KCLS Collection Strategy
King County Library System, Wash.
Innovation Synopsis
King County Library System seeks to inspire people in our communities to succeed through ideas, interaction and information. The KCLS Collection Strategy was developed through an inclusive, cross-functional approach. The Collection Strategy is a roadmap to ensure patrons have continued access to resources they need and to anticipate new products and services they’ll want.
Challenge/Opportunity
Information and entertainment technologies and delivery systems are changing rapidly, as are patron expectations. KCLS developed a formal collection strategy that both supports the current needs of our communities and cultivates a nimble approach to the changing demands of our users. The Collection Strategy also works to identify and address barriers that inhibit access, to raise awareness of current collection and resources, to increase collection workflow efficiencies and to improve communication about collections across departments.
Key Elements of Innovation
The KCLS Collection Strategy identifies three priorities: patrons, staff and promotion. Each priority sets a pair of goals representing issues to be addressed. Each goal includes tactics that provide direction for achieving the goals. Tactics are expected to support the KCLS Collection Strategy, be based on demonstrated need, involve collaboration with stakeholders during planning and implementation and be evaluated for effectiveness. Each goal also includes outcomes to ensure progress is being monitored and measured.
Achieved Outcomes
KCLS anticipates strong outcomes in all three priority areas. Patrons will be able to find and navigate library resources independently, based on a collection and catalog refreshment tactic. Staff will be able to customize collections to community needs; an example tactic being to establish children’s graphic novel sections in all our buildings. Promotion of the collection will result in patrons and staff having increased awareness of available resources, through improved internal and external marketing campaigns.