Long Range Plan

FY2005-2010

The mission of the Heartland Library Cooperative is to provide to the citizens of the member-county service area enhanced access to library materials and library services which would otherwise be unavailable under current and anticipated funding. This cooperative venture will expand the quality and quantity of library materials to local residents by providing greater access to regional collections through shared technology and electronic access to information, cooperative-wide children and young adult services, and centralized technical services.

The Heartland Library Cooperative consists of four independent member county library systems; DeSoto, Hardee, Highlands, and Okeechobee Counties. These libraries share geographic, economic, and social bonds. The region is largely rural-agricultural and has little in common with contiguous urban counties. Member residents are required to travel considerable distances for access to major population and urban areas. All of the member libraries have found it difficult under the current independent system to provide for all of their patrons' needs, hence the need for this cooperative (Statistical information, Appendix 1).

These counties have entered into an interlocal agreement that specifies the governance of this regional library system and the relationship of the partners. Each county operates its library using funds from their local county commission, as well as a state aid grant from the State of Florida. A cooperative library grant allows citizens from the four counties to access more fully the resources of the region and to enable each participating county to more completely serve the needs of its patrons.

PLAN DEVELOPMENT AND ANALYSIS

Focus groups were convened in each county for the purpose of discussion of the Cooperative's strengths and challenges. There were three primary considerations that were the result of these discussions upon which the Goals for the plan were selected and substantively developed. Foremost, the plan was to focus on better, rather than new services. Second, the Cooperative's information technology infrastructure is extremely strong and well poised for a new dimension in library service. Third, the county libraries enjoy remarkable public support and affection based on their good reputations in their communities.

STRENGTHS OF THE COOPERATIVE

The spirit of cooperation that is the core of all the Cooperative's strengths.
The professionalism of the Cooperative Coordinator, the County Library Directors and all staff who are dedicated, knowledgeable, flexible and committed to fulfilling the vision of the Cooperative
The Cooperative is always looking toward the future; ready and able to change and grow.
The Cooperative takes a leadership role in seeking grant funding for the benefit of the County Library members.
The Cooperative Governing Board is strongly committed to working together to provide services throughout the cooperative area, maintaining a focus on all the libraries to be served.
The addition of the Archbold Biological Station Library to the Cooperative brought new resources to the Cooperative.
The County Libraries are active participants and respond to opportunities presented to them.
The Cooperative enjoys excellent communication among the County Libraries and their staff, supported by email updates and a cooperative email discussion list. Joint meetings of the Cooperative libraries are held annually.
The Cooperative coordinates training for the staff of member libraries.
The Cooperative manages its funding very well, based on sound and successful policies.

CHALLENGES TO THE COOPERATIVE

The Cooperative needs to provide a more dynamic web site, with interactive features to link members to information.
The Cooperative is affected when members of the Governing Board do not attend meetings on a regular basis.
The Cooperative will be facing funding issues as the result of the revision of the State Aid to Libraries grant program currently (December 2005) in review.
The Cooperative needs to encourage the Tampa Bay Library Consortium to follow through with its plans for the Cooperative's participation in the Anytime, Anywhere library resource sharing project.

GOALS

Goal 1 - Technology & Library Automation
Rationale
Action
Evaluation
Goal 2 - Centralization of Technical Services
Rationale
Action
Evaluation
Goal 3 - Libraries and Their Communities
Rationale
Action
Evaluation

Goal 1, Objective:

The Cooperative will develop, implement and evaluate a program to enhance the use of technology by staff in their daily work roles and by patrons in their requests for information.

