BACKGROUND STATEMENT
The Traverse Area District Library is not a building on Woodmere. In 1983 the library system known as TADL formed a library district by incorporating the individual libraries of Traverse City, Kingsley, Fife Lake, Interlochen and Old Mission Peninsula. A branch library was opened adjacent to the township hall in East Bay Township in 1991 and Kingsley converted to a branch status in 1999. The other three libraries in the district chose to remain independent entities, with a fiscal and managerial tie to the District. They are referred to as Member Libraries.

Much has happened over the past several years both within the community and the TADL system. All of Grand Traverse County has experienced explosive population growth with nearly a 25% increase since inception of the District. The growth is not even and some areas have actually doubled in population as the numbers in Traverse City proper have remained relatively stable. Fluctuations in the economy and unemployment along with the aging of the population and prevalence of the “baby boomers” and young retirees moving to the area create other interesting demographics for library services.  Technology has continued to change rapidly and the actual public definition of what “library” means may be changing.

When the last Strategic Plan for the Traverse Area District Library was conducted in 1999 – 2000, the Woodmere Library was new and construction or remodeling of other facilities in the District had been discussed, but no expansion was on the drawing board. In 2002 TADL commissioned The Breton Group, a consulting firm for non- profits, to conduct feasibility studies in four district communities regarding branch development. Fife Lake and Kingsley subsequently conducted capital campaigns to build new local facilities. Fife Lake opened a 4,800 square foot building in the summer of 2006 and Kingsley expects to break ground on a 6,000 square foot library within the village in the spring of 2007. In the meantime, both Blair and Long Lake Townships formed committees to also pursue local library development.

Recognizing that an active Strategic Plan is a valuable organizational tool and realizing a need to take a new look at the whole TADL system more in depth than regular board meetings allow, the Board initiated a strategic planning process in the fall of 2006. The Board and Administrative Staff comprised the core study group. They were involved in several hours of discussion focusing on the strengths of the organization, relevant issues and opportunities to pursue.  Dozens of staff from the branches and member libraries along with community representatives were also encouraged to participate in discussions. In addition to this face to face information gathering, recommendations from the survey regarding services and patron usage conducted for TADL in 2004 by the W J Shroer Company were considered along with needs presented in previous strategic plans, information from the TADL annual reports to the State and the Breton Group feasibility studies. Local demographic information through the Northwest Michigan Council of Governments was also used to provide background for the current strategic planning process.

Strategic Plans are a fluid process, designed to be updated and changed as future projections turn into realities. The Goals and Strategies outlined in this report will be examined, adjusted and updated annually prior to budget discussions by the TADL Board and Administration. The Board plans to conduct a full strategic planning session every three years.

GOALS FOR THE 2007 STRATEGIC PLAN
A. TADL will increase services to the underserved.
Strategies:
      Identify who is underserved, where they are and what services will meet their needs
      Develop and implement delivery systems to identified populations

B. TADL will acquire, develop and continually update the most appropriate technology that meets the needs of the district allowing us to extend services and optimize staff resources.
Strategies:
      Make an initial immediate assessment of the current needs and act on it
      Complete periodic assessments of both internal and public technology needs
      Review available Integrated Library Systems to match our growth needs and make improvements
      Overhaul the TADL website

C. Maximize the creativity and effectiveness of TADL’s people.
Strategies:
      Examine the current allocation of human resources, adjusting as necessary
      Attract, train and maintain effective Board members

D. TADL will create a consistent district-wide identity.
Strategies:
      Educate the public on services that we provide
      Make people aware of the TADL connection with all points of service

E. TADL will identify, develop and allocate resources to meet the above goals.
Strategies:
      Assess and define our available current resources
      Actively look for collaborations and partnerships
      Identify and pursue alternative revenue sources
      Apply a zero-based approach to the allocation of resources

PARTICIPANT LIST
Although the strategic planning process included the input from many factions of the TADL community, the core strategic planning group of participants included:
Gregory Luyt – Board Chairperson
Marlyn Lawrence – Immediate Past Board Chairperson
George Galic – Board Vice Chairperson
Thomas Kachadurian – Board Secretary
Robert Thompson – Board Treasurer
William Fowle – Board Trustee
Douglas Brown – Board Trustee
Chuck Judson – Board Attorney
Michael McGuire – Director of TADL
Richard Schneider – Library Manager
Barbara Nowinski – Assistant Director
Dawn Buchanan – Office Manager

THE NEXT STEP – ACTION PLANS
Each of the identified strategies will need further development with accompanying Action Plans. Each action step will need to be defined by a timeline, who is responsible for the work (board, staff, etc.) and evaluation when the step is completed or altered. As the Strategic Plan is put into use, it is expected that additions will be made to this working document. During the strategic planning process, some action ideas were already discussed; below is a sample chart for implementation of an action under Goal D – TADL will create a consistent district-wide identity. The sample addresses the strategy to “make people aware of the TADL connection with all points of service”.