Technology for Results

1
Technology for Results

• The Fort Worth Experience
• Public Library Association 2006 National
  Conference
• Boston, Massachusetts
• Thursday, March 23
• Deborah C. Duke Collection Management
  Administrator dduke_at_fortworthlibrary.org

2
Fort Worth Public LibraryFacilities

• Central Library
• Built 1978, renovated 2000, tornado 2000
• Computer Lab for public and staff classes
• 3 meeting rooms, 4 study rooms, 1 auditorium
• 2 Regionals
• Opened 1987, 1996
• 24,500 sq ft
• Meeting Rooms, study rooms

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Fort Worth Public LibraryFacilities

• 10 Branches
• Average 7,400 square feet (2 _at_ 10,500)
• 2 have meeting rooms 1 has study room
• 1 in Community Center (moving 2006)
• 7 built in the 60s others 1982, 1989, and 2000
• 1 facelift in 2005, another in 2006
• Northwest Branch/Regional planned for 2008
• 2 Housing Community Satellites

4
Fort Worth Public Library FY2006 Budget

• 15.6 million
• Staff 10,519,383 67.4
• Materials 2,207,236 14.14
• Technology 1,498,200 9.6
• Administrative 1,382,385 8.86
• No e-rate funds

5
Fort Worth Public Library Staffing

• 250 FTEs
• 81 librarians
• 169 clerical staff and pages
• Training funds provided by the Friends of the
  Fort Worth Public Library, Inc.

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Planning for Results

• Long Range Services Plan finalized late 2003
• Service Priorities
• Current Topics and Titles
• Lifelong Learning
• Information Literacy
• Funded in part by The Fort Worth Public Library
  Foundation

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Librarys Pre-2005 Technological Environment

• 5 Computer Services staff
• Of 535 PCs, 440 were
• Scrounged redeploys from other City departments
• More than 6 years old
• Windows 95
• (in)Secure
• PC configurations varied
• No centralized PC management
• Classic Dynix for almost 20 years
• Most staff only had Dynix e-mail

8
Librarys Pre-2005 Technological Environment

• T1 central site connection to the Internet
• Fractional T1 connections to the branches
• All servers were at or past end-of-life
• Library website as brochure
• Library staff had no access to City network
• Library staffs technology skills were uhm
  limited

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Planning for Results 2003 Technology
Recommendations

• Upgrade and standardize the PCs
• Upgrade the network
• Get staff off Dynix e-mail
• Get staff onto the City network
• Overhaul PC/network management
• Overhaul the website
• Get a new ILS

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2004

• The Foundation agrees to pay half the costs of a
  new ILS if City will commit to other half
• ILS upgrade drives PC and network upgrades
• City agrees to provide PC/network funding in FY05

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2005 FWPL (with Help from City IT)

• Selects and migrates to new ILS (Horizon)
• Installs 500 new PCs
• 3-year lease/replacement cycle
• Updated OS and MS software on City schedule
• Always under warranty
• Overhauls the network
• 10Mbps OPT-E-MAN central site connection to
  Internet
• T1s to branches
• Leased servers
• Security, SMS, security, security, security
• Puts library staff on City network
• Conducts staff technology skills assessment and
  training

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Sad Reality

• All this work did not make FWPL cutting edge
• It merely positioned us well

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2006 Time to Make a Technology Plan!

• Texas State Library requires Long Range Plan with
  technology plan component for FY06 funding
• City of Fort Worth ITS implements Technology
  Planning Tool for city departments
• Technology for Results just published

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Preliminaries

• Staff skills assessment already done
• Anticipating skills required for new ILS
• Established Windows competencies
• Assessors assessed all staff
• Mandatory classes for those who didnt pass
• MS Office/Internet competencies included in Staff
  Internet/PC Policy
• Equipment and network and ILS were new!
• Equipment inventory was fresh

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Technology for Results at FWPL

