Ideas for a community library strategic plan?

abasket
Wed, 29 Aug 2018 18:03:08 +0000

I consider our libraries community hubs. In addition to books, movies, computers people have access to passports, meeting rooms, after school homework help, free lunches/after school snacks for those who qualify, grant writing workshops and access to online grant databases - oodles of community partnership. Identify some issues in your community and put yourself (someone representing the library) at the table where community concerns take place - that is how you can see other ways a library can serve the community.

Also as an early literacy professional I would encourage you to bulk up your birth-5 offerings - start kids and parents with the library as a free place of entertainment and learning. Hook them! I am in the health care/literacy arena and we have offered library card sign up for special “kid cards” at local pediatric/FP primary care offices - when families bring in their colorful brief application to the library they get a free book, a free tour of the library by a staff member (yes, many people don’t feel comfortable in a library - this helps them know how to “use” it!) and of course, a library card for the child that limits what they can check out (quantity) but NO FINES.

So bring the community into the library and bring the library to the community. Partner, partner, partner.