SULLIVAN COUNTY BOCES

SCHOOL LIBRARY SYSTEM

PLAN OF SERVICE

JULY 1, 2001 – JUNE 30, 2006


Section 1. BASIC INFORMATION

a. Name of System: Sullivan County BOCES School Library System

b. Address: 6 Wierk Avenue, Liberty, NY 12754-2116

c. Phone Number: (845) 292-0246

d. FAX Number: (845) 292-0170

e. Email Address: ldenman@scboces.org

f. URL: sullivansls.org

g. Charter date/date of establishment: n/a

h. Name of Central Library (for public library systems only)

i. System Service Area:
- Square miles 1,073
- Population
1. - Public 11,176
2. - Non-public 540

j. Type of System: School

k. Minimum staffing requirements:
a. 1 – School Library System Director, 1.0 FTE – Lynn Miller
b. 1 – Secretary, 1.0 FTE – none

l. List of Members:
1. Attachment 1 – LIST OF SYSTEM MEMBERS


Section 2. GOVERNANCE

a. Bylaws:

1. Attachment 2 – System Bylaws.
2. Any revisions of bylaws will be submitted annually to Library Development on or before April 30th.

b. Organizational Chart
2. Attachment 4 – OUR BOCES ORGANIZATIONAL CHART.


Section 3. DESCRIPTION OF MEMBER INPUT ON POLICIES

a. Briefly describe the role of members in advising the council.

The membership of the Sullivan County BOCES School Library System shall be asked to provide input into the policies developed and implemented by the School Library System Council. An example of this is described in Section 4, Sub-category A. Plan Development.

Our members will be asked to provide input for the programs and services the School Library System provides or plans to undertake. Their responses will be gathered from various formats, not just one. The end-of-year system evaluation is one mechanism for members to provide input. They can also telephone, email, write a note or talk with a Council or Liaison member or the School Library System Director about their concerns. Members are always welcome to attend Council or Liaison meetings to observe and participate in the discussion. Additionally, at system workshops and trainings, evaluation forms will be distributed for additional input.


b. Describe the role of member advisory groups, council, liaison, committees.

The Role of the Council member shall be to:
- Monitor the School Library System Plan of Service with regard to the services provided.
- Elect the nominating committee
- Report annually to: the BOCES Board of Education and the Commissioner of Education
- Amend the bylaws
- Make recommendations to the BOCES Board of Education regarding the employment, reemployment, and/or termination of the School Library System Director
- attend regular meetings and special meetings
- Cast one vote on motions

One certified library media specialist in each member district shall be appointed as liaison to the School Library System Council. The role of the liaison member shall be to:
- Attend at least 1 system-wide meeting annually
- Prepare and submit reports and statistics as requested
- Implement and procedures to be followed in the district, within the general guidelines and procedures determined by the Director
- Keep other librarians and staff of the member districts informed of School Library System policies, activities, and services
- Advise the School Library System Council and are not binding

The role of the committees shall be to:
- Provide recommendations to the School Library System Council
- Perform the task(s) as established by the Council
- Advise the School Library System Council and are not binding


Section 4. DESCRIPTION OF PLANNING, EVALUATING, REVISION AND APPROVAL PROCESS FOR ALL ELEMENTS OF THE PLAN OF SERVICE

a. Plan Development – Include the following elements:
i. Member Needs Assessment:
ii. Planning Process:

The input for planning and development of this Plan of Service was requested of the members at various stages of creation. At the Spring 2000 Council and Liaison meetings, the members present were asked to review our existing Plan of Service and provide feedback on the services that the SLS provides. When our system evaluation (attachment 5) that was sent to all members, we asked them to review and comment on the programs and services that the SLS provides. There were some items that the members wanted to be continued but also some items that they would like done differently or expanded to assist in meeting their needs. Our SLS Council reviewed the requests at our September meeting to begin the creation of this Plan of Service. It was at our September meeting a Plan of Service Committee was formed with five members plus the Council Chair and Director. The committee started with developing a Mission Statement and reviewing the items the members requested and putting these activities in the eight service areas designated by DLD. The first draft was sent to every member with a memo indicating the committee member that would be his or her contact person. (See attachments 6 and 7) Some members did call, meet or write their contact otherwise the contact person initiated the communication with them. After the committee gathered the member input, it met to develop the Plan of Service into a working document. At the January Council Meeting the Committee presented the Plan of Service in its rough state to the Council and Liaison members. Information and revisions were gathered and the committee met and emailed each other with ideas for a subsequent draft of the plan. The committee then met in March and finalized the third draft located in Section 5.

b. Evaluation
1. What information will be collected to evaluate whether or not the system has achieved the intended results of the plan?

Certain parts of the plan will be evaluated with member surveys and through open discussion at Council and Liaison meetings. Other parts of the plan require specialized evaluation mechanisms, which will be employed. Ex: resource sharing – interlibrary loan activity using SEAL statistics will be collected and evaluated against statistics members turn in. This way usage may be tracked.
2. What methods will be used to determine whether the system’s customers were satisfied with the system’s services?

The School Library System will conduct surveys, via USPS mail, email, the School Library System website, council and Liaison meetings, which will be specifically targeted at the question of user satisfaction of system programs and services.

3. How will the information be used to shape the system’s plan in the next year or in the following cycle?

The School Library System Director and the School Library System Council will review all information and surveys collected, looking specifically at issues, which relate to the plan. If there are parts of the plan, which are fulfilled, or lacking, the School Library System Director and Council will revisit and amend the plan to more closely meet user needs.

c. Amendment Process

Any amendment(s) to the Plan of Service will be given to the Plan of Service Committee to draft the revision. The committee’s work will be brought to the Council. The changes will be distributed to the members for their review and comment before they vote. If accepted the revisions will be added to the Plan of Service and send them on to Division of Library Development for review.

d. Approval Process

This document that follows in Section 5, was sent to all members (see attachment 8) for their review and comment before the council reviewed and decided about approval. Once the Plan of Service is adopted, the SLS will send a copy of the final document to the school administrators. A copy will also be sent to The BOCES Asst. Superintendent and District Superintendent for review and signature of approval. The Plan of Service will be sent to Division of Library Development for approval and the content of the Plan will be posted on the School Library System website for access by library members, patrons, and colleagues.


Section 5. Mission Statement, Goal Statements, Activities, and Intended Results

Mission Statement:

The purpose of the Sullivan County BOCES School Library System is to provide leadership and support the endeavors
of its member libraries.