Many of the issues in past strategic planning efforts are no longer applicable for example, the establishment of libraries, free public service, or integration. Some have changed with the times such as Library of Blind to GLASS. Some are reoccurring issues.
Lack of economic resources for rural areas is a constant. The majority of support for rural libraries has always come from federal or state funds. In the past, this issue has been addressed by matching grants. The federal government allotted money to libraries if the funds were matched. Local funds then stimulated state interest and funds. In the past large donations from individuals, Carnegie, or Gates have also addressed this problem.
Several times assessment for Georgia’s libraries and Georgia’s needs came outside of the department. Because the assessment was done on Georgia libraries and not on the agency, the formal mission and purpose of the agency did not change with the times. After outgrowing its stated purpose, the library state department would merge with other departments to accommodate new needs. Past assessments done by the state library department would have a plan to make the adjustment physically and with new staff, redefine the mission and initiatives of the department, and plans were made to use ongoing assessment in the future.
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