Purpose

As approved by the Everett Free Library Board of Trustees, this strategic plan will serve as a written action plan designed to assist library staff in directing library development and services during 2017-2023. This plan combines the library’s mission and perceived community needs, with goals, objectives and activities identified and defined within the planning process.

 

Mission Statement

Building a better community by inspiring, informing, educating and entertaining.

 

Introduction

This strategic plan enables library staff to plan, develop and facilitate library services for the community it serves based on perceived community needs and current library trends.

 

Consequently, this action plan encompasses the following components of a strategic plan:

  • Goals – the outcomes or benefits the community will receive as a result of programs and services designed to support the plan’s goals.
  • Objectives – the methods used by the library to measure progress in achieving the plan’s goals.
  • Activities – planned strategies or actions library staff will implement in achieving the plan’s goals and objectives.

 

Selection of Service

 

The library director, staff and Board of Trustees selected a few service priorities.

 

  • Satisfy Curiosity: Lifelong Learning

Residents will have the resources they need to explore topics of personal interest and continue to learn throughout their lives.

 

  • Create Young Readers: Early Literacy

Preschoolers will have programs and services designed to help ensure that they will enter school ready to learn to read, write, and listen.

 

  • Visit a Comfortable Space: Physical and Virtual Spaces

Residents will have safe and welcoming physical places to meet and interact with others or to sit quietly and read and will have open and accessible virtual spaces that support networking.

 

  • Stimulate Imagination – Reading, Viewing and Listening for Pleasure

Residents who want materials to enhance their leisure time will find what they want when and where they want them and will have the help they need to make choices from among the options.

 

Goals, Objectives and Activities

 

Service Response #1 – Satisfy Curiosity: Lifelong Learning

 

Goal 1 – Teens will find programs and services at the library to assist in their transition from high school to post-high school life.

 

Objective 1:    Annually, the library will develop print and electronic services and collections, with an average publication date no greater than 3 yrs., to assist users age 16-20 yrs. In their post-secondary vocational and academic pursuits.

 

Objective 2:    Annually, the library will offer at least two (2) programs designed for users age 16-20 years, which provide information relating to post-secondary vocational and academic pursuits.

 

Activities for Staff

  • Partner with community organizations to offer programs in study skills, college essay writing, finding and applying for scholarships, and job interview skills.
  • Partner with community organizations to offer a vocational-technical career fair, if not already available in the community.
  • Evaluate the current collection of career-oriented, vocational, and academic test preparation materials, eliminating outdated or obsolete titles, maintaining a collection of materials within this classification area with an average publication date no greater than three (3) years.
  • Staff will provide at least two (2) Young Adult programs per year geared toward post-secondary vocational and academic pursuits.

 

Goal 2 – Families will discover the wealth of resources available at their local library.

 

Objective 1:    By 2020, 45% of residents of our service area will be registered library cardholders.

 

Activities for Staff

  • Offer library card registration at events such as block parties and Farmer’s Markets.
  • Annually assess statistical reports to determine percentage of library’s service area residents currently registered as library cardholders.
  • Collaborate with schools to provide in-school library programming to students.
  • Promote and provide library card registration at community events.
  • Develop marketing materials promoting library card registration and library programming, and provide patron demonstrations of library e-resources, as appropriate.
  • Assess and document the number of patrons engaged in Youth Services outreach activities and programs presented outside of the library. An initial count will be taken for programming as it occurred in 2016 to establish a baseline figure for ongoing comparison.

 

Service Response #2 – Create Young Readers: Early Literacy

 

Goal 1 – Families will experience the joy of reading.

 

Objective 1:    Completion rates for the library’s Summer Reading Program for youth will increase to 70% by 2020.

 

Objective 2:    In 2018, the library will increase youth services designed for home school populations to 15% annually.

 

Activities for Staff

  • Provide programming at a variety of times to increase convenient access for home school families.
  • Survey home school families to determine areas of interest in library programs and services.
  • Increase Summer Reading Program promotion in service area schools. With specific focus on program completion rates.
  • Explore and utilize ways to contact SRP participants through the summer to encourage reading and reinforce program “Milestone” dates and benchmarks, including completion.
  • Provide at least one (1) initial program designed for home school youth and families in 2018. Thereafter, home school programming will be added annually to meet a 15% growth rate objective.
  • Determine the completion rate percentage of the Summer Reading Program for youth by dividing the number of youth who have finished the Summer Reading Program by the total number of youth who registered for the program.

