HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 10129
City of Palo Alto (ID # 10129)
City Council Staff Report
Report Type: Informational Report Meeting Date: 3/11/2019
City of Palo Alto Page 1
Summary Title: Library's Strategic Plan, 2018 -2021
Title: Palo Alto City Library Strategic Plan, 2018 -2021
From: City Manager
Lead Department: Library
The City of Palo Alto and its Library department have been engaged in building or
renovating the five city library branches that would enable the library to offer space and
opportunities to offer innovative services that satisfied the needs of the Palo Alto
community. As part of these projects, now at least four years old and older, the Library
has planned services and programs which reflect best practices for public libraries while
at the same time meet the current needs of the community and provide opportunities
for the future literacy, lifelong learning, and leisure needs that Palo Alto may have.
Library Director Monique le Conge Ziesenhenne, the Library Advisory Commission (LAC),
and staff members worked with Library Consultant Jane Light to develop a Strategic
Plan in 2015. Following the development of the Strategic Plan, the library staff has
been working hard to create and present interesting collections, services, and programs
based on the mission, values, and goals of the strategic plan.
In the second half of 2017, as part of their regular planning cycle, the Library began
working on revising the Strategic Plan. In December 2017, Library Consultant Jane
Light led a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) exercise in
which library staff provided valuable insights regarding library resources. Following the
exercise, library managers met together to create a Strategic Plan revision draft. The
draft was reviewed by the LAC in early 2018, which provided comments and
suggestions. The draft version that was made available for community feedback in
April 2018 garnered more than 800 community comments. Library staff analyzed and
incorporated many aspects of the feedback to the Strategic Plan revision. In
September 2018, the Library hosted an Aspen Institute Dialogue on Public Libraries
funded by a grant from the California State Library. Comments and discussions from
this process were likewise incorporated and reinforced the goals and strategies
presented here.
The revised Strategic Plan focuses on five goals that will guide library staff to develop,
City of Palo Alto Page 2
and prioritize projects and initiatives, and to remain relevant amidst the ever-changing
political, economic, social, and technological landscape: A) Be the place where
everyone can learn anything; B) Be the partner of choice of community organizations;
C) Connect community members to exchange and share stories, interests, and skills,
with particular emphasis on intergenerational opportunities; D) Leverage technology to
integrate the library into the lives of community members; E) Provide a richer library
experience for our community because of the expertise and effort of our dynamic staff.
The Library thanks the LAC, the Friends of the Palo Alto Library, the Library staff, and
other Library stakeholders for their support and assistance with the attached Strategic
Plan, as well as the presentation and implementation of programs and services to
achieve the Library’s vision for Palo Alto.
Attachments:
Attachment A: Palo Alto Library Strategic Plan 2018-21
STRATEGIC PLAN
2018 –2021
PALO ALTO CITY LIBRARY
2 PALO ALTO CITY LIBRARY | STRATEGIC PLAN 2018–2021
PALO ALTO CITY LIBRARY | STRATEGIC PLAN 2018-2021 3
OUR MISSION
PACL connects our diverse community
through knowledge, resources, and
opportunities.
We nurture
innovation,
discovery, and
delight.
OUR VISION FOR PALO ALTO
A flourishing city where people
achieve their dreams.
4 PALO ALTO CITY LIBRARY | STRATEGIC PLAN 2018–2021
AS A LIBRARY, WE VAL UE
CITY OF PALO ALTO VALUES
Efficiency
Productive, efficient use of
resources
Quality
Superior delivery of
services
Courtesy
Providing service with
respect and concern
Innovation
Excellence in creative
thought and
implementation
Integrity
Straight-forward, honest
and fair relations
Providing free and open access to collections, resources, and services to all.
Learning and being a learning organization.
Embracing differences and diversity.
Challenging the norm.
Fostering an engaged community and staff.
Our relationships with one another and with our community.
PALO ALTO CITY LIBRARY | STRATEGIC PLAN 2018-2021 5
INTRODUCTION
For the past 15 years, the City of Palo Alto and its
Library department have been engaged in
building or renovating the five city library
branches. As a result, the Mitchell Park Library
was rebuilt and the Downtown, College Terrace,
Children’s, and Rinconada libraries were
remodeled and modernized. These new and
renovated buildings provided space and
opportunities to offer innovative services that
satisfied the needs of the Palo Alto community.