Rationale:
The member libraries of the cooperative are struggling in an extraordinarily fast-paced era of change, especially in the realm of technology. The knowledge and information base of society is growing at a phenomenal rate. The member libraries lack the trained staff needed to provide effective use of this information through the technology currently available and that is coming in the future. Our library patrons are also suffering from an inability to effectively use the technology provided by the libraries in their own jobs and homes. To improve service to our citizens, training for both staff and the public is essential. The Cooperative will continue to support the position of an Information Technology Trainer who will provide leadership, direction and training. The need for training is continuous and endlessly varied.
Through the Information Technology Trainer, the member libraries have the ability to provide training in its most effective manner for both library staff and library patrons. We are also able to offer outreach, offsite training in the use of the informational technologies available today. The libraries recognize the instructional facilitation of the public's forays into new informational technology blends well into the libraries' mission.
The Heartland Library Cooperative has developed and adopted an extensive technology plan (appendix II) that describes public services, human resources development, facilities and equipment, administrative and support services, and community relations as they relate to the Cooperative's goals and its technology resources. The Cooperative Coordinator, working closely with the Information Technology Trainer, is primarily responsible for carrying out the plan as it relates to public services, human resources development (training) and community relations.

Action:

Continue to identify and provide the training needed for appropriate staff. (2005-2010)
Develop techniques and training so that designated Cooperative staff can troubleshoot and resolve more complicated PC related problems. (2005-2010)
Provide portable laptop computers for training and practice at member libraries and community outreach locations. (2005-2010)
Provide full-time trainer who will provide classes to the public at each library. (2005-2010)
Develop Web-based training guides as supplements to software/hardware utilization manuals. (2005-2010)
Establish use of online (distance) instruction for economy-of-scale staff training and development. (2005-2010)
Develop guidelines for patron service staff so that they know and are comfortable with what the Cooperative expects them to know in terms of technology. (2005-2010)

Evaluation Method:

Site visits to training sessions
Brief questionnaires
Training session evaluation forms completed by staff
Training session evaluation forms completed by community participants
Statistical reports generated by Polaris, library automation system

Goal 2, Objective:

The Cooperative will provide consistent cataloging, database cleanup, and authority control for a shared database of its member's libraries.

Rationale:
The Cooperative will provide efficiency of cataloging and physical processing at centralized locations. Duplication of records will be reduced, accuracy will be increased, and quality of the database will result in satisfactory patron access. Professional and library staff in member libraries will be more readily available to work directly with their patrons and will be able to be more responsive to the needs of the community. Fully processed, shelf-ready materials will be available to patrons in a timely manner.

Action:

Continue provision of a central location for the centralized technical services department. (2005-ongoing)
Provide centralized technical services staff of at least two catalogers under the supervision of the Database Coordinator. (2005-ongoing)
Provide tracking system software to monitor workflow between catalogers and member libraries as requested. (2005-ongoing)
Purchase shelving and staff furniture for catalogers as needed. (2005-ongoing)
Add one cataloger and one processing clerk to implement a centralized ordering program to provide complete shelf-ready materials for member libraries. (2006)
Continue one daily full-time courier for the centralized technical services department and library circulation departments. (2005-ongoing)

Evaluation:

Compliance with Library of Congress cataloging specifications.
Title turn-around rate.
Number of library materials processed.
Site visits to member libraries.
Survey based on patron database usage of OPAC.
Staff input based on database usage at circulation desk.

Goal 3, Objective:

The Cooperative will collect information about the libraries and their communities.

Rationale:
The member libraries will engage in the process of discovery, of finding answers to such basic questions as: What kind of communities do our libraries serve? Who lives there? What do residents expect from the libraries? Information about our communities and their residents help library staff to understand what services may be needed. Information about our libraries helps us to understand how well our libraries are doing their jobs. The information collected will:

Identify factors in the library's environment that may affect the provision of services
Reveal community needs for library services
Demonstrate to community decision makers the libraries's understanding of their services and their communities
Suggest possible library roles, goals and objectives

Action:

Create a planning committee and identify library staff who will be responsible for gathering and assembling the information (2006)
Planning committee will develop range of information to be considered about the community and the libraries themselves. (2006-2007)
Planning committee will identify a focus for its information-gathering and will agree on the final list of information to be gathered. (2006-2007) (See Sample Information Needs List below)
Original data collection will begin and will include surveys, interviews, library walk-arounds and community drive-arounds, and structured observation. (2006-ongoing)
Library staff will organize findings (2006-ongoing)
Planning committee will conduct findings focus discussion (2006-ongoing)
Summary report will be created that will serve as a permanent record. (2006-ongoing)

Evaluation Method:
How many surveys were returned (10% considered to be favorable return)
Percentage returned out of number distributed.

