Summary of Problem Statement: Patrons who forget their library card are being turned away. We need to create a more inclusive environment so that patrons without a library card do not leave empty handed.
Each week, an estimated 10-15 patrons are turned away, or must return later with their library card to check out items.
What is affected/impacted: customer service, patron satisfaction, staff morale
Where is this happening: both branches at the circulation desk, and occasionally reference desks
When is it happening: Routinely, on a weekly/daily basis
Problem Statement: A large number of customers have difficulty picking up their reserved items during our limited open hours. Which library locations should adjust their open hours to include weekends?
What is the CURRENT state?: When we re-opened library locations after the pandemic closures, the open hours for all locations were 10-5, Monday – Friday. This is a significant reduction in hours compared to before the pandemic closures. In September, we were able to extend our Wednesday hours until 6:00 pm. We continue to hear from customers that they are not able to visit the library during our limited open hours, so we need to expand hours again.
WHAT is affected/impacted?: Limited staffing requires us to decide between a Monday – Friday or a Tuesday – Saturday at each location. There should be a regional approach so that customers can easily access either a Monday or a Saturday location.
WHERE is this happening: Some library locations in a region would switch to a Tuesday – Saturday schedule and some locations would remain Monday – Friday to allow for reserve pickups on both Mondays and Saturdays in each region.
WHEN is it happening?: We would like more options for customers beginning in January 2021, or when it’s safe to do so.
What is the DESIRED state (what is the outcome to be achieved): We want to offer more options to customers who cannot make it to a library by 5:00 on weekdays (6:00 on Wednesdays).
Hi everyone! I work for a system of libraries in Pennsylvania that’s what we call ‘federated’ – so we are 8 independent libraries & a system administrative unit as opposed to one library with branches.
We are looking for ways to conduct additional fundraising on a county-wide level and so are planning to do a county-wide mailer this coming spring. So, my problem is the creation and recipients of that mailer.
So far I have been looking at the address data that currently exists and other sources that we want to draw on for the recipients list, but I am considering how we can use other types of data (circulations, participants at events, etc) to develop the content of the mailer itself.
I will work more on this and look forward to chatting about it on the 14th 🙂
Problem Statement: How should we allocate the collection budget in FY22 in order to accommodate the increase in demand for digital materials?
What is the CURRENT state?: Checkouts and holds for digital materials have significantly increased. Curbside only and limited hours has decreased the circulation of physical materials. We are adding a popular materials collection on the first floor and allocating $75,000 for that project. The library collection budget is staying flat in the coming fiscal year. We need to determine allocation of budget by January 15, 2021.
WHAT is affected/impacted?: May need to reduce other areas of the budget in order to accommodate digital materials and popular materials budgets.
WHERE is this happening?: Librarywide
WHEN is it happening?: Budget needs to be determined by January 15, 2021 in order to submit to board and to implement starting May 1, 2021.
What is the DESIRED state (what is the outcome to be achieved)?: Allocate collection budget funds in a way that prioritizes materials that are the most in demand, while also maintaining balance and depth of collection.
Are there anticipated consequences of making the change?: Increase in digital materials, decrease in some physical material areas. More convenient and timely access to materials that patrons are most looking for.
Vespasian Warner Public Library District-Clinton, IL
Background-As a district library, we rely on tax revenue for funding. 50% of our tax base comes from a local nuclear power plant. The plant is slated to close in 2026. There are so many angles for this problem, but I decided to start small with one question here!
PROBLEM STATEMENT: What percentage of the community interacts with the library throughout the course of a year? LONG-TERM: How can the library reach non-users and increase the public perception of the library as a priority destination in the community as a part of the Partners & Outreach focus area of the Strategic Plan (2019-2021)?
CURRENT STATE: The VWPLD has 12,087 potential patrons, 7,310 library card holders, but only about 2,000 patrons that check-out books. Staff have always seen this as an obvious gap in reaching the entire community. However, we do not require the community to have a card to access services, programs, or meeting rooms. Is there an overlap in usage or is our user base larger than we think (do we have a better story to tell)?
WHAT IS IMPACTED: (1) Our budget. It is likely that we will need to find a new/different revenue stream in the future. If we can establish value now, the community will be more likely to offer support later. Having data to share will help.
WHEN: Our strategic plan pushes for progress towards objectives by the end of 2021 (created in a pre-pandemic world). The power plant is slated to close in 2026.
WHAT IS DESIRED: To know the number/types of library users we have in the community. LONG-TERM: To find out who the non-users are and learn what is needed to drive them to the library. To increase the overall number of library users and card-holders. To establish the library as a place of value for the community.
PROBLEM: When the school day ends at the junior high across the street, students fill up the library’s computers and study rooms. Staff and patrons complain that adults arriving between 3 and 5pm cannot access computers or study rooms. One option is to set aside a certain number of computers and study rooms for adults only. Some would prefer to invest in more computers and study rooms with a building renovation/expansion. What is the best way to address the need for study rooms and computers by adults between 3 and 5pm on school days?
CURRENT STATE: We currently have 10 study rooms that accommodate 32 patrons. There are 32 computers in our open computing area, 10 in our teen area, and 10 laptops. We currently make these available on a first-come, first-served basis. Study rooms can be be reserved up to a week in advance. Patrons in 6-12th grade are restricted from using computers in the children’s area, but have access to the open computing areas. Adults are restricted from using the computers in the teen area.
WHAT: Adults that want to use the computers or study rooms between 3 and 5pm are impacted, as well as the public service staff that deal with patron complaints.
WHERE: This is primarily an issue on our second floor, which serves “teens” in grades 6-12 and adults. There is a teen area, but it is not large enough for all of the teens that are in the building after school.
WHEN: 3-5pm on school days.
DESIRED OUTCOME: A space or set of procedures that makes computers and study rooms available to those that want them during our busiest times, without creating waste at other times and days. A data-driven answer for board members and patrons with questions or concerns about the system we have chosen. A plan for addressing this issue by fall 2021.
I am getting very excited for our session on December 14! Keep those summaries of your Problem Statements coming in. Please also post any questions or roadblocks you encounter as you review your library’s data landscape and start working on your Data Action Plan.
Problem :Primary driver of circulation of physical items is the ability for the patron to browse the shelves. During the pandemic we are seeing a decrease in the circulation of physical items due to the lack of access to our libraries. How can we leverage curbside holds pickup to provide more access to physical items
Current state : Circulation of physical items is down 45% and library shelves are overflowing, Patrons are using our curbside holds pickup however they must place holds on specific items rather than be able to browse
What is affected : Circulation of physical items is down 45% and library shelves are overflowing, Patrons are using our curbside holds pickup however they must place holds on specific items rather than be able to browse
Desired state : To increase the # of physical items that are out at one time by leveraging our curbside holds pickup. Increase access to our physical items using a touchless process
Where is it happening : All locations
When is this happening : While libraries are either providing limited access to the physical building or no access
Desired state : To increase circulation of physical materials during times of limited, or no, access to library buildings. To reduce the number of items on the shelves at any one time to prevent shelves from overflowing. Increase access to physical materials to our patrons using a touchless process
Anticipated consequences : Adding to staff workload. Providing a service that will need to be supported after the libraries full re-open
PROBLEM: We need to track the impact/outcome of having an equity commitment and need to report on this impact by December 2021.
CURRENT STATE: We have just approved an equity commitment and as part of doing so we have committed to tracking the impact it has on our work. We track continuing education of staff (one way that we can focus on EDI) and have just implemented a new feedback mechanism for patrons. We do not currently track feedback from programs although we gather some of it (or used to, pre-COVID). We do some collection analysis but have not attempted to quantify or measure our commitment to representation in our collection.
WHAT: Programs, services, policies, collection.
