Library Information
Library Strategic Plans
Printable copy of Strategic Plan
Strategic Plan 2011-2036
Approved by the Rochester Public Library Board of Trustees on January 21, 2004. Revised and approved by the Rochester Public Library Board of Trustees on April 20, 2011.
Mission Statement
The Rochester Public Library (RPL) is dedicated to providing the community with access to information, literature, and ideas.
Vision Statement
RPL will be a model of excellence in library service as perceived by its customers and the library community, with materials, hours, technology, staff and facilities that meet the needs of our changing community.
Core Values
- The Rochester Public Library is committed to providing quality library service. Staff is committed to providing prompt, objective, confidential, and knowledgeable responses to requests for assistance. Staff is committed to assisting library users in finding, using, and evaluating information sources, to meeting demand for popular materials, and to making the use of the library a pleasant experience for our users. Rochester Public Library serves all users fairly and equally.
- The Rochester Public Library is committed to providing basic library services at no charge. This includes general access to books, periodicals and all forms of media including online resources. Some optional services may carry a fee. Access to library service and electronic information will not be denied because of inability to pay fees.
- The Rochester Public Library is committed to intellectual freedom and the need for the library collection to represent many different points of view. Library staff believes that individuals are responsible for making their own choices regarding appropriateness of materials, and that parents/guardians are responsible for the choices made for their children.
- The Rochester Public Library is committed to being a safe and welcoming place. This is reflected through creating policies and practices that ensure safety for the public and the staff, providing exceptional customer service, maintaining physical space, and providing a place to gather and a place to reflect.
- The Rochester Public Library honors diversity, and seeks to represent diversity in its
collections, programs, services, workforce and other areas.
- The Rochester Public Library views technology as a means to the end of better library services and not an end in itself. Staff is committed to assisting and providing training and educational opportunities for those who find technology a barrier to library use.
- The Rochester Public Library acknowledges that available public monies control our ability to fund collections, formats, staff and technology. Staff strives to support growth within our tax supported budget and to expand the funds available through grants, contributions, and other fund sources.
- The Rochester Public Library respects intellectual property rights and copyright law. These legal rights may affect access to resources and remote accessibility.The Rochester Public Library is committed to providing quality library service. Staff is committed to providing prompt, objective, confidential, and knowledgeable responses to requests for assistance. Staff is committed to assisting library users in finding, using, and evaluating information sources, to meeting demand for popular materials, and to making the use of the library a pleasant experience for our users. Rochester Public Library serves all users fairly and equally.
Service Priorities
Primary
- Satisfy Curiosity -- Lifelong Learning : Residents of all ages will have the resources and the staff assistance they need to explore topics of personal interest and continue to learn throughout their lives.
- 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.
- Connect to the Online World – Public Internet Access: Residents will have high-speed access to the digital world with no unnecessary restrictions or fees to ensure that everyone can take advantage of the ever-growing resources and services available through the internet.
Secondary
- Understand How to Find, Evaluate, and Use Information – Information Fluency: Residents will know when they need information to resolve an issue or answer a question and will have the skills to search for, locate, evaluate, and effectively use information in all formats to meet their needs.
- Encourage Young Readers – Early Literacy: 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.
- Make Informed Decisions – Health, Wealth, and Other Life Choices: Residents will have the resources and staff assistance that they need to identify and analyze risks, benefits and alternatives before making decisions that affect their lives.
- Support Educational Pursuits – Homework Help: Students of all ages will have the resources and staff support needed to succeed in school.
Strategic Issues/Goals
Strategic Issue 1:
Maintain and Enhance Quality Services, Programs and Collections
- Meet the library services needs of RPL patrons
- Consistency with RPL’s mission and values
- Positioning to address changing information marketplace
Goal #1: Provide collections to meet the needs of its citizens.
Goal #2: Provide programs and services to support its mission and enhance the quality of life of its citizens.
Goal #3: Provide sufficient staffing and expertise to provide needed library services.
Goal #4: Actively keep informed on changes to the information marketplace and changes in the community in order to meet citizen needs. Evaluate, plan, and implement changes in response to these shifts.
Goal #5: Actively maintain automation infrastructure to reflect current technology based on the needs of users and staff.
Strategic Issue 2:
Ensure Access to RPL Services, Programs and Collections
- Facilities
- Other library service delivery alternatives
- Access
Goal #1: Provide adequate facilities to provide needed library services.
Goal #2: Use other delivery means to provide needed library services when possible.
Goal #3: Improve access to collections, programs, and services through other means such as optimum placement of various types of materials, clear signage, user-friendly computer programs, etc.
Strategic Issue 3:
Secure, Manage and Develop Funding Sources
- Public
- Private
- Friends of the Rochester Public Library
- Rochester Public Library Foundation
Goal #1: Provide adequate public funding for core services.
Goal #2: Seek alternate sources of funds to enhance and expand library services, programs, and collections.
Strategic Issue 4:
Maintain and Enhance Public Relations, Marketing and Public Information
- Improve community awareness and understanding of RPL resources
- Improve communications with funding entities and individuals
- Improve communications with RPL constituents
Goal #1: Improve community understanding of library collections, programs, and services and how it enhances their lives.
Goal #2: Provide information to funders and key constituents on how the library is key infrastructure for a strong community.
Strategic Issue 5:
Build and Maintain Partnerships in the Community to Meet the Library’s Mission and Vision
- Public
- Private
- Peer Libraries
Goal #1: Strengthen the library’s programs, services, collection, and visibility in the community by creating and maintaining strategic community partnerships.
Goal #2: Strengthen the library’s programs, services, and collection by learning from colleagues at peer libraries who show excellence.
Goal #3: Strengthen the library’s programs, services, and collections by working at the regional and state levels to build strong structures to support the local public library.
Strategic Issue 6:
Using a Systematic Approach, Discover and Evaluate Strengths, Weaknesses, and Gaps in All Operational Areas
- Continuous Assessment
- Who Are We Serving?
- Who Are We Not Serving?
- Are Programs, Services, and Collections Achieving Goals?
Goal #1: Determine one or more methods for continuous assessment to determine whether we are serving the community well.
Goal #2: Find strengths, weaknesses and gaps in meeting community needs.
Goal #3: Use what is learned to create additional strategic issues, goals, and action plans.
Last updated: 5/18/11
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