Main Logo@2x

Library Annual Plan

Annual Plan FY 2024

Approved  by the Board of Library Trustees for Caroline County   

August 9,  2023

 

Mission

The Caroline County Public Library brings people, information and ideas together to enrich lives, increase knowledge, and build community.

Introduction

Our primary goal is to have the staff, facilities, materials, programs, and partnerships that make us leaders in educating and engaging our community. 

 Four influences will continue to frame services and programs offered  and how we provide them this fiscal year:  COVID-19, hiring new staff and rebuilding our staff team, the current economy,  and the movement for racial justice in our nation.

A fifth influence this year will be the renovation of the first floor of the Central Library. This will greatly affect services at and access to the Central Library this fiscal year.  While staff will provide what they can from the Central Library, more services and programs will be offered at  the Federalsburg and North County Branches, along with out in the community.

 We are committed to:

  • Providing timely and accurate information and assisting customers to identify authoritative information and sources.
  • Strengthening and ensuring equity, diversity, and inclusion for our team in order to maintain high levels of customer service and responsiveness to the community.
  • Strategically designing services, programming and marketing, along with improved access to services to bring our library users back to our three locations as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, including curbside on demand, open hours adjustments for better access for youth and working people.
  • Strategically designing new services to meet rapidly changing needs, focusing on community engagement beyond our facilities.
  • Keeping facilities well maintained and responsive to customer needs.
  • Gathering and sharing stories that demonstrate the power of the library to educate and enrich the lives of our community members.

 

 

Strategic Goals

Management

Staff  Development

  • Continue to rebuild the staff team through hiring, training, coaching and mentoring.
  • Complete the work begun in FY23 to update all job descriptions.
  • Continue to update/develop departmental procedures and documentation.

Safety

  • Provide CPR, AED, and First Aid training to all staff.
  • Review and revise the Safety Handbook and review regularly with all staff.
  • Update the trifold Safety pocket response document.
  • Review our emergency closing checklist.
  • Continue work on the new Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP).
  • Follow the training plan included in the COOP.
  • Upgrade the security camera system at the Central Library

Capital Improvements

  • Complete Phase 1 of the construction of the Central Library first floor renovation that both has health & safety in mind and meets the needs of our customers.
  • Complete Phase 2 FY2024 Phase II Central Library renovations to include replacing the 1995 elevator and the slate on the large pitched roof over the 1995 addition.
  • Work with the Caroline County Commissioners to complete a storm water management plan for the Central Library.

Central Library Services

  • Offer Central Library services as best we can during the construction, using the second floor meeting space, curbside opportunities, Federalsburg and North County Branches, and increased outreach through partners.
  • Complete configuring of new furniture and shelving, return books, DVDs and other items to their assigned areas.
  • Develop a re-opening plan.
  • Conduct a grand re-opening of the newly renovated Central Library.

North County Branch

  • Work with the County Attorney and Library Board to develop a plan for the  North County Branch in preparation to the end of the current lease March 31, 2025 with Maryland Rural Development Corporation.

Federalsburg Branch

  • Rebuild sewage pump chamber.

Education

Learning from Home

●       Support the needs of families as they use virtual and blended learning programs. The following stakeholders have been identified:

○        Traditional homeschoolers

○        Families with students  enrolled in asynchronous learning

 

●       Market our services to these families.

 

STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) Learning

  • Continue to develop and offer strong STEAM programming for all ages.
  • Reorganize the Central Library’s Makerspace operations to increase its use to a wider and more diverse audience.
  • Launch a Library of Things collection.

Early Childhood Learning

  • Continue to develop and offer strong Early Childhood programming in a safe manner in partnership with organizations serving young children and their families.
  • Continue to maintain enrollment in and funding for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
  • Plan for bringing back Storytime to Central Library beginning in January 2024 while supporting the Storytime offering at the North County Branch.
  • Consider re-launching early childhood programming in Federalsburg.


Adult Learning

  • Continue to provide and promote materials, resources and connections to adult learners.

 

Economic Growth

Food Security

  • Continue to work with Caroline County Public Schools to provide summer lunches to youth aged 0-18.
  • Continue to promote local food banks through MyFamilyNeeds.info.

Adjunct Career Center

  • Assist those looking for jobs and/or applying for unemployment benefits.
  • Support partners by sharing and promoting economic and employment opportunities to the public.
  •  

Engagement

Outreach & Community Engagement

  • Host a variety of culturally enriching programs in collaboration with community partners.
  • Host a variety of topical and civic programs in collaboration with community partners.
  • Host programs that address race and social justice in collaboration with community partners.
  • Market programs through website, social media, traditional media, and partners.
  • Work with Dept of Social Services and the Health Dept to improve and promote MyFamilyNeeds.info to partners and the public.
  • Continue to work with the Friends of the Library to increase their membership base and fundraising.

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Accesibility

Recognizing that actions speak louder than words, the Library commits to the following goals:

  • We will continue our efforts to make our collections and our buildings more accessible and welcoming to everyone. This includes providing access to technology to help bridge the digital divide.
  • We will continue to regularly evaluate our library programs and collections to ensure we are meeting the needs of our community.
  • We will continue to seek out diverse Board members to govern the Library.
  • We will continue to expand our Outreach programs to ensure we are reaching customers who do not have library access or who have traditionally been underserved.
  • Our Marketing efforts will continue to use a variety of mediums to reach library users. We will continue to create Marketing materials and Library displays that reflect the communities we serve.
  • Our recruitment efforts will concentrate on recruiting qualified marginalized and underrepresented populations, so our library staff reflects the communities we serve.
  • We will work with our Friends of the Library group to recruit members who reflect the communities we serve.
  • We will train staff at all levels in the organization on topics of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.
  • We recognize Caroline County’s history of social injustices including racism and will commit to providing educational materials and programming addressing social justice.
  • We recognize that there is no “finish line”, but instead a continuous process of teaching and learning.

Visit

About

Support

Main Logo@2x

© 2020 Caroline County Public Library

Privacy Policy     Accessibility