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STDL is seeking an experienced, professional facilitator to perform the following:
1. Facilitate the strategic planning process using a methodology effective for public libraries.
2. Gather data through community research that focuses on library users, non-users, and stakeholders (including board and staff) to identify library needs/wants as well as ways to increase cardholder registration and library usage. Use of a third- party research firm is acceptable, and STDL will also accept proposals for this individual component.
Community input is a key component of this planning process, and must include:
i. Focus groups / public input sessions / individual interviews
ii. Paper/online survey
iii. Phone follow up interviews
iv. Other methods as identified by the consultant
Surveys and other types of gathering data may need to be conducted in multiple languages. Please include costs for survey translation and other multi-language components.
3. Facilitate planning meetings and public, board, management, and staff input sessions.
4. Review the current mission statement, make revisions if and as required through discussions, and review current core values.
5. Identify service priorities, goals, objectives, and activities.
6. Write and present the strategic plan that will be communicated to the library’s stakeholders. The final deliverable should include:
i. An up-to-date community profile and identification of community markets.
ii. An assessment of the library’s environments, including evaluation of strengths and weaknesses, quality of services, reputation, management, and budget, etc.
iii. Clearly defined priorities, goals, and objectives that are measurable and for which the library will hold itself accountable.
iv. Specification of a built-in process of regular review, evaluation and adjustment to the plan resulting from changes in the economic, demographic, or political climate.
7. All raw and summary data is to be delivered to STDL at the conclusion of the planning process.