Focus:School:Planning

From NetworkedLibraries

[edit] School Libraries - Strategic Planning and Leadership

(What it means to strategically plan and lead technology)

[edit] Checklist for School Libraries

• Pay attention to educational, social, cultural, economic,and political trends and consider their potential impact on our library.
• Collect, track, and analyze library data for patterns of usage and change. (Do we need new ways to gather data that are more helpful to planning for technology?)
• Remember to contact teachers, administrators, and parents to seek input on library plans. (Do we have new stakeholders or constituent groups?)
• Spend time within the community to understand the needs and interests of our user population. (Do students have the necessary technology at home to access library resources? Do students use the public library to complete school assignments? Does our community have universal access to technology and resources – how do we contribute to enhancing universal access in our community?)
• Double-check our policies related to Internet use, patron records, access, copyright, and confidentiality to make sure that new technology applications are reflected. (What is the school's policy related to social networking sites? Are parents aware of the school's Internet use policies?)
• Contact the library system to explore group purchases of digital resources.
• Maximize the resource sharing potential of our consortium to expand our collections.
• Compare the last three years of spending for any technology or electronic resources. (What areas show the need for increased funding allocation on a regular basis?)
• Have we taken advantage of all external funding opportunities? (Look at potential grants, community sources, and business sponsorship.)
• Determine who will represent the library and advocate on our behalf locally, statewide, and nationally. Hold regular meetings with the principal and teachers to provide updates about library legislation and issues that could affect our school.
• Review, revise, and expand the “To Do Checklist” of strategic leadership and planning tasks most critical to the needs of our library.

[edit] Illinois School Library Models

These school library models have been shared by libraries in Illinois.