HARDIN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
LONG RANGE PLAN
2004-2007

This mission will be satisfied by:

• Providing materials, programs, and services to meet recreational needs.
• Providing information services necessary to answer personal and work related questions.
• Enable residents to develop the ability to find and use information in the most efficient possible way.
• Providing a safe, inviting environment that encourages the use of our facilities.
• Treating library users with respect.
• Provide continuing education for staff as a basic part of professional development.

Core Values
The Hardin County Public Library Staff and Board of Trustees views the following as the core values of the Library:

Introduction
From January through June 2004, the Hardin County Public Library Board of Trustees and the staff of the Hardin County Public Library with direction from a committee composed of community members developed a long-range plan for the Library. This plan is comprised of three goals along with the objectives and specific activities to achieve those goals.

The planning process was a collaborative effort between the Community Planning Committee and Library staff. The Hardin County Public Library Board of Trustees identified community members representing various constituencies to help the Library establish service priorities to better meet the needs of the community. These committee members attended a full-day workshop facilitated by Regional Library Consultant, Nelda Moore. During this workshop, the committee worked through exercises to identify the strengths, weakness, opportunities, and threats to Hardin County as well as envisioning a perfect Hardin County. Upon completion of these exercises, the committee then worked through the twelve service responses outlined in the book The New Planning for Results: A Streamlined Approach by Sandra Nelson (American Library Association, 2001).

The Community Planning Committee selected three service responses to help guide the Library in providing service to the residents of Hardin County over the next three years. These service responses are: Current Topics and Titles, Lifelong Learning, and General Information.

Library staff then met and used the information given them by the facilitator to identify new programs and services in order to address the service responses identified by the Community Planning Committee. The final document was fine tuned by the Library department heads. These newly established goals, objectives, and specific activities are attached to this document.

Major projects that require a significant allocation of resources are listed at the end of this document as a “wish list.”

Community Planning Committee Members

• Joy Carroll Miller – Retired Educator
• Steve Peralta – Department of the Army (DA) Civilian
• Ivvy Shurn
• Brenda Thomas – Educator
• Dot Graham – Retired Elementary Librarian
• Kendra Stewart – Public Relations Liaison, Lincoln Trail Behavioral Health System
• Dennis Young – Hilliard-Lyons
• David Willmoth – Mayor City of Elizabethtown
• Sheila Enyart – Mayor City of Radcliff
• Barbara Proffitt – Hardin Memorial Hospital Community Relations Coordinator
• Bob Krausman – Educator
• Lisa Sanford, Director of Volunteers & Development – Hospice of Central Kentucky
• Mary Tom Haun – Retired Educator
• Ann Simcoe
• Marlane Youngblood – President Board of Trustees
• Linda Lee – Vice President Board of Trustees
• Brenda G. Macy –  Library Director

Service Response – Current Topics and Titles

Goal 1: Adults and children using the Hardin County Public will have access to current and popular materials that will stimulate their thinking, satisfy curiosity, expand knowledge of contemporary culture and society, and make leisure time more enjoyable.

• Objective 1.1 – The library will provide popular materials in sufficient quantities and variety of formats to meet local demand within a reasonable period of time.

Specific activities

• Purchase sufficient quantity of materials in differing formats, to meet a ratio of one (1) copy for every five (5) reserves.
• Promote the use of Interlibrary Loan.
• Thematic displays focused on topics of current interest six times per year.

• Objective 1.2 – Circulation of materials in subject areas defined by the public in surveys of being high interest will increase in each year of the plan.

Specific activities

• Design a reading interest survey form within six months of adoption of the plan.
• Formation of a citizen’s committee to suggest areas of interest to the public at large within six months of adoption of the plan.
• Library staff will monitor the automated system generated statistics monthly to keep track of the subject areas most in circulation.

• Objective 1.3 – The library will actively publicize its new acquisitions, services, and programs.

Specific activities

• Design, print, and distribute library newsletters on a monthly basis.
• Create lists of authors in popular genres within a year of adoption of the plan.
• Create lists of titles in series in publication order within a year of adoption of the plan.
• News releases will be sent to local media concerning programs and other library related topics as needed.
• Create a list of new material received by the library each month

• Objective 1. – Provide effective Reader’s Advisory Services to the public.

Specific activities

• Improve staff training in selected Reader’s Advisory topics (i.e. genre fiction) as outside trainers can be found.        
• Staff become trained in the use of available Reader’s Advisory tools such as Novel List, Genreflecting, What Do I Read Next?, etc. as outside trainers can be found.

• Objective 1.5 – The library will keep the collection in good repair.

Specific activities

• Continue to evaluate and discard items from the collection that contain outdated information or are of no general interest.
• Provide ready access to library materials by re-shelving returned materials quickly and maintaining shelf order.
• Review technical services workflow to insure new materials arrives on the shelves in a timely manner.

Goal 2: Adults and children using the Hardin County Public Library will be provided opportunities for personal growth and self-education.

• Objective 2.1 – Each year of the plan, residents of all ages will have the opportunity to attend programs designed to support their personal growth and continued learning.

 Specific activities

• Increase programming of topical interest featuring local speakers for adults.
• Increase programming for Young Adults and Teens within one year of adoption of the plan.
• Create a lapsit program for infants within one year of adoption of the plan.
• Identify local speakers that can do programming and demonstrations from different cultures.

• Objective 2.2 – The library will develop ways to assist users on topics of frequent request.

 Specific activities

• Library staff will identify high-interest subject areas and identify resources.
• Library staff will create and distribute brochures and pathfinders designed to lead users to the best information on these topics.
• Library staff will identify additional quality websites of high interest and link them to our website within one year of adoption of the plan.

• Objective 2.3 – Library staff will plan, develop, and present computer-training classes for residents of all ages.

 Specific activities

• Staff will develop basic computer use classes for adults within six months of adoption of the plan.
• Staff will develop courses on the use of Microsoft Office products within one year of adoption of the plan.
• Staff will develop courses on the use of popular computer applications (i.e. web surfing, eBay, etc.) within six months of adoption of the plan
• Staff will develop training for children and young adults on the responsible use of the Internet within six months of adoption of the plan.

Goal 3 – The Hardin County Public Library will help meet the need for information and answers to questions on a broad array of topics related to work, school, and personal life.

• Objective3.1 – The library will enhance the delivery of reference service.

Selected activities

• Through the monthly newsletter, provide reference “promos” like useful lists, featured websites, favorite or most unusual question, and reference question of the month.
• Develop a public relations campaign to promote use of the library’s online reference databases.
• Staff will receive training on the use of the Kentucky Virtual Library databases, NewsBank, Health and Wellness, and AncestryPlus as outside trainers can be found.
• Add an email reference link to our website within six months of adoption of the plan.

• Objective 3.2 – The library will provide bibliographic instruction.

Selected activities

• Design a class to teach public OPAC, KYVL, and other electronic resources within eighteen months of adoption of the plan.
• Design a brochure for class graduates as a refresher.

Wish List Items:
Cybermobile (bookmobile with current technology on board)
Purchase interior signage
Highway directional signs at strategic points (State Highway Dept)
Multi-language materials provided
More internet computers
Laptop connections at North Branch
Fax at North Branch (requires additional phone line)
New meeting room furniture for the North Branch

Approved 24th day of June, 2004.
Community Planning Committee

Adopted ______________ day of July, 2004
Hardin County Public Library Board of Trustees

Marlane Youngblood, President
Linda Lee, Vice President
William E. Flanagan, DVM, Secretary
Rebecca Schroeder, Treasurer
Ray Story, Member