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   Presentation by Library IQ RE: Library Strategic Plan

   discussed

   Debbie Joy of Library IQ presented a draft 2023–2027 Library Strategic Plan for the New Port Richey Public Library, walking council through benchmarking data, survey/focus group/interview findings, and four strategic goal areas: outreach, resilience, a place for everyone (community connection), and partnerships. The presentation was informational; no formal action was taken.

   🏢Career Online High School🏢Claritas🏢DART trolley🏢Library IQ🏢Library Journal🏢Pasco County Library🏢Tarpon Springs Library👤Annie👤Debbie Joy👤Ms. Feigart#2023-2027 Library Strategic Plan#A Place for Everyone goal area#Life Hack Academy#Memory Lab concept#Outreach goal area#Partnerships goal area#Resilience goal area#School Swap#Solar roof grant

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   [00:00:20] Certainly. [00:00:21] We have Debbie Joy with us this evening from Library IQ. [00:00:26] She and Ms. Feigart have been working very hard over the course of a very compressed [00:00:35] time period, actually a five-month period of time, to chart a course for our future [00:00:41] programs and services to be offered at our public library. [00:00:47] And they have prepared a strategic plan for the 2023 through 2027 year. [00:00:57] And I'm going to allow them to present the plan to us this evening. [00:01:00] Do you have a few words for us? [00:01:04] Just a few quick words to introduce Debbie Joy, our consultant from Library IQ. [00:01:12] It's been a pleasure to work with her and her team on this project. [00:01:18] She has many years of experience with strategic planning for libraries across the nation, [00:01:23] as well as being in the forefront of leading public library community needs assessments [00:01:33] and literacy programs for children, teens, and adults. [00:01:39] She has worked across the nation to help libraries with collaborative planning processes with [00:01:46] their communities. [00:01:48] And I look forward to her presentation tonight. [00:01:54] And I'll be here for any questions that you might have. [00:01:57] Thank you. [00:01:58] All right. [00:01:59] Well, thank you so much. [00:02:02] We have had a highly collaborative process here in New Port Richey. [00:02:05] It's been great. [00:02:06] It's been really rewarding to see the new building and see a very engaged staff and [00:02:12] see a very engaged community. [00:02:14] We did a very deep dive into background data on the library and on the community. [00:02:20] We're going to kind of go through some of that pretty quickly right now, and then we'll [00:02:24] focus most of our time on the strategic goals and objectives in the plan. [00:02:29] We were really grateful and felt very fortunate that the city and city staff had done such [00:02:35] good work with a marketing plan and with all kinds of projections and data. [00:02:42] So that made our job a lot easier, and we sure do appreciate it. [00:02:44] So thank you. [00:02:47] We've got a service population of about 16,000 people, but we've got a service area population [00:02:54] unincorporated of about 115,000. [00:02:57] So we just want to keep that in mind as we plan services, a little bit of a difference [00:03:01] there. [00:03:03] We understand what our demographics are, primarily white with 15 percent Hispanic or Latino. [00:03:10] The city did have a marketing plan that gave us some really good information. [00:03:16] All of this you already know, but just kind of that up-and-coming spirit of regeneration [00:03:22] in the community. [00:03:23] It's great to see. [00:03:25] Again, extremely fortunate that as part of the marketing plan, there was... [00:03:31] This data is actually from the Claritas Credit Card Company, and so we have a breakdown of [00:03:36] consumer segments here in the city. [00:03:41] We with LibraryQ shared a deeper dive into that information in the strategic plan. [00:03:46] You can take a look at it. [00:03:47] But this really helps us slice and dice our market and know who we're talking to. [00:03:53] We even have a little bit of information about key messaging and tactics, how we're going [00:03:58] to reach these segments. [00:04:00] So libraries are just like every other organization. [00:04:03] We want to market in a really smart and strategic way. [00:04:07] It is crucially important that the library's strategic plan align with the city's strategic [00:04:13] plan. [00:04:14] And in these three areas, we feel like we can do that the most readily. [00:04:19] So deep dive into library data. [00:04:22] You might have seen some of this, so we'll kind of walk through it quickly. [00:04:27] That said, I did want to point out some of the points here. [00:04:29] So we have some software that allows us to take a look at library data as compared with [00:04:36] state and national averages. [00:04:38] So 2020, that was a COVID year. [00:04:40] We've got to remember that was a COVID year. [00:04:43] But we've got some really good performance here at the library. [00:04:46] The Florida average cost per hour of operation was $531. [00:04:51] Here in Newport Ridge, it was $492. [00:04:54] Library Journal is a magazine that ranks libraries every year. [00:04:58] So in the state of Florida, we were two out of 17 libraries with similar budgets. [00:05:04] And then across the country, 201st out of 1208. [00:05:07] Circulation, so that's the materials that are checked out. [00:05:12] Per capita was 3.61 in Florida, 5.05 national average, and 8.06 here in Newport Ridge. [00:05:20] Again, that's a really nice statistic. [00:05:24] Visits per capita, 1.59 Florida, 2.24 nationally, and 5.17 here in Newport Ridge. [00:05:32] We were open a little bit more than other libraries. [00:05:34] Nonetheless, that's a big deal. [00:05:38] Computer use, better than state and national averages. [00:05:42] And then program attendance per capita kind of blew everybody else out of the water in [00:05:47] the state and national averages. [00:05:49] So we're really building from strength here. [00:05:52] And that's thanks to Annie and her team. [00:05:54] Question? [00:05:55] Sure. [00:05:56] On that, your program attendance per thousand population, you're basing that on the city's [00:06:03] population, which goes back to your comment about our service area, perhaps. [00:06:10] In terms of our population that we serve is much more than our city's service area. [00:06:15] Yes, and that's a great point. [00:06:16] And might explain why we're five times higher than before, whatever it is, than average. [00:06:24] Because we are a donor city in