Sample Information Needs List

Information	Possible Source	Potential Use
Community Population: % under 5 years of age %5-17 years of age % over 65 years of age	City and County Date Book	Check projected student population. Check current student population. Has senior population grown in the last 5 years?
Total registered borrowers	Library records	Get current + 5 years ago
% of community aware of various library services	Survey	Is the library well known? Do we need to publicize some services better?
Turnover rate: our libraries Turnover rate: other libraries	Library records State library	How active is the collection? Comparisons with similar size libraries in state
Library circulation: adult and juvenile	Library records	Who accounts for what part of our circulation?
% of students who have visited the library: within the last month, within the last year	Survey (get data at the building level	Which schools account for most of our student use? How could we target a library/faculty relations program?
Ratio of additions to total library holdings	Library records	Help in diagnosing the currency of the collection

APPENDIX I:

County Population Statistics

The following statistics on each county in the Region are from the 1995 Florida Statistical abstract prepared by the Bureau of Business and Economic Research at the University of Florida (BEBR).

DeSoto: DeSoto County has an estimated population of 26,716 persons with a land area of 637 square miles, yielding a density of 41 persons per square mile. DeSoto ranks 47th in the State for density and 48th in population.

DeSoto County Population Projections

Area	1995	2000	2005	2010
Arcadia	6,617	6,778	6,890	6,989
Unincorporated	18,264	20,820	23,013	25,207
Total County	24,881	27,598	29,903	32,196

Hardee: Hardee County ranks 50th in population with 22,519 persons and 48th in population density with 35 persons per square mile. Hardee also occupies 637 square miles.

Hardee County Population Projections

Area	1995	2000	2005	2010
Bowling Green	1,962	1,894	1,825	1,748
Wauchula	3,632	3,913	4,203	4,486
Zolfo Springs	1,264	1,215	1,166	1,113
Unincorporated	14,572	15,082	15,610	16,058
Total County	21,430	22,104	22,804	23,405

Highlands: Highlands County has an estimated population of 77,946 persons, a land area of 1,029 square miles. Highlands ranks 35th in the State for population and 38th in population density with 74 persons per square mile.

Highlands County Population Projections

Area	1995	2000	2005	2010
Avon Park	8,144	8,164	8,138	8,102
Lake Placid	1,345	1,490	1,624	1,758
Sebring	8,949	8,973	8,942	9,901
Unincorporated	58,832	68,773	77,495	85,941
Total County	77,270	87,400	96,199	104,701

Okeechobee: Okeechobee County has an estimated population 33,643 and has a land area of 774 square miles. Okeechobee ranks 43rd in population and 46th in population density with 42 persons per square miles.

Okeechobee Population Projections

Area	1995	2000	2005	2010
Okeechobee	32,855	37,500	40,900	44,300

Library Statistics 2005

County	Population	Patrons	Patron Visits	Virtual Visits	Electronic Users	Circulations	Collection
DeSoto	29,903	14,070	60,744	4,238	6,687	67,509	51,212
Hardee	22,804	11,846	54,067	3,752	5,920	67,023	48,768
Highlands	96,199	48,814	276,304	23,360	14,810	206,020	162,487
Okeechobee	40,900	17,777	124,551	9,101	32,013	116,073	57,078

Library Statistics 2004

County	Population	Patrons	Patron Visits	Virtual Visits	Electronic Users	Circulations	Collection
DeSoto	33,713	12,738	67,097	16,510	9,847	80,802	45,780
Hardee	27,400	10,757	63,808	8,819	9,871	71,251	39,726
Highlands	90,393	46,005	294,485	10,478	38,307	382,071	138,168
Okeechobee	37,236	16,251	121,099	9,854	27,593	113,341	51,349

