DEPARTMENT: San Antonio Public Library
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Ramiro S. Salazar, Library Director
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: Citywide
SUBJECT:
IT Roadmap for the San Antonio Public Library
SUMMARY:
Briefing regarding the purpose and outcomes of the San Antonio Public Library’s IT Roadmap. This plan is a Library technology strategic roadmap for the next five years. The need for an IT Roadmap was jointly identified by the Library Department and the Information Technology Services Department (ITSD) due to the importance of technology in providing excellent public library services to the community.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The IT Roadmap team included the Library Department, the Information and Technology Services Department (ITSD) and the Gartner consulting group. The team approach used to develop the Library IT Roadmap blended traditional input and data collection mechanisms such as customer, non-user and staff surveys, demographic information, and industry research, with customer-centered design tactics like proto-personas and journey maps. By combining traditional and customer-centered methodologies, the resulting roadmap is focused on the individual customer experience, as well as the needs of the San Antonio community as a whole. The work to produce the roadmap also included an IT assessment conducted under the guidance of ITSD to evaluate existing library technology infrastructure.
ISSUE:
Technology is ever-changing and the San Antonio Public Library must harness these new technologies to more efficiently perform and transform how it does business, while also adopting industry best practices for the use of the technology in support of City initiatives and community outcomes that include: convenience, personalization, ease of use, digital inclusion, and innovation. For these reasons, investment in a diverse platform of library technology has been and will continue to be a priority for many years. Effective and efficient use of invested resources and the pursuit of a strategic technology vision moving forward are critical to continued success.
Key findings from the IT Roadmap include:
§ Better inform the public about services and events
§ Improve the ease-of-use of technology
§ Offer a more personalized experience
§ Help residents overcome barriers to access
§ Play a leading role in community and in local business
§ Re-define responsibilities of librarians and other customer-facing staff
§ Build SAPL’s “Digital DNA” including talent development, recruitment and organizational structure
ALTERNATIVES:
This item is for briefing purposes only
FISCAL IMPACT:
This item is for briefing purposes only
RECOMMENDATION:
Continue to utilize the IT Roadmap as a strategic planning tool for future IT related initiatives at the San Antonio Public Library.