Library Director Monique le Conge Ziesenhenne,
the Library Advisory Commission (LAC), and staff
members worked with Library Consultant Jane
Light to develop a Strategic Plan in 2015 that
enabled the library to focus resources on the
important goals, services, and activities needed
by the Palo Alto community. Following the
development of the Strategic Plan, the library
staff has been working hard to create and
present interesting collections, services, and
programs based on the mission, values, and
goals of the strategic plan. Appendix A lists the
significant achievements made between the
years 2015-17.
In the second half of 2017, as part of their
regular planning cycle, the library began working
on revising the Strategic Plan. In December 2017,
Library Consultant Jane Light led a SWOT
(Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and
Threats) exercise in which library staff provided
valuable insights regarding library resources.
Following the exercise, library managers met
together to create a Strategic Plan revision draft
using data as presented in Appendix B. The draft
was reviewed by the LAC in early 2018, who
provided comments and suggestions. The draft
version that was made available for community
feedback in April 2018 garnered more than 800
community comments. Library staff analyzed and
incorporated many aspects of the feedback to
the Strategic Plan revision. In September 2018,
the Library hosted an Aspen Institute Dialogue
on Public Libraries funded by a grant from the
California State Library. Comments and
discussions from this process were likewise
incorporated and reinforced the goals and
strategies presented here.
The revised Strategic Plan will function as an able
guide that enables library staff to develop, and
prioritize projects and initiatives, and to remain
relevant amidst the ever-changing political,
economic, social, and technological landscape.
6 PALO ALTO CITY LIBRARY | STRATEGIC PLAN 2018–2021
GOALS
A Be the place where everyone can learn anything.
B Be the partner of choice for community organizations.
C Connect community members to exchange and share
stories, interests, and skills, with particular emphasis on
intergenerational opportunities.
D Leverage technology to integrate the library into the
lives of community members.
E Provide a richer library experience for our community
because of the expertise and effort of our dynamic staff.
PALO ALTO CITY LIBRARY | STRATEGIC PLAN 2018-2021 7
Be the place where everyone can
learn anything.
Provide and promote opportunities to read for learning and
for pleasure.
Create learning opportunities for community members to be
able to make sense of and succeed in our changing society.
Provide a portal to American culture, language, and civic life.
Ensure that the library’s collections, technology, and buildings
support the evolving requirements of 21st Century lifelong
learning.
Provide tools for improving all types of literacy.
Provide early childhood literacy programs based on current
research in child development and learning.
STRATEGIES
GOAL
A
8 PALO ALTO CITY LIBRARY | STRATEGIC PLAN 2018–2021
Be the partner of choice for community
organizations.
Support Project Safety Net’s programs to promote youth well-
being and implement the 41 Developmental Assets.
Increase collaboration with Palo Alto’s public and private schools
and their school librarians.
Support library stakeholders in their advocacy and fundraising
activities.
Connect staff to community organizations in order to support
their goals and collaborate in their activities.
Encourage relationships with community organizations that
enhance library services and programs.
Develop partnerships to enhance customers’ digital experiences.
STRATEGIES
GOAL
B
PALO ALTO CITY LIBRARY | STRATEGIC PLAN 2018-2021 9
Connect community members to
exchange and share stories, interests,
and skills, with particular emphasis on
intergenerational opportunities.
Provide a forum to explore current events and issues of
community interest.
Engage community members in library services as volunteers
and program advisors.
Connect community members to exchange and share stories,
interests, and skills.
Encourage reading, writing, and other forms of creative
expression among community members.
STRATEGIES
GOAL
C
10 PALO ALTO CITY LIBRARY | STRATEGIC PLAN 2018–2021
Leverage technology to integrate the
library into the lives of community
members.
Enhance and preserve unique and local collections.
Plan and implement a social media strategy.
Produce web content that is relevant to the needs and
interests of our diverse audiences.
Facilitate access for library users to resources that enable them
to create content.
Provide staff training and technology infrastructure to support
digital projects.
Keep abreast of emerging technologies and trends and of
library-specific applications.
STRATEGIES
GOAL
D
PALO ALTO CITY LIBRARY | STRATEGIC PLAN 2018-2021 11
Provide a richer library experience for
our community because of the
expertise and effort of our dynamic
staff.