WHERE: Primarily with professional level staff who make decisions and shape the library’s services and collections.
WHEN: Any time we make a decision to change something or focus on something, we should be using the equity commitment/equity lens.
DESIRED OUTCOME: Identify aspects of library services impacted by a commitment to EDI (pretty much everything, but group these together to attempt to simplify and assign responsibilities) by January 2021. Train professional staff on using equity lens (January-April 2021 – focus on CE and team conversations). Ask teams of staff to identify ways they can measure the impact of equity statement on their work by May 2021. Begin to track these impacts and outcomes to start to see the way this focus is being used to make decisions and generate a report by December 2021
PROBLEM: Our library’s official service population is approximately 2,500, but our community is in a tourist area with a large seasonal resident population unaccounted for in official population numbers/estimates. (The census/ACS lists a 72% housing vacancy rate, meaning the vast majority of our homes are owned/occupied by part-time residents.) Second homeowners make up the bulk of our municipal tax revenue, so our services need to reflect their needs as well as those of the smaller year-round population. Our library programs and services need to adapt to seasonal swings in demand, but we don’t have good data to determine the saturation of our services to either our year-round population or to the seasonal visitors.
CURRENT STATE: The Demmer Library has a “Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde” mentality in seasonal library services. In the summer we scramble to simply stay on top of front desk service demands while also providing a variety of engaging programs to a family-focused and recreational demographic. In the winter we play catchup while serving an older population looking for social engagement in the long winter months and families focused on educational needs.
WHAT: Levels of staffing and staff training; reliance on volunteers and volunteer recruitment/training; ability to communicate value to stakeholders and funders; challenges in determining priorities or aligning personnel and training when we don’t know who our service population and demographic is or who we are failing to serve
WHERE: The Three Lakes community (year-round and seasonal residents) and users from neighboring communities
WHEN: May, June, JULY, August, and September
DESIRED OUTCOME: Using sources beyond the Census and ACS, library administration has a clear understanding of their true potential service population and demographic differences between seasonal and year-round residents and can create a service plan to reach and engage users from all groups. This service plan includes means for adjusting staffing levels and working with staff to create programming plans to make the best use of available funds to meet the needs of both stakeholder user groups.
PROBLEM: How much of our programming is dedicated to promoting key points of our strategic plan?
CURRENT STATE: Administration, Outreach, Development, outside stakeholders, etc. frequently want to know the number of programs and attendance for particular types of programs that are tied to our strategic plan. These include STEAM, job skills, early literacy, digital learning, etc. However, we have been unable to provide this info because it is not being captured.
WHAT: How we communicate our value to the public; our likelihood of being awarded grants and other funding; ability to form partnerships with outside organizations.
WHERE: Public Services programming
WHEN: Regularly, all programs may potentially be affected; requests for data are frequent.
DESIRED STATE: To be able to provide evidence that we are serving our patrons in the ways that they need it most. Ideally, this would include both outputs and outcomes and should be included in our 2021 Annual Report.
CONSEQUENCES: Additional data collection for programming/public services staff; changes to programming data collection software.
Problem Statement: (what are you trying to answer?) Our strategic plan calls for us to develop more self-service models to allow for more user satisfaction and staff efficiencies. We have self-checkout for traditional library materials, but not for printing and other services. We need to find a way to make most printing self-service.
What is the CURRENT state? All printing from computers must be staff-mediated, including printing from wifi and offsite. Staff who are constantly interrupted to take payments and release print jobs are less able to spend time creating content, planning for programs, or providing other higher-level service such as readers advisory or information services.
WHAT is affected/impacted? Frontline staff spend a large amount of time taking payment and releasing print jobs rather than in more challenging and interesting work that adds value to library service. Patron privacy is reduced, as staff often see what is being printed.
WHERE is this happening? Every location that offers public printing.
WHEN is it happening? All the time.
What is the DESIRED state (what is the outcome to be achieved)? Develop a plan for migrating to self-service printing, including equipment costs and timeline. Review staffing formula and printing activity logs to determine which locations need more than one printer. Develop and administer staff activity log and review results. Acknowledge that some patrons will need more help than others.
Are there anticipated consequences of making the change? Staff will be able to spend more time planning and providing more value-added services such as programming, readers advisory, and technology training; patrons’ privacy will be better protected.
CCS (ILS Consortium), Illinois
Problem Statement:
Provide timely and relevant ILS training to all library staff in accessible formats by July 2021.
What is the CURRENT state?
CCS provides multiple training resources including: in-person centralized training, in-person on-site training, self-paced online training, online group training and ILS documentation. Library staff are not aware of all resources, some are difficult to access. In-person training is not an option during COVID pandemic. We operate with a relatively lean staff and cannot support robust offerings in all formats and need to determine the most effective formats.
What is affected?
CCS staff workloads and morale, library staff access to training, library managers developing training in-house (duplicative work), library staff not receiving robust training in a timely manner
Where is this happening?
All member libraries
When is it happening?
As new member library staff are hired, rolling basis
WHEN is it happening?
What is the DESIRED state (what is the outcome to be achieved)?
CCS provides both synchronous and asynchronous training in formats that are effective and accessible to library staff. Training offerings are sustainable for CCS staff while managing support and special projects.
Are there anticipated consequences of making the change?
Create staff capacity for additional projects; need to manage library staff/admin expectations
Problem Statement: (what are you trying to answer?)
We want to know what would be the best length of time to offer computer appointments that will meet patron needs while also providing for safety and optimize how many patrons can use the computers on any given day.
What is the CURRENT state?
Currently we have no computers open because it was viewed as one of the riskier services we were providing. But we would like to prioritize reopening this service with additional structures for safety. We had patrons able to use the computer for 1hr with potential extensions up to 2 hrs.
Who is impacted? Patrons are impacted who have computer needs that require longer intervals of computer access. The community is impacted if we do not effectively mitigate the risks of providing this service.
Where is this happening? At both library locations we would be offering this service. Perhaps we would offer more computers at the location where the service is more critical. Conversations are happening now at different levels of the library and city about how to make this a safe service to offer.
WHEN is it happening? We hope to bring this service back in January and would need data to support proposals before then.
What is the DESIRED state (what is the outcome to be achieved)?
We want to have good data to support the decision making process around these procedure and policy issues that impact both patron experience and community safety.
Are there anticipated consequences of making the change?
Having access to computers with the right intervals for practical use is of significant importance to the vulnerable communities that we serve.
Hi everyone! I’m at Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library. I’d love to hear your feedback on the problem statement below. I am relatively new to my role and it was difficult to come up with a problem – sometimes I don’t hear what the ‘problems’ are!
Problem Statement: We are re-evaluating our service model due to the pandemic. Currently, for ease of communication and scheduling, all locations are open the same hours. In the past, hours have been different at every location. What hours will work best for our customers (and staff) in a post-pandemic environment?
Current state: All locations are open 10am-6pm Monday-Saturday. This is a drastic change from our past operations where we had differing hours from location to location. Considering in-person service (3 of our locations are open for curbside only), we are open 84% of the hours we were before the pandemic.
What is affected/impacted? Customer familiarity with hours, scheduling of staff
Where is this happening? Every location.
What is the DESIRED state (what is the outcome to be achieved)? Determine the best mix of hours for our 41-location system. Do we need Sundays? Is simpler better?
Are there anticipated consequences of making the change? Customers excluded from using our in-person services due to limited hours. Confusion due to complexity of hours.
Problem Statement: (what are you trying to answer?)
Our library needs to consistently offer programs that are inclusive and celebrate the diversity of our community
What is the CURRENT state?
Some library programs focus on diversity and inclusion, but they are not offered consistently throughout the system.
