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13 <br /> Orange County Public Library / Strategic Plan 2017-2020 <br /> Appendix A <br /> The Strategic Planning Process <br /> The process for developing this strategic plan began in July 2016 with initial planning <br /> discussions, and progressed through subsequent discovery, blueprint and construction phases, <br /> with final approval and adoption in December 2016. <br /> A strategic planning committee, including lead library administrative staff, one community <br /> volunteer and two consultants from Richmond, VA based Floricane LLC (www.floricane.com) <br /> worked closely to develop project objectives, scope of work and desired outcomes; identify key <br /> stakeholders and audiences to engage during the process; source emerging themes; and draft <br /> the goals, strategies and tactics that form the backbone of the plan. Additionally, the <br /> committee spent time reviewing the library's previous strategic plan and related institutional <br /> documents. <br /> From the outset, the committee emphasized public and staff engagement as a critical <br /> component of this process, and designed a discovery phase that would source input from a <br /> variety of stakeholders. All told, this phase resulted in feedback from more than 600 people, <br /> including library customers, community and business leaders, parents, teenagers, educators, <br /> county commissioners, Friends of the Library, Club Nova members, library staff, and members <br /> of the general public. Feedback was collected via focus group discussions, an online and paper <br /> customer survey, a full-day all staff retreat, and 15 individual stakeholder interviews. <br /> These conversations provided a unique window into the needs and wishes of library customers, <br /> from a variety of perspectives. Within the first 15 minutes of the parent focus group, for <br /> example, participants asked for more LGBTQ books and programming and requested a more <br /> formalized partnership with the home school community. The middle and high school students <br /> who attended the teen focus group expressed a desire for their own "adult-free" space within <br /> library branches and increased collaboration between the library and schools to ensure that, for <br /> instance, titles required for AP students are available and lent for an extended period. These <br /> were but a few examples, but ultimately it was clear that the community had no shortage of <br /> Ll 12 <br /> uiul lrslug° <br />