Creating your library's business plan - Joy HP Harriman

Ten years ago, few libraries had business plans. Today, more and more libraries are required to write them, or they do so because business plans help clarify goals, set reasonable time frames, articulate standards, measure performance, and announce a library's successes. A good business plan can guide your library's operations and ensure its viability and growth.

Chock-full of templates, worksheets, case studies, and samples from a wide variety of libraries, big and small, this how-to guide will demystify the business planning process and help you create your business plan quickly and efficiently, saving you time, money, and frustration. One of the forerunners in library business plan development and a popular workshop leader, Harriman guides you through every step of the process, beginning with the whys and wherefores of writing a plan and the function of each component - from the cover page to the appendix and everything in between. Key areas covered include:

• why write a business plan?
• the components of a business plan
• describing your service concept: vision and mission statements
• conducting assessments and creating a SWOT chart
• clarifying objectives
• determining strategies and action plans
• creating a marketing plan
• evaluating your business plan's success
• forming a financial plan
• writing an executive summary and communicating the plan.

Over 30 worksheets will help you pull your plan together, one component at a time. More than 25 sample plans from academic, public, medical, and special libraries worldwide are offered as examples of best practice. What's more, all of the templates, worksheets, and samples are reproduced on a companion CD-ROM to enable you to get started immediately.

This is the only guide you need to take your business plan from concept to completion efficiently, effectively, and without reinventing the wheel.