terms of our services. [00:06:30] And that's a yes and because probably a lot of other libraries are in the same situation. [00:06:36] So I work with a whole bunch of libraries and I always ask, what's your service area? [00:06:41] How are we going to define it? [00:06:42] And almost always those libraries will say city limits, county limits, when in reality [00:06:48] they're serving a larger population. [00:06:50] But that is a great point. [00:06:51] Thank you. [00:06:53] We took a look at some of our peers, Annie and her team selected our peers. [00:06:57] And again, if you take a look at circulation per capita, visits per capita, dollars in [00:07:06] the budget per capita, and cost per visit, we're still really outperforming our peers. [00:07:14] Collection, this is simply a factual representation of how the collection budget was spent in [00:07:23] 2021. [00:07:24] And we did make quite a few changes to the collection as part of the renovation. [00:07:27] We did a big weed. [00:07:29] That means we took materials out of the collection that were no longer in good physical shape, [00:07:36] maybe they hadn't circulated for a long time, or maybe they were no longer factually correct. [00:07:42] That gave us a little bit of room for growth and it allowed us to add to the collection. [00:07:49] Programs are a crucial part of library service. [00:07:52] I cannot emphasize that enough. [00:07:54] So recently we changed summer reading from the number of books that you read, which is [00:08:00] kind of an older metric, to how many minutes per day is a kid or an adult reading. [00:08:05] We really want to create that reading habit rather than racing through a book and not [00:08:10] really understanding any of the information. [00:08:15] Lots of innovative programs here in New Port Richey. [00:08:17] Again, Andy and her team are doing a great job. [00:08:20] Life Hack Academy, teens really like that. [00:08:23] School Swap is helping families save lots of money. [00:08:27] And things that are really sort of interesting like homebrewing and cottage food industry, [00:08:32] movie release parties. [00:08:34] Just in New Port Richey, we learned really are craving arts and culture. [00:08:38] And so how can the library step up to meet that need? [00:08:43] Outreach. [00:08:45] Outreach is library services beyond the walls. [00:08:48] So here in New Port Richey, we really want to make a balance. [00:08:51] We've got a gorgeous newly renovated building. [00:08:54] We want to leverage it. [00:08:55] We want to make the most of it. [00:08:56] At the same time, we don't expect the community to always come to us. [00:09:02] So we're thinking about how can we get out and reach the community. [00:09:08] Staffing has been pretty consistent. [00:09:09] We've got about 15 FTE over the last three years. [00:09:13] Marketing. [00:09:15] That's always a key area for public libraries. [00:09:18] We need to think about ourselves as marketers just like any other organization. [00:09:23] So the current situation is we've got one staff member who's really doing all the work [00:09:29] in marketing. [00:09:30] We're doing lots of e-blasts and print. [00:09:33] And in our messaging, we're thinking about how can we differentiate ourselves from the [00:09:37] county. [00:09:38] Technology. [00:09:39] Also, a crucial part of library service. [00:09:43] We had a couple dead zones in the newly renovated building. [00:09:46] However, those are already being addressed. [00:09:49] Gorgeous, unbelievable with big monitors and really beautiful screens, MacBook Airs, 75 [00:09:57] Chromebooks, and wireless hotspots that are circulating. [00:10:01] So those can be taken home by residents in the community. [00:10:06] That's really an important service and it relates to outreach. [00:10:10] And our younger folks, lots of our residents, don't have printers at home. [00:10:17] Being able to print a document wirelessly is really an important library service. [00:10:21] We've got it here in New Port Richey. [00:10:25] So new data that we collected as part of this project. [00:10:29] One part of it was a survey. [00:10:31] We reached almost 400 people in the community, the majority of whom were older than 50. [00:10:38] So as we walk through this, we want to just remember that many were older than 50, although [00:10:42] we did slice and dice the results. [00:10:45] And you'll see some of the results, what the under 50s told us as well. [00:10:50] So lots have been here since the renovation. [00:10:54] Adults are very aware of our services. [00:10:56] We need to take a look at building awareness for research collections, genealogy, and our [00:11:03] streaming services. [00:11:06] Top four desired services, classes and events for children. [00:11:10] However, it's important to remember that under 50 group we sliced and diced, they'd like [00:11:15] to see some classes for adults. [00:11:17] Health and wellness is important to everybody, job and career classes, and again, outreach. [00:11:22] That's outside the building. [00:11:24] And most used services, not a surprise with print and technology. [00:11:30] What are the least used services? [00:11:31] Again, for the people who took that survey, many of whom were over 50, trade skills, help [00:11:38] with finding a job, and classes and events for teens. [00:11:41] That's not a surprise when you think about the demographic. [00:11:45] What is interesting and kind of heartening is for a library of the future, 62% want some [00:11:51] access to some unique stuff, items, like Adobe, perhaps graphic design software, laser [00:11:58] cutting tools, events for people with special needs. [00:12:02] And the under 50 group, again, ranked that the highest. [00:12:05] So how can we serve our residents with special needs? [00:12:09] And 45% were interested in co-working, which relates to what we were just talking about. [00:12:14] More people coming to Florida who can work remote. [00:12:19] So we asked our survey respondents, okay, if you're not a regular library user, what [00:12:24] would inspire you to come to the library? [00:12:27] 54% want more cultural opportunities. [00:12:31] We want more pleasurable options for leisure time. [00:12:34] I think of that as life enrichment. [00:12:37] And we also want more access to and training for computers. [00:12:41] Some other things that we heard a lot were Spanish classes, snacks and a coffee bar. [00:12:46] Those can work really well in public libraries. [00:12:49] Computer training, lifestyle classes, and wellness, stuff like woodworking came up quite [00:12:55] a few times. [00:12:56] And we did hear a bit about longer