St. Mary's County Library

Header Right Social

FacebookInstagramYoutubeMeetupOn the Shelf Blog

Header Right Search

Strategic Plan

St. Mary’s County Library Strategic Plan, 2020-2024

Guiding Statements

Our Vision: We inform and inspire.
Our Mission: We connect people with ideas and information in a diverse community, valuing opportunity and education for all.

Our Core Values and Guiding Principles

    a mother and two children sitting on the floor reading a book
  • Education
    • Build collections that inform and entertain, promote the development of skills and life-long learning, and spark creativity
    • Ensure our collections are diverse, inclusive, and accessible to all
    • Support and defend our customers’ right to access information without judgment
    • Inspire a love of learning and foster wisdom
  • Service
    • Develop a friendly, knowledgeable, and responsive staff who anticipate and exceed our community’s diverse needs and expectations
    • Provide training and opportunities for continued employee growth
    • Embrace change and innovation
  • Community
    • Serve all members of our community, respecting our diversity
    • Seek creative community partnerships and welcome volunteers
    • Engage in joint efforts with regional and state library partners to achieve our mission
  • Integrity
    • Be accountable to the Board of Library Trustees and the citizens of St. Mary’s County
    • Be good stewards of funds and resources provided by St. Mary’s County, the State of Maryland, the Friends of the St. Mary’s County Library, and the St. Mary’s County Library Foundation
    • Be fair and ethical in all our dealings with customers and staff
    • Protect our customers’ privacy and preserve intellectual freedom

Area of Focus: Organizational Health

  • Goal 1: Promote a positive working environment
    • Create sustainable systems and processes that foster communication, teamwork, and collaboration
    • Seek opportunities to increase productivity and efficiency
    • Develop and enhance employee wellness and morale
    • Strive to retain employees and honor their achievements and contributions
  • Goal 2: Institutionalize the values of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI)
    • Provide inclusive programming, services, and resources for our diverse community
    • Develop policies and procedures to ensure equity, diversity, and inclusion across the organization
    • Continue to provide equity, diversity, and inclusion training and other opportunities to all staff
group of young children and adults surrounding a small pool filled with water beads

Area of Focus: Service to the Community

  • Goal 1: Develop and maintain a dynamic and current collection
    • Apply professional best practices to provide a collection that is current, responsive, diverse, and in excellent condition
    • Drive new models for accessing digital content, and publicly advocate for beneficial business models and formats to meet the digital content needs and expectations of our community
  • Goal 2: Enhance our programs and services
    • Meet the needs of diverse audiences with innovative programs and services
    • Continuously evaluate the effectiveness of our programs and services
    • Utilize strategic partnerships to reach community members

Area of Focus: Access

  • Goal 1: Improve access to collections, services, and programs
    • Work towards eliminating fines on all overdue materials
    • Explore options for services beyond the three Library locations
    • Expand library card access and opportunities
    • Ensure that collections, services, and programs are accessible to all
  • Goal 2: Renovate and/or repurpose existing spaces to meet changing needs
    • Continuously assess the current physical and technological needs of the Library and the community
    • Invest in multi-use or flexible spaces
    • Ensure that Library spaces are accessible to all
3d printer printing a grey cat

Area of Focus: Technology

  • Goal 1: Stay abreast of current and changing technologies to best serve the community
    • Ensure the highest level of computer and network performance
    • Introduce innovative technologies that exceed the expectations of our community
    • Monitor and respond to trends in technology
  • Goal 2: Provide access and training to address the digital divide
    • Address barriers to use of our public computers, WiFi, and other technologies
    • Continue to invest in technology and equipment for in-house use or borrowing
    • Tailor technology services and training opportunities for diverse needs

Area of Focus: Community Relations

  • Goal 1: Tell the Library’s story
    • Develop and continuously update a marketing plan
    • Host and participate in community events to expand our impact
  • Goal 2: Cultivate advantageous partnerships
    • Assess current and potential partnerships for alignment with the Library’s strategic goals and core values
    • Effectively allocate staff resources to partnership development and management
  • Goal 3: Proactively communicate with our community
    • Train staff in best practices in customer service
    • Empower staff to creatively address customer needs
    • Effectively use digital and print communications

For further details please contact the Director, Michael Blackwell at 301-475-2151 x5013 or mblackwell@stmalib.org

This strategic planning project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) through a Library Services and Technology Services (LSTA) grant.