Library Statistics 2003

County	Population	Patrons	Patron Visits	Virtual Visits	Electronic Users	Circulations	Collection
DeSoto	32,798	11,340	99,867	12,043	6,968	80,568	44,398
Hardee	27,437	9,477	57,780	1,026	9,204	60,260	37,830
Highlands	89,083	41,158	252,013	5,972	7,176	347,625	122,328
Okeechobee	36,551	14,515	104,436	4,820	17,836	106,385	46,678

Library Statistics 2002

County	Population	Patrons	Patron Visits	Virtual Visits	Electronic Users	Circulations	Collection
DeSoto	32,736	9,810	79,416	16,510	9,847	88,281	41,646
Hardee	26,921	7,969	66,652	8,819	9,871	47,985	37,608
Highlands	88,212	27,757	280,321	10,478	38,307	367,732	61,114
Okeechobee	36,147	12,681	119,380	9,854	27,593	116,632	42,504

APPENDIX II

Heartland Library Cooperative
Technology Plan for Universal Service Discounts Application

I.) MISSION STATEMENT
The Heartland Library Cooperative Governing Board and staff recognize the impact of technology, specifically electronic communication and information upon the lives of the residents of DeSoto, Hardee, Highlands and Okeechobee counties. The Cooperative strives to identify, retrieve, organize, and provide access and instruction in the use of technology in its various formats.

II.) TECHNOLOGY STRATEGIC PLAN
The technology strategy for the Heartland Library Cooperative is to meet the following objectives as outlined in the Cooperative's long range plan. Each objective has a set of criteria established for the definition and measurement of successful implementation.

Use technology to provide the most appropriate information delivery system
Use technology to control cost and improve the efficiency of library operations
Maintain flexibility to adapt new and changing technology to meet the public's needs
Evaluate emerging technology for effective responsiveness to the public's needs
Use technology to connect to relevant sources outside the library
Train staff and educate the public on how to use technology to retrieve the information needed

III.) PLAN JUSTIFICATION
In order to maintain a competitive position in the information industry and to continue to provide a high standard of public service, the Heartland Library Cooperative offers a wide range of electronic services to supplement the traditional services currently being offered by its member libraries. This plan presents the current and planned hardware, software and telecommunications necessary to deliver these services as seen by the Heartland Library Cooperative.

IV.) TECHNOLOGY INVENTORY

Library	PACs	Public PCs	Staff PCs	Children	Total
Avon Park	3	9	5	2	19
DeSoto County	2	3	5	1	11
Lake Placid	6	7	7	6	26
Sebring	5	13	19	5	42
Hardee County	3	8	11	3	25
Okeechobee County	4	22	13	5	44
Total	23	62	60	22	167

V.) GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

A.GOAL FOR PUBLIC SERVICES
To develop and implement through continuous evaluation and adaptation, our program of electronic resources to effectively meet the information, education and recreational needs of our patrons.

Objective 1: Provide training for the public on electronic tools and resources.

Maintain interactive training programs for staff and public.
Work with community organizations in assisting patrons to utilize electronic services.

Objective 2: Evaluate and enhance electronic services to provide ease of use and access to Cooperative resources for the public.

Develop and implement wireless access for public computing at libraries as requested.
Upgrade existing public access workstations to take advantage of new technology (USB 2 ports, firewire ports, etc.).
Develop and implement a hypertext multimedia guide to the Cooperative to be accessed from public workstations.
Implement e-mail patron notifications for reserves and overdue items.
Implement Polaris telephone notification for outbound calling for reserves and overdue items.

Objective 3: Expand and enhance the functionality and scope of the electronic catalog and associated databases and files for ease of access to information for patrons and staff.

Maintain a schedule for regular file maintenance of bibliographic database files.
Implement a methodology for on-going cleanup of the bibliographic database.
Implement a methodology for utilization of the US MARC holdings format.
Utilize advanced features of Polaris ILS (dashboards) for distribution of information.

