Arlington Public Library's 2011-2015 Strategic Plan

1. Connect
Learn
Grow
Live
Arlington Public Library FY 2011 – 2015

3. Library Advisory Board Members
Barbara Reber, Place 1
Peter Bagley, Place 2
Amber N. Chacko, Place 3
Suzette T. Law, Place 4
Paula J. Harbour, Secretary, Place 5
William (Bill) Lace, Vice Chair, Place 6
Tammy R. Taylor, Place 7
Roger A DeFrang, Chair, Place 8
Valerie K. Hodges, Place 9
Abraham Yan-Shuen Lam, Youth Representative, Place 10
Library Locations
George W. Hawkes Central Library
101 East Abram Street, 76010
817-459-6900
East Arlington Branch Library
1624 New York Avenue, 76010
817-275-3321
Lake Arlington Branch Library
4000 West Green Oaks Blvd., 76016
817-478-3762
Northeast Branch Library
1905 Brown Blvd., 76006
817-277-5573
Southeast Branch Library
300 S. E. Green Oaks Blvd., 76018
817-459-6395
Southwest Branch Library
3311 S. W. Green Oaks Blvd., 76013
817-459-6386
Woodland West Branch Library
3827 West Park Row Drive, 76013
817-277-5265

4. Table of Contents
Introduction: 1. Plan, Work, Measure, Repeat
2. Our History, Our Community
OUR FUTURE: LIVE -- LEARN – CONNECT – GROW
Arlington Public Library, FY 2011 – 2015
OUR PAST: Summary Report: The Next Chapter:
Library Service for Arlington,
FY 2006 – 2010
HOW WE MEASURE UP: Library Resource Allocation & Usage Benchmarks

5. PLAN, WORK, MEASURE, REPEAT
The days, weeks, months and years between 2006 and 2010 flew by quickly. In what seemed like no time at all, 2010 was upon us
and it was time to assess the results of our work and plan for the next five years. It was clear to all of us during the planning process
that the course begun in 2006 was still, with a few minor adjustments, the right road for us. In addition, it was obvious that while
we accomplished a great deal, there was still much to do.
In order to prepare for the next five years, Library staff and the Library Advisory Board reviewed our performance between 2006 and
2010 and assessed our successes, as well as our challenges. In addition, we used a survey conducted as part of the Central Library
Visioning Study as confirmation of the priorities that our citizens have for library services in Arlington. We felt that one of the
greatest challenges overall to our first plan, was its structure. As a result, we went in search of a structure that made sense to us
and seemed to reflect the themes of the work that we do. The results of that search were the simple words:
LIVE
LEARN
CONNECT
GROW
With that structure in mind, we crafted the goals that fit with those four focus areas, as well as the measures of performance to be
used to assess progress toward achieving the goals. Each year, we will outline the activities and projects that will move us along as
we reach for our goals. In order to ensure that these are “living” goals, you’ll note the faces of some of the people that we want to
keep in mind every day while we’re working. Some of the people portrayed on the LIVE—LEARN—CONNECT—GROW pages are real
people— actual library users that we work with every day who have told us their stories about what the library means to them.
Others are composites of the stories of several of our customers. But as we review the goals in each area, we remember that the
words are only important because of the PEOPLE they serve and the lives that they change.
Following the outline of our current plan, you’ll find a summary of the results of The Next Chapter: Library Services for Arlington, FY
2006 – 2010. Both our successes and our challenges are highlighted here and significant performance measures are illustrated. In
addition, we recognize that while our own results are important, one way to improve service is to use the performance of other
similar organizations as a guide and to measure ourselves against their achievements. To that end, you’ll find a report we produce
annually as an appendix to this document: Library Resource Allocation & Usage Benchmarks. While an initial inclination might be to
find the results of this report disheartening, we hope you’ll instead find them to be a roadmap to what library services could grow to
be in our community as we stretch to meet the goals set out in this plan.
We appreciate your taking the time to review our plans for the future, as well as the results of our past. We value your continued
support and hope you will make good use of the many resources and services the Arlington Public Library provides to help you to
LIVE, LEARN, CONNECT and GROW!
Cary Siegfried, Director of Libraries Roger DeFrang, Chair, Library Advisory Board
FY2001 1

6. the First National Bank building downtown and
INTRODUCTION: renovated the entire property to house the library and
Our History: public meeting rooms. At this time, the library became
a department of the City of Arlington, with salaries and
In 1922 Miss Pearl Wade earned materials coming out of the general operating budget.
a monthly librarian’s salary of The new facility featured a drive-through book drop and
$12 for managing a collection of a duplicating machine for public use.
500 books. The books were
stashed in wooden crates in a In the 1970’s the first bond election benefitting the
corner of the Farmer’s National library system allowed for the construction of a large
Bank in downtown Arlington and downtown facility and three branches. The Central
citizens who wished to be well Library, completed in 1973 and decorated in hues of
read could visit Miss Wade on Wednesday and Saturday orange, harvest gold and avocado green, offered a
afternoons. These were the first library services for the modern card catalog and microfilm machines. The
growing City of Arlington, provided by the Tarrant Southeast (later named East Arlington), North (closed in
County Free Library. 1996), and Southwest (later named Woodland West)
branches all opened in the early seventies. In 1986, a
The library expanded along with the city and found new Southwest Branch (later named Lake Arlington
many temporary homes in the early years. In 1923, the Branch) opened at 4000 West Green Oaks Boulevard.
first official Arlington Public Library moved to the
second floor of the Graber Building downtown, which During the 1990’s, significant events occurred that
later became a theater. Those who grew up here may served to shape the Arlington Public Library over the
remember climbing the stairs to a room over the Texan next two decades. In 1991, a study of the Library
Theater, or maneuvering through the stacks of books System recommended expansion of the branch system.
filling two rooms and spilling into the hall at the original The Friends of the Library and the Library Advisory
Arlington City Hall building. Perhaps Mrs. Sam Owens Board launched efforts for passage of a new bond
or Miss Mattie Mae McAskill introduced you to Black program and in 1993, a bond issue for $9.6 million
Beauty or Tom Sawyer. In the fifties, you may have passed, providing funds for collection development,
checked out books from Mrs. Tom (Irene) Lee at the renovation of existing buildings, and construction of
historic Cooper House in Meadowbrook Park, which was new buildings.
donated by Horace Cooper to the city for use as a
In 1993, the Library System switched from a printed
library.
card catalog to an automated library catalog. This same
year, the Arlington Public Library Foundation was
established with a mission to
financially support the Library
System. In 1994, the Central
Library was renamed the George
W. Hawkes Central Library,
honoring the long-time editor and
publisher of the Citizen-Journal.
This was followed by a system-wide expansion of the
branch library system over the following 15 years,
including the construction of three new branch libraries:
Northeast, Southeast and Southwest. In addition, the
The library outgrew the Cooper House in the East Arlington and Lake Arlington branches underwent
burgeoning decade of the fifties, and the city purchased significant expansions and renovations and the
2

