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Long Range Plan
MISSION
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NEEDS
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> SEEKONK PUBLIC LIBRARY SURVEY
MISSION
The Mission of the Seekonk Public Library is to serve the information needs of the people of Seekonk in an environment that provides a cultural and civic center for the community.
Every year the Board of Library Trustees reviews their Strategic Plan that sets the course for library services. It is the management team’s responsibility to translate these goals into the Long Range Plan and Action Plan. The management team includes the Director, Associate Director, Sr. Librarians and Customer Associate Supervisor. One objective of the Action Plan for FY2004 was to survey the town residents to determine their library needs. The results of this study are the foundation of the Seekonk Library’s Long Range Plan . The survey results serve as a guide to the development and realignment of services, programs, budget priorities and staffing competencies.
The Seekonk Public Library serves primarily the Town of Seekonk. Seekonk is a suburban community with an estimated population of 13,425 in 2000, up from 13,304 in 1995. It is close to Providence, Rhode Island, and is part of the Providence Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population of the Town is growing very slowly, and that slow growth is expected to continue for the foreseeable future, as much of the prime land has been developed. It is a homogeneous community, with 97% of the population Caucasian, 1% Asian, 0.5% Black, 0.7% Hispanic, 0.2% American Indian, and 0.5% Other. The population has been aging, with the median age increasing from 29.6 years in 1970 to 39.7 years in 2000. During this same period, the number of pre-school and school-age children fell from 38.1% of the population to 25.3%, the number of seniors 65 years and older rose from 8.2% of the population to 13.5%, while adult population increased from 53.6% to 61.2% of the population.
In 2000, nearly 83% of the adult population graduated from high school, compared to the Massachusetts average of 85%. In Bristol County however, only 65% attained high school graduation and almost 16% for college. Nearly 26% had completed four years or more of college compared to the state average of 33%. In 2000, 90% of Seekonk High School graduates went on to college, compared to the state average of 75%.
The Town has a median household income of $56,364 in 1999, about 12% higher than the Massachusetts state average. The per capita income, at $24,058 was slightly lower than the state average of $25,952.
The Seekonk Public Library was established in 1899. The Library is a member of the Southeast Area Integrated Library System (SAILS), a consortium of over 50 libraries in southeast Massachusetts that have combined their collections to allow customers direct access to the combined catalogs. The present library building was opened in 1981. Usage of the library has nearly quadrupled since then. Seekonk residents make heavy use of their library, with a circulation of 264,018 reported for FY2004. The fiscal 2004 budget of 614,053 represents a cut of 1.1%. The FY2005 budget of $562,855 was an 8.3% cut. The Board of Library Trustees applied for and were granted a waiver of the Municipal Appropriation Requirement. The FY2006 budget is $636,301 and it meets the certification requirements for the MAR.
The 2003 HAPLR Index ranked the Seekonk Public Library 33rd in the country for our size library. The 2004 HAPLR ranked the Seekonk Public Library 48th in the country for our size. This library has one of the highest circulations per hour open and per FTE in Massachusetts. The Seekonk Public Library provides materials in many formats, books, videos, DVD’s, CD’s, CD-ROMs, talking books, large print books and the new e-books. This means that a materials budget that meets the minimum standard required by the state is a necessity. Our goal is to exceed the minimum budget in order to provide a diversity of titles.
The library is approaching a circulation of 300,000 items. It is suggested that you need 1 staff person for every 100,000 circulations. At this time two people are scheduled to work at the Customer Services desk at all times. Additionally, more holds are being placed through remote access requiring more time to pull materials from the shelves and to check-in and route materials. More staff is needed to reshelve materials. An increase in staff is required in the near future to handle this increased use until a new system, such as an RFID and materials handling system is obtained. Self check-in for children’s materials would be a priority.
