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No matter how you create it, a library technology plan is a considerable amount of work.  If your library staff spend many hours creating a technology plan that simply ends up in a drawer (and is never referred to again), then you have expended a lot of effort for no particularly good reason. 

So why create a technology plan at all?  There are more than a few good reasons!  This article will attempt to list some of the most important ones, but you can probably think of others as well that are unique to your own library's specific situation.

The following list of reasons for creating a library technology plan is drawn from the South Carolina State Library’s Technology Planning for Public Libraries presentation.

A library technology plan is necessary in order to:

Apply for funding.  Programs such as the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) and the federal government's Universal Service (E-Rate) Program require a library to submit a technology plan as part of the grant application process.  The Schools and Libraries Division, which administers the E-rate program for the Federal Communications Commission, recommends a three-year technology plan.

Integrate technology with the mission.  It's important not to pursue technology implementation projects in isolation from the library's institutional goals, such as those articulated in a library mission statement.  Many libraries address this by including a technology vision statement in the technology plan.  This vision statement explains how technology will be used to further the library's high-level patron service goals.

Permit ownership by outside partners.  Since a public library never works in isolation, a technology plan can become a vehicle for communicating with external partners such as a Library Friends Group, a Library Board, a City or County Council, etc.  Sharing the library's technology plan with these sorts of partners is critical to engaging their involvement in and support of the library's technology goals.

Obtain special funding.  Your technology plan should include a history of accomplishments and positive, measurable improvements in services to your community and your staff. If you can establish such a history, it is easier to build partnerships or obtain one-time funding for a special project that might be somewhat “outside the box” or “on the bleeding edge”.

Demonstrate pro activeness.  With computer technology changing so rapidly, any type of institution can get overwhelmed trying to keep up with what is new and really relevant.  The very process of creating a technology plan demonstrates that the library staff is thinking ahead, and trying to achieve the institution’s technology vision in a practical and actionable way.  This is certainly preferable to waiting for and reacting to each new "technology of the month" as it comes along.

Budget for technology purchases.  A good technology plan will help prevent unplanned and unneeded equipment and software purchases. Enhancements to current technology can be prioritized and planned for.  

Plan for staff training. Will the staff be able to use the new technology/equipment/software that your library acquires?  Staff training in the use of both current and new technology should be a part of the technology plan. While various departments will require different levels of training or areas of emphasis, all staff should be trained on new software or hardware. The varieties of training opportunities run the gamut. Whether it’s in-house training, self-paced, or live, off-site training, opportunities should be identified that will enable staff to use technology to its fullest, and to be able to provide assistance to the public, as needed.

Keep technology projects on track.  Unfortunately, implementation projects involving computer technology rarely run as smoothly as we would all like them to.  The process of writing, and especially revising, the technology plan creates an automatic review process for technology projects that are underway in the library.  If projects are running behind schedule or over budget (or just not working at all!), look for solutions in light of the larger picture found in your library’s technology plan.

Still need more reasons?  Although written for a general non-profit audience, TechSoup's Why a Technology Plan? article is another source of useful ideas.