7. Woodland West Branch relocated. At the end of the To further the process of making library resources
branch expansion, most (but not yet all) Arlington easier to access for
residents were found to live within two miles of a Arlington
library facility. residents, the
Library LiNK
program was
established in
2008with the
Arlington and
Mansfield
Independant
School districts.
LibraryLiNKs in
AISD and MISD
schools provide a
Southwest Branch
circulating
collection of materials for adults so that families can use
school libraries together. These school libraries are
open outside regular school hours to the families of
Arlington Public Library System, 2011
children attending these schools. Library users may
request materials from the Arlington Public Library
Technology has continued to change the nature of
collection to be sent to the schools for pickup and may
library services over the years. As previously
also return materials there. School library staff
mentioned, the library first automated its circulation
members are able to issue Arlington Public Library cards
and card catalog in 1994. Through the next decade,
to adults and children. Regularly scheduled
technology was added to allow patrons to check their
programming is also offered for families with preschool
personal accounts and reserve items remotely.
children at these sites. Locations for these collections
Additional service enhancements included telephone
were chosen because of their distance from public
notification of reserves and overdue materials. The first
library facilities.
public computers to allow library users to access the
internet and other online resources were installed in
1996 at the Central Library. Since that time, public
computing expanded to all locations and a computer
training center was added to the Central Library. In
2005, the Library began implementing RFID technology
to allow for self-service checkout of library materials
and streamlined materials management. Self-service
systems now allow library patrons to use their library
card to check out their own materials, pay fines, access
the Internet and print from public computers.
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8. OUR LIBRARIES
East Neighborhood
George W. Hawkes Central Library Southeast Branch Library
East Arlington Branch Library Northeast Branch Library
West Neighborhood
Lake Arlington Branch Library Woodland West Branch Library
Southwest Branch Library
4

9. OUR COMMUNITY:
Current Population 370,217 65+ Age Distribution
7% Under
Age Distribution 18
45 to 64
31%
Under 18 116,056 22%
19 to 44 147,911
45 to 64 79,743 19 to 44
65+ 26,507 40%
Population by Race and Ethnicity
Asian or
Population by Race and Ethnicity Pacific
American Islander
White 231,718 Indian 7%
Other Race
African < 1% 11%
African American 64,523 American Two or More
17% Races
American Indian 1,848
2%
Asian or Pacific Islander 24,430
Other Race 38,992
Two or More Races 8,706
Total 370,217
Hispanic Origin (Any Race) 95,714
White
63%
2000 Census 2009 American Community Survey
High school graduate and higher (population 25 84.9% 82.8%
years and over)
Bachelor’s degree or higher (population 25 years 30.4% 28.2%
and over)
Foreign born 15.3% 20.1%
Speak a language other than English at home 24.2% 33.5%
(population 5 years and over)
All families below poverty level 7.3% 12.2%
All people below poverty level 9.9% 15.9%
*Source: American Community Survey Demographic and Housing Estimates: 2005-2009
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10. Connect
Learn
Grow
Live
Arlington Public Library FY 2011 – 2015

