. New technologies—such as GIS lifestyle analysis—are reviewed as well as the role community assessments play in advocacy branding, and fundraising. Step-by-step—from jumpstarting Trustees to engaging “influentials” to reaching out to non-users to celebrating the plan’s implementation—the instructors use examples to illustrate the process. This archived webinar was originally presented August 14, 2013. Sold as an on-demand webinar until July 10, 2015. Running time: 1 hour, 10 minutes.