hours. [00:13:00] We also asked our respondents, what are the barriers to use? [00:13:03] What is keeping you from regularly visiting the library? [00:13:07] And some of those are based on kind of some perceptions of the library that people who [00:13:12] don't use it might have. [00:13:13] Oh, I don't need it. [00:13:15] I've got technology at home, I'm too busy, the hours aren't convenient. [00:13:21] And then a big one was transportation, and they don't necessarily know what the library [00:13:26] offers. [00:13:29] So we asked, okay, well, what are some services that would fit your schedule? [00:13:34] Events at parks were great. [00:13:36] Events at community centers were very popular. [00:13:38] And then some mobile services. [00:13:40] So I'm sure you're aware lots of libraries have mobile vans. [00:13:43] And the under 50s concurred with the over 50s on those top three. [00:13:51] We were also curious about what other libraries in the service area folks are using. [00:13:57] 45% of our respondents only use New Port Richey. [00:14:00] We heard a lot about, this is my home library, it's very homey, and I love it there. [00:14:05] 41% are going to use Pasco County, often that's for the collection. [00:14:10] And only 2% are visiting Tarpon Springs. [00:14:15] So how do you hear about the library? [00:14:16] And more importantly, the question was, how would you like to hear about the library? [00:14:21] This is consistent with the demographic, 58% website, 42% newsletter, and 38% Facebook, [00:14:29] which is kind of a more popular social media platform with the older demographic. [00:14:36] How do folks get here? [00:14:38] 87% drive. [00:14:42] So we asked, is there a piece of technology that you wouldn't necessarily buy or can't [00:14:49] afford, but you'd like to use it and might like to see it at your library? [00:14:53] So 10% of the respondents said, yeah, there is a piece of technology I'd like to try. [00:14:58] And the things, the request... [00:15:00] that we heard most often are a cry-cut machine [00:15:02] that's used for crafting, computers and AV equipment, [00:15:07] school materials, printer scanners, 3D printers, [00:15:11] Adobe products, everything you see in bold. [00:15:16] So as you also may know, we did, [00:15:20] I think we did nine or 10 really well-attended, [00:15:24] really engaged groups, we did focus groups. [00:15:29] So we took those findings [00:15:31] and we put them into several categories. [00:15:34] So this is an amalgamation of our findings [00:15:36] from the focus groups. [00:15:37] First category was facility. [00:15:40] So folks want us to leverage the space for community groups, [00:15:43] let's make the most of our downtown location. [00:15:46] Many were interested in the idea of, [00:15:49] we call it a memory lab, [00:15:51] and it's a place where you can digitize your photos [00:15:54] and home movies and things of that nature. [00:15:58] Marketing. [00:15:59] Lots and lots of input about marketing [00:16:02] and I won't go through all of those bullets, [00:16:04] but suffice it to say that folks want us [00:16:07] to get the word out about the library. [00:16:11] Arts and culture. [00:16:12] Again, we're starting to see some consistent themes rise. [00:16:16] More programs, let's foster a love of reading, [00:16:19] crafts and cooking. [00:16:21] Partnerships. [00:16:22] Our community wants us to focus, [00:16:24] the library already does, [00:16:26] but we want to focus even more on partnerships, [00:16:28] especially with local schools, [00:16:30] that we heard that loud and clear. [00:16:34] It was also very interesting, [00:16:36] both in the focus groups and in the interviews that we did, [00:16:40] New Port Richey is an economically diverse community. [00:16:43] So we really have lots of people with different needs, [00:16:46] but everyone wants us to make sure [00:16:49] that we focus on services for low-income residents. [00:16:52] We don't forget our low-income residents. [00:16:54] And so some suggestions in that area are tutoring [00:16:58] and some one-on-one services. [00:17:02] Another bucket of topic area is resilience. [00:17:09] Lots of folks talking about storm recovery. [00:17:13] Lots of folks, especially some of our older folks [00:17:15] and some of our, those who know snowbirds, [00:17:19] talked about the opportunity [00:17:21] to meet people and form friendships. [00:17:25] We heard a lot about outreach. [00:17:27] Again, services beyond the walls. [00:17:29] And then we also asked the groups, [00:17:31] okay, what are the barriers that you're hearing about [00:17:34] that keep people from going to the library? [00:17:37] Some of those barriers that we heard about [00:17:38] are transportation, although it sounds like [00:17:40] we're addressing that through the DART trolley. [00:17:43] We had some suggestions for transportation for seniors. [00:17:47] We did hear a lot. [00:17:48] I want to pause on this for a second. [00:17:50] We heard a lot about the website. [00:17:53] And so, you know, could that become [00:17:55] a little bit more intuitive, maybe have a redesign? [00:17:58] And we also heard about the promoting the use [00:18:02] of Career Online High School. [00:18:04] I will say, even since we were here just a few weeks ago, [00:18:07] circulation of those Chromebooks and hotspots [00:18:10] is already really, really growing. [00:18:12] So that's already happening. [00:18:13] Are we thinking about rerouting the DART [00:18:17] so that it moves up this way? [00:18:19] We are. [00:18:24] The website. [00:18:25] We're working on it. [00:18:26] Falls into that same category of things [00:18:29] with events in one place, so. [00:18:33] Because if it's going on at the library, [00:18:36] it needs to be in that batch. [00:18:42] The next piece of research or part of research [00:18:45] that we did were individual interviews. [00:18:47] And I think I spoke to everybody in this room, [00:18:52] except for Debbie, doing individual one-on-one interviews. [00:18:55] So a lot of this is going to sound pretty familiar to you. [00:18:59] Again, in those bucket areas that we talked about [00:19:02] in the focus groups. [00:19:04] Let's promote this meeting space. [00:19:06] Let's get some business groups in here to use it. [00:19:08] Arts and culture. [00:19:10] Another concert series. [00:19:11] I know there's one that already exists, [00:19:13] but perhaps another one. [00:19:14] And especially during these hot months, [00:19:17] let's think about what we can do [00:19:19] inside the library building. [00:19:21] Partnerships. [00:19:22] Not just public schools, [00:19:24] but let's remember charter and