CLP’s Strategic Plan was constructed with a great deal of input from staff, Board and community members and it was important that the implementation involve the same kind of inclusive process.

The Plan produced six goals and a robust list of actions for implementation, a very few of which, included below, informed the development of the Work Groups:

GOAL 1: WITHIN THE LIBRARY WALLS - Ongoing evaluation of collections to identify what areas of the collection should be expanded, decreased, digitized and/or preserved for the future

GOAL 2: THE LIBRARY IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD, COMMUNITY AND SCHOOLS - Expand our reach beyond existing buildings to outreach locations and meet our customers virtually across multiple platforms to provide programs and services in traditional and non-traditional spaces

GOAL 3: THE LIBRARY IN A CHANGING WORLD OF INFORMATION - Establish an integrated approach to the deployment and use of technology in every aspect of library service.

GOAL 4: LIBRARY FUNDING AND CONTRIBUTIONS - Develop organizational infrastructure to create a culture of asking, contributing and thanking that enables people to give in a variety of ways.

GOAL 5: MEASURING AND SHARING THE LIBRARY’S IMPACT - Improve data gathering for decision-making and the sharing of data/stories to demonstrate impact.

GOAL 6: STAFF AND ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE - Focus on the patron. Develop clear and consistent expectations for all positions. Improve internal communication.

Almost all of the nearly 500 staff members of CLP participated in two foundational programs in preparation for the implementation of the plan, designed to activate their engagement in self-directed learning and empowering them to think of themselves as leaders of our work, whatever position they held.

While those learning opportunities were underway, ten different work groups were established, each charged with focusing on a specific area of the Strategic Plan:

• Collections
• Culture of Asking, Giving and Thanking
• Digital Strategy
• Internal Communications
• Librarian/LA
• Programs and Partnerships
• Philosophy and Standards of Service
• Statistics and Measurements
• Telling our Story
• Volunteer Services

Each were comprised of representatives from throughout the organization, led by staff trained in facilitation techniques as part of the Strategic Planning process. Written charges were developed for each work group which included a description of their assignment, desired outcomes and concrete deliverables. Although the process was guided by this small administrative team, the actual work groups processes were managed by staff. These charges, the list of all members assigned to each work group, and regular progress reports were shared with all staff through the weekly staff e-newsletter. All working documents were shared on the staff intranet, so that staff members not serving on a work group could see the work the groups were producing in a transparent way. As the groups undertook their assignments, they tapped the experience of many other staff members, providing opportunities to participate in research and provide feedback along the way through regular check-ins, all-staff meetings, focus groups, small workshop sessions as well as a range of virtual channels.

• Participants unanimously agreed that the best thing about their experience was working with and getting to know and understand people with whom they didn’t ordinarily work.
• Each work group developed deep expertise in the areas they studied – expertise that we continue to rely upon as we move forward with implementation.
• The process in empowered staff, especially the managers who participated. They are better at conceiving process, providing feedback, articulating their points of view and understand their own ability to affect change in the organization.
• There is widely held buy-in and ownership of implementation steps, and we’ve experienced a great eagerness from staff to take action on a number of fronts.
• The practical recommendations that came out in the final reports were built from a deep understanding of daily practice, by virtue of being developed by the people who do the work and meet the public every day.
• It proved a challenging assignment for facilitators, requiring them to produce regular and varied communications, including public presentations. This led to a boost in leadership development and most of the facilitators have gone on to lead other processes and initiatives that came out of the work group process.
• The process produced a new comfort on the part of the staff and administration with culture change and process improvement.
• The ongoing challenge remains implementing the outcomes the groups produced with enough speed to maintain the momentum built by the Work Group process.