As we move into 2025, it is a great time to pause and reflect over the past year. What are your highlights to celebrate? Did you implement a new program? Attend ALSC Institute and learn something great? Accomplish work on a project? Whatever you did in 2024, yay you!
We’re currently goal setting at my library for 2025. In my opinion, the best goals are the ones that you create and not ones that I have created for you as it increases your buy-in and excitement about working on them. Also, a great goal for you may not be a great goal for another person. I encourage staff to start with our strategic plan as they brainstorm ideas. If your organization doesn’t have a strategic plan, do you have a mission statement that you can work from? According to the National Society of Leadership and Success, focusing on professional goals creates a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment.
Next, it is time to write the goal. For annual goals, I recommend using the SMART goal technique. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound. If my idea for 2025 is that I want to record a library podcast, I would rephrase that as:
By November 2025, I would like to record at least 1 library podcast to meet the needs of parents in our community.
By rephrasing my goal, I am specific in that I want to record at least one library podcast. It is measurable in that I have included “at least 1.” With my workload, it would be attainable to accomplish. It is relevant as our strategic plan as we work to maximize opportunities for customers to access library resources inside and outside the library. The goal is time-bound as it needs to be completed by November 2025.
ALSC has some great resources that would also make good goals.
- Are you interested in learning something new? Check out ALSC’s slate of past and current webinars, including the upcoming Best of National Institute Webinar series.
- Do you want to serve on an ALSC committee? Fill out an online volunteer form.
Whatever you choose to do for 2025, celebrate your successes as you go. You deserve it.
Today’s blog post was written by Lisa Mulvenna, Head of Children’s and Teen Services at Clinton-Macomb Public Library in Clinton Township, MI, on behalf of the ALSC Managing Children’s Services Committee. She can be reached at lmulvenna@cmpl.org.
This post addresses Core Competencies VI Administrative and Management Skills and VII Professionalism and Professional Development.
The post Setting Work Goals: Getting Ready for 2025 appeared first on ALSC Blog.
As we move into 2025, it is a great time to pause and reflect over the past year. What are your highlights to celebrate? Did you implement a new program? Attend ALSC Institute and learn something great? Accomplish work on a project? Whatever you did in 2024, yay you! We’re currently goal setting at my library for 2025. In my opinion, the best goals are the ones that you create and not ones that I have created for you as it increases your buy-in and excitement about working on them. Also, a great goal for you may not be a great goal for another person. I encourage staff to start with our strategic plan as they brainstorm ideas. If your organization doesn’t have a strategic plan, do you have a mission statement that you can work from? According to the National Society of Leadership and Success, focusing on professional goals…
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