private schools. [00:19:26] Maybe network with businesses for mentorships. [00:19:29] Partnerships with Kaiser and other universities. [00:19:34] Partnerships with Parks and Rec and for workforce training. [00:19:39] We talked about marketing. [00:19:40] We talked about marketing a lot. [00:19:43] So maybe getting out and speaking to community groups. [00:19:47] Asking our friends to represent us [00:19:50] by speaking at community groups. [00:19:52] We heard, in every individual interview, [00:19:55] we heard about that website. [00:19:57] And also, you know, kind of, [00:20:00] how can the library push or support [00:20:03] the growth of our citizenry? [00:20:05] And that's a really important thing for us to think about. [00:20:11] Services for those low-income residents. [00:20:13] How can we do it? [00:20:15] Well, let's focus on opportunities for everybody. [00:20:18] Maybe we do some classes in how to use those Chromebooks. [00:20:21] And we want to help our residents [00:20:23] participate in the new economy. [00:20:25] That phrasing really resonated with us. [00:20:29] What are the barriers? [00:20:31] Transportation, again. [00:20:33] So again, we understand we might be [00:20:35] addressing that with a dart. [00:20:37] And remember that that unincorporated population [00:20:40] has grown to about 115,000 people. [00:20:43] So just the size of that market [00:20:47] in itself could be a barrier. [00:20:50] We talked about resilience. [00:20:52] Again, we talked about that a lot. [00:20:55] Resources after storms. [00:20:56] How can the library help out? [00:20:58] How can the library provide databases [00:21:01] and other data to help small businesses grow? [00:21:05] How can we leverage the solar roof [00:21:08] that Andy and her team got funded [00:21:10] through an amazing big grant? [00:21:13] So we really want to think about the library [00:21:15] as an integrator for resilience, [00:21:17] according to our interviewees. [00:21:19] Is the roof accessible by mere mortals? [00:21:25] No, there's a ladder to get up to the roof. [00:21:29] But I have some great drone photos [00:21:31] and I'll be happy to show them. [00:21:33] Yeah, well, I was thinking as you were talking about [00:21:36] that with the solar, if there were some way [00:21:38] for people to actually see them. [00:21:41] But obviously, going up a ladder is a non-starter. [00:21:44] But the drones will have to work. [00:21:49] So what we just went through in 22 minutes [00:21:53] is sort of an extremely thin overview [00:21:58] on a whole bunch of research [00:22:00] and a whole bunch of analysis that happened. [00:22:03] Andy and her team and Debbie and the rest of us, [00:22:07] I think at one point we were at about 60 slides. [00:22:10] So we really did a deep dive. [00:22:13] So the goals and objectives [00:22:15] that we're about to talk about a little bit, [00:22:18] you can be very confident are rooted in data [00:22:22] and they're rooted in some very careful analysis. [00:22:25] And it is interesting the way it almost always works [00:22:30] is there are some goal areas [00:22:32] that emerge through this process. [00:22:34] And in this case for New Port Richey Public Library, [00:22:37] those areas are outreach, resilience, [00:22:41] a place for everyone, [00:22:42] so community connection and partnerships. [00:22:45] Those are the four strategic goal areas [00:22:47] you'll see in the plan draft that you have with you tonight. [00:22:53] The first goal area is outreach. [00:22:55] So what I thought we could do [00:22:57] is you've got a draft of the plan [00:22:59] and at your leisure, feel free to take a look at some, [00:23:02] at the end of the plan, [00:23:03] you'll see a lot of what we call an environmental scan. [00:23:08] There's a whole bunch of expository information [00:23:10] and there's a deeper dive into those consumer segments [00:23:14] that we talked about. [00:23:15] However, tonight we're going to focus [00:23:17] on the strategic goals and objectives. [00:23:19] You can see those in your draft plan. [00:23:22] So the first area is outreach. [00:23:25] And we want to start to address our service gaps [00:23:29] through some unique offerings. [00:23:31] Now that's not to say that the library [00:23:33] isn't already doing outreach [00:23:35] and doesn't already have unique offerings. [00:23:38] Absolutely they do. [00:23:40] But we want to build on that. [00:23:41] That's an area of strength and we want to build on it. [00:23:44] So let's take a look at a mobile service option. [00:23:47] Maybe we could repurpose a vehicle. [00:23:50] Maybe we could take a look at using [00:23:52] some sort of a vehicle for home delivery, [00:23:55] particularly to our seniors. [00:23:59] And then at the end here on the slides, [00:24:01] you'll see a fiscal year. [00:24:03] So we also, our goals and objectives [00:24:06] have a timeline attached. [00:24:08] Some we're going to tackle in the very short term [00:24:11] and some we're going to tackle [00:24:12] throughout the life of the plan. [00:24:14] And so you'll see suggested dates throughout the plan. [00:24:18] We really heard and concluded that improving [00:24:23] the library website should be an objective. [00:24:26] We want to offer our services beyond the library walls. [00:24:29] Again, we're doing it, but we want to do it even more so. [00:24:32] And a very ripe area for partnership [00:24:36] is with city parks and recreation. [00:24:38] Such a great way, partnership already exists [00:24:41] and we can do that even more. [00:24:43] And maybe we can provide some opportunities [00:24:47] for folks to pick up their materials out in the community. [00:24:51] We want to raise awareness [00:24:52] of New Port Richey Public Library Services. [00:24:55] That's the marketing piece that we talked so much about. [00:24:58] So we want to create a simple marketing plan. [00:25:01] We want to get library staff out at community events. [00:25:03] They're already doing it, we'll do it even more. [00:25:06] Leverage that consumer segmentation data [00:25:10] that already exists, we don't have to create it. [00:25:13] And increase use of those circulating laptops [00:25:16] and Wi-Fi hotspots. [00:25:18] Reach some younger residents, let's look beyond Facebook [00:25:21] and increase new cardholder activity [00:25:24] by targeting newcomers. [00:25:27] We also want to create [00:25:28] some external promotional communication. [00:25:31] So there's several suggestions there [00:25:33] and I want to be respectful of your time, [00:25:36] but things like Every Door Direct Mail, [00:25:38] take a look at the Friends promotional video [00:25:41] that