• Introduction
• Mission
• Vision
• Communities
• Service Areas & Goals
• Plan of Service
• Appendix I: Executive Board and Staff
• Appendix II: Committees
• Appendix III: Membership Eligibility Requirements
• Appendix IV: Membership Agreement
• Appendix V: National Interlibrary Loan Code for the United States

The Northeast Massachusetts Regional Library System (NMRLS) continues to evolve to serve a growing membership of 339 libraries that includes 13 academic, 54 public, 234 school, and 38 special libraries.

This Plan of Service & Budget includes funding for seven full-time staff members to meet the needs outlined in this document and in our Strategic Plan. This includes a new position, Assistant Regional Administrator, with responsibilities for backing up the Regional Administrator, grantsmanship, communications/public relations, consulting, and training.

This plan and budget include provisions to cover increasing costs for essential services. These increases are possible owing to flexibility from Memorial Hall Library in contributing a significant portion of their contracted costs toward electronic databases and shifting a small portion of the net lender reimbursement funds to delivery to handle the ever-increasing volume of activity.

This Plan of Service and Budget includes provisions for handling increased costs for:

• Licensing over 270 electronic database titles for regional use
• Expanding delivery service to new libraries
• Handling an increasing volume of delivery
• Adding a position and inflation factors for salary and benefits

Stable budgetary programs:

• Continuing Education and Consulting Programs
• Interlibrary Loan Center services from NOBLE and Memorial Hall Library
• Supplementary Deposit Collection services from Memorial Hall Library
• After Hours and Specialized Reference services from Reading Public Library and the Lawrence Law Library

Program budget reductions:

• Reference Center services from Memorial Hall Library
• Net Lender Reimbursements

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.

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.

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.

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.
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: NMRLS 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 best practices for reference service in members 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.
7. Investigate and implement ways to actively promote all regional reference activities and services to member libraries and staff.

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.
6. Investigate and implement ways to actively promote all regional reference activities and services to end users.

Evaluative Measures:

1. Review program for compliance with Strategic Plan
2. Member library satisfaction survey
3. Usage statistics for databases and services

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.
4. Host meetings of users/potential users of ILL Center services.
5. Implement approved recommendations of the ILL Best Practices Task Force.

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. Implement approved recommendations of the ILL Best Practices Task Force.

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 (MassCat).
2. Provide support and training for the components of MassCat and the Statewide Virtual Catalog and for the inclusion of new libraries.
3. Implement feasible and cost-effective services from recommendations after analysis of the Document Delivery Pilot Project 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 services (member satisfaction and performance), i.e., ILL Centers and meetings,
6. MassCat, statewide virtual catalog, and Document Delivery Pilot Project.
7. 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 advisory and 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 2I, section 19C.

Activities:

1. Provide groups of like materials to route between interested, eligible public libraries.
2. 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 public libraries in 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, as the need arises. NMRLS 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 and satisfaction survey
3. Document circulations
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 statewide 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 all 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

EXECUTIVE BOARD

STAFF

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

Committees

MASSACHUSETTS BOARD OF LIBRARY COMMISSIONERS

• ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR PARTICIPATION AS A MEMBER OF A REGIONAL LIBRARY SYSTEM

NORTHEAST MASSACHUSETTS REGIONAL LIBRARY SYSTEM

• CERTIFICATION OF MEMBERSHIP ELIGIBILITY

MEMBERSHIP AGREEMENT

NATIONAL INTERLIBRARY LOAN CODE FOR THE UNITED STATES