SWOT Notes from May 7th Meeting

Program Review

Weaknesses

Space

• Collection / Shelving

• Study

• Staff / Unknown

• Seating

• Projects with technology

• Offices

• Break room

• Meeting space for 16+ staff
  

• Coffee bar

Budget

• Book $

• Staff

• Space

• Tech

• Electronic resources

Staff

• Programmer

• Instructional designer

• Web Developer

• Part Time Reference

• Salaries for new recruit

• Systems librarian

• Main collection assistant

• Turnover – s. assets

Collection

• “Aging"
  

Expectations / Time

• Too many activities, too little time to plan
  

• Lack of training time

• How do we determine what students want?

• Not enough staff hours

Collaborations

• Faculty relations

• Distance learners

• Communication with other departments
  

Kimbel Library Strategic Plan 2003-2008

http://www.coastal.edu/library/strategicplan.doc

Strengths Summary 1/9/08

Strengths
Quality reference service to all users
The needs of our Richland community inform our work
Dedicated, knowledgeable, enthusiastic staff
Service oriented library director
Service oriented staff
Diverse approaches to student learning
Excellent reference collection
Staff willing to learn new things and experiment with different approaches
Subscriptions to sufficient electronic databases to serve the information needs of our users
Stable staff with low turnover
Approachable and friendly staff
Commitment to student learning
Innovation encouraged
Strong relationships with a few faculty members
Positive results in library and campus-wide surveys
Customer service skills
Professional and personal development encouraged
Relationship with RCHS
Exceptional workgroup of talented, committed professionals
Reputation on campus for outstanding service
Strong funding (at District level) for electronic resources
Provide service to the community
Variety of ages in our staff
Variety of ethnicities in our staff
Inviting, attractive facility
Carefully selected book collection targeted to student needs
Dedicated collection development librarian
Availability of student assistant pool and opportunities for student assistants to get work on campus
Continually adapting and evolving library instruction program
Circulation issues resolved in a courteous, timely manner
Instruction options for distance learners
Direct editing capability for the Library Web site
Library Web site is kept up to date
Good relations with Richland staff and faculty
Consortial agreements contribute to our resources
Innovative use of technology
Efficient ICL process
Regularly updated computer equipment
Responsive IT support on student computers????
Book collection is kept in good order (excellent shelver)

Strengths Summary 1/9/08

Strengths
Quality reference service to all users
The needs of our Richland community inform our work
Dedicated, knowledgeable, enthusiastic staff
Service oriented library director
Service oriented staff
Diverse approaches to student learning
Excellent reference collection
Staff willing to learn new things and experiment with different approaches
Subscriptions to sufficient electronic databases to serve the information needs of our users
Stable staff with low turnover
Approachable and friendly staff
Commitment to student learning
Innovation encouraged
Strong relationships with a few faculty members
Positive results in library and campus-wide surveys
Customer service skills
Professional and personal development encouraged
Relationship with RCHS
Exceptional workgroup of talented, committed professionals
Reputation on campus for outstanding service
Strong funding (at District level) for electronic resources
Provide service to the community
Variety of ages in our staff
Variety of ethnicities in our staff
Inviting, attractive facility
Carefully selected book collection targeted to student needs
Dedicated collection development librarian
Availability of student assistant pool and opportunities for student assistants to get work on campus
Continually adapting and evolving library instruction program
Circulation issues resolved in a courteous, timely manner
Instruction options for distance learners
Direct editing capability for the Library Web site
Library Web site is kept up to date
Good relations with Richland staff and faculty
Consortial agreements contribute to our resources
Innovative use of technology
Efficient ICL process
Regularly updated computer equipment
Responsive IT support on student computers????
Book collection is kept in good order (excellent shelver)

Amy's Quick Library SWOT Analysis

Strengths

• Commitment to student learning
• Innovation encouraged
• Strong relationships with a few faculty members
• Positive results in library and campus-wide surveys
• Customer service skills
• Professional and personal development encouraged
• Relationship with RCHS

Weaknesses

• Limited budget for print materials
• Weak relationships with most faculty
• Lack of space for student study, resources, and staff work
• Public perception of libraries
• Reliance on part-time Reference librarians
• Limited library support for distance learners

Opportunities

• Incorporate Information Literacy into core, departmental, and/or high school curriculum
• Technological advances that improve service to distance learning students
• Fast pace of technological innovations that improve library services

Threats

• Lack of a district Systems Librarian
• Fast pace of technological innovations
• Lack of funding
• Public perception of libraries

SWOT Analysis - Avoiding Errors

I thought this list of frequently encountered errors was interesting. Sorry ... it came from the "SWOT Analysis" article on Wikipedia.

Avoiding Errors

1. Conducting a SWOT analysis before defining and agreeing upon an objective (a desired end state). SWOTs should not exist in the abstract. They can exist only with reference to an objective. If the desired end state is not openly defined and agreed upon, the participants may have different end states in mind and the results will be ineffective.

2. Opportunities external to the company are often confused with strengths internal to the company. They should be kept separate.

3. SWOTs are sometimes confused with possible strategies. SWOTs are descriptions of conditions, while possible strategies define actions. This error is made especially with reference to opportunity analysis. To avoid this error, it may be useful to think of opportunities as "auspicious conditions".

SWOT Analysis & Environmental Scanning

Quick MBA: Strategic Management. SWOT Analysis

I liked this one page easy to read description for several reasons: 1) It's easy to read (ha!) 2) The diagram clearly points up how strengths and weaknesses are subsets of internal analysis which are subsets of environmental scanning. Likewise threats and opportunities are subsets of external analysis and environmental scanning (See the box diagram).

In order to get a grade of "Excellent" maybe we need to be thinking about how to go about our environmental scanning rather than immediately jumping into creating S's, W's, O's, and T's.

Two questions:

1. How do we demonstrate that we've done a conscientious job of environmental scanning?
2. How do we insure that our analyses will be seen as thoughtful?

By the way, if you start investigating environmental scanning, you soon discover that a healthy part of it involves a literature review -- which ought to be right up our alley :)

SWOT: Going for an "A+"

Here are the 4 possible "grades" we could receive for our SWOT analysis along with the criteria for those "grades."

Excellent (3). Clear, thoughtful analysis of internal strengths and weaknesses. Demonstrated use of environmental scanning* for external threats and opportunities. Next steps from SWOT analysis delineated.

Good (2) Overall acceptable but lacking in a comprehensive analysis of internal and external factors.

Fair (1) Some analysis completed but not comprehensive and balanced in all four SWOT areas

Poor (0) Little or no analysis or environmental scanning

From Program Review Report Template for Student Services
and Administrative Support, page 3