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Orange County Public Library Strategic Plan 2013 -2016 <br />largely defined by people who live within 15 to 20 minutes of the location. <br />Community Needs Analysis <br />Qualitative factor analysis and quantitative statistical analysis of the data suggests clear trends in <br />community preferences for information services, entertainment, and library services. Staff also <br />identified high priority issues for the library. Interview and community forum results suggest consistent <br />ideas around the role of the library and its opportunities for improvement. Common themes emerged <br />when examining all of the data collectively. <br />Orange County exceeds state and national averages in a number of areas — higher white population, <br />higher levels of education, higher levels of income, and higher housing values. The Hispanic /Latino, 8% <br />of the Orange County population, and the Asian community, 6.7% of the population, rapidly grew by <br />109% and 89 %, respectively, over the past ten years. Library services, library usage, and per capita <br />spending also have grown in parallel to these other Orange County indicators over the past ten years. <br />Community Input <br />Results from the interviews and community forums suggest that OCPL can best ensure it is aligned with <br />the county's strategic needs through continuing to provide high quality services to all residents of <br />Orange County. Its value and contributions to the community were consistently recognized across all <br />methods of data collection. The central themes that emerged were to continue to reach out to the <br />underserved, continue evolving with emerging technology, and continue to allocate the appropriate <br />resources to ensure this happens. <br />The typical information needs of the community is an integrated mix of traditional resources (i.e. books, <br />print newspapers, reference, archives, movies, and audio music and books) and high technology via <br />online (i.e. Internet -based activities such as email, web surfing, blogs, online news, social networking), <br />computing (desktop and laptop), and mobile (Tablets, smart phones) technologies. Orange County <br />residents consume information in a wide variety of mediums and expect their libraries to provide <br />information in a similar fashion with an essential recognition that not all people have equal access to <br />technology or literary resources. <br />With the emergence of the information -age, libraries have both stayed the same in terms of its <br />pervasive goal of providing information and educational and social services to the community; the <br />means, however, in which it now does this along with an extended suite of services including technology <br />training and support, employment resources, and renewed value in serving as a community resource <br />center have grown. The definition of patron has become more diverse and expanded to truly all <br />member of society. As schools and society embrace technology, libraries and their staff must equally <br />embrace, become skilled in, and provide relevant resources and access. As society rapidly changes, <br />however, the emphasis on quality books must remain as the library's core function. <br />The community envisions its ideal library as a centerpiece of the community both in terms of resources <br />and services but also in aesthetic form and beauty that enriches all those that use it. Outside of a world - <br />class collection of books, services, and technology and digital resources, the ideal library would be a <br />31 Page <br />ORANGE -ZOU NfTY <br />C <br />