Unfortunately, there are not enough shelves throughout the library to hold all of the materials we own now. This problem will continue to worsen and the long term solution is the expansion of the library. In May 2005 however, the Town of Seekonk returned to the state over $3,000,000 of grant money for the expansion and renovation of the library. Changes in the reimbursement rate on the school building projects reduced the town’s ability to handle increased debt which would raise property taxes more. At this time, there is no town capital plan addressing the expansion of the library in the future.
Youth services provide a variety of programs for children and teens to promote literacy. Children are formally introduced to the Library through its Library Lapsit, Toddler and Preschool Storytimes. Research has documented that the acquisition of literacy is a social process which begins at birth and continues through the early childhood years. By listening to stories, viewing illustrations, and participating in enjoyable group activities, young children develop the pre-reading and thinking skills which will help them to become lifelong readers and learners.
In the past, library programs and activities were not provided for teens. The library still does not have sufficient staff and budget to address their specific needs. The plans for a new library include a room just for teens that would contain print and non-print materials and computers for their use. Library patrons will benefit by this because the activities that teens are involved in require a separate space from the regular library user.
The Seekonk Public Library Reference Department provides assistance in locating information needed for customers of all ages with a special emphasis on information literacy. A computer lab was set up in FY01 to offer hands-on training in basic computer skills and information retrieval such as Internet classes. These classes are most popular amongst the 55 – 64 and 65 or older group. The ever-changing electronic resources require Reference staff to receive training continually.
Adult programming supporting the humanities is sponsored to meet our goal to be a cultural and civic center for the community. Each year the library had hosted a summer concert series exposing families to various musical styles. Staff cuts have eliminated this programming for FY2005 but intends to restore programming at the end of FY06 and early FY07 . Other adult cultural and "how-to" programs have been offered. Book discussions exploring a variety of literary themes have become popular and we hope will be restored in the coming years.
NEEDS
The Seekonk Public Library conducted a library survey in spring 2003. It was decided the survey would be most effective if it were done town wide so it would include users and nonusers. We called on a marketing analyst and asked for critique on our draft survey and in turn we were given advice on types of questions we should include to get a better picture of the demographics of our respondents. A list of 4,728 addresses was obtained from the town clerk of Seekonk and a survey was mailed to each. A copy of the survey with raw results is attached as Appendix 1.
The survey sought to get a picture of our strengths and weaknesses, how the library is being used, awareness of the services available to residents, and for those who use the library, their satisfaction level.
Returns of the survey began arriving the day following the mailing. A 23% return rate was the final tally with 1102 surveys received. One factor leading to the high return rate was an incentive we included in the mailing. A book bag was to be given to the first 50 respondents. The staff compiled the results using Microsoft Excel so that answers could be tallied and sorted easily.
Demographic questions were included to get a profile of those who filled out the survey. 75% of the respondents were women. We compared the ages of the respondents to those reported in the 2000 Federal Census for Seekonk. The percentages closely coincide. The majority of those who answered were in the 35 – 44 year range with 25% followed by the 45 – 54 year old group with 23%. The question pertaining to educational attainment showed the majority of respondents graduated from college representing 29%, followed by some college education with 19% and those who completed graduate school with 19%. 39% were employed full time followed by those retired at 19%. The respondents were primarily married at a 72% level.
Examining how the library is being used it was found that overall the top 5 responses were a mix. Books, videos and magazines are the most often borrowed items according to the results. This continues to be our core function. Of the services offered, the use of adult reference and children’s programs were rated the highest.
Variations can be seen in the use of the library with relationship to age groups. The 12 – 17 and 18 – 24 year old groups appear to use the library to supplement their school needs. Overall they are at the library for books, videos, computers and accessing the reference collection.
The use of Children’s services including programs and reference is the strongest in the 25 – 34 and 35 – 44 year old groups. This makes sense because these are the age ranges of people who would have young children. We need to meet theirs and their children’s needs in order to capture future library patrons. Those respondents in this age range do use adult services to a high degree, but the emphasis is on their children.
