At this point, then, the first decision is made. A group of people, rather than an individual, needs to take a more deliberate approach toward assessment. In this handbook, we will call this initial group the exploratory group. If an existing library board is involved in the effort, it should take on some of this role, but it is important that other community members also be involved. If no library board exists in the districting area, this group may be an informal group, or the districting project may be taken on by some existing community organization.
The exploratory group will need a public face, someone respected in the community with the leadership skills and social connections to help get a districting project off the ground. All members of the exploratory group, including its leader, should be residents of the proposed district. Only residents of the proposed library district will be able to vote to approve the formation of the district. There is no specific number of people required to form an exploratory group. The important thing is that they all have the time and the interest to follow through with the tasks of the Assessment Phase.
The exploratory group will do much of the work of the Assessment Phase of the districting effort. One of their first activities should be to create a plan and a timeline for carrying out this part of the project. The plan does not have to be detailed. It simply needs to list the tasks to be done and an approximate date by which the tasks should be completed. We have prepared an Assessment Phase Checklist to help you complete the Assessment Phase tasks. This checklist can be used as is or it can be adapted to create your own checklist.