WHAT is affected/impacted? Members of our community do not see themselves or their identities represented in library programs, perhaps discouraging them from fully participating in what the library offers
WHERE is this happening? In most branches
WHEN is it happening? Sporadically
What is the DESIRED state (what is the outcome to be achieved)?
Define what makes a program inclusive and what counts as “diverse” using community member focus groups by Spring 2021. Evaluate the current program offerings and identify tracks and branches that do not regularly offer programs that focus on diversity or struggle to offer inclusive programs. Train staff by summer 2021 with programming expectations. In Fall 2021 incorporate inclusion and diversity rubrics to programming plans. By Summer 2022, all library branches regularly offer programs that celebrate the diversity of the community and all library programs are designed to be inclusive of all members of the community.
Are there anticipated consequences of making the change?
May need to revise current tried and true program plans, re-evaluate our external presenters to better align with our desired outcome.
Problem Statement: Is there a way to streamline and simplify collection types and call numbers, to make the browsing experience easier for patrons?
Current state: There are many, many collection and call number designations, both in the adult and youth collections. Many of these are not easy to understand for new patrons or staff.
What is impacted? Patron browsing time, circulation numbers, staff paging and shelving time
Where is this happening? Both the adult and youth departments
What is the desired state? Ideally, the collections can be simplified and combined in a meaningful way that makes more sense to staff and patrons.
Are there anticipated consequences? High work input to change call numbers, create new spine labels, and move collections. Potential confusion from long term staff and patrons at first. Ultimately, an easier and quicker browsing experience for patrons.
Problem statement: How can we improve safety procedures so that we are more prepared for disasters/emergencies/pandemics?
Current state: Our safety committee stopped meeting a couple years ago and the responsibility to update our safety binders is with one person. Training on safety procedures is done at the branch level based on local procedures and the safety binder. Trainings are not held regularly. Safety equipment is not checked regularly.
What is impacted – Our staff are not confident about how to handle an emergency, we have difficulty communicating with staff and community partners about what we are doing or what we have done.
Where – this affects all our branches and our library administration.
When – now and ongoing
Desired State – regular review of safety procedures, assessment of risks, ability to incorporate new information into existing tools (e.g. safety binder). We would like to have a communication plan for both internally and with our community partners and stakeholders.
Anticipated consequences – there may be crisis fatigue going on and therefore a reluctance to tackle this problem. If we do though, we will be more confident in responding to emergencies and we will quickly and easily communicate with staff and community partners.
Hi Elizabeth!
I believe you have two related but different problems to solve here: the need for a safety procedure review/training schedule AND creation of a crisis communications plan. Can you pick one you’d prefer to attack with the process we will be discussing in this session? Think about it.
See you Monday!
Katina
Problem Statement: (what are you trying to answer?)
Our 2020 Strategic Plan called for expanded library hours based on pre-recession levels and peer comparisons. This is now complicated by the reduction in hours due to Covid. How do we expand our hours as we emerge from the pandemic and then make a case for increased hours as part of our next levy campaign which will take place in 2022 or 2023.
What is the CURRENT state?
Currently we are on a 20% furlough, thus working 80% of normal staff hours. We are open to the public for 70% of our pre-pandemic hours. These hours, however, were reduced in 2009 due to the major recession. We have replaced or renovated 13 of our 17 locations with the final four under design or construction with completion by the end of 2022. We want to return our hours to the pre-2009 levels and/or peer levels so the community can get maximum benefit from the new facilities.
WHAT is affected/impacted? Staffing and budget
WHERE is this happening? All locations
WHEN is it happening? Now
What is the DESIRED state (what is the outcome to be achieved)?
Expanded hours supported by a successful operating levy
Are there anticipated consequences of making the change?
Yes, increase in costs for not just staffing but operations (utilities, etc.)
PROBLEM STATEMENT : Our Library Mail Service only serves English-speaking patrons who typically have already learned about our program through a member library or their care facility. How do we expand the service to speakers of other languages or to those who need access to Library Mail Service for reasons we have not traditionally considered eligible?
CURRENT STATE : We have 2.0 FTE who run the Library Mail Service program: one Librarian II and one Senior Library Assistant. 400 patrons are registered with the program, 100 are regular users. Phone lines are open M-F 8:30-5:00. A central collection is maintained, but patrons have access to the entire system’s collection. Program staff’s capacity is limited because most of their time is dedicated to phones, processing, ordering, and materials movement. No other staff are cross-trained. Some member libraries offer deliveries to facilities but not a mail program. Program staff are reluctant to provide service to Spanish-speakers or develop a collection of Spanish materials because they do not speak Spanish, although they would love to be able to offer this. They are reluctant to expand program eligibility because they feel they cannot handle more active users, especially time spent on the phone. Mailing is funded through the WCCLS budget and partially funded by USPS (for users who are TBABS eligible).
WHAT is affected/impacted? : Service is not delivered to people isolating because they are at high risk for COVID; people who have a preferred language other than English, people who live in remote rural areas without reliable access to a library and/or broadband, people unaware of the service because of isolation and no existing relationship with a library
WHERE is this happening? : Program is located in central warehouse and offices but serves eligible patrons within Washington County, Oregon by mail.
WHEN is it happening? : Daily, since inception of the program. This has been exacerbated by the pandemic as more people who are in high risk categories self-isolate.
What is the DESIRED state? : Identify user groups that should be served but are not currently. Determine what the increase in registered and active users would be if new user groups were accommodated. Determine which tasks and workflows can be shared with other WCCLS staff through cross-training or by partnering with member libraries, and what the time savings would be. Determine if an updated fee structure would allow for serving new users and expanding eligibility. Discussions would start in Q3 FY20-21. Analysis would start in Q1 FY21-22. Changes would be implemented in Q4 FY21-22.
Problem Statement: (what are you trying to answer?)
With even partial re-opening of our branches a long way off, how can we revisit our limited curbside holds pickup service hours to better serve customers?
What is the CURRENT state?
All libraries are offering curbside reservation slots Tuesday – Friday (10-11:30, 12-1, 1:30-2:30, 3-4, 4:30-5:30) and Saturday (10-11, 11:30-12:30, 1-2:30) with differing reservation capacity of 10-25 customers per time slot. Utilization varies dramatically, and some branches are having trouble meeting demand with staff and times available. We accept walk-ups during service hours (T-F 10-6, Sat 10-3), which also vary widely in quantity from location to location.
WHAT is affected/impacted?
Customer service (with limited options, we may not be serving all customers who want to utilize our collection during the pandemic); staff morale (curbside holds pickup is inherently inefficient and intense, putting staff potentially at risk, high use locations are slammed while low use locations don’t have enough to do); payroll budget (some staff are not getting enough hours during a week, and others are on pay continuation)
WHERE is this happening?
All locations are being affected, but in decidedly different ways
WHEN is it happening?
Now, and for the predictable future
What is the DESIRED state (what is the outcome to be achieved)?
Expand capacity to service customers, particularly where demand is high and redeploy staff to manage the workflow, within a framework that allows Senior Librarians to make the decisions that are most appropriate for their customers and staff. This may include having more consistent time slots available, increasing capacity for reservations per time slot, adding service on Sunday, Monday, and Saturday late afternoon, and adding more time slots. We have an unexpected opportunity to test customer demand for service outside our pre-COVID closure service hours. Targeted first round of implementation mid-January 2021.
Are there anticipated consequences of making the change?
Serving more customers across the system, increased circulation of materials, reduced staff on pay continuation, and better workflow management.
However, adding early time slots may create workflow conflicts for custodial staff who currently have run of the buildings until 9am. Adding days of service may impact custodial, security, and delivery staff. Minimum staffing requirements may limit redeployment.
Problem Statement: (what are you trying to answer?)
