NMRLS Home Page FY2002 Plan of Service
(July 1, 2001 - June 30, 2002)

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 IntroductionAppendix I
 MissionAppendix II
 VisionAppendix III
 CommunitiesAppendix IV
 Service Areas & GoalsAppendix V
 Plan of Service 

Introduction

The Northeast Massachusetts Regional Library System (NMRLS) is evolving and continuing to develop services to serve a growing membership of 312 libraries that include: 12 academic, 54 public, 212 school, and 34 special libraries. This Plan of Service and Budget includes six full-time staff members to meet the needs outlined in this document and the NMRLS Strategic Plan 2000-2005.

This plan and budget include provisions to maintain regional access to over 250 electronic databases, deliver a high quality continuing education program, add more libraries to NMRLS delivery routes, and develop in-house back up for critical responsibilities. Over the year NMRLS staff and committees will be evaluating services to determine member priorities for future years to allow us to make member-driven decisions on service priorities.

As a member-driven organization, NMRLS cannot succeed without active member participation. The NMRLS Executive Board, Committees, and Task Forces have made important contributions to the organization by contributing expertise, time, and efforts to help us attain our vision as:

a community of member libraries and media centers which collaborates to provide timely access to information, materials, training, and expertise. NMRLS strengthens local library services to constituents through resource sharing, the regionalization of services and technology, member participation, leadership of expert staff, and experimental new programs.

Member surveys indicate that we are meeting or exceeding expectations in service delivery. We will strive for improvement in the promotion of services to members who are not familiar with them and in our efforts to maintain a high level of customer service at NMRLS headquarters and by our subcontractors.

Mission

To support academic, public, school and special libraries with services that enable them to better serve their users, and to establish, encourage and maintain cooperation among libraries in order to provide access to the widest possible range of resources and information for the people of northeast Massachusetts.

Vision

The Northeast Massachusetts Regional Library System (NMRLS) is a community of member libraries and media centers which collaborates to provide timely access to information, materials, training, and expertise. NMRLS strengthens local library services to constituents through resource sharing, the regionalization of services and technology, member participation, leadership of expert staff, and experimental new programs.

Communities

Service Areas & Goals

  1. DELIVERY
    To support statewide interlibrary loan, resource sharing, and reciprocal borrowing through time efficient and cost effective methods for the physical and electronic delivery of library materials and information among participating libraries of the northeast Massachusetts region.

  2. SUPPLEMENTAL REFERENCE SERVICE
    To insure that member libraries and their customers have direct access to information through enhanced and expanded regional reference services and resources.

    To provide direct resident access to regional reference services and resources.

  3. INTERLIBRARY LOAN
    To insure that all people of the Northeast Massachusetts Region have access to Interlibrary Loan services.

  4. CONTINUING EDUCATION & TRAINING
    To provide all libraries and their staffs with the opportunity to maintain currency and increased knowledge in the field of librarianship, facilitating the development of skills to better serve their patrons.

  5. ADVISORY & TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
    To provide all libraries with the opportunity to improve their ability to deliver services.

  6. SUPPLEMENTAL SERVICES
    To provide supplemental services to member libraries in response to their needs.

  7. REGIONAL COORDINATION/ADMINISTRATION
    To provide coordination and administrative support for the activities of the region.

Plan of Service

DELIVERY

GOAL: To support statewide interlibrary loan, resource sharing, and reciprocal borrowing through time efficient and cost effective methods for the physical and electronic delivery of library materials and information among participating libraries of the Northeast region.

OBJECTIVE: Provide for the physical delivery of books and other library materials among member libraries according to regionally adopted guidelines.

ACTIVITIES:

  1. Monitor contractual delivery service to efficiently move materials throughout the region.
  2. Monitor regional guidelines and cost-effective thresholds for delivery.
  3. Continue to evaluate thresholds of interlibrary loan activity in order to phase in delivery to member libraries via supplemental contracts.
  4. Update delivery manual and directory to provide guidelines to participants and contractor(s).
  5. Evaluate cross-state delivery service and make recommendations to improve services, if necessary.

EVALUATIVE MEASURES:

  1. Review program for compliance with Strategic Plan
  2. Member survey of satisfaction and volume of service
  3. Cost assessment of delivery
  4. Number of delivery stops
  5. Guidelines and thresholds

SUPPLEMENTAL REFERENCE SERVICES

GOAL: Member libraries and their customers have direct access to information through enhanced and expanded regional reference services and resources.