11. Live
Support a better quality of life for our citizens
GOALS:
1. We will establish and maintain welcoming and inclusive spaces (both
physical and online) that provide convenient access and excellent customer
service.
2. We will build a responsive collection of enriching materials in a variety of
formats that support a lifelong love of reading and learning.
How will we know when we’re succeeding?
By achieving 95% citizen satisfaction on the COA Citizen Satisfaction Survey
When Borrower Registration increases to 50% of our service population
When our collection size reaches 2 items per capita
When our Circulation of Materials reaches 7.5 items per capita
What are we counting?
Library Visitors
Web page hits
Self Service transactions
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12. I’m retired after working for American Airlines for 30 years and am enjoying
this time of my life immensely. I have the opportunity to read, watch and
listen to things I never had time for when I was working. I’m listening to
Ulysses in my car right now, while reading a John Sanford thriller on my e-
reader. My wife and I are working our way through all of the Godfather
movies again in the evenings this week.
My parents died when I was very young and after I had my own children
I became determined to be able to tell my kids something about their
family. I didn’t really know much about genealogy research, but the
librarians at the Central Library showed me the ropes and I now have a
full “family tree” for my kids (and THEIR kids now!). I’ve gotten so
interested that I’ve now self-published several books on local history
records and I help other genealogists with their work.
I’ve LOVED being able to put holds on books that I want to read for pleasure
and have them sent to our LibraryLiNK school. I’ve also put holds on science
fair books to use in my 5th grade class. By the time I leave school at night,
pick up my kids and get home to fix dinner, grade papers and help my own
kids with homework, I’d never have time to make it to the library. Its also
great to be able to tell the parents of my students that they can find a book
that will help them deal with their child’s behavior or learning disability right
here in our school.
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13. Learn
Build and nurture literacy and a lifelong love of learning
GOALS:
1. We will support individuals who wish to learn to read and write, continue
their education or improve their workplace skills.
2. We will strengthen partnerships within our learning community by
providing leadership, coordination, and resources.
3. We will provide opportunities for users to learn to find and evaluate
information efficiently and effectively.
How will we know when we’re succeeding?
When 60% of all Arlington Reads learners achieve one of their literacy
goals
When 90% of participants are very satisfied with information literacy
courses
What are we counting?
• # of learners enrolled
• # of learner contact hours
• LibraryLiNK circulation
• LibraryLiNK program participants
• # of information literacy program participants
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14. Barbara (a teacher of parenting teens): This was a wonderful “hands on”
experience for the students involving books that perhaps they would
have missed otherwise. They have been given vision for the rich
experiences they can have with their babies, toddlers, preschoolers, etc.
to share together for a lifetime of exploration and learning. I believe
some seeds of greatness and change have been planted in these young
mom’s lives and their babies by this program. Thank you to all involved
for caring.
Jessica: I have learned a lot throughout the program of Life Through
Literacy. For one, reading is vital in every aspect in our baby’s life.
Obviously, singing to our baby is not only fun but important to our
children’s growing. Reading and singing is important to the development
of our baby. It also helps build the love of reading and the connection
between our self and our baby
I have my own personal struggles with feeling humiliated, having to get
my GED, and even having to confess to my 14 year old, mom is not
perfect! It was very hard to tell my son, but he is my biggest supporter
(along with my husband). I feel like the teacher wants you to succeed
not just in math, but to genuinely succeed period. Just wanted to thank
you, for having such good people helping with the program who don't
make you feel stupid or inferior, that was a huge concern of mine, but
after meeting Arlington Reads staff that first day to sign up, I felt their
sincerity in wanting to help me.
One day my manager came and asked me do I want take an English as a
Second Language class. I had only one answer, “YES” because I knew how
much I need to learn and be able to say my feelings, my wishes, my opinions
and the most important thing perform my job the best how I can. I have
learned a lot thing what I did not know. ESL hours were very important
because I know now about the health care industry, what does the health
care providers work and the facilities where they work. The new thing for
me was choosing a health care career, working on communication skills,
nonverbal communication, use the prefixes, sentence structure and so
much more…..
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15. Connect
To one another, to our neighborhoods, to the online world
GOALS:
1. We will build strong neighborhoods by connecting people with
opportunities to serve their community, interact with their neighbors and
link organizations sharing common goals.
2. We will provide equitable access to technology that builds bridges to
opportunity, interaction and ideas.
3. We will connect users to information sources.
How will we know when we’re succeeding?
When grant/gift funding from the community is 5% of the general fund
budget
When we have 1 computer for every 1,000 residents
When 90% of users are very satisfied with the Library’s virtual services
What are we counting?
• # of volunteer hours
• # of neighborhood contact hours
• # of computers sessions & average time to wait
• hours of staff technology training
• # of Information Live and reference by appointment sessions
• # of Arlington Funding Information Center sessions
• # of information literacy program participants
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16. With the help of library staff I have learned to use the computer in such a
meaningful way. Now, I can connect with my family who live far away and
even know how to use Facebook to share stories and pictures with them! I
have learned to create email lists to stay connected with my neighborhood
association, plan community events, and I am now publishing and
distributing a monthly newsletter to my neighbors to keep them engaged
and connected to services in our city.
I recently graduated from UTA and am starting my own business
providing logistics services for small businesses in Arlington. The
library has been critical to my successful first year in business by
providing access to databases, computers, and professional research. I
keep up with trends in the market, identify potential clients through
the business resources, use the free wireless for a comfortable place
to stop in and work quietly. Library resources have helped me to keep
my overhead low and have gotten me through my first year of
operations successfully!
I’m a sophomore at UTA and live close to the Northeast Branch Library, and I
am able to walk to the library to use their computers to complete my online
coursework. Since my father and I share one car, I can’t get to the UTA
campus as much as I would like to . I have also made great use of the free
online language programs to help with my French class. The library staff are
so friendly, and the atmosphere of the library is very energetic and creative.
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17. Grow
Guide and encourage our children as they develop
into successful adults
GOALS:
1. We will create environments, opportunities and activities for youth that
are safe, stimulating, and encourage exploration, imagination and learning.
2. We will show parents and caregivers how to prepare their young children
for success in school.
3. We will involve youth in positive experiences to keep them in school and
out of gangs.
How will we know when we’re succeeding?
When 75% of Arlington youth have a library card
When Summer Reading Club participation increases to 5% of Arlington
youth
When all LibraryLiNK schools achieve TEA Recognized status
What are we counting?
• Youth program attendance
• Circulation of children’s and teen materials
• # of families enrolled in early childhood literacy programs
• Teen volunteer hours
• # of information literacy program participants
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18. I have been coming to the library since I was 2 but I did not get my card until
I was 5. It made me feel glad and like I was 7. I LOVE it because I can check
out my books. My favorites are Henry and Mudge and the animal books and
the readers. It is my favorite card in the whole world and I always carry it in
my blue purse.
Meghan’s mom: I am new to the area and have two small
children. We visit story time throughout the library system.
Each presenter is unique and we love them all! My baby
enjoys all the songs and interactive play time in the Bouncing
Babies program and my older child loves the stories, crafts,
and puppet shows in Listener Time.
When I went to Nichols Jr. High, my mom had to work til 7:00 and
she didn’t want me to walk home by myself so I’d go Northeast
Branch and hang with friends and study and stuff afterschool. I go
to Lamar now and sometimes me and my friends will go the The
Studio at the downtown library to use the laptops there when we
have papers for school, since we don’t have the Internet at home.
It’s cool to be able to have a place like that just for kids our age
where people don’t get onto us if we’re talking and being a little
loud while we’re working. My mom wants me to go to the
programs they have about getting into college.
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19. On March 23, 2006, the Arlington Public Library Advisory Board adopted a 5-year
strategic plan, the first for the Library. The plan was based on documented needs of the
community, ongoing citizen input of desired services, and diligent work of Library staff.
Its foundation was a legacy of library service going back to 1922.
The Strategic Plan Committee choose six service areas that would be the focus for
Library staff, Advisory Board, Foundation, and Friends for five years. For each of these,
specific goals (where do we want to go), objectives (how do we measure progress), and
activities (what will we do and when will we do it) were developed.
On the following pages you will find summary reports from each of the six focus areas,
detailing their successes, challenges and performance measures.
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20. General Information
Materials per Capita
1.67
1.69
1.67
GOALS:
1.64
1. Become a community
resource of choice for
information on a wide range
1.47
of topics related to work,
school, social, civic, and
