Organization's Mission First

• The organization's mission is crucial in order to define the library's mission and to come up with clear goals and concise objectives. What does the organization intend to do with its information? First and foremost the special library must support the company's mission. For example, a market research firm might want to produce the most reliable, up-to-date research reports to send clients and academic organizations. Understanding what the organization intends to do with the information will help you understand what information you need to organize and how best to disseminate it.
  
  

Library Mission

• Once you understand the organization's mission, you will need to define the mission of the special library. For the market research company, your mission might be to provide the right information at the right time to help support the firms overall mission. This might include the special library purchasing the right informational products, organizing that information efficiently, educating others on how to find and use the products, and working with the information technology department to set up an intranet to expedite those processes.
  
  

Goals and Objectives

• Settings goals and objectives are not the same thing. While interrelated, the defining difference is that objectives define an action and assign a deadline to complete that action, while goals speak to a desired outcome. You will need to set your goals first and then set your objectives to reach those goals next. Therefore an objective works as a defined plan to reach your intended goals for the special library. Objective must include specific deadlines for each step towards a goal and provide some type of quantifiable information to ensure you have met the milestone.
  
  

Examples of Goal and Objectives

• You should break you goals down into long-term and short-term goals. For example, every special library will have a Collection Development Policy (CDP). Therefore your short-term goals are to create the CDP policy and get it approved. Long-term, however, you will need to periodically review the policy to make sure it meets organization demands and conforms to company practices.
  
  Next, set your objectives for your goals. Your objectives for the short term goals are to have a draft of the policy prepared before a specified date and a final copy of the policy sent for approval set for another date. For the long-term goal, you will need to set a date each year to a comprehensive review of the policy. Quantify whether or not you met the objectives according to the deadline imposed.