Coming Sept 15! Town Hall Meetings Back By Popular Demand!

At the first series of town hall meetings in March (only five short months ago!), you called for the reinvigoration of IPLA as a true grass roots organization capable of building an inclusive, cohesive network of public libraries.

You also recommended continued, more frequent use of video-conferenced town hall meetings to improve communications within the public library community.

From 1:30 to 3:30 pm EDT on September 15^th, IPLA’s Core Planning Team, joined by district representatives to its July planning retreat, will host ten town hall meetings around the state.

All public library champions are invited to participate in those town hall discussions where the three-year strategic plan for IPLA will be examined and input solicited regarding the adoption of first-year priorities for 2010. Preliminary plans for an expanded and more representative IPLA Board will also be reviewed.

Register now to become a part of this historical statewide discussion!

We’re listening! Tell us what you think!

Once you’ve reviewed the IPLA strategic plan draft ( BELOW), please give us your feedback. Click HERE to participate in an online survey which will be available now through August 17.

Please note: The IPLA plan draft is a pdf file which you can save on your computer. Feel free to copy and send it to your colleagues and trustees! When you do so, you can also provide this link to the online survey so that they, too, can participate:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=4BpCLodtaEIYQYZvVIPNYA_3d_3d

Strategic Plan 2010-2012

Preliminary Draft of the 2010-2012 IPLA Strategic Plan

The Genesis

In June, 2008, members of ADOLPLI and SAMS came together to advance the interests of all public libraries in Indiana and address serious issues posed by local government reform, tax reform initiatives, and a spiraling economy.

An LSTA grant secured through the Indiana State Library supported the creation of a Public Library Coalition and provided consultants to staff its work. The Coalition, led by Jos Holman and Sally Stegner, sought to unite public libraries with the immediate goal of navigating the turbulent 2009 legislative session.

Challenged with unfamiliar and uncomfortable political territory, the Coalition experienced a growing sense of urgency around the need to advocate more effectively for Indiana’s public libraries. Coalition members also began to envision a reorganized and revitalized IPLA as the most promising vehicle for bringing public libraries together and creating a powerful, unified voice on their behalf. IPLA leaders agreed – and stepped up during legislative storms to develop the Indiana Library Champions and an ILC website designed to engage, inform and help align libraries across the state.

As a result of this work in 2008 and early 2009, IPLA’s President and Immediate Past President, Dianne Osborne and Linda Yoder, rallied IPLA’s leaders to organize and set in motion a grassroots planning process. Its purpose: to determine if and how the Indiana Public Library Association might become a true coalescing force for public libraries.

A May-September Planning Process

In May, 2009, IPLA leaders secured a second LSTA grant for consultant support and organized a Core Planning Team. That Planning Team consists of IPLA Board members plus two representatives each from SAMS and ADOLPLI.

During June, the Core Planning Team asked volunteers from each of the eight ILF library districts to organize local discussions around the need for IPLA and the issues most affecting its direction and relevance.

During July, two representatives selected by district discussion groups joined the Core Planning Team and public library directors currently sitting on statewide boards (ILF, IHLB, and ISLACS) in a day-long planning retreat. Input from the district sessions framed the day’s goal to find common ground on which to begin rebuilding the Indiana Public Library Association. The preliminary plan draft now available for review and comment is the product of that planning retreat.

In late August, the Core Planning Team will meet again to integrate your feedback and refine the plan for membership vote at the IPLA Business Meeting during ILF Conference in October.

By early September, the final draft will be posted on the Champions website – and in mid-September, the Core Planning Team will invite local district groups to reconvene with them in a networked town hall format. That session will focus on the impact of the three-year goals and seek feedback on priorities for Year 1 implementation in 2010.

Respectfully submitted for your consideration,

Ginny Nilles
IPLA President-Elect and Chair, IPLA Strategic Planning Process