OBJECTIVE 1: The Northeast Region provides supplementary reference services to member libraries according to criteria, protocols and performance standards established by the region.

ACTIVITIES:

  1. Through the Memorial Hall Library in Andover provide access to backup reference services for member libraries.
  2. Provide access to a range of electronic databases to cost effectively meet member library needs.
  3. Provide special reference services to member libraries through contractual arrangements.
  4. Establish protocols and standards for reference service in member libraries and provide leadership and guidance in improving local library reference service.
  5. Recommend implementation of alternatives for ensuring compatible methods of electronic reference and document delivery services to meet user need for fast turnaround.
  6. Recommend implementation of alternatives to address reference area personnel issues to expand and share skills in member libraries.

OBJECTIVE 2: The Northeast Region will provide direct resident access to regional reference services and resources according to criteria, protocols and performance standards established by the region.

ACTIVITIES:

  1. Through the Memorial Hall Library in Andover will provide direct access to enhanced reference resources and services for residents.
  2. Provide cost effective direct resident access to a range of electronic databases in member libraries and remotely.
  3. Monitor use and efficiency of specialized reference services to residents through contractual arrangements.
  4. Monitor use and efficiency of direct resident access to after-hours toll-free reference services and a library of legal resources.
  5. Monitor changing regional demographics and investigate means of providing and promoting services to non-traditional library users.

EVALUATIVE MEASURES :

  1. Review program for compliance with Strategic Plan
  2. Member library satisfaction survey
  3. Use statistics

INTERLIBRARY LOAN

GOAL: To insure that all people of the Northeast Massachusetts Region have access to Interlibrary Loan services.

OBJECTIVE 1: Engage Interlibrary Loan Centers, to receive, verify, locate, process and fill requests for items not owned by member libraries and to provide reciprocal services to non-member libraries.

ACTIVITIES:

  1. Process interlibrary loan requests for librarians without electronic access.
  2. Process requests for materials not available within the Region for librarians with electronic access.
  3. Process OCLC requests for libraries without direct electronic access to the OCLC database.

OBJECTIVE 2: The Region will support a spirit of interlibrary loan cooperation among all types of libraries by adopting interlibrary standards, guidelines, protocols, standards of service, and a net lender reimbursement policy.

ACTIVITIES:

  1. Implement and publicize protocols, guidelines, and procedures for interlibrary loan.
  2. Collect statistics required by libraries utilizing Region ILL services.
  3. Collect and analyze statistics submitted by member libraries and issue a report.
  4. Provide net lender reimbursement to libraries to offset some of the costs of interlibrary loan participation.
  5. Identify and promote best ILL practices and make appropriate recommendations.

OBJECTIVE 3: The Region will continue to implement the plan for participation in a "virtual" catalog to enable resource sharing throughout the region and state.

ACTIVITIES:

  1. Participation in multi-region bibliographic database.
  2. Provide support and training for the components of multi-region bibliographic database and for the inclusion of new libraries.
  3. Recommend the implementation of alternatives for ensuring compatible methods of electronic reference and document delivery services to meet user need for fast turnaround.

EVALUATIVE MEASURES:

  1. Review program for compliance with Strategic Plan
  2. Member satisfaction surveys
  3. Interlibrary loan usage statistics
  4. Study of turn-around time and fill rate
  5. Evaluation of virtual catalog and ILL
  6. Network reports

CONTINUING EDUCATION AND TRAINING

GOAL: To provide all libraries and their staffs with the opportunity to maintain currency and increased knowledge in the field of librarianship, facilitating the development of skills to better serve their patrons.

OBJECTIVE: To establish a continuing education plan responsive to member library needs and to provide workshops, seminars and training activities for librarians, library staff, trustees and various governing authorities.

ACTIVITIES:

  1. Conduct an annual survey of continuing education and training needs, including solicitation of suggestions from library staff and promotion of an awareness of developing trends.
  2. Provide workshops and training sessions on a variety of topics appealing to all types of libraries.
  3. Provide for continuation of Basic Library Skills training required to meet the State Aid to Libraries program.
  4. Provide opportunities to assist school library media specialists in the recertification process.
  5. Provide for the establishment of area discussion groups on a variety of topics as identified through member surveys.

