Pierson Library
3-Year Strategic Plan
2015 – 2018
Adopted:
Pierson Library Board of Trustees
November 20, 2014
Introduction and Vision
Innovative. Transformative. Connected. The Pierson Library, Shelburne’s public
library, is evolving to meet the needs of a changing and growing community. Like
libraries across the state and nationwide, the Pierson Library is at the center of our
community as a place where people learn, engage and connect with each other while
utilizing the services and materials to achieve their full potential.
The Shelburne community has grown both in the number of residents and in their
diversity over recent years. That growth, coupled with an increasing demand for
traditional library services, space, electronic technology and other non-traditional library
services, has served as the key determinant for the directions recommended in this
plan. This strategic plan was the product of many hours of work on the part of several
individuals who jointly forged a shared vision of the Pierson Library of the future. In the
tradition of a community center, the Pierson Library will serve as the place for residents
to meet, share ideas, be entertained, educated, and informed. The library will be the
locus and focus of community in our town. The institution will thus become a center in
the lives of those in the community.
This plan does not start at ground zero, however. The Pierson Library is already
a community library that provides enrichment – both educational and cultural – for
Shelburne residents. This plan provides a roadmap for building upon and enhancing
those resources so that the library can fully realize its place in and value to the
Shelburne community.
Pierson Library’s Role in Shelburne Community
Serving the residents of the Town of Shelburne (population 7100), The Pierson
Library is a busy, dynamic hub in Shelburne village. With a library collection of over
30,000 print volumes, 2117 e-books and 2700 videos, 1300 audiobooks, 95 magazine
subscriptions and 30 databases, there is a wealth of services and materials available to
all of our community members, and beyond. The Shelburne Town Plan assumes an
average annual increase in population in Shelburne of 110 individuals a year through
2030. At a per capita annual circulation of 11.5 items (FY 2013 data), we project that
our circulation will increase by approximately 20,000 items/year in 2030. This number
represents an increase of approximately 25% over circulation in FY 2013. Trends in
circulation per capita were not as dramatic, increasing from 9.8 items/capita/year in FY
2010, to 11.4 in FY 2013 and 12.1 in FY 2014.
Below you will find a summary of our average total circulation from 2005 - 2014.
Summary of Average Total Circulation: 2005 - 2014
Year(s)
Average Total Circulation
2005 - 2008
59403 (+ 842)
2009 - 2011
69724 (+ 662)
FY 2012
77591
FY 2013
84866
FY 2014
90098
The recent increases in circulation are due primarily to Junior Fiction and Adult DVDs.
Comparison of circulated items by youth and adults reveals a 50:50 split; that is, 50% of
our circulation is items classified as child/young adult and 50% is items classified as
adult.
In addition to growth in our circulation, we have seen expanded growth of our
adult and youth programming, which is evident in the nearly 150 programs offered
annually with attendance near 4000. The Pierson Library has 5 wired public computers
and 6 laptops for use by the public. Balancing the need to provide our community with
up-to-date technological resources for our community members to reach their full
potential we realize that “the library can never be fully replaced by information
technologies. The essence of its communal role is not the technological mastery over
knowledge and information, but rather the provision of sanctuary for human thought and
expression in any medium.” 1
Mission Statement: The Pierson Library provides materials, services and a place
for our community to achieve its full potential.
1
Salzburg Seminar (2005). Academic Session 422, Libraries in the 21st Century. Retrieved November 18,
2014 from http://www1.law.umkc.edu/faculty/callister/session422/statement.pdf
Review of the 2011-2014 Strategic 3-year plan:
Library Expansion:
The Trustees, the Friends and the Library Director, Kip Roberson (2011-2013),
achieved the goal of producing a programmatic and conceptual schematic design of the
ideal Shelburne library with Maclay Architects. The plans were presented to the
Shelburne Town Manager, the Selectboard, the Historic Preservation and Design
Review Commission, and the Shelburne community at large. An anonymous patron
donated funds and we coordinated with the architects and a model builder to have a
fully rendered scale model built of the proposed building. A strategy for fundraising was
discussed at length, goals and targets were set and the Trustees hired a professional to
conduct a fundraising feasibility study. Just after the study was completed, the Library
Director resigned. The process was put on hold until a new Director could be hired;
thus, the goal to have the funds in place by 2014 was not met. A new Director, Lara
Keenan, was hired August 2013. The Pierson Library Building Steering Committee was
formed in August 2014 in conjunction with the Town Selectboard to restart the process.
Programs and Services:
The goal to increase attendance at programs by 15% by 2014 was achieved.
Program attendance increased 24%, from 3194 attending in 2011 to 3963 in 2013.
During the fiscal years of 2009-2014, visits to the library grew over 45% (from 40,102
visits to 58,243) – despite the growing number of people who access library materials
online. There was a renewed emphasis on providing stimulating programs, encouraging
community members to share their expertise, and establishing partnerships with other
organizations such as the Flying Pig Bookstore, Shelburne Museum, Shelburne Farms,
All Souls Church, the Waldorf School, Wake Robin, and the Rotary Club. In the 2014
fiscal year, the Library offered 80 programs for adults, with a total attendance of 846.
