BOARD OF LIBRARY COMMISSIONS
THE EXECUTIVE OFFICE FOR ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCE
COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHSETTS
2013 – 2015 STRATEGIC PLAN-IN-BRIEF
ROBERT C. MAIER, DIRECTOR
Final plan issued: February 14, 2013
MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR
Welcome to the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC). We see this strategic plan as
another way to tell the library story through the aspirations of library users and the libraries themselves.
This plan is based on library community surveys and research including our new federal LSTA LongRange Plan FY13-FY17, the Massachusetts Library System Strategic Plan FY13-FY15, the results of the
Resource Sharing Unbound conference of May 15, 2012 and the subsequent work of the Resource
Sharing Planning Committee.
Any plan must coexist with the world of funding, and this one coordinates with the MBLC’s FY14
Legislative Agenda. While new funding is not required for all of the initiatives, many can only be
partially implemented with current funds.
Thank you for your interest in the great work libraries do for our residents.
Originally signed by:
Robert C. Maier
Director
This document was developed pursuant to Executive Order 540 which calls on state government to
develop and publish strategic plans and institute performance management. As an agency within the
Executive Office for Administration and Finance (A&F), the Massachusetts Board of Library
Commissioners’ 2013-2015 Strategic Plan aligns and supports the overarching goals set forth in the A&F
Strategic Plan.
Please send feedback regarding this plan to: info@mblc.state.ma.us
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MISSION, VISION AND POLICY CONTEXT
OVERVIEW
The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) is the agency of state government with the
statutory authority and responsibility to organize, develop, coordinate and improve library services
throughout the Commonwealth. The Board advises library trustees and municipal officials on the
operation and maintenance of public libraries, including construction and renovation. It administers
state and federal grant programs for libraries; promotes cooperation among all types of libraries
through the Massachusetts Library System (MLS), the Library for the Commonwealth and automated
library resource sharing networks; and arranges for talking book and related services for blind and
disabled residents. It also works to ensure that all residents of the Commonwealth, regardless of their
geographic location, have access to essential new electronic information technologies and significant
electronic databases.
Massachusetts was the first state to establish an agency of state government to guide the development
of library service. Founded by statute in 1890, the Board of Library Commissioners oversaw the start of
100 public libraries in its first decade of work. Today, 350 of the state’s 351 cities and towns have public
library services. The Board has nine volunteer members appointed by the Governor who set policy for
the agency and hire the director. The agency has a staff of 22.
MISSION
The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners is the state agency that supports, improves and
promotes library services throughout the Commonwealth. We seek to provide every resident of
Massachusetts with equal opportunity to access information resources that will satisfy individual
educational, working, cultural, and leisure-time needs and interests, regardless of an individual’s
location, social or physical condition, or level of intellectual achievement.
VISION
Every resident of Massachusetts has the information resources required to participate in our democracy
and lead a secure and productive life.
ACHIEVEMENTS
The MBLC is committed to ensuring all Massachusetts residents have access to quality library services.
Over the past few years, the MBLC has enhanced its operations to improve access and service delivery.
Several of its major achievements are highlighted below:

Residents of Massachusetts can directly borrow materials from any public library in the
Commonwealth at no cost through the State Aid to Public Libraries program.

Through library networks and the virtual catalog, residents can locate resources they need and
request them for pick up at their local library. Requested materials are delivered, often within
two days, through the delivery system operated by the Massachusetts Library System.
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
Residents across the state have easy online access to consumer and scholarly journals and their
back files, Boston Globe, NY Times and Encyclopedia Britannica through a partnership of the
MBLC and MLS. A single statewide contract saves local libraries $90 million annually.

All residents have access to ebooks through their library network or through the Library for the
Common-wealth (Boston Public Library).

Blind, legally blind and disabled residents can receive digital talking books, described videos,
large print books and voice synthesized daily newspapers through the Perkins and Worcester
Talking Book Libraries.

