Strategic Plan 2019-2022
BACKGROUND
Every three years, the library undertakes a thorough strategic planning process designed to reexamine its vision, mission, values, and strategic priorities. It is critical that we regularly examine ourselves and adapt to our local community’s current aspirations and challenges, changing societal values and human experiences, advances in technology, and developments within the broader library field. Over the next three years, we will also take on a major renovation project that will transform our interior spaces on the first and second floors. Adjusting to all of these new conditions will require us to be both focused and open-minded.
Starting in the fall of 2018, a committee consisting of library staff and two library trustees, together with community members and trusted partners, contributed to the planning process through reflection, information gathering, discussion, and analysis. The hope is that this new plan will build on the progress made over the past three years, while also clearly addressing the current aspirations and challenges of the community.
Our belief is that the library, through pursuit of our vision and mission, will continue to play a vital role in the continued growth and strengthening of our community. We expect that the 2019-2022 Strategic Plan will guide library staff in their work and inspire others to engage with us in creating a better community.
Download the one-page Strategic Plan overview (PDF).
VISION
The vision statement speaks to our hope for the future of Skokie, as well as the library’s essential role in helping the community reach that destination.
Skokie Public Library is the heart of a vibrant village where people of all ages, backgrounds, and cultures engage in lifelong learning and discovery while actively participating in the life of the community.
MISSION
The mission statement serves as the primary goal of the library and lays down a path for what the library will do to help achieve the vision for the community.
As a springboard for personal growth and community development, Skokie Public Library promotes discovery, enrichment, collaboration, and the exchange of ideas through a broad spectrum of resources and experiences.
VALUES
The enduring values of librarianship include those expressed in the American Library Association Core Values of Librarianship Statement, the Library Bill of Rights, the Freedom to Read Statement, and the American Library Association Code of Ethics. These values include access, confidentiality and privacy, democracy, diversity, education and lifelong learning, intellectual freedom, service, and social responsibility.
We affirm these professional values and are guided by four core organizational values. These core values are vital to the entire organization because they help every staff person understand our identity as an organization and what directs our work.
Community
We recognize that all of our efforts will have a larger impact when we intentionally center them on the aspirations and lives of the people in our community.
Collaboration
We pursue our mission most effectively when we develop relationships and work in concert with our community, colleagues, and partners.
Compassion
We value a resilient community that expresses a deep concern for the well-being of every person, leading to action that is rooted in equity and respect for human dignity.
Curiosity
We cultivate an open-minded and creative environment that encourages everyone to explore new experiences, ideas, information, and questions.
STRATEGIC PRIORITIES
The following strategic priorities outline the library’s main areas of focus over the next three years. Although they do not capture every possible aspect of our activity and work, they highlight the key differences we want to make in our community. They also serve as the framework for enhancing existing work and developing new initiatives. We expect our work for and with the community to make a significant difference in these three areas over the next three years and beyond.
A Resilient Community
Build a more resilient community, one in which people experience well-being, including a strong sense of belonging and connection to one another.
An Engaged Community
Build a more engaged community, one in which people have the knowledge, skills, empowerment, and sense of hope to make a positive impact on the life of their community.
An Inclusive Community
Build a more inclusive community, one in which people actively seek to better understand themselves and others.
APPROACHES
The strategic priorities speak to our broad focus areas. Over the next three years, we will support these priorities by developing and presenting a wide range of collections, establishing fruitful community partnerships, and offering engaging events and learning experiences.
The design of our many public services for people of all ages and interests, including advisory services, information services, digital literacy services, bookmobile and book bike services, and new approaches such as maker services, will also demonstrate our commitment to our strategic priorities. Similarly, the thoughtful design and inspiring renovation of our physical spaces will support our values and strategic priorities.
Even the way our organization handles the behind-the-scenes aspects of our administration and operations (such as policy making, finances, facility management, safety, technology, and communications and multimedia engagement) will be shaped by our pursuit of these focus areas. Finally, our efforts to make a difference in our community in the ways outlined above will be evident in how we invest in and support our library staff. Creating a staff culture marked by values such as curiosity, collaboration, and compassion will continue to be essential to our success.
