Strategic Mission & Goals, FY2014-FY2018

"Libraries are always in a state of transformation: as the means of information production and consumption change, so do libraries." --Shannon O'Neill, Librarian The New York Times, October 16, 2011

MISSION STATEMENT

The Vineyard Haven Public Library serves as a community center for the diverse population of Tisbury, providing print and electronic materials to stimulate the imagination, programs and services to create young readers, and an array of lifelong learning options to satisfy curiosity. Another goal is to foster an informed citizenry among our residents and seasonal visitors by catering to all their informational needs.

MULTI-YEAR GOALS & INITIATIVES

STRATEGIC INITIATIVE: BE AN INFORMED CITIZEN - LOCAL, NATIONAL, AND WORLD AFFAIRS

User Benefit: Residents will have the information they need to support and promote democracy, to fulfill their civic responsibilities at the local, state, and national levels, and to fully participate in community decision making.

Goal 1: The community will access information on local, national and world affairs through library programs and collections.

Initiatives:

• Sponsor discussion groups on national and world affairs, such as the “Great Decisions” program
• Provide access to paper and electronic copies of reports and other data related to current local and regional civic initiatives
• Continue to build collection of books, periodicals, and other materials covering local, national, and world affairs

Goal 2: Residents will find the resources they need to be able to fully participate in the civic process.

Initiatives:

• Create and maintain a “”Be An Informed Citizen” section on the library website
• Invite local officials and community leaders to provide information for library programs or presentations
• Create informative displays prior to local and national elections

STRATEGIC INITIATIVE: CREATE YOUNG READERS - EARLY LITERACY

User Benefit: Children from birth to age five will have programs and services designed to ensure that they will enter school ready to learn to read, write and listen.

Goal 1: The youngest library users will find programs and literary resources to foster reading, writing and listening, enabling them to enter the classroom well prepared.

Initiatives:

• Introduce use of Public Library Association/Association of Library Service to Children “Every Child Ready to Read” and/or “Mother Goose on the Loose” literacy-enhanced storytime techniques
• Offer weekend programs for preschool children monthly or more often during the school year, to accommodate the schedules of more working parents
• Provide outreach services or on-site programs to local preschools and community organizations working with young children
• Make available additional up-to-date resources to support early literacy through library computers

Goal 2: Parents will have access to the services and resources they need to encourage early literacy at home.

Initiatives:

• Update the library website to include resources for parents of preschool children, including book lists, online e-books, and parenting resources
• Offer quarterly “Every Child Ready to Read” programs to teach parents and other caregivers how to support the early literacy development of their children
• Reassess and modify summer reading program to encourage participation by preschool children and their parents

STRATEGIC INITIATIVE: SATISFY CURIOSITY - LIFELONG LEARNING

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

Goal 1: Through the library, the community will have an inviting place to engage in social interaction, experience entertainment, explore topics of individual interest and continue to learn throughout their lives.

Initiatives:

• Survey adults on their interests and hobbies to determine topics where additional materials or programs would be welcomed
• Provide training resources for library tools that allow patrons to explore topics of individual interest such as Ancestry and Mango
• Explore adult program alternatives that emphasize social interaction
• Investigate alternative venues and partnerships with outside organizations to offer programs at different times or for different audiences
• Study possible improvements to meeting spaces, public parking, and technology to support lifelong learning

Goal 2: Young adults can access programs and activities that engage their diverse interests.

Initiatives:

• Engage in regular school visits to middle-school age classrooms Start a Teen Advisory Group and encourage teen library volunteerism
• Survey teens to determine topics of interest for programming
• Establish partnerships with community organizations, agencies, and businesses to present programs for teens
• Offer workshops on Internet use and online research skills
• Establish annual budget for Young Adult programming, with funds from the Luce Fund and Friends of the Library
• Improve technology resources provided to Young Adult patrons

STRATEGIC INITIATIVE: STIMULATE IMAGINATION - READING, VIEWING, AND LISTENING FOR PLEASURE

User Benefit: 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.

Goal 1: Patrons will have access to a diverse core collection in a wide variety of formats, and will have the ability to request and receive materials from outside the library with ease and efficiency.

Initiatives:

• Provide workshops on use of the CLAMS Catalog and Overdrive for library patrons
• Evaluate the adult and YA collections, using a variety of collection development tools, to remove or replace dated and worn items
• Survey patrons about their hobbies, interests, and preferred formats, and increase the core collection in those areas if materials are lacking
• Investigate patron-centered classification schemes, shelving alternatives, and additional display areas that would better market library materials

Goal 2: The community will have access to reader's advisory resources that will allow them to make informed reading, viewing and listening choices with the help of a knowledgeable staff.

Initiatives:

• Provide workshops on Readers’ Advisory, Reference Skills and Online Databases for library staff
• Provide workshops on use of Novelist and other Reader’s Advisory Tools for library patrons
• Publicize new, recommended, and award-winning adult materials on the library websites, in the media and with promotional materials such as bookmarks, reading lists and displays

From the Vineyard Haven Public Library Strategic Plan, FY2014-FY2018, approved by the Library Board of Trustees, July 18, 2012