personal life.
FY 2006 FY 2007 FY 2008 FY 2009 FY 2010
2. Build a collection of
Library Card Registrations information resources in
159,434
multiple formats and in
multiple languages that
148,620 effectively covers the broad
array of interests and
134,075 information needs of our
128,679 127,130 community.
FY 2006 FY 2007 FY 2008 FY 2009 FY 2010 3. Provide quick, courteous
and accurate responses to a
wide range of information
Database Searches requests, in person, over
105,851
103,607
the phone, and through the
Internet.
91,004
85,602
73,713
FY 2006 FY 2007 FY 2008 FY 2009 FY 2010
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21. A library that offers General Information helps meet the need for information and
answers to questions on a broad array of topics related to work, school and
personal life.
Opening the Southwest Branch Library in 2008 ensured that
OUR SUCCESSES: most residents now live within two miles of a library building.
Because the greatest predictor of library usage is proximity to
The goals of the General Information focus area were a library, the opening of this building was the final step in the
directed at getting the message out into our community plan envisioned in 1993 to bring convenient library service to
about the wide range of resources and services provided by all Arlington residents.
the library. Progress was made during the period of the plan
as library card registration, after hovering at around 30% of
the population for the last decade finally began to climb
OUR CHALLENGES:
upward to an toward the objective of 50% of the population.
The per capita spending for collection materials in 2010 was
While library card registration certainly does not portray the
$2.25, which, as illustrated in the later section discussing
entire story about the community’s perception of library
resource allocation benchmarks, is strikingly lower than the
resources and services, usage indicators such as circulation of
expenditures of other similar libraries, both locally and
materials and facillity and website visitors continue an even
nationally. In analysis of library statistics, library circulation
more marked upward climb, serving to confirm inroads made
(i.e. library usage) is clearly correlated with a higher number
in “market penetration.”
of materials per capita and higher collection expenditures per
Two library card campaigns—the GOCard campaign for K-6 capita. In order to remedy this situation, library staff
students and the MYCard campaign for teens in grades 7-12 continues to focus time on developing grant and gift funding
have assisted greatly in building card registrations and sources for collection development.
encouraging entire families to use the library together. In
Marketing continues to be a challenge in a community where
addition to the card campaigns, staff assigned to collection
many citizens may not be familiar with the concept of a free
development projects have spent time analyzing community
public library, or where citizens do not have convenient
needs and borrowing patterns and have directed the
access to a library building. Educating citizens on what the
$1,250,000 in bond fund available from the 2003 bond
library offers them will continue to be an area for exploration
program toward purchases that expand the depth and
and improvement.
breadth of the collection.
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22. Basic Literacy
ESL Contact Hours GOALS:
6,088
1. Provide materials and
programming that will
build pre-literacy skills
1,961 in children and assure
their readiness for
0 0 101
beginning elementary
FY 2006 FY 2007 FY 2008 FY 2009 FY 2010 school.
Homework Center Sessions 2. Support families and
educators in their work
1,961
1,761 to build a strong
foundation in basic
literacy skills for
619
494
366 children in the early
elementary grades.
FY 2006 FY 2007 FY 2008 FY 2009 FY 2010
3. Provide educational
opportunities and
Early Literacy Materials Borrowed
resources for residents
435,781
424,866 of all ages learning to
read and speak English
368,662 as a second language.
338,882
331,341
FY 2006 FY 2007 FY 2008 FY 2009 FY 2010
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23. A library that offers Basic Literacy service addresses the need to read and to
perform other essential daily tasks.
Our Successes:
In addition to providing literacy services to our residents, the
The creation and extraordinary success of Arlington Reads is a program has also assisted faith-based groups with starting
most profound highlight of the Library 2006-2010 Strategic their own literacy programming and providing support and
Plan, exceeding our expectations and continuing to grow resources to existing literacy programs within Arlington. The
each year. Hundreds of students have been reached, other Arlington Reads program is supported by an Americorps
literacy and ESL providers in the community have a new VISTA program grant from the Corporation for National and
source of support, training and resources to help them and Community Services. This program provides full time VISTA
newly trained volunteer tutors are impacting lives every day. members who commit to serve full-time for a year at a
Students are achieving citizenship, earning a GED, nonprofit organization or government agency, working to
successfully getting jobs, connecting the world in new ways fight problems such as illiteracy, improve health services,
and improving their self-esteem and ability to master basic create businesses, strengthen community groups and much
life skills. more. In addition to this strong support, the Arlington Reads
program also works closely with the Arlington Independant
Currently, the Arlington Reads literacy program consists of a School District, United Way of Tarrant County, United Way -
number of initiatives, including: 1) The Learning Zone Arlington, the Tarrant County Literacy Coalition and the North
tutoring program for grades 1-3, held at both the East Texas Future Fund. These partners have provided
Arlington and Southeast Branches; 2) Early literacy collaborative programming, training, as well as funding for
joint initiatives.
Our Challenges:
One of the largest challenges we face with our literacy
programming is in meeting the vast need we have to fill in the
community. According to the National Assessment of Adult
Literacy Survey, one in five adults in Tarrant County cannot
read well enough to succeed at a 4th grade level. However,
less than 10,000 adults are currently enrolled in literacy
programs in Tarrant County and those programs that do exist
programming, including Wee Reads and Le Seras; 3) Life often have a waiting list. Like many literacy programs, the
Through Literacy: a partnership with an infant mortality non- service capacity of the Arlington Reads program is dependent
profit and the Arlington Independent School District Parent on the number of volunteer tutors able to provide assistance
Education Program (PEP); 4) English as a Second Language and on grants and donations raised by the Arlington Public
(ESL)and Basic Adult Education programs – both one on one Library Foundation.
tutoring and small group; 5) Conversation Circles programs
for adults to practice their language skills; 6) GED instruction:
an online program supplemented by small group tutoring; 7)
Citizenship instruction; 8) Youth enrichment programs such
as the Fittnesista’s health literacy programming for tween-
age girls, youth summer science camps, writing enrichment
programs, etc. 9) Workplace literacy programs held at
worksites such as Arlington Memorial Hospital
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24. Lifelong Learning
Adult Program Attendance
GOALS:
11,701 1. Provide increased
9,247
8,488 opportunities to
4,933
5,888 Arlington citizens of all
ages that foster interest
in acquiring new
FY 2006 FY 2007 FY 2008 FY 2009 FY 2010
knowledge and skills.
2. Support educational
Juvenile and Student Library Card Registrations
institutions and families
54,097 with materials and
49,743 programming that will
42,920 ensure that Arlington’s
39,347 37,959 children and teens will
become life-long
learners.
FY 2006 FY 2007 FY 2008 FY 2009 FY 2010
Educational Resources and Databases Used
(in sessions)
12,031
5,783
3,342
1,458 940
FY 2006 FY 2007 FY 2008 FY 2009 FY 2010
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25. A library that provides Lifelong Learning service helps address the desire for self-directed
personal growth and development opportunities.
OUR SUCCESSES: In addition to providing learning opportunities for
children and teens, a greater focus has been placed
One of the greatest changes that has taken place in
on making sure that learning does not end with
library resources over the last decade has been the
formal school enrollment. Program offerings have
addition of online learning tools that library
expanded to ensure that adults of all ages have the
customers can utilize from the comfort of their own
ability to continue to learn new skills and interests.
homes. These services are not only convenient, but
An activity of note has been the addition of
also interactive. Services added during this time
numerous book clubs in all library locations
period include:
Live Homework Help: an online tutoring service
for students in grades K-college.
Learning Express: test preparation and practice
service, including SAT, ACT, TAKS, GRE, and
professional certification tests.
Language Learning help: the vendor providing
this service has varied over the years from
Rosetta Stone to Tell Me More and finally to
Mango Languages, but the service has always
offered a variety of languages (including ESL) for
OUR CHALLENGES:
users to choose from.
This area has been an area of many successes as
As mentioned under the General Information explained above. Our greatest challenges to this
section, the GOcard and MYCard campaigns, focus area has been in prioritizing initiatives to
focusing on students in grades K-12 have helped to ensure greatest impact. Marketing the high quality
support the formal learning offered by our local learning opportunities offered for adults has room
school districts and ensure that the lifelong learning for improvement and selecting cost-effective
process is started off right. In addition, increased methods to reach the most users is an area for
focus on collections for students has resulted in a further development.
43% increase in the circulation of materials to our
youngest learners.
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26. Culture and the Arts
The Studio Attendance GOALS:
1. Offer a collection of
6,294
materials and a
5,046
selection of
3,429
programming that
Opened in 2008 reflect and celebrate the
0 0 cultural diversity of the
FY 2006 FY 2007 FY 2008 FY 2009 FY 2010
residents of Arlington.
International Language Collection Borrowed 2. Provide the
71,949 environment and
65,867 facilitate opportunities
59,322 for engagement in arts
and cultural activities.
51,568
46,646
3. Foster a greater
FY 2006 FY 2007 FY 2008 FY 2009 FY 2010 appreciation and
understanding of the
Cultural Program Attendance arts in Arlington’s
3,582 3,509 children and teenagers.
839 828
526
FY 2006 FY 2007 FY 2008 FY 2009 FY 2010
22

