Creating Your Library's Business Plan: A How‐to‐do‐it Manual with Samples on CD‐ROM

Citation

Oppenheim, C. (2009), "Creating Your Library's Business Plan: A How‐to‐do‐it Manual with Samples on CD‐ROM", Library Review, Vol. 58 No. 6, pp. 462-463. https://doi.org/10.1108/00242530910969820

At first glance, one might ask “why should libraries have business plans at all? Surely that is just for commercial organisations?” In fact, business planning is important for all types of organisations, profit and not for profit, and there is no good reason why libraries should not undertake the exercise themselves. This large format paperback book (unlike the usual facet size) takes the reader gently through the process. The CD ROM provides sample tables for the reader to immediately start preparing their own business plan, helped by numerous examples from all kinds of libraries from the USA and the UK. One has to be a bit brave when loading the CD ROM, accepting that the CD ROM is from a reliable source and willing to accept a macro called “Active Content” when you are warned that it could harm your computer! The book is supported by references and a good index.

The book takes an eminently sensible approach to the business planning process, starting with why such a plan is necessary and then taking the reader through the components and how to complete them in a very user‐friendly way.

I have just a very few minor caveats about this book. The discussion of financial plans recommends that the analysis be carried out on a quarterly basis, whereas for many organisations an annual basis would be sufficient. It also recommends the creation of a balance sheet, which is not appropriate (and indeed, in many cases is totally impossible to achieve) for many libraries. It also recommends that patents are listed in an Appendix to the Business Plan, which is a strange idea as libraries as a rule do not own patents. The section on giving a presentation on the business plan is a bit odd; advice such as “Do not use any jokes” and “stay away from PowerPoint” are not helpful as both techniques can, and often do, help a presentation. The advice “speak in a regular tone, no monotones” is confusing, and “erase all jargon and acronyms” is unhelpful – are you meant to say “Machine Readable Catalogue” rather than “MARC” every time you mention it in the presentation?

Overall, this is a book that can be warmly recommended to anyone who has to write a business plan for their library or information service, or thinks it would be a good thing if they did so. Business plans lead to clear thinking about aims and objectives and whether they are being achieved. This book can help a lot.