How can we best use staff and fiscal resources to offer services outside our single branch location?
What is the CURRENT state?
We have relatively small geographic footprint for our legal service area – 12 square miles- and yet patrons who live farthest away have complained of not being able to get to the library (pre-pandemic). We also have a staff member who is very interested in doing outreach to patrons who have other barriers for accessing the library. We only have 16.7 FTE staff but generous fiscal support. Any outreach that we offer now is very opportunistic or based on invitations (mandatory) from the city or city leaders for library participation.
WHAT is affected/impacted? Library patrons who live farthest away, library patrons who have barriers for visiting, and residents who are not library patrons who might learn more about services from outreach efforts.
WHERE is this happening? This is *not* happening outside the building.
WHEN is it happening? I would like to have an outreach plan by the end of 2021 and implement any capital expenses in 2022.
What is the DESIRED state (what is the outcome to be achieved)?
We go to where the people are instead of residents physically having to visit the library to take advantage of most of our services.
Problem Statement: How do we continue to offer virtual programming when we resume in-person programming post-COVID? How do we prioritize which programs should first resume in person? How will we determine which programs should remain virtual and which ones should have both in-person and virtual options?
What is the CURRENT state? We have not offered in-person programming since the beginning of the pandemic on March 13, 2020. Many programs have been continued to be offered virtually with varying success and some programs have been paused.
WHAT is affected/impacted? Internally: Programming staff – skills and staffing levels, programming budget, equipment and meeting room usage. Externally: Community members who attend or might attend a library program
WHERE is this happening? Programming in adult service areas, our makerspace and youth services
WHEN is it happening? We will not know exactly when we will be able to resume in-person programming, but it could be as early as summer 2021. We should have a plan in place by March or April.
What is the DESIRED state (what is the outcome to be achieved)? Programming that meets the needs of our patrons during the transition to post-pandemic services without increasing our budget significantly.
Are there anticipated consequences of making the change? If we offer a significant number of hybrid programs, we may need to decrease our number of programs overall to account for an increase in cost and staff preparation time. We may need additional equipment and training for staff. Staff morale might be impacted.
Problem Statement:
At what point should we reach out to a library experiencing a delivery backlog to offer support and assistance so that we have the best chance of getting it under control before action is taken to manage the backlog in such a way that makes it harder to dig out? Implement a system to alert the appropriate Library Services manager to reach out to the backlogged library when the recommended level is reached. The new system should be in place before the next round of libraries re-open in early 2021
Current State:
No ongoing effort is in place to monitor the state of materials delivery between branches. Branches are generally on their own when it comes to identifying backlogs and reaching out for help if they need it.
WHAT is affected/impacted:
An acute delivery backlog in a branch affects all aspects of service delivery in that location. Delivery backlogs in individual locations affect the entire system.
WHERE is this happening:
12 libraries (out of 30) have experienced moderate to extreme delivery backlogs since the library re-opened in April
WHEN is it happening:
Delivery backlogs can appear at any time.
What is the DESIRED state:
Library Service managers will be alerted when a library has a delivery backlog that needs to be addressed before it gets out of hand
I have a question … does anyone else find it difficult to determine exactly what data is needed to complete your action plan? I feel like if I suggest that we collect another data point but then end up finding that the data is not useful, I will undermine the confidence in the process. I have found that it is difficult to convince people to collect another piece of data and I need to be confident in presenting the “why”. Any advice or shared experiences would be appreciated.
PROBLEM STATEMENT:
I need to hire a new staff member (30-35 hours per week) in February. What will be the best schedule and job duties to seek in this new hire?
CURRENT STATE:
We had a staff member retire in May. Due to COVID, we haven’t replaced that staff member and current staff have assumed other duties. Post pandemic, we hope to be busier (A) and will need to be fully staffed again. We currently have a staff of 7 working anywhere from 5 to 40 hours per week. We are open 6 days per week.
WHAT IS IMPACTED:
Some of our staff are involved in programming and those duties have changed. I need to seek a candidate that will best fit our anticipated needs. Job duties for current staff members may need to shift when a new hire comes on board.
DESIRED OUTCOME:
Goal is to have more fixed hours for each staff POSITION versus what each staff members desires, but hopefully this could be the same. I try to staff so we have 3 people in the building at a time, with 2 staff as a minimum. Staffing should match with our busy hours and best programming times.
ANTICIPATED CONSEQUENCES:
As a small, rural library, we haven’t always had a huge applicant pool to draw from and as a result, we sometimes build work schedules around available hours. The culture of this practice is ingrained in our library. Desired outcome may not be what we’re able to achieve, but it is a goal.
Problem Statement: We generate a lot of internal data from our programs and services. How do we make best use of it to help guide the direction and efforts of our branch?
What is affected/impacted: Our ability to make data-informed and data-driven decisions is hampered by the disparate availability of our various internal metrics.
Where is this happening: In Library Development.
When is it happening: All throughout the year, as we constantly reassess and revaluate where our focus should go, and try to assuage our effectiveness.
What is the desired state: To have easy and quick access to meaningful information based on internally collected data metrics, and that this information is used to drive our branch’s efforts.
Problem Statement: (what are you trying to answer?)
Our library needs to adjust library locations’ open hours to maximize our current, reduced staffing complement and to provide service at times there is demand for it to meet our communities’ needs.
What is the CURRENT state?
We used to have four “tiers” of hours – Group 1 libraries were open 69 hours per week, Group 2 were 62 hours per week, Group 3 were 48 hours per week, and Group 4 were 24 hours per week. Since originally closing for COVID in March of 2020, we have reopened 32 of our 41 libraries for “Grab and Go” but each library has been reopened at 40 hours per week. This standardization originally helped us make a quick decision and simplified the process of reopening and staffing, but now it is time to decide whether or not to adjust hours away from this “one-size-fits-all” model to something that aligns more with the workload per library (our smallest currently open library sees significantly less patrons and circ than our main Central library, but is open the same amount of hours). We currently have reduced FTE due to an FTE reduction and hiring freeze. We currently need to staff to meet minimum staffing levels per building for each of the 40 hours. If we had some libraries open fewer than 40 hours per week, we could adjust staff to places where the workload is high.
WHAT is affected/impacted? Staff morale; customer service; workflow and the time it takes to move materials and complete tasks.
WHERE is this happening? All library locations, since they are all operating at 40 hours per week.
WHEN is it happening? Daily, Fall/Winter 2020.
What is the DESIRED state (what is the outcome to be achieved)?
Identify the ideal number of hours per location to allow staff to be productive and maximize their available time without stretching their capacity and to allow the public enough time to come in to the library and accomplish what they need.
Are there anticipated consequences of making the change?
This may mean moving some staff, which can be a difficult transition, so we’ll want to be really thoughtful about that. Also we will be bringing 9 locations back in 2021, which will further stretch staffing. We need to maintain the addition of hours to those locations to qualify for “ballpark funds,” which require additional hours, meaning we can adjust where we have open hours but we can’t reduce our open hours without losing those funds.
problem statement: how do we help out staff respond to and deal with micro aggressions?
Current state: We have a microaggression policy but it is not being utilized. Meaning, folks are not officially reporting issues but we know issues are occurring
What is impacted: staff perception of inclusion & belonging, staff morale
Where is this happening: throughout our library system
what is the desired state: staff across the organization know how to properly respond to microaggression and feel comfortable responding when things are said. staff understand the process for reporting these events and feel comfortable reporting them
anticipated consequences: an increase in staff complaints, more issues to respond to
Is this where we share our summary of our problem statement?
I assume! I just left mine here.
Hi Sandy! Yes, please share your Problem Statement summary here. Thank you for being first! 🙂
Summary of Problem Statement: Patrons who forget their library card are being turned away. We need to create a more inclusive environment so that patrons without a library card do not leave empty handed.
