The Power of Planning

Introduction

The Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA) has been enormously important to the libraries of the Lincoln Trail Libraries System (LTLS) during the past 15 years. LSCA-funded grants have financed several planning projects that have made a lasting impression on library service in the LTLS nine-county area. These planning projects provided essential baseline information and models that were then used to provide guidance in implementing additional successful projects. These planning models are still being used by LTLS consulting staff and member libraries in a continued effort to provide ongoing assistance to libraries that are planning referenda, expanding service to unserved areas, enhancing existing services, and considering cooperative ventures with other agencies. Without the availability of LSCA funding for these planning projects, it is certain that the progress of library development in Lincoln Trail Libraries System would have been substantially hindered.

Untaxed Area Research and The Ideal Public Library —1985

In 1985, LTLS received an LSCA grant to conduct research among the untaxed population within its geographic boundaries. The broad purpose of the research was to determine attitudes toward a self-imposed library tax and the library conditions (features and services) that would be required to encourage a positive vote. To achieve these goals, an outside research service conducted mail-telephone-mail interviews using a survey constructed by the agency and an LTLS task force. Those interviewed included a representative sample of male/female heads of households who resided in areas untaxed for public library service.

In addition to the rich demographic and voting trend data that was generated by this survey, its ultimate usefulness was the creation of a model of an "ideal public library." Respondents were asked to rate the types of library services they felt were most important from a potential list of services. These services did not rely on the current range of services offered by existing public libraries but, instead, focused on a broader range of services that constituted an "ideal." When these services were presented to the respondents, the majority of non-taxed residents indicated that if these services were offered, they would then vote to be taxed for public library service. Therefore, the research study provided a valuable checklist of preferred services that would be supported by voters in establishment and expansion projects (2).

The data from this study has been used numerous times by libraries considering referenda-based expansion or by community groups wanting to establish a library where no library exists. A case in point is the successful establishment of the Oakwood Public Library District in 1987. Members of the Oakwood Library Advisory Committee worked with LTLS to receive LSCA funding and create a demonstration library. The services offered by this demonstration library were based on the components of "ideal" library service identified by the LTLS Untaxed Area Research. After six months of public library service, which incorporated many of the most highly desired services, the referendum to establish this library district passed overwhelmingly by a 3 to 1 ratio. As important as the establishment of the district is that the voters also approved this new library district with a maximum corporate tax rate of .30.

The County-Wide Rural Library District — 1990

The County-Wide Rural Library District was another LSCA planning project. This project developed a cooperative approach to providing tax-supported public library service. The idea behind this concept was to include all untaxed territory in one county into a single library district for the purpose of contracting for service with the existing public libraries in the county. LTLS brought together librarians, board members, stateside consultants and legal expertise and developed a methodology that could be followed in successfully creating this type of county-wide library district. The methodology as developed includes financial information, legal information, a general implementation plan, contractual information, and a discussion of situations most appropriate for accomplishing this type of project.

As an additional component of the project, LTLS contracted with an outside research agency to determine the viability of referenda for the establishment

*Pat Boze, Consultant, Lincoln Trail Libraries System, Champaign.

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of county-wide rural library districts. This agency randomly surveyed heads of households in areas currently not taxed for local public library service. Responses to this survey indicated that the majority would vote "yes" or would "probably vote yes" on a county-wide library referendum question, although support for this dropped if the cost to the respondent rose above $40 per year. Almost two-thirds of the respondents indicated they would be "more likely" to increase their library use if a county-wide district were established.

The County-Wide Rural Library District project set the stage for two ensuing projects that LTLS coordinated in 1993 and 1995 — the Vermilion County Planning Project and the Champaign County Planning Project. For the Vermilion County project, LTLS brought together the 10 existing public libraries in that county to cooperatively develop a plan that would bring library service to every unserved resident of the county. This project was innovative in two ways: first, all 10 libraries in the county worked together for the benefit of the unserved in the entire county; and second, the process used a professional facilitator to help the group achieve an objective-oriented plan to meet the goal of bringing public library service to the entire county.

The Champaign County project also brought all county public libraries together to arrive at agreements on achieving universal public library service for all residents of Champaign County. Because of the metropolitan/rural division of Champaign County, an added area of concern addressed by this planning project included reciprocal borrowing inequities. The primary requirements during the planning process were that any plan would need to result in all areas of the county having full access to library service and that the plan would need to be crafted in such a way that is would not add to existing imbalances in reciprocal borrowing among the existing libraries in the county. This was achieved by agreement on a plan that allows some of the libraries to expand individually before a certain date. After that date, all remaining unserved areas of the county will be organized into a single library district that will contract for service with the existing libraries.

Combined School/Public Library — 1992

As part of a three-year LSCA project to establish the first combined school/public library in its service area, LTLS spent one year researching combined school/public libraries and developing a methodology to determine community support for an establishment referendum. The issue of combined school/public libraries has generated many controversial articles in professional literature, and it is generally agreed that not all communities possess the optimal conditions for a successful joint library project. LTLS received LSCA funding to contract with an outside agency that surveyed and evaluated the appropriateness of four communities in the LTLS service area for a possible demonstration project. As a result of this evaluation, the community of Cissna Park was chosen, a demonstration school/public library was begun and a referendum was overwhelmingly passed, creating a combined school/public library that successfully serves a community of 2,000. The successfulness of this venture is also reflected in the fact that the community supported the newly-established library with a general library tax rate of .25.

Additionally, a "Model for Evaluating Potential Success of a Community as a Site for a School-housed Combined Library" was developed during this project (3, Appendix 1). A community interested in exploring the combined school/public library concept can complete this survey and arrive at a potential success score. The survey takes into account such factors as community, school and site characteristics; referendum/ taxation factors; and human factors — all of which must be in place to a certain degree to ensure a successful combined school/public library and to pass a referendum that will provide ongoing support.

A later project at LTLS utilized the planning information from this project to help the unserved residents in a largely rural area in Iroquois County demonstrate and establish a successful combined school/public library — the Central Citizens' Library District. This combined school/public library is housed at the John L. Nash Junior High Library of Central Community Unit School District #4 near Clifton.

Conclusion

These planning projects are examples of how important LSCA-funded grants have been to enhancing library services in the nine-county area served by Lincoln Trail Libraries System. These projects helped set standards for service that have been used by many other LTLS libraries to improve and extend their own services and, thereby, contributing to library development. The information gained from these planning projects also has enabled libraries around the state who have also used the planning information and processes gained from these federally-funded grants to implement new and innovative library services for Illinois residents.

References:

1. Lincoln Trail Libraries System, The County-Wide Rural Library District: A Cooperative Approach to Providing Library Service to Citizens in Unserved Areas, Champaign, IL: Lincoln Trail Libraries System, 1990.

2. Lincoln Trail Libraries System, LTLS Untaxed Area Research Implementation Handbook, Champaign, IL: Lincoln Trail Libraries System, 1985.

3. Turnbull, Pat and Cynthia Helms. A Joint Venture in Rural Library Development: School and Public Library Service in a Single Community Location. Champaign, IL: Lincoln Trail Libraries System, 1992.

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