A shift back to adult services is seen with the 45 and older respondents. Their children have grown and now they have more time to focus on their own needs. The top four uses of the library in these age ranges were the same: Read or Check Out Books; Check Out Videos; Use Adult Reference; Read or Check out Magazines.
When looking at who answered with Never Use the Library the highest percentage appears in the 65 or older group. One reason could be lack of transportation to the library. The library will study this need . The library might consider looking at a possible volunteer program or mail service to bring books and other materials to the homebound to help rectify this problem.
Books and videos rank highest across all age groups. The highest percentage of video users are in the 35 – 44 year range with 64% followed by 25 – 34 year olds with 30%. DVD’s are higher amongst 25 – 34 year olds with 30% and next with 35 – 44 year olds at 28%.
The survey showed that music CD’s are most popular with the 35 – 44 and 45 – 54 year old groups and least popular amongst the 18 – 24 year olds. This information helps define our collection development priorities, particularly with a reduced budget.
Programming for children and adults has become an important service over the last several years. Attendance has been steadily increasing as we bring informative and cultural programs to our patrons. Still as we looked at the results we found that 52% have not attended a program in the past year. Across all age groups non-participation ranked highest. The 18 – 24 year old group did not participate in any programs.
Adult programs ranked higher with those 45 and older. These age groups also ranked adult programming highest in programs they would like to have more of.
We see the emphasis in children’s programs and summer reading with the 25 – 34 and 35 – 44 year olds. Just as noted in the use of the library, the main focus of these groups is meeting their children’s needs. They would also like to see more children’s programming.
Computer workshops are most popular amongst the 55 – 64 and 65 or older groups. These workshops were rated second in the 45 and older groups as the type of programming they would like to have more of. The library offered an array of computer classes on a monthly basis. The majority of those taking part were seniors. Seekonk Public Library was the first to offer information literacy instruction to its patrons. Senior citizens have taken the classes to keep up with changes in our society. Since most are retired they do not have the opportunity to get on-the-job training. They take the initiative and attend the classes offered thereby using the library as a resource for lifelong learning.
Due to staff reduction the library was forced to discontinue computer classes for FY05. Many inquires were made by patrons as to when the classes would resume. A grant has been obtained from the Bristol County Commissioner for $18,250 to help fund computer classes for FY06. Staffing levels in the Reference Department have increased for this year making it possible to continue offering computer classes.
Participation in teen programs was low due to the fact that not many have been offered in the past. The audience for this type of programming, 12 – 17 year olds, ranked teen programming number one of the programs they would like to see more of. The age groups of the parents with teens, 35 – 44 and 45 – 54 expressed a need to see more teen programming also. The youth services librarians are addressing this issue by planning more programs for teens in the coming year.
There were several comments made in the open-ended question that stated people were unaware of the programs being offered. As we look at develop a new action plan, we will be targeting new approaches to advertising programs in the future.
The satisfaction level of the programs and services provided by the library ranks high. The majority of respondents rated this category as very satisfied.
Overall the survey showed the community supports and appreciates the services provided by the library. When asked how likely the respondent would be to use the library again in the future 81% said they definitely would. Also when asked how important the library services are 40% thought they were very important and 28% answered important. However, as we analyzed the data and linked overall satisfaction with how important the library was to people, we found that roughly 28% of those who indicated that they were very satisfied thought that the library was somewhat important and about 10% of the very satisfied thought the library was less important. Among the somewhat satisfied, only 30% thought that the library was important.
As part of the survey we wanted to know what types of assistance people sought from our staff most frequently and what their level of satisfaction was with the service provided. Locating materials was requested most often at 49%. This is a point we will need to address in order to find ways to help patrons become more comfortable and self-reliant when finding the material they need. Comparing all age groups reveals a similar pattern. Asking for assistance with the online catalog ranked last discounting the don’t know/don’t remember answers. We need to examine this more closely. Are patrons not asking for as much help with the online catalog because they have become comfortable with it or are they asking for assistance locating materials because they feel intimidated by the catalog and would prefer a librarian look up the titles or subjects needed?
