Envisioning the Tapestry: Discovering and Planning Member-Driven Services

ABSTRACT

WiLS is a non-profit organization with over 500 libraries and cultural institutions as members. It facilitates collaborative projects and services to save members time and money and to advance library service. WiLS is designed to be a nimble organization; our staffing structure, membership and cost recovery models, virtual office environment, and service development processes all allow WiLS to anticipate and respond to member needs. We take a unique approach to designing new services to meet those needs, one which is like creating a tapestry. As we begin to conceive of the service, an outline appears on the cloth, but it is faint and difficult to recognize. As we learn more, the outline becomes clearer and we see not only the shape of the service, but begin to see the details that add threads to create the color and texture of the work. By the time we have completed the process, we have a full understanding of the service we may offer, and the full picture with all of its detail has emerged. Any “art” that we conceive and create comes from who we are and the environment in which we are creating. In this article, we’ll share more about our organization and the foundations that make us who we are, along with the process we use to develop our service tapestries.