A Delicate Balance

In our discussions on program planning we discussed ways in which we create a balanced offering of programs for many different age groups that we serve. Here's what the class had to say:

• I was lucky enough to attend an Unconference in my state and the number one thing that struck me was how different each library community is. What works for one will not work for another. Knowing your community and how best to serve them is key and definitely one definition of "balance."
• The first strategy I use is to listen to our library's customers. and We look to our library users...what do our families want.
• Another strategy would be to have understanding staff who are flexible and willing to adjust their schedules and duties to help out. Not always easy to do but nice when it happens. 
• We look at past statistics and what our patrons want and that is how we decide which programs should go in which time slot.
• Since we are a small community and library I try to make the programs so that many children of different ages have something to do. Even my storytimes vary some in what I do to incorporate babies to preschool because we just don't have enough of any age to focus on just one age.
• I think we follow the model of many libraries - more preschool programs during the school year, more school age programs in the summer.
• Is balance knowing your community, experimenting with possibilities, recognizing your successes and evaluating your failures and finally knowing when to throw in the towel? If so, than that's where I am at.

We also shared some documents for planning and keeping track of how we're doing.

Planning with a Master Info Samples
Seasonal Calendar Sample
Monthly Stats Tracking Sheet sample