Holiday Closing

In observance of Columbus Day, Wicomico Public Library will be closed on Monday, Oct. 14th.

Strategic Plan

Strategic Plan 2023 - 2027

 

Mission: Educate. Innovate. Inspire.

Vision: We are an inclusive, welcoming community resource striving to meet the diverse needs of all Wicomico County residents.

Values:

Reading

We champion reading as an activity unique in its ability to support and enable education, innovation, and inspiration.

Community

We believe in putting people first and in the library as a place to connect with others.

Intellectual Freedom

We believe in providing open access to the free exchange of ideas and information.

Discovery

We believe the library should be a place that encourages curiosity, exploration, and “doing your own research.”

Access for All

We believe all residents of Wicomico County deserve equal access to library resources.

Respect

We believe in being kind and in making the library a welcoming place where everyone feels respected and valued as a member of the community.

Cooperation

We believe in the importance of building relationships with residents, community organizations, and county and city governments in order to achieve our shared goals.

Goal 1: Expand access to the library’s services, materials, and programs
  • Expand the library’s Mobile Services to emphasize outreach to underserved areas and communities.
    • Expand and continue to evaluate the impact of book lockers as a way to reach remote and high traffic areas.
    • Launch new Bookmobile service in early 2023.
    • Analyze potential feasibility and potential impact of Books by Mail service to increase patron accessibility.
  • Increase funding for high-circulation areas of the collection.
  • Strengthen our partnership with the City of Salisbury and Downtown Salisbury business community.
  • Focus on outreach and support for the growing Haitian community in Salisbury.
  • Conduct a system-wide hours-of-operation impact assessment and adjust hours of operation for optimal user access and staffing and resource efficiency.

 

Goal 2: Fulfill the library’s pledge to promote equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in our culture, policies, and practices
  • Focus the work of equity, diversity, and inclusion staff committee on producing policy and procedure recommendations and planning EDI training events.
  • Review and adapt recruiting and hiring policies and procedures in consultation with the EDI committee with the goal of attracting diverse candidates.
  • Provide regular EDI-focused staff training both as focused events and as a part of continuous staff development.

 

Goal 3: Increase visibility of library services and programs
  • Ensure that communications about library resources and services are clear, branded, and extend far into the community.
  • Increase staff participation in civic organizations representing the library.
  • Produce a quarterly programming and services magazine and promotional mailing strategy.
  • Complete the rollout of a new library website.
  • Adapt the library’s social media strategy to current usage trends.

 

Goal 4: Develop and retain qualified staff to deliver quality service to the public
  • Evaluate the results of the Maryland library cooperative salary study and make phased adjustments to library salaries and positions over FY23 - FY27.
  • Develop and fund an annual staff awards program.
  • Develop a strategy to evaluate the impact of 360 Training.
  • Increase library staff participation--including in leadership positions--in the newly-formed Maryland Library Association Black Caucus.

 

Goal 5: Implement technologies to improve access, service to patrons, and staff efficiency
  • Improve staff communication tools to provide an integrated platform for email, chat, and creative collaboration.
  • Install and provide assistive technology computer systems to increase accessibility.

 

Goal 6: Create library spaces that are inspiring destinations, offering all county residents opportunities to learn, innovate, and discover
  • Relocate the existing Pittsville Branch by Summer 2024.
  • Complete capital improvements at the Sarbanes Branch, including carpet replacement, restroom upgrades, and HVAC and boiler replacements.
  • Develop a strategy for funding a destination, flagship branch of Wicomico Public Library located in Salisbury.
  • Maintain a physical service location in Downtown Salisbury or in a similarly central location for the purpose of ensuring equitable access to library services and in support of the vision of Downtown Salisbury as a vibrant hub for the community.

 

Goal 7: Embark on a comprehensive evaluation of programs and services to identify effective areas and areas for improvement
  • Evaluate and develop a strategy for leveraging the library’s Community Support Center as a means for building cooperation among organizations serving vulnerable populations.
  • Focus on expanding programming partnership with the Wicomico County Board of Education
  • Establish an ongoing Battle of the Books program in partnership with schools.
  • Develop a strategy for offering library programming and access to services at the partner space in the new Mardela Middle and High Schools.

 

Goal 8: Develop a plan to create sustainable alternative sources of funding for the library
  • Assess the impact of the May 2023 Light of Literacy event as a tool for 1) promoting the library to the community and 2) fundraising on behalf of its services.
  • Develop a strategy to formalize and improve staff support for Friends of the Library and Library Foundation administration.
  • Develop a plan to re-establish the Library Foundation and to reorganize the Friends of the Library by merging the two entities into a single independent 501c3 Friends Foundation that advocates on behalf of the library, leads capital fundraising projects, and organizes other fundraising events.

Approved February 21, 2023

Revised April 16, 2024