Residents rely on their public libraries for disaster relief when an emergency strikes their
community. In partnership with the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA)
and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), 7 libraries have served as recovery
centers in declared emergencies and others have assumed this role informally.

Parents and caregivers can readily find nearby libraries that offer story times and programs for
infants through preschoolers in the Directory of Early Literacy Programs on mass.gov/libraries.

Libraries serve as welcome centers for new Americans offering English language and citizenship
classes.

The Massachusetts Library System saves libraries millions of dollars annually through purchasing
cooperatives for library materials and supplies.

The Massachusetts Library System keeps library staff current on everything from best practices
for library operations to the latest technologies used by patrons.

The statewide summer reading program helps 300,000 students maintain their reading skills
during the summer months.

The Massachusetts Public Library Construction Program has provided grants for 177 projects to
renovate and expand existing libraries or build new library facilities in communities statewide.
CHALLENGES
Today’s public library is so much more than a source of books. It is an early literacy center, a community
meeting place, a center of civic engagement, an internet access point, a computing center, a disaster
recovery center, an access point for e-government, a center for job seekers, a health information
provider, a welcome center for new Americans, and much more. The challenge is to improve the
funding of local public libraries so that they can meet the demand for these services.
The growing market for ebooks is now affecting libraries. The challenge is to find ways to provide
ebooks, streaming media, and downloadable media to our users by leveraging our existing infrastructure
to make this as affordable for libraries and as easy to use for patrons as possible.
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Decades of planning and funding by the MBLC has made our system of automated library networks
essential to the operation of public and academic libraries in the state. However, residents of
communities whose library does not belong to an automated library network do not have equal access
to library services. The challenge now is to bring the remaining public libraries in smaller communities
into these library networks and to find ways to bring the benefits of networking to school libraries.
Most people use smart phones or tablets to access information and they expect to find all information
via mobile services. The challenge is to open access to libraries and library resources through mobile
devices.
Massachusetts libraries hold unique historic and cultural resources that are unknowable or inaccessible
unless the user is onsite. The challenge is to digitize these resources so that they are readily available to
users via the Web.
There are at least 150,000 Massachusetts residents who are blind, legally blind or disabled and cannot
use physical books. The challenge is to provide talking book services that meet their needs and to
promote these services to reach all potential users.
New media and the likely decline of the physical book as the centerpiece of the public library bring
questions about how to design public libraries for the 21st century. The challenge is to properly assess
the impact of these changes and to incorporate new guidelines into future public library construction
grant rounds.
Agency Highlight – Reaching Our Customers

Web portal connects residents to library services

Facebook page encourages communication with library users

Who Needs Libraries? Video tells the story

Tumblr blog lets residents tell MBLC why they value libraries
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STRATEGIC GOALS
SUPPORTING THE SECRETARIAT
A&F has four strategic goals: Better Finance, Better Health Care, Better Performance and Better
Government. To advance the work of A&F, the Board of Library Commissioners developed five strategic
goals that support A&F’s Better Performance and Better Government work. When implemented over
the next three years, MBLC’s goals will improve library services for all residents of the Commonwealth.
MBLC GOALS
Municipal library officials and library patrons are important customers of MBLC – the Board’s goals
reflect efforts to serve both of these groups. MBLC’s Better Performance goals seek to enhance and
grow the role of libraries in the Commonwealth’s culture. The Patrick-Murray Administration has
shown strong support for regionalization and shared services at the municipal level, which is reflected in
the Board’s goal to deliver more efficient shared services. As new technologies are changing the way
that people access information and the ultimate role of libraries, MBLC hopes to work with libraries to
enhance their role as community centers.
In addition to supporting the work of local libraries, the MBLC also seeks to enhance customer service
for the library patrons across the Commonwealth. Over the last several years, MBLC has worked to
improve access to library services for all residents through a strong presence on the internet and
providing specialized library services to blind and disabled residents.
MBLC has also worked to enhance the quality of library services by providing training for library staff,
trustees, and friends; providing a statewide digitization program; supporting the building of new
libraries through the Public Library Construction Program; and empowering library staff to provide
dynamic customer service. To further advance A&F’s Better Government goal, MBLC plans to conduct
quarterly customer satisfaction surveys and provide marketing and media relations support for public
libraries across the Commonwealth.
Five Key Goals
1. Deliver more efficient shared services
2. Enhance the role of libraries as community centers
3. Improve access to library services for all residents of the Commonwealth
4. Enhance the quality of library series
5. Improve agency customer service
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ACTIONS
The Board of Library Commissioners will take the following actions to achieve its strategic goals:.
A&F Better Performance: Provide state government services and programs more effectively, efficiently
and equitably
Goal: Deliver more efficient shared services
Action:
 Pilot a statewide ebook system by June 2013 and grow it until all Massachusetts libraries that
wish to participate are included.