A great emphasis was placed on improving front-line customer service and the
feedback from patrons has been overwhelmingly positive. The Friends contributed
money for the purchase of new laptop computers. Many of the technological goals,
such as exploring the feasibility of providing wireless and centralized printing for patrons
and improving the library’s website, are still being worked on and will be carried over
and refined in the next 3 year plan. A shift in the directorship caused a shift in the goal
to expand the recruitment and improvement of the training program for volunteers. This
goal has not been met. The goal of promoting continuing education and professional
development for staff has been ongoing. For example, Katie Martin Woodard is now
working on advanced library certification. At this time it is not feasible to expand library
hours, including Sunday hours, due to budget and staffing constraints.
Collection and Circulation:
The goal was to increase circulation by 10% by November 2014; circulation
has been steadily increasing. This was achieved in part by providing multiple copies of
“in-demand” books and reducing the holds ratio to 1:4. Items that had not been
circulated in three to five years were weeded out. The process of improving signage to
help patrons locate materials, and displays to tempt patrons to try new items, was set in
place. The collection has been expanded and updated to make it more diverse and
relevant to patron needs. A graphic novel section for adults was begun and is proving to
be quite popular. The DVD selection was increased and a Blue Ray Section was added.
The number of borrowers increased by 667 people from 2011 – 2013, which is far
beyond the 100 set out in the strategic plan.
GOALS FOR 2015-2018
1. Place:
The Pierson Library provides a place, services and materials for
our community to achieve its full potential.
Objectives: To expand and update the current physical structure of the library to better
serve the Shelburne population. Create an environmentally friendly building that better
accommodates the collection, programs and services while reducing the burden of
energy costs.
Actions:
1. Launch Steering Committee & identify building design that will win the support of
taxpayers and donors
2. Identify and initiate a fundraising strategy and goals
3. Create PR campaign to engage and energize the community
4. Obtain more physical visibility for library building (flag, signage on Route 7, etc.)
5. Maintain clean and well-furnished meeting room facilities
6. Promote the use of library facilities to the public
7. Assess hours of operation for optimum use
Measurable goals:
1. Fundraising strategy and goals in place by end of 2015.
2. New structure that can help the library achieve its mission and meet the needs of
the Shelburne Community in progress by 2018.
3. Increase community use of existing library space, including conference room.
Who: Steering Committee, Board of Trustees, Library Staff, Friends of the Library and
volunteers
2. Services:
The Pierson Library provides a place, services and materials
for our community to achieve its full potential.
Objectives: To provide excellent customer service that is noticed and appreciated by
patrons, leading to better exposure and a positive impact of the library on the
community. Promote the library as a community meeting place and increase library
usage overall.
Actions:
1. Customer service training sessions for staff annually, and support staff to
practice what is learned in these sessions on an ongoing basis/daily as needed
2. Solicit feedback regarding service and implement suggestions
3. Publicize favorable feedback on what library is doing well and what staff will work
to improve based on patron feedback
4. Exploring partnerships with local businesses and organizations
5. Maintain and update social media and internet presence
6. Promote the library services, collections and programs through:
a. Social media: Library currently uses Facebook, but other options remain to
be explored
b. Creating and expanding library outreach programs
c. Establishing a marketing campaign such as Geek the Library
d. Maintaining a monthly e-newsletter
7. Provide more adult and youth programs by:
a. Encouraging community members to share their expertise
b. Encouraging all staff to develop and host programs in response to patron
requests
c. Establishing partnerships with other organizations such as the Flying Pig
Bookstore, Shelburne Museum, Shelburne Farms, and All Souls
Measurable goals:
1. Conduct annual survey of patron satisfaction.
2. Increase attendance at programs by 15% by 2018.
3. Increase the number of library card holders by 300 residents.
Who: Staff, Trustees (for soliciting and publicizing), patrons (for ratings)
3. Materials:
The Pierson Library provides a place, services and materials
for our community to achieve its full potential.
Objectives: For the collection to continue to be relevant and to include the items and
services that patrons want. To deliver items to patrons within a reasonable time.
Actions:
1. Periodic review of collection to insure that it remains relevant and has the items
patrons are looking for
2. Review of technology offerings to make sure they are current and have the
programs/hardware that patrons are looking for
3. Consider methods to decrease wait times for reserve items
4. Give users alternative avenues to suggest materials for purchase by the library
5. Make check-out an easy and quick process
6. Update purchase requirements to decrease wait times
7. Make collections relevant to patron needs by:
a. Updating and expanding the collection to include more new and diverse
items
b. Increasing DVD and audio collection sizes
c. Providing multiple copies of “in-demand” books (holds ratio 1:4)
d. Weeding out all collections of items that haven’t circulated in 3-5 years,
with exceptions for local materials and classic materials
e. Ensuring that collections are displayed to the best possible advantage
f. Improving library way finding (spaces, signs, signage, displays, etc.)
8. Focus on improving and acquiring new technologies by:
a. Replacing 1 computer per year
b. Exploring the feasibility of providing wireless printing for patrons
c. Improving the library’s website
d. Exploring funding options for purchase of new technologies (such as
tablets and 3D printers) and developing programming to teach the public
how to use these technologies.
Measurable goals:
1. Increase circulation by 10% by November 2018; 300 more library card holders by
November 2018.
2. Increase overall collection size by 2% annually.
Who: Library staff, volunteers, Trustees, and Friends of the Library