27. A library that offers Cultural Awareness service helps satisfy the desire of residents
to gain an understanding of their own cultural heritage and the cultural heritage of
others.
OUR SUCCESSES:
The addition of The
Studio: teen arts
underground, has been a
notable success within
this focus area and has
allowed teenagers
throughout the
community the ability to
pair their knowledge of
technology with their
artistic, musical, and Hispanic Heritage Month and Chinese New Year
writing talent. This initiative continues to expand programs at all library locations.
and develop and usage of The Studio resources and
programming has grown at a steady rate since its OUR CHALLENGES:
opening at the Central Library in 2008.
In assessing the gains made in this focus area, one
Throughout the last five years, the library has
of the conclusions drawn has been that the number
collaborated with numerous community
of other organizations contributing to the arts in the
organizations such as TCC, UTA, AISD, F6 Gallery
community lessens our need to allocate resources
and the Boys and Girls Club to display artwork in all
toward developing arts initiatives. Instead,
library locations, but most notably at the Central
increased efforts will be made to partner with arts
Library and the Southeast Branch. Display of
organizations to ensure that they gain a higher
student artwork especially has brought new visitors
profile in the community and to give children and
to the library, as well as adding to the enjoyment of
teenagers the ability explore fully their talents in
current library users.
these areas.
In order to promote cultural understanding and
learning, numerous cultural celebrations have been
further developed during the last five years and
others implemented for the first time. Notable
celebrations include the Central Library’s Medieval
Fair, the East Arlington Branch Courtyard
Celebration and El dio de las Niños programming at
both East Arlington and Southeast Branches, Share
your Passion programming at the Woodland West
Branch, as well as various Black History month and
23

