Task Force on Financially Sustainable Library Service Models

Checking in: The Future of SCPL — September 2010 Blog Archive

Well, we’ve had three meetings of the Task Force (and are having our fourth meeting in a few short days). At this point, I’m sure we’re all realizing just how much work it’s going to be. Our job is to develop several different service models that will take the Library System into the future. So, just what is a library service model? Most of us on the task force had that same question.

A library service model outlines how to deliver services so that we achieve our vision and strategic priorities. It talks about facilities, staffing, collections and technology. How tough can that be, you might ask. And why do you need 20 people on a task force for six months to accomplish that? Well, here’s the really, really hard part -- we also need the service models to result in a financially sustainable library system. That is no easy task. It is very clear that adjustments and tweaks to the way we currently “do business” are not going to cut it. We will need to make significant changes in how our Library System operates.

Yes, there’s a lot of difficult work ahead of us. Yet, I feel optimistic and energized. We have a great group of people on the task force – library board members, library staff, and community members from all areas of our library system. We have a home schooling Dad, a member with experience in operations management, another with a career in urban development, a former academic librarian and a current academic librarian. We have members with backgrounds in child development, education, retail, instructional technology and business. We have an intern. We have a wonderful facilitator from the Conflict Resolution Center who keeps us on track and moving along. Every member of the team brings a unique perspective and unique skills. And every member has one thing in common. We all love libraries.

Working on this Task Force is a unique opportunity. Most library systems, when faced with the problems and issues that Santa Cruz is dealing with, would hire a consultant to design models. The consultant would then present various options to the Library board and they would decide which model to implement. What makes Santa Cruz different is that rather than hire a consultant the Library system has put together a Task Force. The Task Force is comprised of Library Board Members, Library Staff, Community Members, and a Library School Intern. I happen to be the intern.

Working with the Task Force has been a learning experience for me and I have learned a lot about the Santa Cruz Public Library system and libraries in general. This process has been unique and I think everyone involved is learning through the process of doing. Santa Cruz is the first (at least that I have heard about) library system that has deployed a Task Force to do this work. This makes the work a difficult undertaking. We are innovating all the way and there is no prescribed roadmap for how to do the work.

The Task Force has had three meetings so far. The first few meetings have set the field and clarified our task of assembling several different library service models to present to the library board. The last meeting featured library futurist and consultant Joan Frye Williams. Joan had a lot of interesting and thought provoking ideas about libraries. She spoke about sustainability and innovation and she made me question many of the things I took for granted about libraries. She also provided some guidance and tools for developing the different service models. The Task Force is taking a building blocks approach to the work. The Task Force is breaking into smaller subgroups that will work on specific parts or blocks. These blocks will then be assembled to create different service models. I am happy to be a member of the Task Force. Now back to work…