• Committee formed August 2005
• Library public service staff (4) (neither geeks
  nor phobes)
• Library Computer Services Manager
• Library Web Manager
• Library administrators (4)
• Representative from The Foundation
• Representative from the Library Advisory Board
• City ITS Library Business Planner and ITS
  library liaison
• North Texas Regional Library System (NTRLS)
  Technology Consultant
• 15 total

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Technology Plan Schedule

• Timeline
• Committee orientation late August 2005
• Final plan due mid-January 2006
• Committee took September off to read and gather
  information
• 2-hour, bi-weekly meetings started in October
• Holidays interfered

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Committee Orientation

• Reviewed Planning Process
• Distributed and discussed Technology for Results
• Discussed Business Imperatives
• Library Business Plan Performance Indicators
• Long Range Services Plan Service Priorities
• Mandates (legal, City Council, ILS upgrade, etc.)
• Summarized Librarys technological environment
  before and after 2005
• Established Anticipated Results

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Anticipated Results

• Determine relation of existing technology-supporte
  d services (TSSs) to Library Service Priorities,
  Business Plan, business functions
• Identification of new TSSs that would support
  Service Priorities, Business Plan, business
  functions
• Plan, timeline, cost estimates for new services
• Inventory of current hardware, software,
  maintenance agreements
• Plan, timeline, cost estimates to purchase,
  replace, and/or upgrade hardware and software

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More Anticipated Results

• Process and procedure for identifying,
  evaluating, introducing, supporting, and
  maintaining new TSSs
• Timeline and metrics for re-evaluating the
  librarys Technology Plan, including customer
  response and needs assessment
• Strengthening relationship between library
  Computer Services and CFW ITS
• Coordination with the City of Fort Worths
  Technology Strategic Plan
• Identification of training needs for existing and
  new services plan for same

20
Gathering Information

• Polled all library staff for ideas on new TSSs
• Administrators, NTRLS rep, and City IT staff
  provided ideas (library and other world) and
  explanations
• List of possible TSSs from ILS consultant
• Committee did not do lots of additional reading
  or research (this time)

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Technology for ResultsSeven Workforms

• 2 Equipment and Services Inventory
• Equipment, Number, Public or Administrative
  Function, Service Delivered
• 3 Strategic Plan Links
• Services link to Service Priorities
• Sustain, Expand, Phase Out
• 4 Administrative Tools
• Sustain, Expand, Phase Out
• 5 New Public Service Support Projects
• Strategic Plan Objective, Relation to Target
  Audience, Relation to Intended Results, Appeal
• 9 and 10 Costs and Requirements
• 12 Project Time Estimates (step by step)

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into One Big Spreadsheet a.k.a. The
Sifter

• The Service or Process itself
• Existing or New
• Keep, drop, changechange how?
• Public or Staff/Administrative support
• Business Imperative
• Cost Estimate
• Impact on IT/Computer Services staff time

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The Sifter

• Staff training required
• Impact on other staff time
• Relation to Library Business Plan Performance
  Targets
• Used instead of Relation to Target Audience
• Audience appeal
• Total Score
• Year to Implement
• Notes

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Scoring Values Business Imperative for Service

• Council Mandate 1
• City Manager Mandate 1
• Current Topics and Titles 1
• Lifelong Learning 2
• Information Literacy 3
• More than 1 Service Priority 1
• Running the Library Good RLG

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Scoring Values Service Cost Estimate

• Less than 3,000 1
• Charge it!
• Less than 24,999 2
• Get 3 quotes
• Over 25,000 3
• Requires Council Approval
• Over 100,000 4

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Scoring ValuesImpact on IT Staff Time

• Little 1
• Nominal research/planning
• Installation takes few hours, or involves
  few sites or few staff
• Few kinks requires little additional tending
• Moderate 2
• Research/planning takes several days, several
  Library and City staff
• Installation takes several hours at multiple
  sites
• Kinks worked out in a few weeks ongoing upkeep
  worked into routine daily operations

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Scoring ValuesImpact on IT Staff Time

• Lots 3
• Planning takes days/months, involves multiple
  Library and City staff
• May require bids, Council approval, etc.
• May require work with outside agencies such as
  State Library
• Installation takes more than 3 hours at multiple
  sites, and/or multiple days at central site may
  take months to work out all the kinks
• Maintenance may require significant change to IT
  staff work schedule ongoing attention
  required--may or may not actually save staff time