28. Current Topics
and Titles
GOALS:
Materials Borrowed
2,239,268 1. Provide rewarding
2,125,974
recreational experiences
1,865,002
1,616,515 1,678,902 by supplying easy access
to popular material
dealing with current
issues and popular
FY 2006 FY 2007 FY 2008 FY 2009 FY 2010 culture in appropriate
languages, formats and
Visitors quantities.
1,597,549 1,612,189
1,463,788
2. Modernize facilities,
furnishings, and
1,320,647
technology to ensure
1,175,375
that our libraries
provide welcoming and
FY 2006 FY 2007 FY 2008 FY 2009 FY 2010 positive experiences for
browsing, reading, or
studying or meeting.
Summer Reading Club Participants
4,842
3. Foster a lifelong love of
4,121 reading for pleasure in
3,837 Arlington’s children and
3,574
3,329
young adults by
providing opportunities
for families to
FY 2006 FY 2007 FY 2008 FY 2009 FY 2010
participate in
recreational reading
activities together.
24

29. A library that provides Current Topics and Titles helps to fulfill community residents’
appetite for information about popular cultural and social trends and their desire for
satisfying recreational experiences.
OUR SUCCESSES: order to produce a stronger collection in each
Successes in the Current Titles & Topics focus area language. The proportion of fiction to nonfiction
were numerous and served to bring new users into and children’s to adult materials has also been
the library as well as increasing the satisfaction and adjusted according to usage. . Because not all
enthusiasm of current users. Circulation of fiction library users can “read” in the same way, library
for children, teens and adults has increased by staff obtained grant funding to hold a “Low Vision
46.8% over the five-year period and attention to Fair” to ensure that all citizens, despite their
developing designated “bookstore-like” spaces for physical challenges are able to access and enjoy
new popular materials in all library locations has library services.
contributed to these gains.
Library staff continue to find cost-efficient methods
One of the initiatives begun during this period was
of improving the physical space of our library
the addition of digital material to the library’s
facilities and work closely with the Arlington Public
collection. Downloadable audiobooks were a
Library Foundation to obtain funding to that end.
natural extension to the Library’s offering of books
During the strategic plan period, the Northeast
on tape and books on CD and have offered a greater
Branch Library received a “facelift” with new
convenience to users. Additional digital offerings
carpeting, paint and furniture and planning is
include online book clubs and blogs that offer
underway to obtain a similar effect at the Lake
readers a place to talk about books and get reviews
Arlington Branch.
and recommendations.
The “One Book, One Arlington” annual program OUR CHALLENGES:
offered library users the opportunity to all read the
same book at the same time and to come together Balancing popular materials with more “serious”
to discuss and share perspectives. This program lent learning support material will continue to be a
its theme to the Library’s READ posters, featuring challenge given the Library’s limited budget for
local “celebrities” with their favorite books. collection materials. Recognizing that all of us,
especially children, become better readers when we
Library collections have become more community-
read material that we enjoy continues to lend
focused as we monitor suggestions and circulation
support for developing strong popular collections of
patterns at the different branch locations. Over the
fiction for all ages.
past five years, the number of languages
represented in the collection has been lessened in
25

30. Information Literacy
Computer Class Attendance
GOALS:
1,558
1,327
1,155 1. Develop the skills of
903
students (K-12) and senior
488
citizens to find and
evaluate information
FY 2006 FY 2007 FY 2008 FY 2009 FY 2010 necessary to make
informed decisions and to
Public Computers communicate successfully
188 184
in an electronic
174
161
environment.
129
2. Make certain that Library
staff achieve competency
FY 2006 FY 2007 FY 2008 FY 2009 FY 2010
in information literacy
skills and stay up-to-date
in this rapidly changing
Computer Usage (# of sessions)
environment.
378,435 371,566
366,052
3. Ensure that Arlington job
282,852
seekers and small
222,244 business owners have the
skills to locate electronic
FY 2006 FY 2007 FY 2008 FY 2009 FY 2010
information necessary for
their success and can
interact efficiently and
effectively in an electronic
environment.
26

31. Providing Information Literacy services helps address the need for skills related to finding,
evaluating, and using information effectively.
OUR SUCCESSES: OUR CHALLENGES:
Wifi is now available in all Library locations in Technology and information literacy classes, while
addition to access to public computers during all popular in throughout the period of the plan, were
hours the libraries are open. In 2010, internet limited in their scope, only reaching a small
access was expanded to include the computers in percentage of library users, compared to other
the Children's Learning Centers of all libraries. This services such as borrowing materials, children’s
access provides children with online resources for programming and general public computing use.
homework, exploration, and creativity. When staffing reductions were necessary in 2008, a
decision was made to discontinue information
literacy and software productivity coursework
offered in the training center at the Central Library
in order to allocate staff to other functions. When
Arlington Reads VISTA/Americorps staffing
increased in 2010 and workplace literacy became a
prime focus, this coursework was reintroduced at
both the Central Library, as well as the new Family
Learning Lab at the East Arlington Branch Library.
Web 2.0 features (blogs, RSS feeds, Facebook and Limited measurement and assessment have
Twitter links, videos and surveys) were added to occurred regarding the usage of public computing
promote better patron communication options, as and the need for information literacy programming
well as to give insight and advice on information for various citizen groups. Greater efforts in this
sources and reading materials. Virtual reference area will be called for in the next five years.
service through email and chat was implemented
providing real-time customized service when
physical access to a library is not possible.
A new Library website debuted in FY 2010,
improving access and functionality to digital
information. Since 2006, total “virtual” use of
library resources (online catalog searches, webpage
visits, downloads, and use of databases) increased
70% to 3.7 million in FY 2010.
27

32. Fiscal Responsibility
While Fiscal Responsibility was not a designated focus area in the Library’s FY 2006 – FY 2010
Strategic Plan, each focus area did contain objectives and activities that underscored the need to
develop the most cost-effective programs and processes possible to deliver library services. The
introduction of RFID technology and self-checkout systems in 2006 began a trend toward self-
service for many manual and repetitive tasks which once called for staff intervention such as
checkout of materials, renewal of materials, logging of hold requests, library card registration and
payment of fines and fees. This has allowed staff to spend more time with library customers in
answering requests for information and developing and implementing programs and has greatly
changed the configuration and organization of staff, leading to a newly structured organization in
FY 2011 to carry out the Library’s next plan of service.
Resource allocation is discussed in greater detail and from a comparative perspective in the third
section of this document, Library Resource Allocation and Usage Benchmarks. The majority of the Library’s operating
budget is allocated from the City of Arlington’s General Fund; additional monies are received from the Friends of the
Arlington Public Library, the Arlington Public Library Foundation, the Texas State Library and Archives commission.
Individual and corporate donations are received both through the Foundation, as well as directly to the Library.
The issues arising from the results of FY2006–2010 plans, as well as from general econimic conditions suggest that areas for
further development in the FY2011-2015 plan include: 1) enhanced regional cooperation in order to reduce cost of service
delivery; 2) increased community partnerships, focusing on the development of volunteer efforts to assist with service
delivery; 3) focused attention on developing alternate sources of revenue, including individual and corporate donation
avenues, as well as increased attention toward recovering revenue from overdue patron accounts; 4) investigating
budgetary avenues for collection development purchases, including the use of one-time funds for this purpose.
Operating Budget Summary in Years Grant and Glift
Funding
$8
Millions
$7 Collection
$6 Development Bonds
$5 Library Materials
$4 Collection
$3
$2 Maintenance &
Supplies
FY 2006
FY 2007
FY 2008 Salaries & Benefits
FY 2009
FY 2010
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Salaries & Benefits $4,167,347 $4,692,860 $4,708,984 $4,869,949 $4,730,594
Maintenance & Supplies $918,726 $1,222,944 $1,106,332 $1,242,897 $1,313,631
Library Collection Materials $692,984 $787,781 $785,385 $835,385 $835,035
Collection Development $250,000 $250,000 $250,000 $250,000
Bonds
Total Collection Funding $942,984 $1,037,781 $1,035,385 $1,085,385 $1,085,035
Grant/Gift Funding $217,634 $249,327 $286,201 $359,360 $191,796
Total $6,246,691 $7,202,912 $7,136,902 $7,557,591 $7,321,056
28