 

Goal 2 – Parents and Caregivers of age B-5 years will view the library as a vital resource in their child’s path to developing a lifelong love of reading at age-appropriate levels upon entering elementary school.

 

Objective 1:    Through 2020, the library will maintain attendance figures for programs designed for children age B-5 yrs.

 

Objective 2:    The library will provide at least two (2) outreach activities each year, in collaboration with local organizations, which serve children age B-5 yrs.

 

Objective 3:    By 2018, the library will develop one (1) program for children B-18 months and one (1) program for children 18 months-3 yrs.

 

 

Activities for Staff

  • Conduct two (2) outreach activities each year in collaboration with local organizations which serve children age B-5 yrs.
  • Continue to provide quality programs such as Story Time for children ages 3-5 (prekindergarten).
  • Develop one (1) program for children ages B-18 months (Baby Tales) and one program for children ages 18 months to 3 years (Tales for Tots).

 

 

Service Response #3 – Visit a Comfortable Place: Physical and Virtual Spaces

 

Goal 1 – Users will view the library’s virtual spaces among their own preferred “communities”.

 

Objective 1:    At the first and third year of the current strategic plan, at least 50% of users polled will indicate a positive level of satisfaction with the library’s website.

 

Objective 2:    Annually, the library will conduct at least one (1) marketing campaign within the local community intended to promote public awareness of the library’s digital resources collections.

 

Activities for Staff

  • Staff will conduct bi-annual user surveys to assess patron satisfaction with the library’s website.
  • Staff will develop and utilize online registration for the youth reading programs by 2018 through a youth services web page.
  • Staff will promote the Library’s digital resources of interest to youth and their families, at least once per year.
  • Staff will promote digital resources each month via online and print promotional materials.
  • Staff will conduct a marketing campaign to promote digital resources to the public.

 

Goal 2 – The library’s service area community will enjoy increased social and cultural opportunities at the library,

 

Objective 1:    Annually, 80% of users and/or program attendees, across all age ranges, will indicate a high degree of satisfaction in library programs and services.

 

Objective 2:    The library will participate in events and programming in its service area, such as block parties, Farmer’s Market and Christmas promotions.

 

Activities for Staff

  • Survey attendees of programs to get a rating of satisfaction of programs and services.
  • Participate in community events to promote the inclusiveness of all to the library’s events and programming.

 

 

Service Response #4: Stimulate Imagination and Promote Creativity

 

Goal 1 (Stimulate Imagination) – Patrons will experience timely access to a broad array of popular titles.

 

Objective 1:    Annually, the library will allocate 10% of available materials budget funds toward meeting demonstrated public demand for the most popular items.

 

Objective 2:    Annually, the number of item titles with five (5) or more patron reserves per copy will be reduced.

 

Activities for Staff

  • Identify high-interest items and purchase additional copies of most popular titles.
  • Monitor patron reserves and purchase additional copies of titles with five (5) or more reserves at one time.
  • Develop staff procedure for tracking budget for acquisition of high-interest titles.

 

Goal 2 (Express Creativity) – Potential Do-It-Yourself (DDIY) enthusiasts will view the library as a resource for gaining experience in creative pursuits and associated technologies.

 

Objective 1:    By the third year of this strategic plan, the library will develop marketing strategies to promote creative program opportunities to the public via its social media resources.

 

Objective 2:    Annually, the library will increase its creative program programs designed for users age 12-20 yrs. by 10%.

 

Activities for Staff

  • Market services to encourage public interest in DIY programs.
  • Design high-interest programming to target audience, including teens.
  • Establish a schedule for posting DIY program information to social media, including assignment of staff responsibilities in posting duties.
  • Establish a collection of DIY projects for independent public use.

 

Plan Review and Revision

The Everett Free Library Board of Trustees will review the library’s progress in meeting this plan’s goals, objectives and activities. An annual review process will evaluate plan progress and assess the need for revision, as necessary.

Strategic Plan approved by the Everett Free Library Board of Trustees on February 20, 2017 at their monthly board meeting.