Stay tuned for resources on how to put your numbers to work…. infographics! video! fortune tellers!
Public Library and System Annual Reports: a Must Do!
It’s that time of year. All public library directors should have received “invitation” messages delivered by email from our Annual Report data collection platform, LibPAS. If you (as a library director) did not receive that notification, please let your system director or annual report facilitator know so that the contact information can be verified. Remember, the your library board is required to file an annual report each year by March 1, including the Statement of System Effectiveness. Be sure that your library board president adds those to the February agenda so that the report can be filed in time; you may need to schedule your regular meeting later in the month, or schedule a special meeting for the purpose of approving (and signing) the annual report and the Statement of System Effectiveness.
Since the Public Library Development Team has messaged the Annual Report topic several times over the past several years, it may be helpful to point you to those articles on the previous platform of Wisconsin Libraries for Everyone:
Library and System Reports Throughout the Year
This article, from November, 2016, gives a good overview of the annual cycle for reporting, and might provide you with a better sense of DPI’s role.
Annual Report / LibPAS Workshop Material
Our previous Library Data Coordinator provided this article of resources he and consultant Tessa Michaelson Schmidt developed to provide context for annual report collection.
The System Effectiveness Statement: What’s it for?
Authored by our Library Data Coordinator, the article covers the legislative background of the Statement, DPI’s role in collecting it, and how negative statements may effect changes through a DPI review.
The Public Library Annual Report: A Legal Duty of the Board
Authored by Yours Truly, this incisive (however lengthy) article covers the history, intent, and legal requirement of the Public Library Annual Report over the years, complete with historic illustrations!
There you have it– log into the Annual Report site today, report your activities for 2017, staffing as of December 31 of last year, and your current library board membership, and feel satisfied that you are helping to ensure that Wisconsin Public Library Services are delivered in a thoughtful legal manner.
Now is the time for all good librarians to come to the aid of the planning!
If you have not already been encouraged to apply for a role in the final stage of the Public Library Redesign Project (PLSR), then please let me encourage you. If you have time to devote to some convenings between April and July, then please express interest in serving on the Core Recommendation Collaborators (CRC) group. If your time is more limited, but you still feel you can add value to the final report, then apply to serve as a participant at the Model Development Summit, July 30 and 31 (with some preliminary homework required).
Anyone interested in participating as a CRC or Model Development Summit participant should complete this application between January 22nd and February 9th. The Steering Committee seeks those:
- who have finance/budget, human resource, and governance/policy expertise and experience, but these skills are not a prerequisite to participate.
- who present strong communication skills, both written and oral
- who are able to think systematically, are considered “thought leaders” among their peers and are able to objectively consider future needs and adaptability
- who will bring a perspective of what is best for library services to all residents of Wisconsin
Complete information about the process, the CRC, and the Model Development Summit can be found here on the PLSR site.
John DeBacher, Public Library Development Team