33. 29
Library Resource Allocation
and Usage Benchmarks
Arlington Public Library
December 2010

34. LIBRARY RESOURCE ALLOCATION AND USAGE BENCHMARKS
Benchmarking is a process by which performance or • Holdings per capita
resource measures from an organization are compared • Visits per capita
to the same measures of other similar organizations. The • Borrowers as a percentage of service area
results of the process can assist with making evaluations Web visits per capita (FY09 only)
relating to efficiency and service quality, as well as
providing data to make a case for increased resource Population Served and Number of Facilities
allocation or service improvements. It also allows an The tables below detail the legal population of each
organization to project how increases or reductions in library’s service area, square miles of service coverage
resource allocations might impact service outputs and and the number of library facilities operated by the
quality. Since library systems may vary in what services library system. Note that each library system, with the
they offer and how those services are configured and exception of Plano, has a Central Library and there are
funded, we acknowledge the difficulty of making exact varying numbers of branch libraries.
comparisons from one library system to another. But the
data presented in this report allows us to see how our DFW
FY07
07 08 09
library system stands in relationship to its peers both for Lib FY08 Pop. FY09 Pop. #of # of # of
Pop.
Name Bldg Bldg Bldg
purposes of performance as well as assessment of its
APL 367,197 369,150 374,417 6 7 7
financial resources.
Dallas 1,232,940 1,300,500 1,306,350 26 27 27
Denton 109,561 115,506 119,454 3 3 3
For the past several years, the Library has reviewed Fort
benchmark data. The same libraries were used for the 653,320 702,850 720,250 15 15 15
Worth
fiscal years 2007, 2008 and 2009 (Texas libraries only for Garland 217,963 228,450 222,650 5 6 4
FY07) and, with exceptions as indicated. The data was Irving 196,084 215,893 201,358 5 5 5
obtained using the Texas State Library Annual Statistics Plano 284,790 260,900 263,800 5 5 5
for Texas Public Libraries, Public Library Data Service
(PLDS) Annual Statistical Report, International As pointed out previously, the national libraries selected
City/County Management Association (ICMA) Annual were chosen because they operated 10 or less branches.
Performance Measurements, and directly from the Out of the 86 U.S. libraries reporting to PLDS (both
libraries. Since the ending dates for the cities’ fiscal years municipal and county) serving 250,000 to 499,999, 51 or
vary, FY 2010 data to these agencies will not be 59% have 10 or more branches. Only 16 libraries (19%)
submitted until 2011. had 5 or fewer branches. The number of facilities
The data reported is presented in two sets. The first set is operated obviously has a marked effect on expenditures,
a comparison of the seven largest multi-branch library staffing and other workload measures, so choosing
systems in the DFW Metroplex. The second set compares libraries with a significantly higher number of branches
a group of thirteen libraries located throughout the would not have been productive for the purposes of this
United States that serve similarly sized populations and comparison.
have similar characteristics. Since many library systems
serving populations comparable to Arlington’s have a National Library FY08 FY09 FY08 # of FY09 # of
Name Pop. Pop. Bldg Bldg
substantially higher number of branches, an effort was
Arlington 369,150 374,417 7 7
made to select library systems with less than 10
Aurora CO 312,000 314,326 7 7
branches. A higher number of branches will naturally
reflect higher expenditures on staffing, supplies and Corpus Christi TX 278,500 286,462 5 5
maintenance. Each of the libraries in the national group Glendale AZ 243,540 246,076 3 3
represents a municipal library system rather than a Greensboro NC 364,032 371,774 7 7
county system or a multi-jurisdictional library district. Lexington KY 279,044 279,044 6 6
Lincoln NE 261,742 278,728 8 8
The following data points were chosen for comparison: Mesa AZ 452,355 478,014 3 3
• Population served and the number of facilities Mobile AL 356,692 359,279 9 10
• Square footage of library space per capita Omaha NE 486,929 502,032 11 12
• Expenditures per capita Plano TX 260,900 263,800 5 5
• Materials expenditures per capita Virginia Beach VA 433,033 434,421 11 11
• Full‐time equivalent (FTE) staff Wichita KS 361,420 366,046 9 9
• Circulation per capita
30

