The American Library Association has developed a number of tools that can help identify useful statistics and statistical sources for understanding your community. A statement of the library's mission, goals, and objectives. Once the library's overall role and mission are defined, specific goals with measurable objectives can be set. All future decisions should be made in view of the long-range plan. An on-going process.
Planning is an on-going process.
No plan is perfect. Unexpected events necessitate changes in any plan, and changing times present new problems and suggest new approaches to meeting library goals. Unless some crisis requires immediate updating of the plan, the plan should be updated on an annual basis. These are available for Loan from the OLIS Professional Collection. There is no one best way to plan.