The County of Prince Edward Public Library & Archives board and staff have been hard at work on new strategic plan.
While previous plans have taken on the challenge of envisioning five years into the future, this most recent iteration is a short term plan focussed on COVID-19 recovery and extending the previous 2016-2021 plan.
The library’s mission statement, “Enrich lives by fostering lifelong learning and ensuring that every member of the community has access to a vast array of ideas and resources” has remained the same and library staff are dedicated to continuing to achieve this mission.
There are four goals in the plan which have remained the same, with new strategies in place to achieve the goals. They are: develop branches to accommodate community needs as they grow and change, lead Prince Edward County’s passion for reading, personal growth and learning, reduce barriers for access and foster an organizational culture of innovation.
“On reflecting on the existing plan, it was clear that the goals were still worthwhile, and had served us well as we navigated the pandemic closures,” explained CEO Barbara Sweet, “This new, short-term plan will help us to move forward.”
One of the highlights of the plan includes increasing services for teens, including the formation of a Teen Advisory Board.
“With the expanded Picton Branch in our near future we anticipate needing the advice of youth on how to arrange their spaces and to guide us in developing programs for youth,” said Sweet.
The plan also includes developing an inclusion and diversity statement followed by continuing to build the collection to better reflect the changing population, informed by the Diversity Audit conducted at all six branches of the library. One exciting idea set forth in the plan involves introducing one new initiative at each branch.
“For Picton the new initiative is the expansion of course, but we also have some new projects in the works for Bloomfield, Consecon, and Wellington,” Sweet noted. “We will hold focus groups at each branch of the library and hope to hear from residents across the County what they might like to see at the library. As the community grows and changes, so too should the library services.”
The plan also commits to continuing the Newcomers group to welcome new people to the County, making creative use of outdoor spaces at every branch of the library and more. If you are interested in reading the complete plan, it is available at peclibrary.org and in print at all branches.
Anyone interested in joining a focus group can contact Barbara Sweet at (613) 476-5962 or by email [email protected].