Services
We're on your team. How can we help?
We believe a dynamic library is at the heart of every community—and we can help you get there. Every service we provide is uniquely designed to fit your needs no matter the scope of your project.
We'll work with you to you engage the community so that you can better prioritize services and activities, build innovation in your system, and use your resources wisely in response to rapidly changing needs and budget challenges.
Browse our services and case studies below.
Planning & Assessments
Strategic Planning
Community-driven process. Community-focused results.
Over two decades, Library Strategies has partnered with hundreds of libraries to create strategic plans that each have a clear vision—and a practical path to achieve it.
When you partner with Library Strategies, our expert consultants guide you every step of the way, from identifying your challenges, to supporting your team after a plan is in place. The approach we’ve honed puts your community at the center of the process so that every voice is heard and the resulting plan reflects the people you serve.
We design each project to fit your timeline and budget by offering a range of services to match your unique needs. Whether you need a tailored process or a turnkey solution, when our work is done, your library has a clear path forward.
Facilities Assessments
A library is foremost an environment created to provide access to materials and services; therefore it is critically important that those seeking access are able to find what they need every step of the way. The building must conform to their journey of learning and discovery. Because each customer’s – and each generation’s – needs and demands can change over time, it is important that a library facility responds in kind.
Library Strategies can ensure that happens. We can be your advocates before a project starts (space needs assessments, cost estimating, etc.), during a project (working with the architect and library staff), or afterwards (remodeling projects, space use analysis and recommendations). Whatever your need, Library Strategies can provide the guidance, recommendations, and steps for implementation to help you maximize your space, improve flexibility, incorporate innovations, and improve customer service.
Community Assessments
Staffing Studies
Organizational Assessments
Fundraising Support
Feasibility Studies
Library Strategies conducts valuable feasibility studies to help libraries determine the potential level of private funding that can be attracted to support a capital building project. Because of our deep knowledge of libraries and the role they play in their communities, we are able to anticipate and address the tough questions that inevitably arise during capital campaigns. Questions such as:
- With everyone using the Internet, why should we build or renovate libraries?
- I already pay taxes for public services. Why should I contribute to a capital campaign?
- I haven’t been in a library in years. Are they still relevant in our communities?
Our approach to feasibility studies includes presenting the library vision to 20-30 potential major donors and community leaders in individual, face-to-face interviews. We develop a graphically designed presentation of the project, along with its budget and anticipated funding sources. During the interview, we will ask potential donors to share their opinions of the proposed project, library leadership, and their potential participation in a future campaign.
THE PLAYERS
Library Strategies works closely with the Feasibility Study Steering Committee to help articulate the vision, confirm the desired goal, identify potential major donors, and assist with inviting those donors to participate in the study. We have found that when people are asked by their fellow community members, they are more likely – even enthusiastic – to participate in an interview.
THE TIMELINE
Feasibility studies generally take three to four months to complete, with the most time required for scheduling interviews.
THE OUTCOMES
After compiling the results of the interviews, Library Strategies consultants develop a report of the findings and include recommendations for campaign success. We will make recommendations regarding:
- An achievable campaign goal
- Ideal campaign leadership
- Challenges to address prior to launching
- Features of the project that resonate with donors
- Ideal timing and positioning of the project
The final report will also include a framework for the potential campaign, including a timeline and identification of next steps.
Capital Campaign Counsel
Conducting successful capital campaigns requires careful planning, strong leadership, and consistent follow-through. Library Strategies provides guidance to libraries throughout the entire campaign process, from initial planning to final celebration.
Capital campaigns involve two phases: The Quiet Phase and the Public Phase. The Quiet Phase, involves individual solicitation of major donors by campaign volunteers. This is a critical part of any campaign, as up to 80-90% of the campaign goal is secured in the Quiet Phase. The Public Phase occurs when the campaign is announced and solicitation of the general public begins with events, direct mail, social media, and other broad-based channels.
Campaign counsel in the Quiet Phase includes the following activities:
- Develop campaign plan, timeline, and budget
- Recruit Campaign Chair(s) and Campaign Committee members
- Write and design the Case Statement and all campaign collateral
- Determine campaign management and communication plan
- Clarify roles and responsibilities/hire campaign staff if necessary
- With Campaign Committee, identify and qualify donor prospects
- Develop cultivation and solicitation strategies
- Provide solicitation training and assist with solicitations if necessary
- Manage all communication and meetings of Campaign Committee
- Provide guidance throughout the campaign to address issues and ensure progress
Campaign counsel in the Public Phase includes the following activities:
- Provide content and design of marketing and solicitation activities
- Assist with event planning
- Develop social media content and design
- Assist with donor recognition activities
- Provide guidance and lay groundwork for future fundraising activities
THE PLAYERS
Library Strategies helps recruit Campaign Chair(s) and Campaign Steering Committee members and works closely with them throughout the Campaign.
