Strategic Plan 2007-2012

In September 2007 the Trustees of the Boston Athenæum approved a strategic plan that will guide our institution during the next five years. The following summary includes the major goals and initiatives of the plan and reflects the year-long planning process that created it.

 

The Mission of the Athenæum

“The mission of the Boston Athenæum is to serve its members, the broader community, and scholars throughout the world by preserving and augmenting its collections of books and art, by providing library services and cultural programs, and by preserving and enhancing the unique atmosphere of its landmark building.” (Approved by the Trustees in June 2002)

Both the staff and the Trustees agree that this mission statement continues to resonate. The members’ survey in 2006 confirms that the Athenæum is a true hybrid organization, drawing strength from the sum of its expressions and its sense of place and history. Comparative analysis, the members’ survey, and conversations with staff members and Trustees all provide evidence of the Athenæum’s continuing status as a unique local institution as well as America’s largest membership library. Therefore, the mission holds and is vital.

The Current State of the Athenæum

The institution is in good condition. It has a sizeable endowment, significant book, art, and other special collections, a satisfied membership with a high retention rate, and a valued building. The future of the book, in traditional as well as electronic forms, will remain strong. People – particularly those who fit the Athenæum’s membership profile – continue to read and to engage in discussion about intellectual, cultural, and civic issues.

The Key Challenges to the Athenæum

  • an aging membership needs to be replenished and expanded
  • technological advances open new obligations concerning the accessibility of collections and programs
  • an increasingly competitive environment in the arts and cultural community in Boston requires best practices in promoting our institution
  • the financial strength of the Athenæum requires increasing the level of current support

The Key Themes of Strategic Planning

The central goal of the strategic plan is to ensure that our institution remains a vital, accessible, and relevant institution.

Vitality. The Athenæum will remain vital through a refreshed and growing membership that is increasingly representative of all Bostonians interested in intellectual pursuits. The strategic growth of its book and art collections will also feed the institution’s vitality.

Accessibility. In an electronic age, the Athenæum must focus on cataloging and digitizing its collections for broader access and dissemination, and on enhancing access to its programming.

Relevance. In order to maintain the Athenæum’s legacy as an important and unique intellectual hub in Boston, the institution must promote contemporary discourse on books, ideas, and the arts.

The Major Initiatives of the Strategic Plan

Library

  • appoint a Chief Librarian to provide leadership for and coordination of all library programs and services
  • increase access to the library collections through more extensive cataloging
  • develop a digitization program for the library collections expand our conservation efforts

Art

  • increase investments in the paintings and sculpture collection through gifts and the establishment of endowed acquisition funds
  • publish a catalog of the paintings and sculpture collection
  • review the Athenæum’s art acquisition policies
  • increase support for exhibitions

Programming

  • establish a high-visibility series devoted to civic discourse
  • increase programming for children and families
  • enhance signature events (such as Tea, Silhouette Day, and Make Your Own Museum) and provide more thematic focus to our other programs
  • provide increased coordination between special collections and our exhibition, lecture, and educational programming

Education and Community Affairs

  • more fully integrate the Calderwood Writing Program within the Athenæum in order to enhance its role as the library’s major vehicle for education and outreach
  • professionalize the docent program
  • increase the number and competitiveness of our visiting research fellowships

Membership

  • increase our application, retention, and conversion rates
  • increase revenue through a net increase in membership
  • increase the marketing , promotion, and advertising of our institution and its programs

Development

  • increase the goal of the Annual Appeal to $1 million by 2012
  • increase planned-giving efforts and the constituency of the John Bromfield Society
  • successfully conclude the Bicentennial Fund within three years, focusing on exhibitions, art acquisitions, and the building
  • begin to lay the groundwork for a capital campaign to be launched in three to four years’ time

Infrastructure

  • secure funding to ensure appropriate growth in salary, benefit, and professional development budgets
  • increase diversity within our membership, programming, and leadership
  • revamp the institution’s website
  • commission a security audit
  • make necessary investments in our landmark building and its systems
  • evaluate current and future space needs and develop plans to meet them
  • expand and diversify revenue sources in order to reduce reliance on our endowment in the long term