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Scoring ValuesStaff Training Needs

• Little 1
• Just turn it on, or, few staff
• Moderate 2
• Up to ½ day for many staff
• Lots 3
• Full day for many staff

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Scoring Values Impact on Other Staff Time

• Little 1
• Staff can use it with little-to-no additional
  tending
• Product will in fact save staff time
• OR
• A few staff will be affected a lot
• Moderate 2
• Ongoing use will be a daily factor, but not
  burdensome
• May require routine customer assistance
• May or may not save staff time elsewhere
• Lots 3
• Ongoing use will involve significant addition to
  staff workload 

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Scoring Values Relation to Performance Targets

• FY2006 Library Business Plan Performance Targets
• Visits 2,510,300
• Circulation 4,931,400
• Web visits 1,512,900
• Program attendance 190,800
• New library cards 33,300
• High 1 Moderate 2 Low
  3
• Not used for Running the Library Goods
• (Oops! So, why did we install all those
  public PCs?!!)

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Scoring Values Audience Appeal

• Love it 1
• Like it 2
• Wont care 3
• Not used for Running the Library Goods

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Identifying Existing Public and Staff TSSs

• One meeting to brainstorm/flipchart existing TSSs
• Existing services dumped into The Sifter
• One meeting to
• Determine their relation to Business Imperatives
• Decide whether to keep, drop, or change

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Identifying New Public and Staff TSSs

• One meeting to brainstorm new TSSs
• New services dumped into The Sifter
• One meeting to determine new TSSs relation to
  Business Imperatives
• Five meetings to score existing and new services
• Scores totaled and services ranked
• One meeting to decide which year to implement (or
  not)

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The Sifter

• 65 existing services identified
• 19 Multiple Service Priorities
• 42 RLGs
• 1 Legal mandate
• 3 Irrelevant and removed (e.g. security cases)
• FWPL had very little tech fat
• 25 to sustain
• 34 to change/improve
• 3 to phase out 1 added back

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The Sifter

• 64 new services identified
• 13 Current Topics and Titles
• 4 Lifelong Learning
• 4 Information Literacy
• 6 Multiple Service Priorities
• 7 Mandates
• 15 RLGs
• 1 completed
• 14 eliminated (e.g. flat-screen TVs, filters,
  public fax)

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Public TSS Examples
37
Other TSS Examples
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Taking Control of The Sifter

• Moved eliminated and sustained existing TSSs to
  other Excel workbooks
• Ranked expanded existing and new TSSs scores
  low-to-high
• Looked at costs, staff time, mandates
• Which low scorers seemed silly? Which high
  scorers were necessary?
• Assigned low-cost and necessary high-cost
  services to FY06 or FY07
• Eliminated or deferred most very high scorers

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FY2006 PlanPublic(x ) out of 7 (lowest score)

• Assisted listening devices and ADA compliant
  public workstations (mandate)
• PC Reservation/Print Management (new ILS)
• Self-charge/checkout stations _at_ 3 4 locations
  (new ILS)
• Seminary Branch facelift (10)
• Branch relocation (mandate)
• Summer Reader software (9)
• Self-service holds pickup (6)
• Library blog for RA, other library info (10)
• Online signup for classes (10)

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FY2006 PlanRLGs(x) out of 4 (lowest score)

• Website Content Management System (City mandate)
• Public PC recovery and history cleaner software
  (6)
• Formalized structure for requesting additional
  staff software (4)
• Staff MS training e-mail, calendar sharing (4)
• Turn on Horizon booking module for
  rooms/equipment (4)
• Begin planning for Horizon upgrade (12)

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FY2007 PlanPublic(x ) out of 7 (lowest score)

• Downloadable audio books (12)
• Data projectors and laptops for meeting rooms (9)
• Wireless for public (15)
• Additional public PCs (12)
• Phones (11) and Internet access (9) in meeting
  rooms (
• Payment by credit/debit cards (10)
• Digital archives (16)