we understand will be developed. [00:25:45] Explore some paid advertising. [00:25:47] So sometimes it's the right choice, sometimes it's not, [00:25:52] but let's take a look at it [00:25:53] and maybe create a broader email database [00:25:56] by harvesting email addresses at events. [00:26:00] We want to educate residents about modern library services. [00:26:03] Libraries are more than books, [00:26:05] so let's make sure that our residents know that. [00:26:08] And as we mentioned just a minute ago, [00:26:10] act as that community information hub. [00:26:13] And then finally, to centralize this kind of responsibility [00:26:17] and assign the duties to a staff person later [00:26:21] in the plan's lifetime [00:26:23] is a kind of an organizational objective. [00:26:28] The next goal area is resilience. [00:26:31] And so when we talk about resilience, [00:26:33] certainly climate resilience, absolutely. [00:26:36] And it's very important here in New Port Richey, [00:26:38] but we're also talking about resilient operations. [00:26:42] We're talking about a resilient community [00:26:44] as it relates to health and wellness. [00:26:47] So how can the library support that? [00:26:49] Well, the library can support the community [00:26:52] during and after emergency events. [00:26:54] And you'll see several tactics there [00:26:56] that the library can undertake [00:26:58] to step up during and after an emergency. [00:27:00] And people, we have a lot of data that tells us, [00:27:04] especially after Hurricane Katrina, [00:27:06] there were lots of studies done, [00:27:08] people turned to public libraries in times of crisis, [00:27:12] reaching out to friends and family, things of that nature. [00:27:15] We want to be a sustainable library operation. [00:27:19] So there is something called [00:27:21] Federal E-Rate Library Support, [00:27:22] that's reimbursement for internet access, [00:27:25] take a look at that, [00:27:26] and create a long-term staffing plan, [00:27:29] take a look at staffing, [00:27:31] and certainly we want to support professional development. [00:27:36] Can we reduce waste? [00:27:38] Already, we know that we are weeding the collection [00:27:41] from time to time, [00:27:42] and we're already taking care [00:27:44] of those materials responsibly, [00:27:46] but we'll take a look at that every now and then [00:27:48] and just kind of verify that all that's happening. [00:27:52] We want to educate residents [00:27:53] about responsible consumption as best we can, [00:27:56] reduce our own carbon footprint, [00:27:59] and we want to encourage outdoor activities. [00:28:02] So how can we collaborate with other city departments? [00:28:06] Certainly the Environmental Committee, [00:28:08] how can we increase awareness? [00:28:10] Can we offer some resources for home gardening? [00:28:13] We have a seed library that's really already very popular. [00:28:18] How can we encourage physical [00:28:21] and mental wellness among our residents? [00:28:23] We did hear from our focus group participants [00:28:27] that they would like a way to meet and form friendships. [00:28:31] So maybe we just do a walking group. [00:28:33] Maybe we take a look at inviting a yoga studio in [00:28:36] to offer some yoga and mindfulness programs in the library. [00:28:40] And then we want to minimize our own fuel consumption [00:28:43] as best as we can. [00:28:45] A place for everyone. [00:28:49] That relates to two things. [00:28:51] Number one is a place for connection among the community. [00:28:55] And it also relates to that idea of services [00:28:58] for everybody in our community. [00:29:00] The library is for everyone. [00:29:02] If libraries are anything, they're a place for everyone. [00:29:06] So we want to encourage our residents to gather and connect. [00:29:09] We kind of got out of the habit of it during COVID. [00:29:11] And so we know that humans are wired for connection. [00:29:14] How can we support that? [00:29:16] Well, maybe through classes for special needs. [00:29:19] We want to maybe introduce our permanent residents [00:29:22] and snowbirds in programs. [00:29:25] We got to improve our offerings for Spanish speakers. [00:29:29] We already have some of those. [00:29:31] And promote those ESOL classes. [00:29:33] ESOL is English as a second or other language. [00:29:39] What we've learned through experience [00:29:42] is our underserved patrons [00:29:44] often need personalized one-on-one services. [00:29:48] So saying, hey, come back next Tuesday and we'll help you [00:29:51] out doesn't always work for those populations. [00:29:54] So how can we work with partners like Baycare, Shine, [00:29:58] Premier Community Health? [00:30:00] both metropolitan ministries to do some one-on-one support [00:30:05] during resource hours. [00:30:07] We wanna encourage use of those Chromebooks. [00:30:10] Again, we wanna partner to offer resource hours [00:30:13] for a one-on-one help using computers. [00:30:15] There are residents in our community [00:30:17] who need help setting up an email address, [00:30:19] much less applying for a job. [00:30:21] So we gotta keep an eye on the basics. [00:30:24] And then could we sell bus passes at the library? [00:30:26] Let's take a look at that. [00:30:30] We wanna support our residents [00:30:32] as they seek to participate in the new economy, [00:30:36] to get and keep high quality jobs, higher paying jobs. [00:30:42] Some ways that we can do that, [00:30:43] we could provide access to Adobe Creative Suite. [00:30:46] So that's for graphic design. [00:30:48] It's for editing photographs. [00:30:51] One-on-one instruction [00:30:52] and how to download and stream content. [00:30:55] Some of those materials like a Cricut machine, [00:30:58] we talked about a minute ago, and adaptive technology. [00:31:02] And so we can talk about, [00:31:04] we see adaptive technology used in libraries [00:31:07] all over the place, [00:31:08] and we can make specific recommendations [00:31:10] about what might work. [00:31:12] We wanna be innovative. [00:31:13] We want to continue to be innovative [00:31:17] and introduce new services. [00:31:19] So we talked about improving the website. [00:31:24] Let's designate some space [00:31:25] and maybe offer some equipment for podcasting [00:31:29] or creating video content. [00:31:30] People love to do that and it helps folks get jobs. [00:31:34] Can we increase the availability of technology [00:31:38] to bridge that digital divide? [00:31:41] So how can we do that? [00:31:42] And then can we continue to build [00:31:44] on those life skills programs that we're offering? [00:31:48] We