Attract and retain the most skilled and knowledgeable staff.
Motivate and recognize staff through opportunities to innovate
and be creative.
Create opportunities for staff members to bring their talents
and interests to work.
Explore opportunities for improving employee work-life
balance.
Support and promote efforts to make it possible for staff to live
in or near Palo Alto.
STRATEGIES
GOAL
E
12 PALO ALTO CITY LIBRARY | STRATEGIC PLAN 2018–2021
Appendix A: 2015 – 2017 Strategic Plan
A
Provide early childhood
literacy programs based on
current research in child
development and learning.
Introduced Sensory
Storytime for children with
learning disabilities and on
the autism spectrum (2017).
Staff trained in “Mind in the
Making” to understand the
need for executive skills;
trained child-focused staff at
Palo Alto Art Center (2016).
STRATEGIES:
GOAL A
Create a variety of opportunities for learning and provide effective tools for
improving all types of literacy.
B
Create opportunities for
community members to
acquire the necessary skills
succeed in an increasingly
digital world.
Introduced 3D printing
services at the library
(2016).
Piloted use of technologies
through grant-funded
programs, such as robots
for teaching coding and
participating in storytime,
virtual reality hardware for
3D design (2017).
C
Provide a portal to American
culture, language, and civic
life. Ensure that the library’s
collections, technology, and
buildings support the evolving
requirements of 21st Century
lifelong learning.
Started the New Americans
Program, which includes
English as a Second Language
discussion group, Citizenship
classes, an American Culture
series, and web resources
(2015).
GOAL B
Strengthen the community and the library through effective partnerships.
A
Support Project Safety Net’s
programs to promote youth
wellbeing and support the
41 Developmental Assets.
Provide facility support to
the monthly Project Safety
Net meeting (2015).
Expand the practice of tying
library programming to 41
Developmental Assets.
B
Increase collaboration with
Palo Alto’s public and
private schools and their
school librarians.
Began planning for the
Student Library Card
Initiative with PAUSD
(2017).
Introduced online resources
to teachers and librarians
through hands-on training
opportunities (2017).
C
Support library stakeholders
in their advocacy and
fundraising activities.
Provided various analytical
reports to Library Advisory
Commission in support of
efforts in promoting
electronic books and
international languages use.
Provided support for Library
Advisory Commissioners to
attend professional
conferences.
D
Connect librarians to
community organizations in
order to support their goals
and participate in their
activities by bringing library
resources and services directly
to them.
Established the BikePALS
program through a grant-
funded innovation program
(2016).
Collaborated with the Palo Alto
YMCA and Avenidas to provide
facilities for senior wellness
programs and technology
training.
STRATEGIES:
*Note: achievements without dates are either multiple presentations or
opportunities, or were implemented in stages over multiple years.
PALO ALTO CITY LIBRARY | STRATEGIC PLAN 2018-2021 13
Appendix A: 2015 – 2017 Strategic Plan
Accomplishments
A
Provide a forum to explore
issues of local interest and
current events.
Developed the “Celebrating
Cultures” initiative, to
highlight events celebrated
by our New American
communities (2017).
Organized several
community conversation
sessions based on the
Harwood Institute training
on such topics as technology
in libraries (2016).
STRATEGIES:
GOAL C
Facilitate civic participation and effective community engagement.
B
Engage community
members, with particular
attention to teens and
seniors, in library services
as volunteers and program
advisors.
Implemented Better Impact
software for managing and
recruiting volunteers
effectively (2015).
Began to partner with the
Friends of the Palo Alto
Library (FOPAL) to
recognize all volunteers
whose work benefits the
library (2015).
GOAL D
Expand virtual customer experiences.
A
Make the library e-branch
as usable and useful on
mobile devices as on PCs
and laptops.
Researched and tested
search and discovery
alternatives to current
library system.
Provide feedback to vendors
regarding their products and
how they perform on
different types of devices.
B
Grow digital collections to
a robust level to meet
increasing demand.
Introduced twelve popular
electronic services, in
English and other
languages, including
Hoopla, Enki, Zinio, Kanopy,
and Kono.
Added early childhood
digital learning resources
for parents and caregivers
to check out and use at
home.
C
Make discovery and use
of library collections,
services, and resources
simpler.