Provide a collection of at least 1 million ebook titles available to all Massachusetts residents by
the end of FY2015.

Expand the Small Libraries in Networks program by offering each non-participating public library
an incentive to join an automated library network and sustain the membership.

Implement a new Virtual Catalog product in FY13-FY14 that makes requesting items easier for
the patron and providing requested materials more efficient for library staff.

Provide and promote access to licensed online journals and reference resources for residents
and libraries.

Provide and promote a statewide summer reading program in cooperation with the
Massachusetts Library System to encourage reading over the summer so that students maintain
their reading skills in preparation for school in the fall.
Goal: Enhance the role of libraries as community centers
Action:
•
Work with the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) and Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to support public libraries as disaster recovery
centers.
•
Adopt the Edge Benchmarks, a national system of measuring computing services in libraries,
in FY14 to support public access computing in libraries.
•
Partner with other state agencies to coordinate with public libraries as e-government access
points.
•
Offer federal LSTA programs that support community engagement through libraries.
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A&F Better Government: Build trust in government by improving accountability, transparency and
responsiveness
Goal: Improve access to library services for all residents of the Commonwealth
Action:
•
Promote use of mass.gov/libraries, Facebook and other social media to provide equity of
access to library services for all residents of the Commonwealth including non-English
speakers.
•
Maintain and strengthen the Commonwealth’s free public libraries by working with libraries
and municipalities to meet certification requirements for State Aid.
•
Provide specialized library services to blind and disabled residents.
Goal: Enhance the quality of library services
Action:
•
Provide statewide and regional continuing education and training programs for library staff,
trustees and friends.
•
Provide a statewide digitization program through the Library for the Commonwealth
(Boston Public Library) that enables all libraries to digitize, mark-up, store and share
documents and other digital objects of importance to their communities.
•
Ensure that municipalities open at least 4 new or renovated public libraries annually through
the Public Library Construction Program.
•
Empower library staff to provide dynamic customer service in this ever changing digital
environment through a new LSTA grant program “Customer Service in the Digital Age.”
Goal: Improve agency customer service
Action:
• Provide marketing and media relations support for libraries so that residents are aware of the
library services available to them.
•
Conduct quarterly customer satisfaction survey with a random sample of libraries.
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OUTCOME MEASURES
The Board of Library Commissioners will utilize the performance measures below to assess success in
achieving its strategic goals:
Goal: Deliver more efficient shared services
Measure: % of libraries participating in the statewide ebook system
Definition/Note: Percent of libraries subscribing to a platform that serves ebooks to their residents
Data Source: MBLC
Frequency: Annually
Goal: Deliver more efficient shared services
Measure: # of ebooks available
Definition/Note: Total number of ebook titles in the statewide collection
Data Source: MBLC
Frequency: Annually
Goal: Deliver more efficient shared services
Measure: % of Small Libraries in Networks
Definition/Note: Percent of libraries serving municipalities of less than 10,000 in population that are
members of an automated library network
Data Source: MBLC
Frequency: Annually
Goal: Deliver more efficient shared services
Measure: % of Virtual Catalog ease of use by patrons and staff
Definition/Note: Percent of patrons and staff responding to a survey ranking the Virtual Catalog “Easy”
or “Very Easy” to use
Data Source: MBLC
Frequency: Quarterly
Goal: Deliver more efficient shared services