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FY2007 PlanRLGs(x) out of 4 (lowest score)

• Staff training MS Office Internal Document
  Control (4)
• Promotional video for library (5)
• Library use mapping software (8)
• Online forms (9) and passworded digital
  signatures (5)
• New gate counters (3)
• New staff phones, rational distribution (9)
• RFIDre-evaluate (14)

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FY2008 Plan for Sure

• Replace 500 leased PCs (11)
• 3-year leases expire
• Start planning network upgrade (12)
• Open new branch (mandate)

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FY2008 Plan Maybe

• Downloadable e-books and videos (12)
• Microform reader/printers with e-mailing
  capabilities (12)
• Software license management system (7)
• Digitization collaboration with area libraries
  (12)
• Replace Horizon and network servers (not ranked)

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Re-Evaluate in FY2008

• RFID (again) (14)
• MP3 players for checkout (13)
• Laptops for in-house checkout (17)
• Web-authoring tools for public use (19)
• Digital media production for public use (19)
• Videoconferencing (14)

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On Perpetual Hold

• Checkpoint security installed at remaining
  branches (FY2010) (6)
• Internet Café (14)
• Although if someone gives us the ...
• Staff wireless access (13)
• Insurmountable City security issues
• VOIP and security monitoring (9)
• Depends on Citys timetable
• Selling USB sticks to public (not scored)
• Too expensive right now

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Off the Island

• Flat-screen TVs
• Videoconferencing capabilities on public PCs
• Public fax
• Internet filters
• Public scanners
• Games and gaming devices
• Edutainment CD-ROMs
• Public color photocopier
• Electronic kiosk marquee
• USB sticks to check out (??)

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Asset Inventory and Replacement Schedule

• Could have been a nightmare
• Easier for us because all our stuff is new
• Critical for long range budget planning

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Writing the Plan

• Not a history of technology in public libraries
• Recognize the committee
• Brief discussion of Anticipated Results
• Brief discussion of Business Imperatives
• List services and costs to implement each year
• Equipment inventory/replacement schedule
• Brief discussion of Sustaining

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Implementing

• Just do it (low /time costs) started this
  year
• FY2007 Budget and Business Plan planning began in
  February
• Cost estimates for FY07 projects
• Incorporate into FY07 Budget Request
• Time estimates for FY07 projects
• Incorporate into staffs FY07 work plans

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Implementing

• Technology Project Planning Checklist
• Who are the affected staff and are they in the
  loop?
• Is publicity sent out at least one month before?
• Are instructions ready, right, and
  comprehensible?
• Are policies and procedures in place?
• Have staff had opportunity for input and
  questions?
• Have staff had sufficient notice before work
  begins?
• Is work completed on schedule?
• Is it working right?
• Do staff know where to report problems and
  suggestions?

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Sustaining

• Committee will regroup quarterly
• Check progress
• Adjust plan
• Upcoming services included in each years budget
  and work plans
• Mechanism in place for gathering suggestions from
  public and staff
• Committee tasked with keeping up with developments

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Lessons Learned

• Reality most work happened during the meetings
• Probably missed something important
• Took longer to evaluate services than anticipated
• Tendency to bog down in implementation details
• Even the simplest ideas generated lots of
  discussion
• Steep learning curve
• Group tended to dismiss new ideas too quickly if
  they were tired

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Lessons Learned

• Linking services to hardware was sometimes more
  confusing than helpful
• Relation to Target Audience all 2s no help
• Life interferes with going strictly by the
  rankings
• 129-item list just seemed unmanageable
• Should have attended more to IT best practices,
  e.g. backup plan, inventory management system
• Its OK not to be on the cutting edge
• Were off to a good start, considering where we
  were!

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Successes and Bonuses

• Educational experience for all
• Input from The Foundation and Board
• Process helped us make sound decisionseven if we
  didnt stick to the numbers
• Met all Anticipated Results
• Good discussion of Internet filters
• Shopping list for Foundation and Friends
• Sifter useful for other library decisions
• We have a technology plan!