Each week, an estimated 10-15 patrons are turned away, or must return later with their library card to check out items.
What is affected/impacted: customer service, patron satisfaction, staff morale
Where is this happening: both branches at the circulation desk, and occasionally reference desks
When is it happening: Routinely, on a weekly/daily basis
good idea! that is also happening here!
Problem Statement: A large number of customers have difficulty picking up their reserved items during our limited open hours. Which library locations should adjust their open hours to include weekends?
What is the CURRENT state?: When we re-opened library locations after the pandemic closures, the open hours for all locations were 10-5, Monday – Friday. This is a significant reduction in hours compared to before the pandemic closures. In September, we were able to extend our Wednesday hours until 6:00 pm. We continue to hear from customers that they are not able to visit the library during our limited open hours, so we need to expand hours again.
WHAT is affected/impacted?: Limited staffing requires us to decide between a Monday – Friday or a Tuesday – Saturday at each location. There should be a regional approach so that customers can easily access either a Monday or a Saturday location.
WHERE is this happening: Some library locations in a region would switch to a Tuesday – Saturday schedule and some locations would remain Monday – Friday to allow for reserve pickups on both Mondays and Saturdays in each region.
WHEN is it happening?: We would like more options for customers beginning in January 2021, or when it’s safe to do so.
What is the DESIRED state (what is the outcome to be achieved): We want to offer more options to customers who cannot make it to a library by 5:00 on weekdays (6:00 on Wednesdays).
Hi everyone! I work for a system of libraries in Pennsylvania that’s what we call ‘federated’ – so we are 8 independent libraries & a system administrative unit as opposed to one library with branches.
We are looking for ways to conduct additional fundraising on a county-wide level and so are planning to do a county-wide mailer this coming spring. So, my problem is the creation and recipients of that mailer.
So far I have been looking at the address data that currently exists and other sources that we want to draw on for the recipients list, but I am considering how we can use other types of data (circulations, participants at events, etc) to develop the content of the mailer itself.
I will work more on this and look forward to chatting about it on the 14th 🙂
Problem Statement: How should we allocate the collection budget in FY22 in order to accommodate the increase in demand for digital materials?
What is the CURRENT state?: Checkouts and holds for digital materials have significantly increased. Curbside only and limited hours has decreased the circulation of physical materials. We are adding a popular materials collection on the first floor and allocating $75,000 for that project. The library collection budget is staying flat in the coming fiscal year. We need to determine allocation of budget by January 15, 2021.
WHAT is affected/impacted?: May need to reduce other areas of the budget in order to accommodate digital materials and popular materials budgets.
WHERE is this happening?: Librarywide
WHEN is it happening?: Budget needs to be determined by January 15, 2021 in order to submit to board and to implement starting May 1, 2021.
What is the DESIRED state (what is the outcome to be achieved)?: Allocate collection budget funds in a way that prioritizes materials that are the most in demand, while also maintaining balance and depth of collection.
Are there anticipated consequences of making the change?: Increase in digital materials, decrease in some physical material areas. More convenient and timely access to materials that patrons are most looking for.
Vespasian Warner Public Library District-Clinton, IL
Background-As a district library, we rely on tax revenue for funding. 50% of our tax base comes from a local nuclear power plant. The plant is slated to close in 2026. There are so many angles for this problem, but I decided to start small with one question here!
PROBLEM STATEMENT: What percentage of the community interacts with the library throughout the course of a year? LONG-TERM: How can the library reach non-users and increase the public perception of the library as a priority destination in the community as a part of the Partners & Outreach focus area of the Strategic Plan (2019-2021)?
CURRENT STATE: The VWPLD has 12,087 potential patrons, 7,310 library card holders, but only about 2,000 patrons that check-out books. Staff have always seen this as an obvious gap in reaching the entire community. However, we do not require the community to have a card to access services, programs, or meeting rooms. Is there an overlap in usage or is our user base larger than we think (do we have a better story to tell)?
WHAT IS IMPACTED: (1) Our budget. It is likely that we will need to find a new/different revenue stream in the future. If we can establish value now, the community will be more likely to offer support later. Having data to share will help.
WHEN: Our strategic plan pushes for progress towards objectives by the end of 2021 (created in a pre-pandemic world). The power plant is slated to close in 2026.
WHAT IS DESIRED: To know the number/types of library users we have in the community. LONG-TERM: To find out who the non-users are and learn what is needed to drive them to the library. To increase the overall number of library users and card-holders. To establish the library as a place of value for the community.
PROBLEM: When the school day ends at the junior high across the street, students fill up the library’s computers and study rooms. Staff and patrons complain that adults arriving between 3 and 5pm cannot access computers or study rooms. One option is to set aside a certain number of computers and study rooms for adults only. Some would prefer to invest in more computers and study rooms with a building renovation/expansion. What is the best way to address the need for study rooms and computers by adults between 3 and 5pm on school days?
CURRENT STATE: We currently have 10 study rooms that accommodate 32 patrons. There are 32 computers in our open computing area, 10 in our teen area, and 10 laptops. We currently make these available on a first-come, first-served basis. Study rooms can be be reserved up to a week in advance. Patrons in 6-12th grade are restricted from using computers in the children’s area, but have access to the open computing areas. Adults are restricted from using the computers in the teen area.
WHAT: Adults that want to use the computers or study rooms between 3 and 5pm are impacted, as well as the public service staff that deal with patron complaints.
WHERE: This is primarily an issue on our second floor, which serves “teens” in grades 6-12 and adults. There is a teen area, but it is not large enough for all of the teens that are in the building after school.
WHEN: 3-5pm on school days.
DESIRED OUTCOME: A space or set of procedures that makes computers and study rooms available to those that want them during our busiest times, without creating waste at other times and days. A data-driven answer for board members and patrons with questions or concerns about the system we have chosen. A plan for addressing this issue by fall 2021.
I am getting very excited for our session on December 14! Keep those summaries of your Problem Statements coming in. Please also post any questions or roadblocks you encounter as you review your library’s data landscape and start working on your Data Action Plan.
Problem :Primary driver of circulation of physical items is the ability for the patron to browse the shelves. During the pandemic we are seeing a decrease in the circulation of physical items due to the lack of access to our libraries. How can we leverage curbside holds pickup to provide more access to physical items
Current state : Circulation of physical items is down 45% and library shelves are overflowing, Patrons are using our curbside holds pickup however they must place holds on specific items rather than be able to browse
What is affected : Circulation of physical items is down 45% and library shelves are overflowing, Patrons are using our curbside holds pickup however they must place holds on specific items rather than be able to browse
Desired state : To increase the # of physical items that are out at one time by leveraging our curbside holds pickup. Increase access to our physical items using a touchless process
Where is it happening : All locations
When is this happening : While libraries are either providing limited access to the physical building or no access
Desired state : To increase circulation of physical materials during times of limited, or no, access to library buildings. To reduce the number of items on the shelves at any one time to prevent shelves from overflowing. Increase access to physical materials to our patrons using a touchless process
Anticipated consequences : Adding to staff workload. Providing a service that will need to be supported after the libraries full re-open
Shorewood Public Library, Shorewood, WI.
PROBLEM: We need to track the impact/outcome of having an equity commitment and need to report on this impact by December 2021.
CURRENT STATE: We have just approved an equity commitment and as part of doing so we have committed to tracking the impact it has on our work. We track continuing education of staff (one way that we can focus on EDI) and have just implemented a new feedback mechanism for patrons. We do not currently track feedback from programs although we gather some of it (or used to, pre-COVID). We do some collection analysis but have not attempted to quantify or measure our commitment to representation in our collection.
WHAT: Programs, services, policies, collection.