Measure: # of licensed database user sessions
Definition/Note: Total number of user sessions on licensed databases
Data Source: MBLC
Frequency: Annually
Goal: Deliver more efficient shared services
Measure: # of summer reading participants
Definition/Note: Total number of participants in summer reading programs reported by participating
libraries
Data Source: MLS/MBLC
Frequency: Annually
Goal: Enhance the role of libraries as community centers
Measure: % of public library disaster center designations
Definition/Note: Percent of public libraries approved by FEMA as disaster centers
Data Source: FEMA
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Frequency: Annually
Goal: Enhance the role of libraries as community centers
Measure: % of libraries with Edge certification
Definition/Note: Edge certification is under development by the Urban Libraries Council and will
establish criteria to measure public access computing in libraries
Data Source: ULC
Frequency: Annually
Goal: Enhance the role of libraries as community centers
Measure: # of partner agencies and libraries
Definition/Note: Total number of partner agencies and libraries
Data Source: MBLC
Frequency: Annually
Goal: Enhance the role of libraries as community centers
Measure: # of community engagement projects
Definition/Note: Number of community engagement projects funded by MBLC
Data Source: MBLC
Frequency: Annually
Goal: Improve access to library services for all residents of the Commonwealth
Measure: # of unique website hits on the Massachusetts Libraries page
Definition/Note: Total number of hits on http://libraries.state.ma.us/
Data Source: MBLC
Frequency: Annually
Goal: Improve access to library services for all residents of the Commonwealth
Measure: # of Facebook likes
Definition/Note: Total number of likes on the MBLC Facebook page
Data Source: MBLC
Frequency: Annually
Goal: Improve access to library services for all residents of the Commonwealth
Measure: % of municipalities certified in the State Aid to Public Libraries program
Definition/Note: The State Aid program (MGL 78:19AandB) provides incentives for municipalities to
meet minimum standards of service
Data Source: MBLC
Frequency: Annually
Goal: Improve access to library services for all residents of the Commonwealth
Measure: # of blind and disabled residents served
Definition/Note: Total number of active borrowers of the Perkins and Worcester talking book programs
Data Source: Perkins and Worcester
Frequency: Annually
Goal: Enhance the quality of library services
Measure: # of attendees at MBLC and MLS training programs
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Definition/Note: Total number of attendees at MBLC and MLS training programs for staff, trustees, and
friends
Data Source: MLS/MBLC
Frequency: Annually
Goal: Enhance the quality of library services
Measure: # of available digitized items
Definition/Note: Total number of digitized items available through the Library for the Commonwealth
Data Source: LFC
Frequency: Annually
Goal: Enhance the quality of library services
Measure: # of new or renovated libraries
Definition/Note: Total number of new or renovated libraries that opened each fiscal year
Data Source: MBLC
Frequency: Annually
Goal: Enhance the quality of library services
Measure: # of grants awarded for the Customer Service in the Digital Age program
Definition/Note: These grant-funded projects will help libraries with traditional customer service and
expand that concept into the world of social media and online use
Data Source: MBLC
Frequency: Annually
Goal: Improve agency customer service
Measure: # of unique hits on the online Newsroom
Definition/Note: Total number of hits on http://mblc.state.ma.us/newsroom/
Data Source: MBLC
Frequency: Annually
Goal: Improve agency customer service
Measure: % of librarian survey respondents reporting a positive customer service experience with MBLC
Definition/Note: MBLC will conduct a random survey of librarians throughout the Commonwealth to
solicit feedback on its customer service
Data Source: MBLC
Frequency: Quarterly
Abbreviations
MBLC= Board of Library Commissioners, MLS= Massachusetts Library System, FEMA= Federal Emergency
Management Agency, ULC=Urban Libraries Council, LFC= Library for the Commonwealth
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