Implemented a new
discovery tool, reaching
the goal set by the Library
Advisory Commission
(2017).
Implemented Niche
Academy for staff and the
public to learn how to
access digital resources
(2016).
STRATEGIES:
Appendix A: 2015 – 2017 Strategic Plan
14 PALO ALTO CITY LIBRARY | STRATEGIC PLAN 2018–2021
Appendix A: 2015 – 2017 Strategic Plan
A
Attract, develop, and
retain the most talented
employees.
Recruited highly skilled
librarians to handle complex
work in civic initiatives,
early literacy, graphic
design, web design, robotic
programming, analytics and
infographic presentations.
STRATEGIES:
GOAL E
Foster a culture of excellence, continuous improvement, and risk-taking.
B
Provide opportunities and
resources for all employees
to continue developing
their skills and knowledge.
Staff were sent to national,
regional, and local trainings
to gain knowledge about
best practices in public
libraries, new resources for
materials and technology,
and to develop specialized
skills.
Staff are participants on
professional committees
and governing boards and
councils.
Small-group hands-on
training was introduced to
regularly update staff
knowledge of customer
service, technology, and
collections (2017).
C
Embrace and reward
creativity and innovation.
Many staff members
developed new programs in
diverse topics, ranging from
World War I history to virtual
reality.
Staff were recognized
through “kudos” e-mails and
annual social events.
PALO ALTO CITY LIBRARY | STRATEGIC PLAN 2018-2021 15
In preparation for the revision, the following demographic and planning
information sources were reviewed:
Palo Alto is a city of nearly 70,000 residents within Santa Clara County, which has a population of
1,938,180. According to the City of Palo Alto's official data set, the majority of the residents are between
25–54 years old, with the largest percentage in the 45–54 age category. According to the California State
Department of Finance, the proportion of seniors in Santa Clara County is projected to grow significantly
between 2015 and 2030. More specifically, according to this projection and cited in the recently approved
Palo Alto Comprehensive Plan, "Palo Alto has, and is projected to continue to have, a higher percentage of
persons over 60 years of age than almost any other city in Santa Clara County" (Section C-11 of
Comprehensive Plan).
The Population and Housing element of the recently approved Comprehensive Plan provides the following
data and forecasts on Palo Alto population and number of households:
Appendix B: About Palo Alto and PACL
73,320
68,994
64,403
30,108
28,478
26,493
0 20,000 40,000 60,000 80,000
2030
2020
2010
Household
Population
Number of Households Versus Population of Palo Alto
16 PALO ALTO CITY LIBRARY | STRATEGIC PLAN 2018–2021
Palo Alto draws an additional population during working hours that doubles its size as people from all
over the area commute to work at large institutions like Stanford, the VA Hospital, and many tech
companies. With close proximity to other towns such as East Palo Alto, Mountain View, and Los Altos,
Palo Alto is a destination city for work, education, and leisure activities for nearby residents and longer
distance commuters. Data in the OrangeBoy platform shows PACL library patrons with a home zip code
outside of Palo Alto range up and down the peninsula from San Carlos down to San Jose.
Appendix B: About Palo Alto and PACL
PALO ALTO CITY LIBRARY | STRATEGIC PLAN 2018-2021 17
Number of Households Versus Population of Palo Alto
Cardholder Information
Appendix B: About Palo Alto and PACL
18 PALO ALTO CITY LIBRARY | STRATEGIC PLAN 2018–2021
Palo Alto has many distinct neighborhoods and over thirty neighborhood associations, with an
umbrella organization called Palo Alto Neighborhoods, which include:
Barron Park / Green Acres
Downtown North / Crescent Park
Midtown North / Palo Verde / Charleston Gardens
Midtown South / Ventura / Charleston Meadow
Professorville / Old PA / Duveneck / St. Francis
Stanford
Map of PACL Cardholders
Appendix B: About Palo Alto and PACL
PALO ALTO CITY LIBRARY | STRATEGIC PLAN 2018-2021 19
Other sources of data included:
FY18 and FY19 City of Palo Alto and Library Departmental Budgets
2017 City of Palo Alto Performance Report
National Citizens’ Survey, City of Palo Alto 2017
Edge Report
Library Technology Report
Appendix B: About Palo Alto and PACL
270 Forest Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94301
(650) 329-2436
library.cityofpaloalto.org