WHERE: Primarily with professional level staff who make decisions and shape the library’s services and collections.
WHEN: Any time we make a decision to change something or focus on something, we should be using the equity commitment/equity lens.
DESIRED OUTCOME: Identify aspects of library services impacted by a commitment to EDI (pretty much everything, but group these together to attempt to simplify and assign responsibilities) by January 2021. Train professional staff on using equity lens (January-April 2021 – focus on CE and team conversations). Ask teams of staff to identify ways they can measure the impact of equity statement on their work by May 2021. Begin to track these impacts and outcomes to start to see the way this focus is being used to make decisions and generate a report by December 2021
Demmer Memorial Library, Three Lakes, Wisconsin
PROBLEM: Our library’s official service population is approximately 2,500, but our community is in a tourist area with a large seasonal resident population unaccounted for in official population numbers/estimates. (The census/ACS lists a 72% housing vacancy rate, meaning the vast majority of our homes are owned/occupied by part-time residents.) Second homeowners make up the bulk of our municipal tax revenue, so our services need to reflect their needs as well as those of the smaller year-round population. Our library programs and services need to adapt to seasonal swings in demand, but we don’t have good data to determine the saturation of our services to either our year-round population or to the seasonal visitors.
CURRENT STATE: The Demmer Library has a “Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde” mentality in seasonal library services. In the summer we scramble to simply stay on top of front desk service demands while also providing a variety of engaging programs to a family-focused and recreational demographic. In the winter we play catchup while serving an older population looking for social engagement in the long winter months and families focused on educational needs.
WHAT: Levels of staffing and staff training; reliance on volunteers and volunteer recruitment/training; ability to communicate value to stakeholders and funders; challenges in determining priorities or aligning personnel and training when we don’t know who our service population and demographic is or who we are failing to serve
WHERE: The Three Lakes community (year-round and seasonal residents) and users from neighboring communities
WHEN: May, June, JULY, August, and September
DESIRED OUTCOME: Using sources beyond the Census and ACS, library administration has a clear understanding of their true potential service population and demographic differences between seasonal and year-round residents and can create a service plan to reach and engage users from all groups. This service plan includes means for adjusting staffing levels and working with staff to create programming plans to make the best use of available funds to meet the needs of both stakeholder user groups.
Cleveland Public Library
PROBLEM: How much of our programming is dedicated to promoting key points of our strategic plan?
CURRENT STATE: Administration, Outreach, Development, outside stakeholders, etc. frequently want to know the number of programs and attendance for particular types of programs that are tied to our strategic plan. These include STEAM, job skills, early literacy, digital learning, etc. However, we have been unable to provide this info because it is not being captured.
WHAT: How we communicate our value to the public; our likelihood of being awarded grants and other funding; ability to form partnerships with outside organizations.
WHERE: Public Services programming
WHEN: Regularly, all programs may potentially be affected; requests for data are frequent.
DESIRED STATE: To be able to provide evidence that we are serving our patrons in the ways that they need it most. Ideally, this would include both outputs and outcomes and should be included in our 2021 Annual Report.
CONSEQUENCES: Additional data collection for programming/public services staff; changes to programming data collection software.
(Sorry I’m late.)
Problem Statement: (what are you trying to answer?) Our strategic plan calls for us to develop more self-service models to allow for more user satisfaction and staff efficiencies. We have self-checkout for traditional library materials, but not for printing and other services. We need to find a way to make most printing self-service.
What is the CURRENT state? All printing from computers must be staff-mediated, including printing from wifi and offsite. Staff who are constantly interrupted to take payments and release print jobs are less able to spend time creating content, planning for programs, or providing other higher-level service such as readers advisory or information services.
WHAT is affected/impacted? Frontline staff spend a large amount of time taking payment and releasing print jobs rather than in more challenging and interesting work that adds value to library service. Patron privacy is reduced, as staff often see what is being printed.
WHERE is this happening? Every location that offers public printing.
WHEN is it happening? All the time.
What is the DESIRED state (what is the outcome to be achieved)? Develop a plan for migrating to self-service printing, including equipment costs and timeline. Review staffing formula and printing activity logs to determine which locations need more than one printer. Develop and administer staff activity log and review results. Acknowledge that some patrons will need more help than others.
Are there anticipated consequences of making the change? Staff will be able to spend more time planning and providing more value-added services such as programming, readers advisory, and technology training; patrons’ privacy will be better protected.
CCS (ILS Consortium), Illinois
Problem Statement:
Provide timely and relevant ILS training to all library staff in accessible formats by July 2021.
What is the CURRENT state?
CCS provides multiple training resources including: in-person centralized training, in-person on-site training, self-paced online training, online group training and ILS documentation. Library staff are not aware of all resources, some are difficult to access. In-person training is not an option during COVID pandemic. We operate with a relatively lean staff and cannot support robust offerings in all formats and need to determine the most effective formats.
What is affected?
CCS staff workloads and morale, library staff access to training, library managers developing training in-house (duplicative work), library staff not receiving robust training in a timely manner
Where is this happening?
All member libraries
When is it happening?
As new member library staff are hired, rolling basis
WHEN is it happening?
What is the DESIRED state (what is the outcome to be achieved)?
CCS provides both synchronous and asynchronous training in formats that are effective and accessible to library staff. Training offerings are sustainable for CCS staff while managing support and special projects.
Are there anticipated consequences of making the change?
Create staff capacity for additional projects; need to manage library staff/admin expectations
Problem Statement: (what are you trying to answer?)
We want to know what would be the best length of time to offer computer appointments that will meet patron needs while also providing for safety and optimize how many patrons can use the computers on any given day.
What is the CURRENT state?
Currently we have no computers open because it was viewed as one of the riskier services we were providing. But we would like to prioritize reopening this service with additional structures for safety. We had patrons able to use the computer for 1hr with potential extensions up to 2 hrs.
Who is impacted? Patrons are impacted who have computer needs that require longer intervals of computer access. The community is impacted if we do not effectively mitigate the risks of providing this service.
Where is this happening? At both library locations we would be offering this service. Perhaps we would offer more computers at the location where the service is more critical. Conversations are happening now at different levels of the library and city about how to make this a safe service to offer.
WHEN is it happening? We hope to bring this service back in January and would need data to support proposals before then.
What is the DESIRED state (what is the outcome to be achieved)?
We want to have good data to support the decision making process around these procedure and policy issues that impact both patron experience and community safety.
Are there anticipated consequences of making the change?
Having access to computers with the right intervals for practical use is of significant importance to the vulnerable communities that we serve.
Hi everyone! I’m at Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library. I’d love to hear your feedback on the problem statement below. I am relatively new to my role and it was difficult to come up with a problem – sometimes I don’t hear what the ‘problems’ are!
Problem Statement: We are re-evaluating our service model due to the pandemic. Currently, for ease of communication and scheduling, all locations are open the same hours. In the past, hours have been different at every location. What hours will work best for our customers (and staff) in a post-pandemic environment?
Current state: All locations are open 10am-6pm Monday-Saturday. This is a drastic change from our past operations where we had differing hours from location to location. Considering in-person service (3 of our locations are open for curbside only), we are open 84% of the hours we were before the pandemic.
What is affected/impacted? Customer familiarity with hours, scheduling of staff
Where is this happening? Every location.
What is the DESIRED state (what is the outcome to be achieved)? Determine the best mix of hours for our 41-location system. Do we need Sundays? Is simpler better?
Are there anticipated consequences of making the change? Customers excluded from using our in-person services due to limited hours. Confusion due to complexity of hours.
Problem Statement: (what are you trying to answer?)
Our library needs to consistently offer programs that are inclusive and celebrate the diversity of our community
What is the CURRENT state?
