Strategy Update - The Right Programs

As part of our “Relevant Programs” strategy, and led by Marketing & Programming Strategist Diane Macklin, the “Right Programs” tactic is achieving great success in 2008. Recent success stories include:

Performance Measures UP UP UP!
Statistically, our programming strategy, combined with the re-opening of the Markham Village Library, is yielding positive results in 2008. At Year-to-Date (YTD) September 2008:
Program Attendance is up 28.1% over 2007
The number of Programs is up 14.3% over 2007.
Program revenue stands at a favourable variance YTD of $21,480. This means we are on target to exceed our revenue projections for 2008.
Cancellation rates have gone down - we offered 470 programs in the first 3 quarters of 2008, and 24 were cancelled – a cancellation rate of only 5%, much better than our baseline (26% in 2006).

The numbers are great, but more important is that they reflect the reality of how programs can make a difference in our customers’ lives – from building literacy skills to developing school readiness to nurturing lifelong free-choice learning. Quality programs are powerful tools for bringing customers into our branches, responding to community needs, raising our relevance to our customers – and positioning libraries as the community place where everyone can imagine learn and grow.

Summer Camps
Our biggest success story in 2008 has been the innovative Summer Camp programs, as developed by the Marketing & Programming Strategist and Summer Camp Coordinator - 275 participants and $34,300 in camp registration fees. For next year’s Summer Camps, we will improve volunteer management, based on your feedback.

Community Events
We have had very successful community events, including the Spelling Bees for Ontario Library Week, and the All Candidates Meeting held at Markham Village Library. Thanks to all staff for supporting these important events that bring to life the concept of the library as a community forum for learning and civic engagement.

Open-Space Programming
A key new direction has been liberating our free drop-in programs (like Storytime and Baby Goose) from behind closed doors and running them in open spaces. This supports our Diversity strategy by removing barriers to participation, maximizing inclusivity for newcomers, and marketing programs to all customers. It also aligns with the Town of Markham’s strategies regarding diversity and inclusivity.

PLANS FOR THE FUTURE:

Online Program Registration - CLASS
A big step forward in terms of efficiency and workload improvements will be the introduction of online program registration (aka CLASS). ITS (Information Technology Services at the Town) has advised us that MPL CLASS implementation will be processed as a service request, likely during Q1 2009.

“The Learning Place” – MPL’s Contracted Program Development Model
We will build on the success of the Summer Camp programs by extending the Contracted Program Development Model to a wider range of library programs. This Model will involve MPL hiring, on a contract basis, certified teachers to develop program curricula for a series of core literacy-based programs. MPL will retain proprietary rights to the programs and then be able to hire presenters to deliver our content at a significantly lower rate than we currently provide for program instructors delivering their own materials. Staff will then develop a set schedule of core programs for the system. The benefits of this Model include increased program revenue, increased quality control regarding program content, the ability to hire presenters on the basis of excellence in teaching skills, increased efficiencies in terms of programming workload due to a more centralized approach, and the opportunity to develop a competitive core library programming product – literacy-based, high-quality – that will help to differentiate MPL in the context of a highly competitive programming market environment.