Planning for meaningful change in libraries and library networks: a first step.

The Program Planning Model (PPM) is a planning and management tool that facilitates development and acceptance of significant programs. PPM assists program planning by systematically involving consumer or user groups in the development and review of new programs. While user participitation is important throughout PPM, this involvement is especially important during the problem exploration phase, when the problems or needs of these users are surveyed. The Nominal Group Technique (NGT), a variation of the "brainstorming" process, is a structured but flexible group process used in the problem exploration phase to generate a high number of useful responses concerning problem areas. NGT ensures maximum contribution of ideas by all participtants. NGT and its application in the planning and management efforts of several libraries and library networks are described in detail.