The planning phase is a time of preparation. During this phase, you will not only decide what your library district will look like, you will also gather information that will allow the district to be created in a smooth and orderly way. Some of this information will be used only after the district has been created or expanded. Knowing what needs to be done and having plans ready will make the hectic first few months of a new district’s life much easier for everyone involved.
The working group’s efforts in the planning phase, in other words, will culminate in the official actions of the new district’s library board during the first few weeks after the successful election.
As with the assessment phase, a few tasks need to be accomplished during the planning phase. Work on these tasks may be carried out at the same time, and the tasks may be completed in a different order than we have presented. However, in all districting projects, the working group needs to work through the following tasks:
- Task One is “planning to plan.” In other words, the working group must decide how they will do the planning necessary to create and operate a new district.
- Task Two is planning how to carry out public relations to build support for the districting effort.
- Task Three is to coordinate efforts with local government officials who will have responsibilities in creating the new district.
- Task Four is to plan the library services that will be offered by the new or enlarged district.
- Task Five is to begin planning for the administrative structure (board structure and bylaws, operational policies, etc.) of the new district.
- Task Six is to recommend personnel policies for the new district.
- Task Seven is to plan for library facilities for the new district.
- Task Eight is to make an accurate estimate of first-year and long-range costs for the new district, and how the district will handle the cost of its first year of operations.
- Task Nine is to make final decisions about the geographic area that will be included in the new district.
- Task Ten is to go through the legal steps to create the district. These activities will be discussed in the next chapter.