do find that young people really engage [00:31:51] with life skills programs [00:31:52] and often in more analog ways like sewing [00:31:57] or mending or knitting. [00:31:58] It's a little counterintuitive, [00:32:00] but a lot of our young folks really like those programs. [00:32:05] Support arts and culture. [00:32:06] That message came through loud and clear. [00:32:09] We included that as an objective. [00:32:11] And of course, we're a library. [00:32:13] We wanna encourage and foster a love of reading. [00:32:16] And so we'll do that through the tactics [00:32:18] you see on the slide. [00:32:19] One really good way to accomplish [00:32:27] all of the things we want to accomplish [00:32:29] without recreating the wheel [00:32:31] and without duplicating services [00:32:34] is to focus on partnerships. [00:32:36] So again, the library is already doing a great job [00:32:38] with partnerships. [00:32:39] How can we expand and grow that? [00:32:41] How can we do even better? [00:32:43] So we think centralizing responsibility [00:32:46] among staff could help. [00:32:48] Leverage partnerships for marketing. [00:32:51] So hey, we'll promote your activities [00:32:54] on our social media and on our website. [00:32:56] And likewise, how about you do the same? [00:32:58] We've just doubled or tripled our reach [00:33:01] and that's fairly low hanging fruit. [00:33:04] Certainly we wanna partner with local business. [00:33:07] And so there are some tactics there to help us do that. [00:33:12] We did hear, we've seen the Read Local Shop Local program [00:33:16] be very successful in other communities [00:33:18] about the same size as New Port Richey. [00:33:21] And we heard from some of our focus group participants [00:33:25] that a girl's night out had happened in the past [00:33:28] and was a whole bunch of fun [00:33:30] and a great way to meet friends. [00:33:33] School partnerships, always important for public libraries. [00:33:37] So how can we build on the ones that we already have? [00:33:41] Especially keeping in mind that teachers [00:33:43] and school administrators are really, really busy. [00:33:46] And so it takes a lot of effort to build those partnerships. [00:33:50] We wanna enhance our partnership with city divisions. [00:33:53] We talked a minute ago about parks and recreation. [00:33:55] So much opportunity there. [00:33:57] So many good things already happening there. [00:34:00] So those are some specific ways [00:34:02] that we can enhance that partnership, [00:34:04] including with fire departments or police. [00:34:08] Could we have what we call a uniform story time? [00:34:11] So maybe firefighters or police officers [00:34:14] could come in and do a story time for kids. [00:34:17] Big truck programs are always very, very popular. [00:34:23] And then finally, we want to establish partnerships [00:34:26] that support workforce and economic development. [00:34:29] Kaiser University could be an excellent partner [00:34:32] along with the other colleges. [00:34:36] And so tactics there include, [00:34:38] and I'll back up for a second. [00:34:39] Those tactics include, promote career online high school. [00:34:44] Maybe they could get, [00:34:45] maybe students could get some special help [00:34:47] if they finish career online high school at the library. [00:34:51] Maybe we could offer Kaiser, Wendell Crenn, [00:34:54] Pasco, Hernando State College and Trinity [00:34:57] to offer classes in the library, see if that would work. [00:35:00] And explore with Kaiser to see [00:35:03] maybe some of our existing programs [00:35:05] could be adjusted for Kaiser credit. [00:35:07] So these are all things to explore. [00:35:11] And that is the bird's eye, [00:35:16] very quick run through of a very complex [00:35:20] five month process. [00:35:24] Question, I suspect Andy may know it. [00:35:27] It's actually a two part question. [00:35:29] With the renovation of the library, [00:35:31] do we have any stacks that are not in the physical library? [00:35:36] Any stacks? [00:35:39] I'm sorry. [00:35:40] Any books that are not, [00:35:43] that are part of our collection [00:35:44] that are not actively on the shelves [00:35:47] in the physical library? [00:35:49] Well, we have the eBooks and digital books [00:35:53] and our friends at the library [00:35:57] also assist by having some really neat partnerships [00:36:01] in different downtown businesses [00:36:04] as well as at the North Bay Hospital. [00:36:06] The friends just a couple of months ago [00:36:08] took a book truck and painted it [00:36:10] and they take some of our weeded books [00:36:17] and other book donations every week [00:36:20] to the hospital, people who are in the hospital. [00:36:25] And that's been very popular. [00:36:27] We're working on the little free libraries. [00:36:30] That's where I was headed with that. [00:36:34] The, and certainly those are cool. [00:36:37] My wife loves stopping at little free libraries [00:36:43] all over the place. [00:36:44] And I wind up with some amazing reading material [00:36:46] as a result. [00:36:49] The other part of it, [00:36:50] and I guess it's something that we maybe would just need [00:36:52] to do as part of our motion. [00:36:56] Unless things have changed, [00:37:00] it's my understanding you've got access [00:37:02] to potentially hundreds of thousands of volumes [00:37:06] through the Tampa Bay Library Consortium. [00:37:09] So if somebody wants something [00:37:10] that's really off the wall, obscure, [00:37:14] you may well be able to find it for them. [00:37:16] We do, and we have done that for years [00:37:18] and we continue to do that. [00:37:19] It's a excellent resource [00:37:22] that really does help extend our physical collection. [00:37:26] And then in return, [00:37:30] we also allow our materials to be borrowed as well. [00:37:41] Oh, go ahead. [00:37:42] Yeah, yeah, I do. [00:37:45] Looking at your page 13, [00:37:48] when you talk about introducing innovative services [00:37:56] and participating in the new economy, [00:38:00] and you also talk about what's unique [00:38:02] to the city's public library, [00:38:05] but also what's unique about our city [00:38:07] as it compares to the county. [00:38:10] One of our sort of personalities [00:38:18] is historically is our entertainment, arts, music. [00:38:23] You know, that was an interesting thing. [00:38:26] Two points on that. [00:38:29] From a collection standpoint, [00:38:31] the Isaacson family, [00:38:37] who has the Ritchie Suncoast Orchestra, [00:38:46] is losing their place to practice and play. [00:38:49] They want very badly to be able to call New Port Richey [00:38:52] the center of their sort of musical event. [00:38:56] And looking at our old church, [00:38:57] and I keep reminding them that's part of a larger project [00:39:00] and probably not the place. [00:39:03] But at the same token, [00:39:05] one of the things that she said was, [00:39:07] what are we going to do? [00:39:09] And if you talk to Miss Isaacson, [00:39:11] she's got a long career herself as a musician [00:39:15] playing with some really famous acts [00:39:17] and traveling around the country, [00:39:21] and maybe the world, I think, [00:39:22] in terms of the music that she plays. [00:39:25] And the owner of the Spartan Manor [00:39:30] is involved in that sort of effort. [00:39:33] And she has identified Mrs. Isaacson's daughter, [00:39:40] who runs the library, I believe, [00:39:43] for Pasco County at the Starkey Park, [00:39:47] which has a cooperative agreement [00:39:49] the county does with the school system, [00:39:53] which I've mentioned once before. [00:39:54] But they have the, [00:39:58] and I'm going to get the wrong [00:40:00] Japanese motorcycle-making company, [00:40:03] the Suzuki Violins, is that right? [00:40:07] Suzuki Academy, or it's one of those. [00:40:11] It's not Yamaha. [00:40:12] They do it for- [00:40:13] I think it's Suzuki, the method. [00:40:14] Yeah, the Suzuki method. [00:40:15] And apparently they believe [00:40:18] that they could be teaching the Suzuki method [00:40:20] and be a central location [00:40:23] for folks to learn the violin and that sort of thing. [00:40:25] So there's a lot of, [00:40:28] and it's like myself, [00:40:32] not to speak for the mayor or those of us [00:40:34] that are in the past the seventh-inning stretch, let's say, [00:40:41] the daughter of Mrs. Isaacson, [00:40:44] very active librarian. [00:40:46] You probably know her, Andy. [00:40:48] And they were proposing [00:40:54] that they would really love to see the city [00:40:56] be the place where they could bring the orchestra. [00:41:02] Now we do have our Sims Park [00:41:05] and they have had events there. [00:41:08] I think they've played a good number of times [00:41:09] at the River Ridge Performing Arts Center, [00:41:12] but there's some bureaucracy to that. [00:41:15] And they need practice areas [00:41:17] and teaching and learning and all that. [00:41:18] So I really think music is the, [00:41:22] so there are individuals that really want to partner [00:41:25] with the city in some fashion, [00:41:27] but she has an incredible library of music, [00:41:35] of orchestra music and music that she says [00:41:39] is one of the largest collections around [00:41:42] from a lifetime of collecting it. [00:41:44] And so maybe of interest in terms of partnering, [00:41:50] whether it's not going to fit into a library [00:41:52] or trying to weed material out of [00:41:54] to put a whole bunch of new stuff in, [00:41:56] but I think it would give us a chance [00:42:00] to sort of have our jam in return of, [00:42:04] we have the house, the end of it just opened, [00:42:07] and that was early movies. [00:42:09] So the segue to that is in your marketing [00:42:12] and your marketing plan. [00:42:14] You've mentioned in here potentially having [00:42:17] podcasting, audio, video, content and creation. [00:42:20] And Mayor, I think it was, [00:42:26] I can't remember the occasion where, [00:42:28] it was the Regional Planning Council on Monday [00:42:31] where someone spoke on the possibility [00:42:39] that we should, at our resilience meeting [00:42:42] on getting Tampa Bay water and mentioned, [00:42:44] this was the County Commissioner on your board [00:42:46] from Hillsborough. [00:42:48] And he commented that we should be [00:42:51] as a resilience committee talking about [00:42:53] climate change, et cetera, [00:42:54] that we should be really looking to get [00:42:57] Tampa Bay water more involved. [00:42:59] But he said one of the data's that he collects [00:43:02] the most every month are the really elaborate data reports [00:43:07] about our own water table, [00:43:12] I got stuck on it when I was involved in that, [00:43:14] looking every month at how much we were ahead [00:43:17] or behind our water usage. [00:43:20] And so when you become, [00:43:22] like you would turn to the sports page [00:43:25] when you start looking at our average rainfall [00:43:29] and some of our water table stuff [00:43:31] and you become educated about our aquifer, [00:43:34] saltwater intrusion, all of those issues [00:43:36] that are sort of resilience connected. [00:43:38] You have outlined the sense of marketing, [00:43:47] but if we could market and say, come to the library, [00:43:50] we could really try to be that resource [00:43:56] that's pushing out information [00:43:58] and get people to become interested in it and see it. [00:44:01] And so I thought about Tampa Bay water [00:44:04] because it's kind of analytical stuff [00:44:06] that people can really get granularly get down into, [00:44:10] where was the rain, where wasn't it, [00:44:12] and maybe affect their habits and such. [00:44:15] But I've tried several times without success. [00:44:23] And this is going back into the 80s and 90s [00:44:27] when we had, and I forget the name of the cable company, [00:44:32] TCI Cable or something like that, [00:44:35] there were a number of cable companies that have progressed, [00:44:38] but there was a time when they came in [00:44:44] and set us up with our channel and we started publicizing [00:44:49] and putting on our council meetings. [00:44:55] But a lot of communities use that channel, [00:44:58] which we have. [00:45:00] a way to push out information. And if we had Water Report, or Debbie, you're growing this [00:45:08] group of New Port Richey graduates in our city, if we could somehow activate those groups [00:45:18] after they graduate and find a way to get them involved in something topical that they [00:45:24] could produce, and you could use the library with some podcasts, and maybe those podcasts [00:45:31] could be broadcast and put on our website, and maybe we find some folks who can really [00:45:39] sort of bring that channel that we have. A lot of younger people are into the YouTube [00:45:45] channels, right? Podcasts and YouTube channels, so putting some of that out on podcasts through [00:45:50] YouTube channels. I mean, my granddaughter's 14 today, actually, but she learns everything [00:45:55] on YouTube, and if I ask her something, she'll say, I don't know, let me look it up. And [00:45:59] she looks everything up on YouTube, and so that's, I think, that's what they do. I mean, [00:46:03] they look it up themselves and