Computing and networking
technologies, in all their various forms, are becoming an
integral part of almost all library services. To help make
certain these technologies are used in an efficient and cost
effective manner, libraries should develop a technology plan.
Ideally, any technology plan will be part of a broader long-range
plan encompassing all library services.
This page is designed to
provide basic information on the planning process and assist
actual development of the plan. It is divided into the following
sections.
I. Key Factors in Technology Planning
- Outlines five key factors to consider
when starting a technology planning process.
II. Technology Plan Outline
- Provides a framework on the types of
information to be included in a technology plan and
provides guidance on the plan's structure.
I.
Key Factors in Technology Planning
There
are five factors critical to effective library technology
planning and implementation. They are
1)
Support of library staff, including its management
- No
planning effort will succeed without the full support
and commitment of all library staff and management.
This commitment should be made before starting a
technology planning process.
2)
Direct involvement by other parties
- The development
of a technology plan should be undertaken not by
library staff alone but with active participation by
the library's trustees and the involvement of other
parties such as the local schools, the
municipal/county IT department and the library
system.
3)
Service-based technology goals and initiatives
- A
key factor in the use of any library technology is a
realization that technology is not an end in itself
but a means to an end. Technology must be viewed as a
vehicle to offer more efficient and effective
delivery of current services and to add new services
to help carry out the mission of the library.
4)
Staff development
- Too
often, emphasis is placed on the hardware and
software aspects of technology at the expense of
staff training and in-servicing needed to help ensure
proper and effective use of technology. Without a
firm commitment to initial and continued staff
development, the benefits of technology will not be
fully realized.
5)
Identification of funding and development of a budget
- Any
technology plan must address the need for funds to
implement the plan. Funds must be budgeted annually
to maintain existing technology, to update or replace
obsolete technology on a regularly scheduled basis,
and to provide necessary staff support.
II. Technology
Plan Outline
Below is a basic
template for a library technology plan. Obviously, technology
plans can be developed in many different formats. The topical
areas listed below are designed to ensure that you cover all
necessary areas. How these areas are addressed in your plan and
their actual placement in the plan is a local decision. In other
words, the areas listed below can be "mixed and
matched" and reordered to meet local needs and
circumstances.
Several areas below cite the six E-rate
technology plan criteria, which are referenced in section III. If you are developing your library technology plan
specifically to qualify for the E-rate, be certain to review the
criteria before you start the planning process.
Introduction/Overview
This section is designed
to provide general information on the library, its services, and
its overall mission. Include an explanation of how the technology
plan was developed, who was involved in the process, and what
process will be used to review and update the plan as needed.
(This section can be omitted if the technology plan is part of a
broader library planning document.)
Vision statement
Describe how technology
assists staff to carryout the library's mission and improve
library services. This statement is often no more than three or
four sentences. The vision should reflect the realization that
technology is not an end in itself, but a means to an end.
Example: providing better reference services to local businesses
by offering access to business-related databases.
Address the issue of how
the library plans to use technology to help accomplish its goals
and mission in future years. In other words, be certain to
incorporate some type of "vision" in the vision
statement. While forecasting technology trends even one or two
years into the future is difficult, it is still helpful to
develop a broad, general vision on the use of technology in the
future.
Executive summary
If your technology plan
is more than 4-6 pages, develop a summary highlighting major
goals or initiatives. If there is no summary, there should be
some area of the plan, generally the vision statement or the
goals/implementation section, where the major goals are outlined.
(Depending on the level of detail and length of the plan, the
Executive Summary can be incorporated into the
Introduction/Overview section.)
Background and current state of technology
Provide an overview on
how long technology has been used in the library. This can be
done from a chronological perspective and, if necessary, further
divided into service areas. This area should list major
software/hardware or service purchases and upgrades. Include any
cooperative efforts involving technology with neighboring
libraries, schools, local units of government, local
colleges/universities and any other parties.
As a follow-up to the
background section, describe what technologies are currently
being used and the current technology environment (e.g.,
hardware/software, LANs/WANs, automated systems,
telecommunications, Internet, reference databases). The plan
should address the following:
- In what specific
library areas/functions is technology being used (e.g.,
administrative, technical services, public service) and
to what extent?
- How is technology
integrated and used in the daily functions of the
library? (E-rate plan criteria #2)
- What are the
strengths and weaknesses of the library's current
technology environment?
- What problems or
issues does technology help to solve and what problems or
issues does it cause?
- What is the level
of staff expertise and staff use of the technologies?
(E-rate plan criteria #3)
- What information
resources do the patrons use via technology?
- What information
resources that use technology are accessible to people
with disabilities?
- How much of the
library's budget is allocated to technology? (E-rate plan
criteria #4)
Action steps: Technology goals and
objectives (E-rate plan criteria #1)
Goals are statements outlining the anticipated
achievement of various services. Goals and objectives serve as
the "action" part of the plan and provide the framework
for what will be accomplished in a given period of time.
List the major goals or activities for the
library that will be accomplished through the use of technology.
This list should cover a three year time frame (E-rate plan
criteria #6). Place the goals in priority order. If there are
many of them, subsort them by function or service area. Most
often specific objectives are listed under each goal and serve as
a measurable means to help accomplish the goal. Goals and
objectives can include maintaining or enhancing current services
or implementing new services. The use of technology may be part
of a broader goal. For example, a goal to make the collection
more accessible may include implementing an OPAC. Other goals are
more purely technology oriented. Example: upgrading all PCs to
Windows 98.
Objectives are the specific implementation
processes that are needed to accomplish the goals. This is the
most specific part of the technology plan. In developing
objectives some of the specific activities include the need to:
- Develop a time line
and priority listing for implementing the
goals/objectives
- Develop a tentative
budget to accomplish the goals/objectives (E-rate plan
criteria #4)
- Assign staff to implement the
goals/objectives
- Define the impact
on staffing, including any need for increased staff and
staff in-servicing and redefining position descriptions
(E-rate plan criteria #3)
- Review any specific
library procedures or broader library polices that may be
effected by the goals/objectives
- Outline what
technology (e. g., hardware, software, networking, etc.),
exists to accomplish the goals/objectives and what will
have to be upgraded or purchased. (Be certain to
establish a regular review schedule for upgrades and
replacement of any technology.) (E-rate plan criteria #2)
- Examine any need to
make building modifications including an upgrade of the
electrical service
Evaluating the technology plan
(E-rate plan criteria #5)
Some type of plan evaluation process is
necessary to insure that the goals and objectives and other
facets of the technology plan are actually implemented. This is
best done on a regular basis (at least three times annually) at
staff meetings and meetings with the library board.
One of the easiest ways to evaluate the
technology plan is to tie the evaluation process with the time
line or priority list established in the goals and objectives
section. For example, an objective may be to replace dumb
terminals with PCs in the first six months of a given year. From
an evaluation process, a quick review after the six month period
will yield a simple "yes" or "no" answer.
More complex evaluations may require the need to collect and
analyze statistics in certain functional areas or conduct focused
surveys.
Plan appendices
Attach any documents related to technology. For
example, handouts used to assist patrons on how to use a
particular product or program.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Bob Bocher, Library Technology Consultant
WI Dept. of Public Instruction
Division for Libraries and Community Learning -- Public Library Development
125 S. Webster St. Madison WI 53707-7841
(608-266-2127, fax 608-267-1052)
robert.bocher@dpi.wi.gov
July 2000
For questions about this information, contact Robert F. Bocher (608) 266-2127
Last updated on 2/25/2008 12:44:01 PM
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