EVALUATIVE MEASURES

  1. Review program for compliance with Strategic Plan
  2. Needs assessment
  3. Member library satisfaction survey
  4. Number of programs
  5. Program evaluation by attendees
  6. Attendance statistics

ADVISORY AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

GOAL: To provide all libraries with the opportunity to improve their ability to deliver services.

OBJECTIVE: To provide technical assistance and consultation to member libraries in areas including computer technology, planning and policies.

ACTIVITIES:

  1. Survey member library needs for technical assistance needs.
  2. Provide advisory and referral services to member libraries.
  3. Provide a list of consultants on a variety of topics as needed.
  4. Develop library information files and a circulating professional collection of appropriate materials for member use.

EVALUATIVE MEASURES:

  1. Review program for compliance with Strategic Plan
  2. Needs assessment
  3. Member library satisfaction survey
  4. Statistics
  5. Consultant reports

SUPPLEMENTAL SERVICES

GOAL: To provide supplemental services to member libraries in response to their needs.

OBJECTIVE 1: To provide supplementary materials in a variety of formats to small communities having fewer than twenty-five thousand inhabitants as required by Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 41, section 19C.

ACTIVITIES:

  1. Provide groups of like materials to route between interested, eligible public libraries. The groups will include but are not limited to:
    • Provide groups of like materials to route between interested, eligible public libraries. The groups will include but are not limited to unabridged audio books and large print materials
    • Provide curriculum-related groups of materials on specific topics that will be available for loan to eligible member public libraries.

OBJECTIVE 2: To provide supplementary services to small communities.

ACTIVITIES:

  1. Provide various consultants available for small group and/or on-site consulting in such areas as technology, space planning, grant writing, etc. The Region will develop guidelines for use of such services by eligible member public libraries

EVALUATIVE MEASURES:

  1. Review program for compliance with Strategic Plan
  2. Member library needs & satisfaction survey
  3. Document circulation
  4. List of resulting improvement/accomplishments
  5. Consultant reports

OBJECTIVE 3: To provide cooperative programs for member libraries.

ACTIVITIES:

  1. Develop and implement participation in statewide cooperative purchasing program for library materials in response to member needs.
  2. Develop and implement participation in statewide cooperative purchasing program for supplies in response to member needs.
  3. Develop and coordinate participation in state-wide summer reading program.
  4. Provide Access to film collection of the Boston Public Library and CMRLS
  5. Facilitate access to the foreign language deposit program of the Boston Public Library

EVALUATIVE MEASURES:

  1. Review program for compliance with Strategic Plan
  2. Survey of member library satisfaction
  3. Acquisition and distribution statistics
  4. Cooperative program participation statistics
  5. Circulation statistics
  6. Program materials

REGIONAL COORDINATION/ADMINISTRATION

GOAL: To provide coordination and administrative support for the activities of the region.

OBJECTIVE: Plan, coordinate, initiate and evaluate the Regional Plan of Service.

ACTIVITIES:

  1. Work with the Executive Board, committees, contracting organizations and member libraries to identify member needs and carry out activities.
  2. Develop Plan of Service and budget.
  3. Represent the region to various local, state and national meetings.
  4. Conduct evaluations of service programs and Regional Administrator.
  5. Provide administrative support for regional programs and services.
  6. Publicize and promote activities of the regional system.
  7. Evaluate internal NMRLS staffing levels in terms of efficiency and customer service.
  8. Develop back-up staffing plan for critical NMRLS tasks.
  9. Review and revise (if necessary) Strategic Plan.

EVALUATIVE MEASURES:

  1. Review program for compliance with Strategic Plan
  2. Plan of Service and Budget
  3. Financial Report
  4. Member satisfaction survey
  5. Evaluations
  6. Successful completion of Plan of Service activities
  7. Publicity review

Appendix I

EXECUTIVE BOARD

STAFF

MBLC LIAISON: Elizabeth Wolfe, Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, Boston

Appendix II

Committees

Appendix III

MASSACHUSETTS BOARD OF LIBRARY COMMISSIONERS

NORTHEAST MASSACHUSETTS REGIONAL LIBRARY SYSTEM

Appendix IV

MEMBERSHIP AGREEMENT

Appendix V

NATIONAL INTERLIBRARY LOAN CODE FOR THE UNITED STATES



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