Once again the level of satisfaction with assistance given by the staff was high at 59% responding with very satisfied.
It has been our impression that online services offered by the library to remote locations via the Internet were popular and well used by our patrons. However the survey revealed one of the most glaring weaknesses in that people are unaware of these online services.
We asked if our website was used to find library information. 66% said they did not use the website. Broken down by age group, the 12 – 17 year olds were the only ones whose majority of respondents knew about the availability of these services. This outcome should be expected since they use the same online services at the middle school and high school.
Lastly, we asked if iBistro, our online catalog was used at home. The majority, 75% of respondents, said they do not use it.
Possible ways to improve these weaknesses will be addressed in the plan. Different ways to make people aware of the newer types of services offered by the library will be compiled and strategies to implement them will be devised. This is not a unique problem because there are many continuing education programs being offered on marketing your online services better.
The survey asked that if we were to expand hours, which would best fit the needs of the respondents. Sunday hours in the winter ranked highest overall. However when broken down by age those who felt Sunday would be best were 35 – 44, 45 – 54 and 55 – 64. The younger age groups, 12 – 17, 18 – 24 and 25 – 34 would rather have the library stay open until 5 p.m. on Saturdays, whereas the 65 and older group thought opening at 9 a.m. would be best for them.
Importance of Library Services
We wanted to know how important library services are to those responding. They were rated very important by 48%. Those who thought they are important came in at 28%. Only 2% of the respondents thought library services are not important.
Our goal is to expand the library building to meet the needs of those who use our services. We wanted to get an idea as to how much support we could expect from the people of Seekonk. The majority stated they definitely would support the project with a 37% response. Next, 29% said they probably would support an expansion project.
Examining the educational level of those who answered this question it shows those who attended or graduated from college and those who attended or graduated from graduate school were most likely to definitely support the expansion project. They are most likely the ones who value the importance of education and the role the library plays in lifelong learning.
However with no plan to expand the library in the future, the major problem is that there are not enough shelves to hold all the materials we hold. All of the materials are not accessible to many people and adding shelves to the current building requires the removal of seats. It is time to think outside the box to address these issues under the current conditions.
First, the library needs to establish an aggressive weeding plan. For fiction titles, only popular and current titles should be held. The library will only collect DVD’s from this point forward because they require less shelf space. Better yet, making audio books available through the library’s online catalog will decrease the need for shelf space and save staff time by not having to check items in and out and reshelving them.
The consumer media market needs to be watched because it is moving towards “on demand” products and services. Is there a way to provide access to this type of service to library customers especially those who do not have access to cable or satellite services? It is clear that Moore’s Law continues to be true. Computer memory is doubling constantly. Multimedia which requires large amounts of memory and bandwidth can be brought to the home quickly and easily. Could it be that in the future the library buys subscriptions to multimedia and distributes it through the online catalog rather than having in-house collections of media?
Another example of “on demand” services is the ability to disseminate information through RSS feeds. The library needs to create a plan to use this capability for our customers. Librarians have done this for years. Selected dissemination of information was a term used to describe alerting a customer that a book on a subject that interested them was purchased. Now we can show them how to have everything delivered to their desktop automatically.
There is no longer a question of whether these new tools or formats have a place in the library. Any format that contains information for communication or entertainment must be available at the public library. The focus needs to be on the content and not the format. The Seekonk Public Library’s primary role, literacy, has all to do with accessing this content.
One definition of being literate says that is “it characterized by or possessed of learning.” A literate person no longer learns just from reading print. Our culture makes it essential that we be able to access information or learning in any format, print or nonprint. It is as essential to be able to download audio books as to upload our grocery lists to the local supermarket.
