Tell Your Story

Planner uses the powerful story-telling capabilities of GIS to communicate your story by transforming raw data into interpretive maps and actionable information.

Ensure access and equity for all Utilize tools to measure:

• The demographic composition of cardholders and their usage patterns
• The demographic composition of people that the library is not reaching
• The ratio of service levels to the population served such as facility size, operating costs, staff, hours open, collections, reader seats, meeting room seats, and parking spaces, among others
• The distance people must travel to get to the library
• The proximity of the library to public transit routes and stops
• The resources to support local schools such as computers, collections, tutoring, and literacy training

Prepare grant applications Make the case with solid data and visually convincing maps:

• Prepare an integrated application from problem definition to analysis, justifying your unique approach
• Analyze a range of pre-packaged data, including 20-year population projections, at multiple scales to demonstrate where needs are the greatest
• Utilize the built-in service area definition tool, and a host of other features, to customize your demographic segmentation and library services analysis
• Combine maps and data to create a strong case and illustrate your arguments effectively and professionally

Strengthen advocacy planning Get everyone on the same page:

• Build constituents
• Identify, locate, and target grass roots support
• Demonstrate where libraries are already working for their neighborhoods and communities
• Demonstrate where additional library services and programs are needed

Focus collections development Provide relevant and timely materials:

• Determine what user's need
• Determine where special needs populations are located
• Develop targeted marketing to specific users
• Work better with school and other regional libraries to meet community needs

Address topical issues such as teen development and literacy Make your library's response to community problems more knowledgeable, timely, and relevant:

• Utilize a tool set packaged with data
• Quickly and effectively define, survey, and analyze the problem
• Communicate between library staff, measure results, and inform policy makers

Calculate service indicators Evaluate service delivery in relation to the unique needs of your community:

• Determine how branches stack up against each other in providing services and programs
• Set your own service guidelines or standards
• Change guidelines to perform scenario planning
• Compare current year population with 20-year projected population
• Make the case to policy makers about the need for additional resources

Site new facilities Find the best location for new facilities and to demonstrate benefits:

• Identify alternative sites for locating new branches or bookmobiles
• Analyze and rank site alternatives to make the best selection
• Analyze the impact of new facilities on existing branch libraries and patron use
• Perform demographic segmentation analysis to determine the service levels of new facilities, such as facility size, collection size, number of reader seating, meeting room size, and the number of parking spaces, among others.

Undertake cardholder development campaigns Know your patrons and expand your market:

• Plot your geographic and segmentation patron development strategy
• Develop demographic segmentation analysis of cardholders to develop relevant services and programs
• Distinguish between the number of patrons and the level of use, see figure left