watch a YouTube video. So if we had some of those with podcasts [00:46:08] and YouTube videos, I think it would help. [00:46:11] Along the same lines that Pete was talking about, one of the collaborations we might do is reaching out to churches. [00:46:26] I don't know how big the orchestra is. It probably is too big to fit in here, but I know we've got churches [00:46:35] in the community that have large chancelleries that would be more than large enough for an orchestra to practice in, [00:46:46] and the acoustics are probably a heck of a lot better, but you're going to find it like Gulf High School. [00:46:52] Mayor, I think you finish American Club with that church that, I don't know if they're struggling, but they decided they wanted a church there. [00:46:58] They've only got 50 members. They're a little over their head, perhaps, in terms of getting their... [00:47:05] I think they're having a hard time implementing their site plan. [00:47:08] Yeah, so that might be a good partnership. Maybe the city could help. [00:47:12] That might be something. And with the off-site stacks, we've got the Ritchie Orchestra. [00:47:24] We've also got the Ritchie Band, and they additionally have a huge quantity of music. [00:47:36] If anything ever happens to Henry, who is the band director, it would be good that if there were a place that they knew that that music could go [00:47:51] where it would be kept safe and available for future use. [00:47:56] Just as a thought, it wouldn't necessarily have to be in the physical library building if we had access to air-conditioned, [00:48:13] properly humidified space to store that sort of stuff in, where if somebody needed it, they could get it. [00:48:23] Oh, to the topic of the TV and the usage, you talked about spending a little money in marketing, [00:48:31] and I don't think we pay for that channel. It's public access. I think there are expenses related to production and that sort of thing. [00:48:39] I tried, and I think Debbie, you might recall, I was trying to get a hold of the Gulf High School when I first got back on the council, [00:48:47] and I never got the appointments. I called ten times, and the principal was too busy or wasn't around. [00:48:56] Well, we had the high school in here last week, and this Friday is their 100th anniversary and they're alumni, [00:49:04] and we have a huge alumni at Gulf High because we're the first school. [00:49:08] And we got the first school over at Schwetman, too, and some interesting things that we might be able to do over there, I hope. [00:49:15] And I know you've got an opening for us that you've discussed with the school administration. [00:49:26] So to the degree that the library, as it does in some capacity, participate in helping to create these partnerships and or foster them, [00:49:37] even by virtue of whatever means that there is, but I really think the TV thing goes back to the movies, goes back to acting, [00:49:48] and all kinds of different, you know, performing arts sort of, and all of the related things back to costuming and set design and theater. [00:50:03] I don't know what changes it's still going through, but it is one of our gems in town, and it is... [00:50:09] I haven't kept track of who's doing what now, but... [00:50:16] I think we just lost the director again. [00:50:18] Yeah, oh, that's like the third director again. [00:50:20] He was in here last week. [00:50:22] So, and you know, problems are sometimes good opportunities for us to kind of try to reintroduce our interest to them. [00:50:30] You know, we have Mullins Music here now, too, and they have a big space, too, that they would probably be more than willing to kind of work with us [00:50:37] to organize some of those things at Mullins Music. [00:50:40] You mentioned your 14-year-old. [00:50:42] My great-granddaughter called me asking me to get her in touch with somebody for community service hours, which they still do for their bright futures. [00:50:52] And I had her contact the Dinosaur Museum to see if there was something with that presentation, or the library can give community service. [00:51:02] Yeah, we'll send her your way. [00:51:05] She'd probably prefer the air conditioning, because I told her she could ride my riding lawnmower and mow the football field over there for them. [00:51:13] Christmas time, she can help us with the holiday parade. [00:51:17] But point being, these kids are, you know, trying to earn some scholarship money for colleges, [00:51:25] and we've had great success in our events with the youth that have helped us in ticketing and events and all of that stuff. [00:51:34] So that was the underserved group you mentioned, if I'm not mistaken, or the ones that we really haven't connected. [00:51:43] The adult activities of those under 40, you know, those 20s and 30-year-olds that are starting to move into town. [00:51:54] Yes, that's one underserved group, and then we were also talking about low-income people as well. [00:52:00] I appreciate you blasting through this fast enough to get us out of here in time to get to our 6 o'clock meeting. [00:52:07] This is very good. I think we've got some ideas for moving forward with. [00:52:15] I definitely would love to, I think all of us would love to explore some options after we've had a chance to digest this a little bit more. [00:52:24] You mentioned we a number of times as you were speaking. [00:52:29] Is your relationship continuing and ongoing? Is this the end of the presentation? Where is your service? [00:52:37] I do use the word we, and I get so into it when I'm working for the library, so I sort of feel like we're a we, and we've had such a great collaboration. [00:52:48] Our engagement is finished with the development of the strategic plan. [00:52:56] We're always around, so if you need us for something else, we're glad to consider further engagement. [00:53:03] Some of the ideas for reaching out, one of the things that the Alliance for Substance Addiction Prevention did is they reached out to Meals on Wheels, [00:53:11] and they started sending the medicine caps that have timers on it because we had so many issues with older people forgetting when to take their medicine [00:53:19] and overdosing because they were taking too much, so we started sending those with the Meals on Wheels drivers. [00:53:25] So it might be a way to partner if they want to order a book, and it can be delivered with the Meals on Wheels when they're going to deliver the foods anyway. [00:53:33] We've heard about that in other communities. That's a great idea.

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3. 4Adjournment▶ 53:35
4. 3Communications