Long Range Planning for School Library Media Programs

The long range plan is a requirement of Standard (h), of the Wisconsin Standards. Also available for download is a suggested long range planning checklist.

Good long range planning is hard work. However, it pays off eventually in better resources and services for students. There is further benefit in the fact that, as decision makers and community members come to know more about the library media program, they recognize how important the program is to the entire learning community and to students' personal growth and academic success. However, occasionally, the long range plans do not flow smoothly from vision through needs to actions. Sometimes recommendations rely on outside standards rather than on a clear relationship between the library media program's components and academic success.

It is also difficult and time consuming to do the research needed to show the link between good programs or practices and the academic success of students. While this is addressed in the literature of program evaluation, few tools and planning guides exist to make the job easier. The recommendations that follow are intended to help planners produce a concise but comprehensive plan with recommendations based on well-documented needs linked to student achievement.

Vision, Philosophy and Mission

It is important that all the components of a long range plan fit visibly into a well-organized document that starts with the district's educational vision, philosophy and mission and moves logically into the library media program's vision, philosophy and mission. Then the plan progresses to goals and activities that are derived from that mission. The vision may be expressed in a metaphor that describes a preferred image of the future. The vision does not refer to the status quo. The philosophy is a statement of underlying beliefs about what is important. It usually is very similar to the philosophy statement in the school district's strategic plan or school improvement plan. The mission statement suggests the reason for the program's existence, based on those beliefs. It defines the program's role in putting those beliefs into action.

Current Status

In order to improve services and programming the stakeholders are given an opportunity to review the components of an exemplary library media program which include integrated standards instruction, reading and literacy services, collection development and utilization, facilities accessibility and usage, technology leadership and support, staffing patterns and assistance, compliance with state and national standards, and how the Library Media program assists and enhances the overall instructional program.

Needs Assessment

Objectives and needs are closely related, since objectives can also be said to show how well the needs are being met as the plan is implemented. Needs can be thought of as barriers to accomplishing the objectives. A good library media plan will also include the opposite of needs--enablers, which are elements of the program that foster accomplishment of an objective, such as program strengths or best practices. Enablers and barriers can often be supported with statistics related to test scores, grades on unit projects, availability of the Library Media Center (LMC), use of the LMC, quantity of available resources, satisfaction with the level of service, etc. Surveys, questionnaires, and interviews help identify both barriers and program strengths. They also validate them by broadening the number of persons agreeing on them.

Goals and Objectives

Goals can be rather broad, but they should be focused as directly as possible on student learning outcomes in order to be perceived as valid by decision-makers. (For example: All students will be able to access, use, and evaluate information in any medium, and use that information to solve problems, communicate clearly, make informed decisions, and construct new knowledge.) Generally, goals should be few in number, since each of them can generate more than one objective; and each objective might generate more than one activity to accomplish it. Once the vision, philosophy, mission, and goals have been established, the planning team looks for ways to measure progress toward meeting the goals, so they identify needs, and they set objectives. Objectives or benchmarks will indicate if the goals are being accomplished. (For example: By the end of the school year, all eighth grade students will score at or above the proficient level in the "Information and Inquiry" content standard.)

Importance of Consensus

To be useful, goals and objectives have to be agreed upon and supported by a wide range of stakeholders: teachers, administrators, students, school board, parents and community members. This support is accomplished by having representatives from the various collaborative teams, such as the teams referred to in this document; the District Information and Technology Team, the School-Level Library Media and Technology Team, and the Teaching and Learning Teams, develop the objectives. While the scope of long range planning is the major responsibility of the District Information and Technology Team, the goals and objectives need to incorporate each building-level's goals and objectives. Building level input is critical because that is where implementation of the plan happens; where teaching and learning actually take place.

Action Plan

Recommended tasks necessary to reach objectives are usually listed after each objective. Later they are also listed in a table along with the timeline for completion, estimated costs, and the person or group responsible. Sometimes a brief rationale statement is also included. Any additional policies to be established or changed as well as potential problems would also be indicated.

Monitoring, Evaluating, and Revising the Plan

The planning process is cyclical. The planning committee needs to address a process for ongoing monitoring and evaluation. The road to improvement is continuous. The key to success is communication to all stakeholders and the establishment of realistic timelines.

Appendixes

Appendixes might include reports of program expenditures, a copy of the surveys used to gather observations, a list of library media program policies, and other related documents.

For questions about this information, contact Donna C. Steffan (608) 267-1282

Last updated on 8/4/2009 7:37:22 AM