Indiana: Indianapolis Public Library Releases Strategic Plan Review 2015-2020

UPDATE January 29: Click the Image Below to Access Full Text of the IPL Strategic Plan Review (15 pages; PDF)

From the Indianapolis Star

After years of belt-tightening, the library system’s new strategic plan [preliminary version] calls for an ambitious — and potentially costly — building expansion drive to accommodate the plan’s goals.
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At the plan’s core, though, is library leaders’ answer to the question of how to keep libraries relevant more than two decades into the Internet age.
Of course, they still expect plenty of demand for books.
But Jackie Nytes, the Indianapolis Public Library’s chief executive officer, says the size of the book collection likely will begin declining as library leaders shift their focus to digitizing more of the collection, forming new partnerships with community organizations, supporting job training and finding other uses for branches.
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Among the changes called for in the plan:
• Maintaining the current book collection in the short term, then reducing it as more items are offered digitally in branches on the library’s website.
• Keeping systemwide staff at the current level, but shifting some employees from service desks to new services.
• Within branches, creating areas serving adults, teens, children and early literacy programs, and expanding computer areas to include seating and outlets for patrons who bring or borrow electronic devices.
• Seeking out more partnerships with outside organizations and private funding to cover costs that likely won’t be supported by the current operating budget.
• Making branches less stodgy and more inviting, with more programs, to entice patrons to visit branches more often.

Read the Complete Article
See Also: Strategic Plan Web Page
Look for the full text of the plan on this page.

Video: Learn More About the Strategic Plan

A Brief Conversation With Lauren Johnson, Director of Public Services

Direct to Full Text of Strategic Plan Review (15 pages; PDF)

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