Instant messaging is the preferred communication method of 15 to 25 year olds. Under 25 year olds are being called thumbsters because of a physical change in their hands from using converged devices like smart phones. Only 55 % of the over 30 year olds use instant messaging. To be literate will mean having the skills to access all these formats that will provide information. The library has a two fold purpose to provide the content as well as provide life long learning opportunities on accessing the content because that is what literacy is all about.
We access most things through a PC. The library has 50 computers, all desktops. Desktops take up a lot of floor space. Converting to laptops and a wireless network would allow the library to turn every seat into a computer station. The bulky modular furniture could be removed and either more general seating or shelving could be added.
There is no space at the Customer Services desk for an additional staff member yet the circulation of materials is approaching 300,000. ( Need 1 staff for every 100,000 circulation) At least one self checkout station is needed. Meanwhile RFID tags have dropped over 50% in cost making RFID more affordable. RFID would help with self check-in of children’s materials and item location for holds lists. It would also allow the library to use RFID as a security system for media.
Back in 1997, the Seekonk Board of Library Trustees set four Strategic Goals:
To exceed customer’s expectations
To most effectively use public and private resources
To provide a desirable and challenging workplace
To serve as a sanctuary of ideas for the community
These goals are still relevant today but the key question remains “Why do we do these things? The Seekonk Public Library does all of this because we are about literacy. Children’s services are about emergent literacy. We introduce spoken language because it lays the groundwork for reading. We try to create a positive association of the library with teens so they have a comfort zone for the library and we engage them with graphic novels and all the latest DVD’s and CD’s. Lifelong learning, the key ingredient of “being literate” is intertwined in every program and format we offer. We promote literacy by providing our customers with all forms of information but by also offering them classes in the latest skill sets needed to navigate our information. That is what this public library is all about.
So, based on these goals, the library administration and staff developed the following Action Plan to reflect the aspirations stated in the above and to guide library activities.
Seekonk Public Library Action Plan 2007
Goal #1: The Library can exceed expectations of its customers by removing barriers, easing access to resources and creating self reliant users while providing excellent customer services.
Objective a: By December 31, 2006, the Library will be retrofitted to accommodate increased seating and shelving within the present building.
Actions
- Weed and reduce collection by 10,000 items, leaving those items in high demand by our customers. (Complete by July 1, 2006)
- Install wireless computer network
- Shelf read and inventory the collection on an annual basis
- Clear out database of missing items ( July 1, 2006)
- Purchase laptop computers and cart for computer classes using grant money
- Load software and set up security on new equipment
- Update outlines for all computer classes
- Schedule and publicize computer classes
- Obtain funding to swap out 8 EIC computers
- Move Herman Miller furniture to storage
- Order shelving for Large Print Collection, Magazines and Teen area.
- Order new seating for Teen area.
- Install shelving
- Move Teen, Large Print, Fiction and Media collections to new areas
Objective b: Beginning in July 2006, the Library will remove physical barriers between customers and librarians, easing access to resources.
Actions
- Create standing height Adult Services area so customers can make eye contact with librarians (July – August 2006)
- Create collaborative sitting space at Adult Services area.( July - August 2006)
- Dismantle barriers at end of Customer Services and relocate shelving carts there
- Convert ½ of Director’s office into quiet study space(March 2007)
- Install 2 OPAC stations, 1 each in Fiction and Nonfiction( January 2007)
- Create clearer, user friendly signage throughout the building (July1, 2007)
- Introduce new lighting to correspond with new shelving December 2007
Objective c: Subject to new funding beginning July 2006, the Library will create a community website of local and government information.
Actions
- Expand Library website design to include new pages for all town departments other than schools. (September 2006)
- Town departments and Boards will be contacted to determine what information should be collected (October 2006)
- Interested parties will be trained to provide current information (January 2007)
- Beginning March 1, 2007 people will be able to access a calendar of events for the town via the Library website
Goal #2: In order to be efficient and effective, the staff must participate in training to develop the 21st century information literacy skills needed to provide superior customer services.