Some library programs focus on diversity and inclusion, but they are not offered consistently throughout the system.
WHAT is affected/impacted? Members of our community do not see themselves or their identities represented in library programs, perhaps discouraging them from fully participating in what the library offers
WHERE is this happening? In most branches
WHEN is it happening? Sporadically
What is the DESIRED state (what is the outcome to be achieved)?
Define what makes a program inclusive and what counts as “diverse” using community member focus groups by Spring 2021. Evaluate the current program offerings and identify tracks and branches that do not regularly offer programs that focus on diversity or struggle to offer inclusive programs. Train staff by summer 2021 with programming expectations. In Fall 2021 incorporate inclusion and diversity rubrics to programming plans. By Summer 2022, all library branches regularly offer programs that celebrate the diversity of the community and all library programs are designed to be inclusive of all members of the community.
Are there anticipated consequences of making the change?
May need to revise current tried and true program plans, re-evaluate our external presenters to better align with our desired outcome.
Problem Statement: Is there a way to streamline and simplify collection types and call numbers, to make the browsing experience easier for patrons?
Current state: There are many, many collection and call number designations, both in the adult and youth collections. Many of these are not easy to understand for new patrons or staff.
What is impacted? Patron browsing time, circulation numbers, staff paging and shelving time
Where is this happening? Both the adult and youth departments
What is the desired state? Ideally, the collections can be simplified and combined in a meaningful way that makes more sense to staff and patrons.
Are there anticipated consequences? High work input to change call numbers, create new spine labels, and move collections. Potential confusion from long term staff and patrons at first. Ultimately, an easier and quicker browsing experience for patrons.
Problem statement: How can we improve safety procedures so that we are more prepared for disasters/emergencies/pandemics?
Current state: Our safety committee stopped meeting a couple years ago and the responsibility to update our safety binders is with one person. Training on safety procedures is done at the branch level based on local procedures and the safety binder. Trainings are not held regularly. Safety equipment is not checked regularly.
What is impacted – Our staff are not confident about how to handle an emergency, we have difficulty communicating with staff and community partners about what we are doing or what we have done.
Where – this affects all our branches and our library administration.
When – now and ongoing
Desired State – regular review of safety procedures, assessment of risks, ability to incorporate new information into existing tools (e.g. safety binder). We would like to have a communication plan for both internally and with our community partners and stakeholders.
Anticipated consequences – there may be crisis fatigue going on and therefore a reluctance to tackle this problem. If we do though, we will be more confident in responding to emergencies and we will quickly and easily communicate with staff and community partners.
Hi Elizabeth!
I believe you have two related but different problems to solve here: the need for a safety procedure review/training schedule AND creation of a crisis communications plan. Can you pick one you’d prefer to attack with the process we will be discussing in this session? Think about it.
See you Monday!
Katina
Oh good point! I will focus on the safety procedure review not the communication plan.
Problem Statement: (what are you trying to answer?)
Our 2020 Strategic Plan called for expanded library hours based on pre-recession levels and peer comparisons. This is now complicated by the reduction in hours due to Covid. How do we expand our hours as we emerge from the pandemic and then make a case for increased hours as part of our next levy campaign which will take place in 2022 or 2023.
What is the CURRENT state?
Currently we are on a 20% furlough, thus working 80% of normal staff hours. We are open to the public for 70% of our pre-pandemic hours. These hours, however, were reduced in 2009 due to the major recession. We have replaced or renovated 13 of our 17 locations with the final four under design or construction with completion by the end of 2022. We want to return our hours to the pre-2009 levels and/or peer levels so the community can get maximum benefit from the new facilities.
WHAT is affected/impacted? Staffing and budget
WHERE is this happening? All locations
WHEN is it happening? Now
What is the DESIRED state (what is the outcome to be achieved)?
Expanded hours supported by a successful operating levy
Are there anticipated consequences of making the change?
Yes, increase in costs for not just staffing but operations (utilities, etc.)
Washington County Cooperative Library Services
PROBLEM STATEMENT : Our Library Mail Service only serves English-speaking patrons who typically have already learned about our program through a member library or their care facility. How do we expand the service to speakers of other languages or to those who need access to Library Mail Service for reasons we have not traditionally considered eligible?
CURRENT STATE : We have 2.0 FTE who run the Library Mail Service program: one Librarian II and one Senior Library Assistant. 400 patrons are registered with the program, 100 are regular users. Phone lines are open M-F 8:30-5:00. A central collection is maintained, but patrons have access to the entire system’s collection. Program staff’s capacity is limited because most of their time is dedicated to phones, processing, ordering, and materials movement. No other staff are cross-trained. Some member libraries offer deliveries to facilities but not a mail program. Program staff are reluctant to provide service to Spanish-speakers or develop a collection of Spanish materials because they do not speak Spanish, although they would love to be able to offer this. They are reluctant to expand program eligibility because they feel they cannot handle more active users, especially time spent on the phone. Mailing is funded through the WCCLS budget and partially funded by USPS (for users who are TBABS eligible).
WHAT is affected/impacted? : Service is not delivered to people isolating because they are at high risk for COVID; people who have a preferred language other than English, people who live in remote rural areas without reliable access to a library and/or broadband, people unaware of the service because of isolation and no existing relationship with a library
WHERE is this happening? : Program is located in central warehouse and offices but serves eligible patrons within Washington County, Oregon by mail.
WHEN is it happening? : Daily, since inception of the program. This has been exacerbated by the pandemic as more people who are in high risk categories self-isolate.
What is the DESIRED state? : Identify user groups that should be served but are not currently. Determine what the increase in registered and active users would be if new user groups were accommodated. Determine which tasks and workflows can be shared with other WCCLS staff through cross-training or by partnering with member libraries, and what the time savings would be. Determine if an updated fee structure would allow for serving new users and expanding eligibility. Discussions would start in Q3 FY20-21. Analysis would start in Q1 FY21-22. Changes would be implemented in Q4 FY21-22.
Denver Public Library
Problem Statement: (what are you trying to answer?)
With even partial re-opening of our branches a long way off, how can we revisit our limited curbside holds pickup service hours to better serve customers?
What is the CURRENT state?
All libraries are offering curbside reservation slots Tuesday – Friday (10-11:30, 12-1, 1:30-2:30, 3-4, 4:30-5:30) and Saturday (10-11, 11:30-12:30, 1-2:30) with differing reservation capacity of 10-25 customers per time slot. Utilization varies dramatically, and some branches are having trouble meeting demand with staff and times available. We accept walk-ups during service hours (T-F 10-6, Sat 10-3), which also vary widely in quantity from location to location.
WHAT is affected/impacted?
Customer service (with limited options, we may not be serving all customers who want to utilize our collection during the pandemic); staff morale (curbside holds pickup is inherently inefficient and intense, putting staff potentially at risk, high use locations are slammed while low use locations don’t have enough to do); payroll budget (some staff are not getting enough hours during a week, and others are on pay continuation)
WHERE is this happening?
All locations are being affected, but in decidedly different ways
WHEN is it happening?
Now, and for the predictable future
What is the DESIRED state (what is the outcome to be achieved)?
Expand capacity to service customers, particularly where demand is high and redeploy staff to manage the workflow, within a framework that allows Senior Librarians to make the decisions that are most appropriate for their customers and staff. This may include having more consistent time slots available, increasing capacity for reservations per time slot, adding service on Sunday, Monday, and Saturday late afternoon, and adding more time slots. We have an unexpected opportunity to test customer demand for service outside our pre-COVID closure service hours. Targeted first round of implementation mid-January 2021.
Are there anticipated consequences of making the change?
Serving more customers across the system, increased circulation of materials, reduced staff on pay continuation, and better workflow management.