THE TIMELINE
Depending on the size of the goal, capital campaigns typically take between 18 and 24 months to complete, including the feasibility study.
THE OUTCOMES
The outcome of a well-run campaign is the achievement of the campaign goal and an engaged donor base that is now invested in the future of the Library.
Development Planning
Libraries are getting better about making sure that they have strategic plans to guide them but, unfortunately, library support organizations (Friends & foundations) rarely have their own plans. It’s time to think about development planning!
Development planning is essentially the process of creating a strategic plan, but the focus is on articulating how your foundation or Friends can be most effective at providing support to your library.
A development planning process usually includes the following steps:
- Interviews with key stakeholders to assess your support organization’s current activities and capacity for growth;
- A facilitated planning retreat;
- Drafting a three-year development plan.
The process itself engages board members in creating a shared vision for how they can be more effective and links their organization’s activities directly to the library’s own strategic goals.
THE PLAYERS
The players who engage in development planning can include the Board of the fundraising organization, the Library Director (possibly key management staff), library Trustees, and members of other support organizations.
THE TIMELINE
Development planning usually takes 2-3 months depending on the availability of participants.
THE OUTCOME
At the conclusion of the development planning process, the Friends or foundation will have a plan that articulates their most effective structure (board size and composition, committee structure, up-to-date by-laws, etc.). The plan focuses on activities (advocacy, annual campaign, planned giving, special events, corporate sponsorship, and more) and establishes goals, strategies, and responsibilities.
Having a development plan in place is the difference between having a well-intentioned fundraising organization and one that really delivers valuable support to your library.
Training & Coaching
Advocacy Support
Sometimes libraries need to advocate for sustainable public funding. This training includes developing an effective advocacy platform, preparing lobbying fact sheets and position papers, making your library’s case to political decision-makers, and much more. Library Strategies has worked with organizations around the United States and Europe in creating stronger advocacy efforts to support their library systems. If you would like a custom advocacy training session for your library or library organization, please contact us.
Train-the-planner
- Pre-Planning and Recruiting the Planning Team
- Data Gathering
- Focus Groups and/or Community Retreat
- Creating the Strategic Plan
- Implementation Planning
Friends & Foundation Counsel
We help clarify the roles and responsibilities of your Friends and Foundation, including articulating where these roles intersect, and build strong relationships between these organizations. We can also help facilitate a merger if this model best supports your library.
Board Development
Library Boards are critical to the success of today’s libraries. They provide the strategic direction for the library, ensure adequate resources, supervise the Director, and are ears and eyes in the community. Friends and Foundation Boards may provide increasingly valuable private resources in support of the Library.
Yet most Board members receive little training on their roles, responsibilities, or positive approach to governance and management. In some cases, the Board(s) are not supporting or governing the Library effectively and struggle with moving forward.
A Board development process can help Boards understand their role, but also define positive next steps to become more proactive supporters and governors of the library. Board development may also be a helpful first step leading into a more comprehensive strategic plan, fundraising/development plan, or even a capital campaign. Board development is usually a short process, typically consisting of initial discussions, a board retreat, and a follow-up report which includes recommended next steps.
Board development is tailored specifically to the needs of the board or boards involved. The boards advance their knowledge of best practices, their roles and responsibilities, and emerge with a short list of action steps to improve their effectiveness. Typical areas of improvement are in board governance, management and ethics, advocacy, roles and responsibilities, and/or fundraising.
Successful boards are critical to building a successful, community-oriented library. Continuing board development, especially tailored to the library’s needs, greatly enhances the functioning and effectiveness of the board and library.
Workshops/Webinars
"I would recommend Library Strategies to any library considering starting a Foundation or to any library wanting to take their existing Foundation to a level of more community impact."
Tena Wilson
"Library Strategies was wonderful! Area librarians who participated in developing some of our past plans tell me this year’s planning process was better by far. I know this is due to Library Strategies’ guidance throughout the process."
Shelly Grace
Webinars
Do you want to learn more about our services before you plan your project? These webinars offer advice on everything from fundraising basics, to planning, to Friends and Foundations. Browse our free webinar videos and then give us a call for a consultation.