35. Benchmarks, 2009
Although all cities show increases in population, only Total Sq Total Sq
Sq Ft per Sq Ft per
Garland show a decrease in the total number of buildings Library Name Capital Capital
Ft. FY08 Ft. FY09
FY08 FY09
open to the public during FY09, while Mobile AL and
Lincoln NE 188,400 188,400 0.72 0.68
Omaha NE show increases. As further tables will
illustrate, the continuing fiscal crisis in many cities and Mesa AZ 173,000 173,000 0.38 0.36
states will affect not only buildings open or closed, but Mobile AL 163,091 177,141 0.46 0.49
number of hours those buildings are open, materials Omaha NE 290,683 302,583 0.60 0.60
expenditures, and total expenditures. These economic Plano TX 180,000 180,000 0.69 0.68
impacts will also be noted in per capita changes in Virginia
301,405 301,405 0.70 0.69
circulation and holdings. Beach VA
Wichita KS 151,639 151,639 0.42 0.41
Square Footage of Library Facilities
The tables below detail the total square footage of the Expenditures Per Capita
central library and branch libraries for each library The charts below present how much each library system
system. For comparative purposes, we have calculated spends per person in its legal service area. In the DFW
the square footage per capita for each library system. Metroplex, Arlington spends the least per capita for
This data point shows the amount of library space library services at $17.90 per capita during FY09. Due to
available for each person in the population served by the fiscal year cuts, all Metroplex benchmark libraries
library. showed at least slight decreases in expenditures per
capita except for Irving.
Sq Ft per Sq Ft per
Library Total Sq Ft. Total Sq Ft.
Capita Capital
Name FY08 FY09
FY08 FY09 Total Expeditures Per Capita
Arlington 127,875 127,885 0.35 0.34 $50.00
$45.00
Dallas 1,002,152 1,022,045 0.77 0.78 $40.00
$35.00
Denton 67,380 100,202 0.58 0.84 $30.00
Fort $25.00
312,495 312,495 0.44 0.43 $20.00
Worth
$15.00
Garland 126,907 120,895 0.56 0.54 $10.00
$5.00
Irving 131,340 131,340 0.61 0.65 $-
Arlington Denton Irving Garland Plano Fort Worth Dallas
Plano 180,000 180,000 0.69 0.68
FY 2007 FY 2008 FY 2009
The changes in per capita square footage from FY08 to
FY09 are the result of the opening or closing of various Out of the comparable 13 libraries nationally, only
buildings, the renovation or expansion of existing Corpus Christi and Mesa AZ spent less than Arlington
buildings, and the changes in population served. during FY09. Due to fiscal year cuts, nine of the national
Arlington continues to have the lowest per capita square benchmark libraries showed a decrease in expenditures
footage among both the state and national benchmark per capita from FY08. As reported by the PLDS, the mean
libraries and, while it is easy to say that Arlington’s or average expenditures per capita for FY09 for libraries
increases in population have an ongoing impact on per serving populations between 250,000‐499,999 was
capita measures, the same could be said for all the Texas $38.01.
Total Expenditures Per Capita
benchmark libraries and many of the national benchmark $50.00
libraries as well. $45.00
$40.00
Sq Ft per Sq Ft per $35.00
Total Sq Total Sq
Library Name Capital Capital $30.00
Ft. FY08 Ft. FY09
FY08 FY09 $25.00
Arlington TX 127,875 127,885 0.35 0.34 $20.00
$15.00
Aurora CO 187,343 134,343 0.60 0.43 $10.00
Corpus $5.00
96,500 108,500 0.35 0.38
Christi TX $-
Glendale AZ 113,630 113,630 0.47 0.46
Greensboro FY 2008 FY 2009
162,149 162,149 0.45 0.44
NC
Lexington KY 183,790 205,162 0.66 0.74
31

36. Benchmarks, 2009
Materials Expenditures Per Capita 07 09
The charts below indicate how much per person in the Total Total Total FTE FTE
Library % Change
FTEs FY FTEs FTEs per per
legal service area is spent on the purchasing of library Name
07 FY08 FY09 1000 1000
07–09
materials (books, DVDs, magazines, electronic databases, Pop. Pop.
etc.). In FY07 and FY08, Arlington spent the least per Arlington 112.75 110.75 108.5 0.31 0.29 -0.04
capita for materials of any the benchmark group in the Dallas 515.00 445.90 436.0 0.42 0.33 -0.15
DFW Metroplex. With funding decreases during FY09,
Denton 49.50 49.50 49.5 0.45 0.41 0.00
Dallas now has the lowest per capita expenditures for
Fort
materials with Arlington being second lowest. Five of the 263.50 308.50 207.8 0.40 0.29 -0.21
Worth
seven Metroplex benchmark libraries showed decreases
Garland 68.50 68.50 68.5 0.61 0.31 0.00
in materials expenditures for FY09 compared to FY08.
Irving 93.00 92.00 90.0 0.47 0.45 -0.03
Plano 173.00 165.00 167.0 0.61 0.63 -0.03
Within the national benchmarking group, Arlington ranks
9th out of the 13 libraries in staffing in relation to legal
service area. With decreases in staffing at several of the
benchmark libraries during FY09, Arlington is now only
slightly below the median of 0.33 FTE staff per 1000
population. Staffing is often a factor of the number of
facilities operated and the number of hours the facility is
open since a base number of staff is generally necessary
for building operation.
For FY09, Arlington had the lowest per capita FTE
# of # of Total Total %
expenditures for materials for any of the national Library per
Facilities Facilities FTEs FTEs Change
benchmark libraries. This though nine of the other Name 1000
FY08 FY09 FY08 FY09 08–09
Pop.
libraries showed decreases in their per capita
Arlington
expenditures for materials for FY09 compared to FY08. TX
7 7 110.75 108.5 0.29 -0.02
Aurora CO 7 7 104.00 91.2 0.29 -0.12
Corpus
5 5 63.50 64.5 0.23 0.02
Christi TX
Glendale
3 3 86.76 86.8 0.35 0.00
AZ
Greensboro
7 7 104.00 109.1 0.29 0.05
NC
Lexington
6 6 182.00 261.0 0.94 0.43
KY
Lincoln NE 8 8 117.00 111.5 0.40 -0.05
Mesa AZ 3 3 121.40 92.8 0.19 -0.24
Mobile AL 8 10 152.00 154.5 0.43 0.02
Omaha NE 11 12 154.00 157.0 0.31 0.02
Staffing Plano TX 5 5 165.00 167.0 0.63 0.01
The tables below describe the number of full-time Virginia
11 11 264.92 262.9 0.61 -0.01
equivalent (FTE) staff employed by each library. The Beach VA
number of FTE staff has a direct impact on the number of Wichita KS 9 9 125.30 121.8 0.33 -0.03
hours the library can be open and the types of services
the library can offer. This is an obvious area where the Circulation per capita
decreases in library budgets have had a direct impact on Circulation is the measure of how many library items
the number of staff available to assist residents. All (books, DVDs, CDs, etc.) are borrowed by library
Metroplex benchmark libraries showed no growth or customers, i.e. how much the collection is used. The
decreases between FY08 and FY09. circulation per capita measure indicates how many items
are checked out per person in the legal service area.
Although Arlington continues to show good growth in
total circulation year-to-year, with FY09 circulation of
5.68 per capita, the Arlington Public Library continues to
32