Objective a: As part of their annual evaluation, all library staff excluding high school pages and substitutes will be able to report on their continuing educational activities for the previous 12 months.
Actions
- Staff meetings shall be held every quarterly to keep everyone informed about the latest developments.
- Professional and support staff shall be encouraged to attend at least one conferences of either the Massachusetts Library Association, New England Library Association, Public Library Association or the American Library Association at least every year
- Staff will be encouraged to attend training at Southeastern Massachusetts Library System, SAILS, or online when needed
- As part of the EqualAccess grant reference staff will be trained by a medical librarian on how to conduct a reference interview concerning health related questions. Training on various online health databases and resources will be included. (January 2007)
Goal #3: The Library shall make the most efficient use of public and private resources to accomplish the goals and objectives of the Library
Objective a: The Seekonk Library Trust will develop a bequest campaign in order to increase the Trust’s endowment beginning in FY07.
Actions
- Develop a program for the Fall of 2006 outlining steps to securing bequests
- Create a brochure explaining how to leave money to the Trust (July 2006)
- Use voter information to target 65+ and send special large type letter during New Century Campaign
- Ask all appointed and elected Library officials to create a bequest in their wills for the Seekonk Library Trust (January 2007)
Objective b: Beginning July 1, 2008, the staff of the Seekonk Public Library will begin the process of writing a new building program to be used for the renovation and expansion of the Seekonk Public Library
Goal #4: The Library serves as a sanctuary of ideas for the community providing equal access to information in many formats while educating customers on the use of these new formats.
Objective a: By December 2010, customer’s information literacy will increase and the use of the library’s website, iBistro and online databases will double.
Actions
- Introduce newly designed website( July1, 2006)
- Track use of information resources annually
- Market programs and contests to teach information literacy to different demographic groups
- Offer quarterly hands on classes introducing features offered on iBistro and online databases to patrons (September 2006)
- Add new links to the library’s website to connect patrons to more subjects of interest (July 2006 – June 2007)
Objective b: Beginning in FY07, teens (ages 12 to 17) will have improved access to library materials for their reading, viewing and listening pleasure and have informative programs that specifically meet their interests.
Actions
- Establish more collaboration with the Kevin Hurley Middle School and the Seekonk High School, beginning September 2006.
- Develop Teen website and link to Seekonk Public Library’s homepage ( January 2007)
- Market website ( March 2007)
- Create an online Teen “new titles” list quarterly
- Establish a Teen Info Desk in newly created Teen section
- Identify programs of interest to Teens (grades 6 to 12) through a survey conducted yearly in January
- Develop an email list of Teen patrons to inform them of services and programs offered by the Library (January 2008)
- Investigate ways to increase attendance at Teen programs through email and through flyers delivered to schools and retail businesses quarterly
- Establish an annual Teen Job Fair at the Library every March or April
Objective c: By the end of 2010, the number of Seekonk children and their families using the library to support lifelong learning and literacy will increase by 10%.
Actions
- Survey home schooled families to identify their informational needs (September 2006)
- Review curriculum plans for all school children by setting up meetings with principals of all the schools to discuss mutual collaboration (January 2007)
- Adjust collection development as a result of the review
Objective d: Beginning in FY07 implement the EqualAccess grant received through the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners to improve patrons’ abilities to locate health information independently both locally and nationally (July 2006 – September 2007)
Actions
- Create an advisory council to determine the health information needs of the community (September 2006)
- Using findings from the health advisory council, update the health collections in all areas of the library – adult, young adult and children – both print and nonprint (October 2006 – September 2007)
- Hold health related programs monthly focusing on subjects concerning medical problems and maintaining wellness (October 2006 – September 2007)
- Hold a health fair drawing on area health providers who promote conventional and alternative means of maintaining wellness (March 2007)
- Offer four health on the web classes to help patrons understand how to use various websites and databases (October 2006 – September 2007)
>> click here to view the library survey for 2006