Metropolitan New York Library Council (METRO)
New York, New York
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Organization, coordination and management of a strategic planning process |
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Analysis of trends and changes in the library and information management world and their impact on METRO and its member libraries |
 For more than 40 years, METRO has served as a unique resource for library organizations throughout New York City and Westchester County. The largest of New York State’s nine reference and research library resource systems, METRO assists its 260 members coordinate and relate their diverse activities and initiatives to help create a highly effective information service network for the region.
Prior to undertaking the strategic planning process, which ANTHONY KNERR & ASSOCIATES (AKA) guided and coordinated, METRO had completed its second full year under the leadership of a new lay Board of Directors and launched a number of new initiatives in response to emerging member needs, while continuing to provide an array of professional development and resource-sharing services and significant grant programs to its member libraries.
Against the backdrop of the complex and dramatic changes in the library and knowledge management world, METRO embarked on the planning process to address three interrelated strategic issues:
• The professional trends, societal issues and technological advances most pertinent to library institutions over the next decade or so
• The impact of the larger changes in the library and knowledge management world on METRO’s members
• How METRO can best support its member library institutions in meeting their needs, challenges and interests; what METRO’s mission, vision and services should be going forward to assist its members meet these needs; and what capabilities (financial, technological, human resources) METRO requires to deliver on these Services.
METRO engaged in the strategic planning process from a position of considerable strength: a strong reputation among its members for the quality of services and activities; a highly diverse membership, ranging from high-profile public libraries, leading academic libraries, medical libraries, archives and smaller specialized institutions; and a strong financial footing.
| The engagement underscores the lesson that envisioning an organization’s best future requires rigorous analysis of key contextual trends and issues. |
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But it was also facing formidable challenges: METRO lacked visibility outside the library world; its identity was not clear to the public beyond its member community; and its member organizations were facing major questions as to how they can best adapt to the impact of technology and changing user interests and needs, thereby raising fundamental questions about its members’ missions, purposes, viability and funding.
Further, METRO was largely dependent on government funding, with earned revenue and private funding covering only a small portion of the cost of delivering services – making it vulnerable to shifts in public funding. In addition, it was unclear whether METRO current membership was sufficiently inclusive of other non-library organizations with significant knowledge management needs.
All in all, METRO was at a juncture where it was critical for it to continue to serve its members well, but increasingly provide robust, visible leadership to its members and other knowledge management organizations in its geographical area in the face of rapid movement to the digital age.
The METRO Strategic Plan was developed through a broadly consultative and inclusive process. It was guided by a Strategic Planning Committee chaired by the President of the METRO Board and composed of seven Board members and two staff members; the Committee met eight times throughout the process to review findings, discuss alternative approaches, comment on draft documents and react to drafts of the Strategic Plan. The METRO Professional Planning Group – comprised of METRO members and library/information professionals – worked in tandem with the Strategic Planning Committee and met several times to review and give input on findings, hypotheses and ideas regarding METRO’s strategic goals.
In addition, AKA interviewed over 60 people (individually and in focus groups), including METRO Board members and staff and informed observers from library organizations, analogue organizations and non-library organizations with significant information-management functions. Further, Kane, Parsons & Associates, a public opinion and survey research organization, administered a telephonic member survey of some 152 METRO members.
AKA also undertook a comprehensive literature review to take advantage of the best and most recent thinking on the world of libraries and knowledge management.
AKA recommended that METRO establish a leadership position within the library and knowledge management world in New York City, Westchester County and beyond by becoming the essential link between its members and the world’s increasingly complex information needs. Doing so would mean helping members anticipate evolving trends and issues; serve the public in making library resources widely available; help society understand the importance of librarianship and knowledge management during a time of information overload; and support New York State in its efforts to serve the public effectively.
The Strategic Plan suggests a number of key strategic objectives for METRO to secure its leadership position, including: becoming a recognized leader in the library and knowledge management world; providing members with innovative services; expanding its membership; strengthening organizational and management capabilities and ensuring long term financial health. METRO is in the process of implementing its Strategic Plan, which can be viewed on the METRO Web site: METRO Strategic Plan 2009-2014.
The engagement underscores the lesson that envisioning an organization’s best future(s) – and developing appropriate strategies for achieving that vision – requires rigorous analysis of key contextual trends and issues; thoughtful understanding of organizational culture and capabilities; and bold thinking that “peers over the edge of the horizon” to suggest new approaches and innovative ideas.
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