A. THE EVALUATION
1. Cause an independent definitive study of the collection development and equipment of the library. Once this is done the board will have tangible recommendations from collection library experts from which to work.
B. THE COMMITTEE
1. Considerable thought must be put into formulating a structure to insure that the plan is viable and has fail-safe perpetuating mechanisms.
2. One method would be to form a committee consisting of two members chosen by the library board of which one member would be a lay member; two members chosen by the friends of the library board of which one member would be a lay member, and two members of the community at large with the library director as an ex-officio member. It is recommended that the committee set staggered terms of three years and two years to preserve continuity and retain the institutional memory. The committee would be under the purview of the library board and would make detailed reports as required. The committee’s composition would necessarily have to be very carefully constructed.
3. COMMITTEE EVALUATION
a) With the cooperation and consent of the library director and the library department heads the committee would meticulously study the report of the evaluators and further develop recommendations of their own. The combined studies would then be referred to the library board for their recommendations and adoption.
4. IMPLEMENTATION
a) After the adoption of the master plan, careful study must be given to the implementation. The committee may wish to adopt an implementation schedule to serve as a checklist. (Please refer to Local Implementation checklist for further details.)
b) Obviously the initial implementation will take considerable work and dedication by many individuals. Our community is blessed with a proliferation of book lovers including literary and book clubs, genealogy, etc., that should be fertile ground for garnering expertise.
c) Recruitment of individuals who are relative experts in a given field or have an abiding interest in particular authors will be essential. These individuals could be assigned to their area of interest and supply the committee with a list of books needed to make a desirable collection on the shelves. The recruitment of these individuals can further enlarge the circle of library users and supporters.
d) Please keep in mind that in the “Thames Collection” and other donations from the community, a wide spectrum of subjects is covered and could be processed for the library instead of offering them for sale. The value of a $3 sale book would be greatly enhanced when placed on the shelf as part of a collection.
II. COLLECTIONS
A. The various departments of the library could house collections that would be a good drawing card. An example is our own genealogy department. It has developed a growing reputation for excellence under the capable development of John Wilkens and Cindy McMullen. It is estimated that within five years this department will need additional space.
B. Other subjects of collections could be world war 11, civil war, children’s classics, history, biography, non-fiction, local authors, the classics and a host of others. Perfecting the collections over the years will greatly enhance the reputation and prestige of our library.
C. The same principle can be used to build collections by individuals interested in specific authors, e.g., Nelson DeMille, James Alexander Thom, Sue Grafton, etc. (Please refer to Collection Development Polices for further details.)
III. Results:
A. Over a period of years Kurth Memorial Library will be a first class sanctuary for recreational readers and scholars alike.
B. As the responsible board, we would be remiss to not take advantage of all the magnificent annual donations from the community, and on a larger scale for example, the remarkable contribution of the Thames Collection. It would be irresponsible to let our library stagnate and regress. There is 16,000 square feet of space reserved for future development. The future could be now. It is time to start thinking what to do next and take advantage of every opportunity to grow and develop.
IV. Conclusion:
“Build it and they will come.” If we allow it to become static, it will become another monument to mediocrity.
The vision of the friends that Kurth Memorial Library can be the best of its size in the country is attainable. It can and will be done.
