Long Range Plan 2000-2004

Long Range Plan 2000-2004
adopted July 12, 1999

The Library Board of Trustees adopted a new long range plan on July 12, 1999. This plan was developed with much effort over many months. Plan documents were drafted by Himmel & Wilson, Library Consultants, with input from the Long Range Planning Committee.
Vision || Service Responses || Mission Statement || Goals & Objectives 1997 plan || 1999 plan process, background and acknowledgement

Library Vision

The people of the greater Appleton area will:

have the information they need to succeed at school, at work, and in their personal lives;
have reading, viewing and listening materials and programs that stimulate their thinking, enhance their knowledge of the world, and improve the quality of their leisure time;
discover the joy of reading and develop a love of learning;
enjoy a high level of access to electronic information resources and develop the technological, information seeking, and information evaluation skills needed in an increasingly complex world;
think of the Appleton Public Library as a focal point of community life that connects and unites the people of the entire region;
use the Appleton Public Library's resources and services and encourage others to do so as well.

Service Responses

Lifelong Learning
Information
Current Topics and Titles
Building Community

Library Mission Statement

The Appleton Public Library is a center of community life, offering opportunities for people of all ages to learn, know, gather and grow.

The library is a dependable source of reliable information and of challenging ideas that enlighten and enrich, and of materials in many formats that enhance leisure time and expand knowledge of current events. The library encourages the love of reading and the joy of learning, and offers the assistance people need to find, evaluate, and use electronic and print information resources that help them live successful and rewarding lives.

Goals & Objectives

What follows are the library's goals and objectives for the years 2000 - 2004 arranged under the four major service categories. In this planning process, goals describe the result or the outcome that the library is trying to achieve. Objectives are ways in which progress toward achieving those goals will be measured. Specific activities and tasks to be performed in pursuit of the goals and objectives are not included as a part of this document. In order to ensure that the plan is a living, changing document, activities and tasks are developed on an annual basis and are changed and modified as needed.

Goal 1 - Lifelong Learning

Residents of the greater Appleton area will have the information, resources and assistance they need to achieve success in their schooling and personal independent learning.

1.1 - An increasing percentage of library users identifying themselves as "students" on the annual quick response survey will indicate that they are either "satisfied" or "very satisfied" with the library's reference/information services and resources.
1.2 - By 2004, at least five formal agreements will be concluded with educational institutions for cooperative programs aimed at improving library services to students.
1.3 - During each year of the 2000 - 2004 planning cycle, the library will add ten new links on its web-pages that are directly related to school curricula.
1.4 - Participation in library programs will increase by 5% during each year of the 2000 - 2004 planning cycle.
1.5 - The library will explore and implement at least two ways to make its OPAC (online public access catalog) and web-pages more accessible or user friendly to individuals with disabilities.

Goal 2 - Lifelong Learning

Children of the greater Appleton area will develop a lifelong love of books and a desire to learn that will help them live productive and satisfying lives.

2.1 - At least three programs each year will be offered in cooperation/collaboration with Head Start, Even Start, schools or other educational agencies in the area.
2.2 - Circulation of children's books in recreational reading areas will increase by 3% during each year of the 2000 - 2004 planning cycle.
2.3 - The percent of children in Appleton schools who report reading for pleasure will increase annually.

Goal 3 - Lifelong Learning

Appleton area residents of all ages will develop the information seeking and evaluation skills that are critical to success in an increasingly technological world.

3.1 - An increasing percentage of respondents to the annual quick response survey will indicate that they have used the library's electronic resources and web-site during the previous year.
3.2 - The library will offer at least three formal Internet/electronic resources training programs focused on finding quality information on topics of interest identified in the annual quick response survey.
3.3 - The total number of remote log-ins to the online catalog will increase by 10% during each year of the 2000-2004 planning cycle.
3.4 - The Appleton Public Library's electronic resources/web-site will be the topic of at least one feature newspaper, radio, or television stories during each year of the 2000 - 2004 planning cycle.

Goal 4 - Current Topics and Titles

Residents of the greater Appleton area will have access to a wealth of current and popular materials and engaging programs that stimulate their thinking, satisfy their curiosities, expand their knowledge of contemporary culture and society, and make their leisure time more productive and enjoyable.

4.1 - Circulation of materials in subject areas identified as being of high interest to the public in quick response surveys will increase in each year of the 2000 - 2004 planning cycle. Percentages will vary by topic and change for each year of the cycle.
4.2 - The average number of days between placing a hold and filling a hold will decrease in each year of the 2000-2004 planning cycle.
4.3 - The number of displays and exhibits focused on topics of current interest will be counted in 2000 and will increase in each following year of the planning cycle.
4.4 - At least two public forums on current issues will be held each year of the cycle.

Goal 5 - Information

Residents of the greater Appleton area will have a dependable source of reliable information and the assistance they need to make good decisions and to succeed as workers, students, and as members of their families and of the community.

5.1 - The number of reference queries received via email or other electronic transmission will increase by 10% in each year of the 2000-2004 planning cycle.
5.2 - Selected Dewey areas of print reference materials will be surveyed for currency in each year of the plan.
5.3 - The number of visits to the Appleton Quick Ref page will increase by 10% in each year of the 2000-2004 planning cycle.
5.4 - The number of collaborations with Appleton area organizations working in the areas of consumer, career, health, and financial information will be counted in 2000 and will increase by 5% each following year of the 2000-2004 planning cycle.
5.5 - The number of Appleton area organizations that link either FOCOL or the Appleton Public Library web-site to their own will increase by 10% in the year 2000.

Goal 6 - Building Community

Residents of the greater Appleton area will find a safe and welcoming place where the entire community comes together to celebrate culture and knowledge and to find others with whom to share their interests and enjoy unique learning experiences.

6.1 - The number of meeting room uses will increase by 5 % during each year of the 2000 - 2004 planning cycle.
6.2 - The annual door count at the library will increase during each year of the 2000 - 2004 planning cycle.

Goal 7 - Building Community

Current and future generations of greater Appleton area residents will have access to local information resources that enable them to participate fully in community life, and that help them develop a knowledge of and an appreciation for the history of their community, its people, and the many cultures that contribute to the richness of community life.

7.1 - The number of community organizations participating in FOCOL will increase by 10% during each year of the 2000 - 2004 planning cycle.
7.2 - The number of times the library participates in planning and/or collaborative projects with other community organizations will be counted in 2000 and will increase by 10% during each year of the 2000 - 2004 planning cycle.
7.3 - The library will identify, create, and make accessible through the web at least one new local information resource, database, index, or document during each year of the 2000 - 2004 planning cycle.
7.4 - The library will offer at least one cross-generational program each year on a local history topic.

Adopted by Appleton Public Library Board of Trustees, July 12, 1999

Appleton Public Library / 225 N. Oneida St. / Appleton, Wisconsin 54911 (920) 832-6170
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Latest revision 4/1/2000