Objective 4: Enhance electronic services to children and young adults.

Provide greater access to electronic resources by placing workstations in the children's areas at all Cooperative libraries.
Continue to develop web resources for children and young adults.
Team with children's librarians on active collection development of electronic resources, including software for PC and Internet resources.
Develop interactive multimedia services for children throughout the system.

Objective 5: Extend a full range of electronic services to persons with disabilities.

Investigate and acquire as feasible, software and hardware modifications, eye tracking systems, lights sensors, and alternate keyboard devices to assist patrons with disabilities.
Add workstations for the visually impaired at requested locations.
Create a section on the home page dedicated to disability issues.

Objective 6: Improve electronic access to document delivery and ILL services.

Make records for all periodicals available for public access through Online Catalog.
Link to Florida Electronic Library from cooperative and member library's home pages.
Investigate document delivery via e-mail.
Implement a system for contacting patrons by phone or e-mail regarding their ILL material.

Objective 7: Increase and enhance electronic Reference services available to the public.

Provide links on library webpages to Ask A Librarian, the real-time information service provided by the State Library of Florida.
Offer reference services to the public via e-mail.

B) GOAL FOR HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT
Fulfill Cooperative services objectives through effective human resources planning and development

Objective 1: Develop, implement and evaluate a program to enhance the use of technology by staff in their daily work roles.

Produce comprehensive documentation both in paper and on the Intranet for easy accessibility.
Investigate checking out laptops to staff to practice computer skills.
Identify and provide training needed for appropriate staff to be proficient in use of electronic services.
Develop techniques and training that designated staff can troubleshoot and resolve more complicated PC related problems.
Develop guidelines for patron service staff so that they know and are comfortable with the limitations on what the Cooperative expects them to know in terms of technology.

Objective 2: Improve both internal and external patron support.

Implement new Help-Desk software.
Develop and implement a skills enhancement program for staff.

C) GOAL FOR FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT
Provide technology resources to support the objectives of the Cooperative.

Objective 1: Provide and continue to enhance/improve access and services through maintenance of technology equipment and to upgrade infrastructure in library facilities.

Evaluate and upgrade servers, access connections, data lines, multi-media routers and switches to provide the latest high-speed connections afforded by the Cooperative's budget.
Explore the design and integration of wireless technology (WiFi) into the Cooperative's network.
Provide patron access to Internet for use with laptops in the library.
Develop a plan for expanding of the mobile computer training/work study stations
Prepare a Disaster Recovery Plan.
Evaluate the security infrastructure (anti-virus software and firewall) and develop a new design as necessary to provide security for library technology.
Complete migration of all PC workstations to XP and Windows 2000.
Complete upgrade of all servers to Windows 2003 operating systems
Continue to plan a timeline for equipment replacement in PC workstations, training lab, etc.
Explore possibility of networking (WAN) copiers and fax machines with PC workstations.

VI.) EVALUATION
Evaluation allows the Heartland Library Cooperative to monitor progress toward specified goals, and make mid-course corrections if and when needed in response to new development/opportunities as they arise.

Review/Revise annually the Technology Plan to provide efficient and excellent technology services to the community and library staff as new development and opportunities arise.
Check list of action steps/activities for completion in the implementation of the Technology Plan to measure achievement and success of plan. Inventory annually the hardware, software and the network to assess and upgrade to provide more efficient technology services.
Monitor technology use by library patrons and staff to determine future needs for training, services, equipment and personnel.
Regularly assess training needs to update skills of staff and patrons as new equipment and resources are added to the Cooperative as well as upgrades to current equipment and resources.
Update/Adjust budget according to available funding to meet the needs of cost specifications of hardware, software, training and personnel to implement the Technology Plan.
Collect and analyze statistical data to enable better planning for library technology needs and services to the community.
Explore ways to provide technology services more efficiently and to get the most technology for the Cooperative's financial investment through participation in consortia, resource sharing, staffing and so forth.