The purpose of planning is to coordinate the library's activities in order to achieve previously established objectives. Successful planning provides the proper direction for library activities, with the ideal situation being one in which all activities and all units work in a common direction. The strategic plan of every library is to provide strategic guidance for the delivery of library services over the next few years. It outlines an ambitious vision of outstanding library service for all residents. The strategies, in the form of directions with supporting goals and suggested projects, are the means to achieving this vision of the future.This article relates the experiences of nine public libraries in the United States, Canada and Finland. It examines the planning processes of each library and introduces their guiding principles and the structures of strategic plans.