However, adding early time slots may create workflow conflicts for custodial staff who currently have run of the buildings until 9am. Adding days of service may impact custodial, security, and delivery staff. Minimum staffing requirements may limit redeployment.
Problem Statement: (what are you trying to answer?)
How can we best use staff and fiscal resources to offer services outside our single branch location?
What is the CURRENT state?
We have relatively small geographic footprint for our legal service area – 12 square miles- and yet patrons who live farthest away have complained of not being able to get to the library (pre-pandemic). We also have a staff member who is very interested in doing outreach to patrons who have other barriers for accessing the library. We only have 16.7 FTE staff but generous fiscal support. Any outreach that we offer now is very opportunistic or based on invitations (mandatory) from the city or city leaders for library participation.
WHAT is affected/impacted? Library patrons who live farthest away, library patrons who have barriers for visiting, and residents who are not library patrons who might learn more about services from outreach efforts.
WHERE is this happening? This is *not* happening outside the building.
WHEN is it happening? I would like to have an outreach plan by the end of 2021 and implement any capital expenses in 2022.
What is the DESIRED state (what is the outcome to be achieved)?
We go to where the people are instead of residents physically having to visit the library to take advantage of most of our services.
Problem Statement: How do we continue to offer virtual programming when we resume in-person programming post-COVID? How do we prioritize which programs should first resume in person? How will we determine which programs should remain virtual and which ones should have both in-person and virtual options?
What is the CURRENT state? We have not offered in-person programming since the beginning of the pandemic on March 13, 2020. Many programs have been continued to be offered virtually with varying success and some programs have been paused.
WHAT is affected/impacted? Internally: Programming staff – skills and staffing levels, programming budget, equipment and meeting room usage. Externally: Community members who attend or might attend a library program
WHERE is this happening? Programming in adult service areas, our makerspace and youth services
WHEN is it happening? We will not know exactly when we will be able to resume in-person programming, but it could be as early as summer 2021. We should have a plan in place by March or April.
What is the DESIRED state (what is the outcome to be achieved)? Programming that meets the needs of our patrons during the transition to post-pandemic services without increasing our budget significantly.
Are there anticipated consequences of making the change? If we offer a significant number of hybrid programs, we may need to decrease our number of programs overall to account for an increase in cost and staff preparation time. We may need additional equipment and training for staff. Staff morale might be impacted.
Problem Statement:
At what point should we reach out to a library experiencing a delivery backlog to offer support and assistance so that we have the best chance of getting it under control before action is taken to manage the backlog in such a way that makes it harder to dig out? Implement a system to alert the appropriate Library Services manager to reach out to the backlogged library when the recommended level is reached. The new system should be in place before the next round of libraries re-open in early 2021
Current State:
No ongoing effort is in place to monitor the state of materials delivery between branches. Branches are generally on their own when it comes to identifying backlogs and reaching out for help if they need it.
WHAT is affected/impacted:
An acute delivery backlog in a branch affects all aspects of service delivery in that location. Delivery backlogs in individual locations affect the entire system.
WHERE is this happening:
12 libraries (out of 30) have experienced moderate to extreme delivery backlogs since the library re-opened in April
WHEN is it happening:
Delivery backlogs can appear at any time.
What is the DESIRED state:
Library Service managers will be alerted when a library has a delivery backlog that needs to be addressed before it gets out of hand
I have a question … does anyone else find it difficult to determine exactly what data is needed to complete your action plan? I feel like if I suggest that we collect another data point but then end up finding that the data is not useful, I will undermine the confidence in the process. I have found that it is difficult to convince people to collect another piece of data and I need to be confident in presenting the “why”. Any advice or shared experiences would be appreciated.
PROBLEM STATEMENT:
I need to hire a new staff member (30-35 hours per week) in February. What will be the best schedule and job duties to seek in this new hire?
CURRENT STATE:
We had a staff member retire in May. Due to COVID, we haven’t replaced that staff member and current staff have assumed other duties. Post pandemic, we hope to be busier (A) and will need to be fully staffed again. We currently have a staff of 7 working anywhere from 5 to 40 hours per week. We are open 6 days per week.
WHAT IS IMPACTED:
Some of our staff are involved in programming and those duties have changed. I need to seek a candidate that will best fit our anticipated needs. Job duties for current staff members may need to shift when a new hire comes on board.
DESIRED OUTCOME:
Goal is to have more fixed hours for each staff POSITION versus what each staff members desires, but hopefully this could be the same. I try to staff so we have 3 people in the building at a time, with 2 staff as a minimum. Staffing should match with our busy hours and best programming times.
ANTICIPATED CONSEQUENCES:
As a small, rural library, we haven’t always had a huge applicant pool to draw from and as a result, we sometimes build work schedules around available hours. The culture of this practice is ingrained in our library. Desired outcome may not be what we’re able to achieve, but it is a goal.
Problem Statement: We generate a lot of internal data from our programs and services. How do we make best use of it to help guide the direction and efforts of our branch?
What is affected/impacted: Our ability to make data-informed and data-driven decisions is hampered by the disparate availability of our various internal metrics.
Where is this happening: In Library Development.
When is it happening: All throughout the year, as we constantly reassess and revaluate where our focus should go, and try to assuage our effectiveness.
What is the desired state: To have easy and quick access to meaningful information based on internally collected data metrics, and that this information is used to drive our branch’s efforts.
Problem Statement: (what are you trying to answer?)
Our library needs to adjust library locations’ open hours to maximize our current, reduced staffing complement and to provide service at times there is demand for it to meet our communities’ needs.
What is the CURRENT state?
We used to have four “tiers” of hours – Group 1 libraries were open 69 hours per week, Group 2 were 62 hours per week, Group 3 were 48 hours per week, and Group 4 were 24 hours per week. Since originally closing for COVID in March of 2020, we have reopened 32 of our 41 libraries for “Grab and Go” but each library has been reopened at 40 hours per week. This standardization originally helped us make a quick decision and simplified the process of reopening and staffing, but now it is time to decide whether or not to adjust hours away from this “one-size-fits-all” model to something that aligns more with the workload per library (our smallest currently open library sees significantly less patrons and circ than our main Central library, but is open the same amount of hours). We currently have reduced FTE due to an FTE reduction and hiring freeze. We currently need to staff to meet minimum staffing levels per building for each of the 40 hours. If we had some libraries open fewer than 40 hours per week, we could adjust staff to places where the workload is high.
WHAT is affected/impacted? Staff morale; customer service; workflow and the time it takes to move materials and complete tasks.
WHERE is this happening? All library locations, since they are all operating at 40 hours per week.
WHEN is it happening? Daily, Fall/Winter 2020.
What is the DESIRED state (what is the outcome to be achieved)?
Identify the ideal number of hours per location to allow staff to be productive and maximize their available time without stretching their capacity and to allow the public enough time to come in to the library and accomplish what they need.
Are there anticipated consequences of making the change?
This may mean moving some staff, which can be a difficult transition, so we’ll want to be really thoughtful about that. Also we will be bringing 9 locations back in 2021, which will further stretch staffing. We need to maintain the addition of hours to those locations to qualify for “ballpark funds,” which require additional hours, meaning we can adjust where we have open hours but we can’t reduce our open hours without losing those funds.
problem statement: how do we help out staff respond to and deal with micro aggressions?
Current state: We have a microaggression policy but it is not being utilized. Meaning, folks are not officially reporting issues but we know issues are occurring
What is impacted: staff perception of inclusion & belonging, staff morale
Where is this happening: throughout our library system
what is the desired state: staff across the organization know how to properly respond to microaggression and feel comfortable responding when things are said. staff understand the process for reporting these events and feel comfortable reporting them
anticipated consequences: an increase in staff complaints, more issues to respond to