Date: July 15, 2016
Mission Statement:
The East Lansing Public Library provides a place and resources where people gather to share information and ideas to enrich lives and foster community.
Focus Areas
Community:
Providing opportunities for people to meet, share ideas and participate in the development of their community
Learn:
Promoting learning and literacy in all forms to all ages
Collaborate:
Working with partners toward a common goal
Develop:
Creating an environment that is future-oriented, serves as good stewards of public resources and innovates the staff and community
Discover:
Providing a space and the resources that spark creativity and an organization that is in step with industry trends
Community
- Work with c2ae, Laux Construction and Library Design Associates to open the newly remodeled library by September 30/October 1
- Establish a Bibliocommons development and implementation team
- Host community and staff focus groups about Bibliocommons
- Move from the Encore catalog to Bibliocommons catalog/website by January/February 2017
- Host One Book, One Community (OBOC) author reception on August 28
- Host author Ben Rawlins as part of the OBOC events on September 14
- Host East Lansing Welcomes the World (ELWTW) on October 2
- Investigate hiring a part-time marketing/PR position to help promote ELPL in the community (services, programs, resources)
- Create, develop and implement a targeted and defined marketing plan to increase public awareness of ELPL’s vast resources and services
- Establish an online volunteer presence to better organize current volunteers and create interest for future volunteers
- Develop a volunteer/docent training so that volunteers can be greeters and tour guides in the remodeled building
- Incorporate volunteers into children’s services preparation and implementation
- Establish an “Ask Campaign” both via letter and e-mail blast by November 2016
- Educate the community about the relationship between the City of East Lansing and the East Lansing Public Library (ELPL); specifically in regards to funding and tax levies
- Help people access services they need, even if unrelated to the Library
- Work with our Harwood Institute cohorts to conduct at least three community and staff interviews
- Investigate creating and adding an engaging and fun portal to the children’s area
Learn
- Implement technology training/classes for seniors
- Offer more programming for children ages 5-10 years
- Develop circulating Parenting Kits (modeled after Storytime Kits) as part of the parenting collection
- Incorporate Every Child Ready to Read materials and practices into children’s programming and staff professional development to support pre-reading skills
- Develop a series of coding workshops for adults
- Develop more STEAM programming for all age groups
- Investigate additional venues for early childhood outreach, including Eastminster Child Development Center and East Lansing KinderCare
- Continue to reach out to ELPS to encourage their use of the Maker Studio facilities, equipment and resources
Collaborate
- Reconnect with MSU Project 60/50 to offer Racial Healing: A Community Conversation programs
- Work with the Department of Public Works and area Master Gardeners on updating the landscaping in the front of the building
- Establish a connection with Prime Time Seniors’ Program for programming and outreach.
- Coordinate Tim Busfield’s Second Annual Performance Arts Warm-Up with MSU on September 10 and 11 at WKAR
- Revamp MSU service learning volunteer program to better utilize university students involved with the teen after-school program
- Continue and grow our partnership with Wharton Center (Act One Family Series and Autism Awareness programs for “Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime.”)
- Develop partnership with the Broad Museum for collaborative programming
- Partner with the Violet Realm of the Iowa Writers’ House to create a synchronous satellite workshop for writers of speculative fiction
- Work with local businesses to offer a teen job fair at the end of the public school year
- Work with local educators to develop an Adulting 101 (budgeting, job seeking) program series for teens and new adults
- Collaborate with the Department of Parks and Recreation to establish programming opportunities and partnerships (especially with Hannah Community Center)
- Work with donor/owner on acquiring 1090 Abbot building
Develop
- Provide a staff in-service day for all staff on readers’ advisory, collection maintenance and customer service on October 14
- Develop adult, children’s and teen readers’ advisory training/best practices for staff
- Develop core competencies for library staff (technology, customer service, reference). Determine staff competency levels. Hold staff accountable for learning, knowing and using these competencies at a skilled level
- Establish customer service training for staff
- Establish reference skills training for staff
- Establish standardized department training for new hires
- Provide orientation for the new Board of Trustee member
- Educate staff so that they can comfortably talk to patrons about library funding and the need for an “Ask Campaign”
- Establish a quarterly-program planning calendar for youth services
- Reevaluate Page work responsibilities and look into restructuring work load
- Purchase a shelf management wand and create best practices/procedures for staff to maintain shelf quality
- Fully implement Novelist integration at self check machines
- Implement wireless printing for library patrons
- Purchase and install new wireless access points throughout the library
- Complete latest replacement cycle of all public and staff computers
- Install new copier/printer and payment kiosk for public use
- Purchase and implement donor database software
Discover
- Investigate offering more nontraditional items to circulate
- Establish a tool library housed in the Maker Studio
- Increase the size and scope of the Maker studio collection
- Reignite and expand the Makers in Residence program
- Create a readers’ advisory portal using the BiblioCommons platform
- Create an Early Childhood Literacy portal using the BiblioCommons platform
- Create a system to consistently integrate physical, web and social media collection promotion and merchandising
- Continue to investigate and analyze new technology that will enhance and keep ELPL relevant
