While organizations, corporations, and sometimes school districts bring together key members and a facilitator for one or more days to develop their strategic plan, you can do one on your own, although if you can get others to join you it’s likely to be even better.  The reason why strategic planning is considered important is that you set a direction for the next three years, understanding where, why, and how to concentrate your efforts.  Adjustments are made as you go along, and at the end of each year you can see how close you get to attaining your goals.

Speaking of goals—they are the first thing you need to write now that you have your Mission and Vision.  What are two or three goals you would like to achieve over the next three years?  Perhaps you want to develop stronger collaborations with teachers.  Or maybe, you want to increase your student’s recreational reading. These goals are yours.  They should further your Mission and/or Vision, and they should take time to accomplish.

Once you have your goals set, you are ready to determine how to realize them one year at a time.  For each goal, determine one or more Action Plans.  For example, if you want to develop stronger collaborations with teachers you might have an action plan to connect with three of them on an inquiry-based project, or zero in on a specific department or grade level.  Choose carefully.  Which are most likely to be open to your approach.  If you want to increase recreational reading, what program would best fit your school to get interest started?  One school, one book?  Battle of the Books?  A skyped author visit?

How will you accomplish each of your Action Plans?  Set up a spread sheet with your Mission and Vision on top, and then the first goal.  Identify the Action Plan(s) for the goal, and list who will be involved.  Obviously you would, but who else?  Which teachers?  Will you need something from an administrator or the tech department? When will each piece begin and end?

Most important of all is a column for assessment.  How will you evaluate each of the pieces?  Note what worked and what didn’t.  Perhaps a teacher you planned to work with had to leave mid-year.  Things beyond your control always come up.  Also you may have not factored in something important.  Don’t despair.  It’s all a learning experience.  Congratulate yourself on the parts you got right.  Even if you have only achieved one small step forward, at least you were able to move your program in a direction you set.

Now you are ready for year two of your Strategic Plan.  Your goals stay the same, but you need new Action Plans.  Based on how your first year went, you have a better idea of what is possible. By the end of year three, your program will have moved forward appreciably, and you will have had a sense of accomplishment as each year draws to a close.

Get started over the summer in developing your Strategic Plan.  Schedule a visit with your principal or supervisor—they are much more accessible in summer—and share your plan. You might even get an early buy-in. v

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The first threesome consists of PR, marketing, and advocacy. AASL has simple definitions for the three on its website http://www.ala.org/aasl/advocacy/definitions.  PR and marketing are tools for building support from stakeholders.  We are not supposed to be the ones advocating.  Others should be doing it for us. The challenge is getting them to recognize why they need us.

I have come to realize that the word “advocacy” isn’t resonating with anyone. It has become more of a plea for help in saving our jobs, making us sound weak and needy. Not an image we want to cultivate.  How did that happen, and what can be done to change it? 

My suggestion is to begin with another threesome: leadership, networking, and legislation.  Leadership is first.  People must know who you are and what you give them.  Note that what you give them must be what they want, not what you think they need.  It requires that you get to know your stakeholders and what they value and then be visible in meeting those needs.  (Use PR and marketing to help get the word out.)

Networking means outreach and creating relationships.  Who do you know?  How do you leverage those contacts?  What do you give them?  How do you acknowledge them?  Are you using current methods i.e., social media to maintain the relationships?

Finally become politically aware.  Challenges to your program don’t always arise at the district level. Both state and federal governments have negatively impacted our programs.  Get alerts from ALA’s Washington Office http://www.ala.org/wo and respond to requests to contact legislators.  Better yet, ask your network to do as well.  It takes almost no time.  Find out what your state association is doing with legislation.  Know your local government officials and look for ways to make them welcome in the library—with photo ops.

Is this time consuming?  Yes!  But putting in the work here (you can create a targeted strategic plan for doing it), could be just what is need to insure you “Live Long and Prosper.”  I know many of you are doing this. How did you reach out? What do you suggest to fellow librarians?

AND –  If you want help – consider taking advantage of SLW’s new program of “ASK HILDA!  Send me an email at hilda@slworkshop.net and I’ll be in touch. 

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