3rd Long Range Plan 

INTRODUCTION
GATES PUBLIC LIBRARY
3RD LONG RANGE PLAN OF SERVICE: 2003 – 2007

            In 1994, New York State approved 10 new Public Library Minimum Standards. Standard #2 said “a public library will be registered if it meets the following standards satisfactory to the Commissioner: [if it] has a board approved, written long range plan of service.”

            In preparation for the new standards, Gates Public Library adopted its Mission Statement and its 1st Long Range Plan for 1993 – 1997, titled ‘Moving Towards the Millennium’. A joint committee of Board members, Friends and staff were united in developing our 1st long-range plan. Of 7 goals, several were met with measurable success and are documented in the appendices to this plan.

           With our 2nd Long Range Plan of Service, ‘The Millennium and Beyond’, a joint committee of staff and Focus Group members developed the 2nd plan to cover the years of 1998 – 2002. The achievements of that Long Range Plan are listed in the Appendices for this proposed plan and include the addition of a number of new or improved services for Gates residents.

            In planning our 3rd Long Range Plan, we used the new American Library Association’s “Planning for Results: a Public Library Transformation Process” 1998 rather than earlier ALA guides for planning and role setting for public libraries. I attended the Monroe County Library System’s training workshop in 2000 using this new approach at which the Brighton Library Board and Director demonstrated in their long-range plan development.

            The staff Long Range Planning Committee was reactivated in early 2002 with Mary Jo Smith as ongoing Chairperson and an enthusiastic cross title group of library employees representing librarians, clerks, desk aides and shelving pages. The staff committee agreed to blend the best of the 1st two planning processes with this plan’s development, using both community Focus Group involvement as well as Library Board and Friends participation. The result of this long range planning process is that more people than ever were involved in the plan development.

            The Focus Group participants, all Gates residents, enthusiastically identified the services most important to them as library users including the need for a new library building. Friends and Library Board participants were actively involved, with a Yahoo group set up for Internet discussions with those planners who had Internet access.

            The larger planning group plus the new process involved a great deal of staff work outside of meetings. This planning process more so than the two previous planning processes involved an in-depth look at the current 2000 census for changes affecting the Town of Gates.

            The results of this long range plan with its broad base of community participation should greatly assist the Library Board and staff in fulfilling their vision of continuous improvement for local public library services. The Library Board approved the resulting Long Range Plan at their October 16, 2002 meeting.

Susan Swanton, Library Director, 10/18/02