2013 was declared a year of transformation at the Ottawa Public Library. Amongst key transformative initiatives that addressed the various facets of the Library, the Imagine Campaign was designed as an engagement initiative that not only provided information to customers, but also allowed Ottawa Residents to fully participate in the process of developing strategic orientations for the future. In order to obtain a greater number of participants than usually obtained through traditional public engagement tools such as surveys and public consultations, the library sought an innovative way to encourage participation through online conversations. Not only did the Library wish to obtain quantitative data, but qualitative data was deemed essential to support the Library’s strategic planning cycle which started in 2014. The use of a crowdsourcing tool was seen as an opportunity to not only engage with residents but to listen in on conversations between them. The campaign also formed the basis of an advocacy campaign, as tools were developed to better inform customers on the services that were currently offered and options for future services.

The use of a crowdsourcing tool to gather quantitative and qualitative data is at the forefront of innovative strategies for strategic planning. The tool was hosted on a bilingual (French-English) website along with documentation to better inform participants, including a short 4-minute video describing key services currently offered at the library, and a pdf version of a powerpoint presentation describing key challenges and opportunities for the library. A contest also encouraged participation. A communication plan was developed and the online engagement tool was promoted through various methods including twitter, facebook, posters, postcards, newletters, and online banners. An initial email was also sent to all active card holders to inform them of this chance to participate in redefining library services for the future. At the same time as the public campaign, a separate employee campaign was hosted on OPL’s intranet, using the same type of tool. In order to validate the data obtained from the ideas campaign, six focus group sessions were hosted to gather information from sectors of the population which the Library deemed had not participated in the online conversations. These were: the teen, aboriginal, vulnerable population, people with accessibility issues and newcomers sectors.

The online initiative and its subsequent focus group sessions were deemed a success based on the number of participants and the level of enthusiasm from our customers. More than 15,000 unique visitors accessed the website. More than 2,500 ideas and comments were received, generating more than 27,000 votes. More than 100 employees participated as well. Analysis of the data generated 10 key findings that enabled the library to validate some of its current services as well as endorse the introduction of new services. Data from the campaign is being used at the Library to develop new services or to strategically modify current ones. For example, the data reaffirms the need for more eContent while maintaining access to traditional collections. It also confirms the fact that public libraries are seen as an essential component of community development. Operational action plans were developed from the analysis which highlighted some of the key ideas according to key functions within the library. Analysis of the emotional components of conversations enabled the library to determine which ideas would be most successful in implementing or enhancing. Barriers to access were extracted from the data. Among the main ones were the need to revise opening hours of branches and minimize the noise that exists in some branches. Finally, the online ideas campaign set the stage for a subsequent public engagement initiative, that of a city-wide customer satisfaction survey. OPL obtained a 97% satisfaction rate, one of the highest results of all city services.