PLANNING PROCESS
Creating the strategic plan took over seven months and involved many different steps. Throughout the process, we were mindful of the following guiding principles.
Community-Centered
Listening to people in our community grounded the entire planning process. The main topics, based on the main themes revealed from our conversations with community members, explored by the subcommittees included connectedness and belonging, civic participation, navigating a changing information landscape, healthy and supportive communities, and fostering curiosity and creativity. Another integral part of our process involved an opportunity for many leaders from the community to discuss the state of the community and its needs.
Inclusive
We made a commitment to hear not only from established, well-known community partners and experts, but also from those who normally do not have a voice in processes like this. We spoke with immigrants and individuals whose primary language is not English, people with low-incomes, people with disabilities, people with mental illness, and others with diverse experiences and viewpoints. Internally, we composed our staff committees to reflect various departments within the library, as well as diverse personal and professional experiences and backgrounds. We also gave all staff members an opportunity to participate in the process and voice their thoughts during a strategic planning exercise held during Staff Day 2019.
Reflective and Forward-Thinking
We sought to create a process that encouraged participants to not only think about the future realities and possibilities for the library and community, but also about our recent and current work. We intentionally used questions to help participants reflect on our strengths (what can we build on?), opportunities (what are our best possible future outcomes?), and aspirations (what do we care deeply about?). We also invited experts to help us think about wider societal trends and developments that are shaping the future of our profession.
Data-Driven
We considered many different data elements, including local demographic information and how people from different areas within Skokie use the library’s collections, programs, and services.
Impactful
The intent from the start of the process was to design the strategic plan in such a way that it becomes an active, living document that informs our work at every level possible for the next three years. We discussed the structure and communication of the plan so that these values and priorities have the best chance of meaningfully impacting the work of each staff member in the library, as well as informing collaborative efforts created with our community partners.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Skokie Public Library acknowledges and thanks the following individuals and their respective organizations for participating in and supporting the strategic planning process. Many others who are not mentioned below, including members of our staff and community, as well as experts from the library profession and other fields assisted the creation of this strategic plan. This document would not have been possible if not for all of their contributions.
Skokie Public Library Board of Trustees
Mark Prosperi, President
Diana Hunter, Vice President/President Emerita
Karen Parrilli, Secretary
Mira Barbir
Susan Greer
Eugene F. Griffin
Jonathan H. Maks, MD
Core Committee
Mira Barbir, Board Member
Lindsay Braddy, Assistant Access Services Manager
Gene Griffin, Board Member
Jane Hanna, Communications and Multimedia Engagement Manager
Denise Hudec, Collection Development Librarian
Nancy Kim Phillips, Community Engagement Manager
Amy Koester, Learning Experiences Manager
Richard Kong, Director (Committee Chair)
Matt MacKellar, Community Engagement Librarian
Laura McGrath, Deputy Director
Devan Parkison, Data Analysis Coordinator
Miguel Ruiz, Information Services Supervisor
Shelley Sutherland, Youth Services Manager
Leah White, Learning and Development Manager
Subcommittee #1: “Healthy and Supported”
Holly Jin, Community Engagement Supervisor
Laurel Johnson, Young Adult Services Supervisor
Matt MacKellar, Community Engagement Librarian (Subcommittee Chair)
Mandy O’Brien, Youth Services Librarian
Lynnanne Pearson, Customer Services and Popular Services Manager
Subcommittee #2: “Connections and Belonging”
Lindsay Braddy, Assistant Access Services Manager (Subcommittee Chair)
Lorrie Hansen, Community Engagement Librarian
Caitlin Savage, Youth Services Librarian
Kathy Sexton, Popular Services Supervisor
Mimosa Shah, Adult Program Coordinator
Subcommittee #3: “Changing Information Landscape”
Kate Belogorsky, Community Engagement Librarian
Jessica Goodman, Digital Collections Librarian
Amy Holcomb, Experiential Learning Supervisor
Christie Robinson, Senior Communications Strategist
Miguel Ruiz, Information Services Supervisor (Subcommittee Chair)
Subcommittee #4: “Civic Engagement”
Chris Breitenbach, Reference Librarian
Monica Chavez, Administrative Assistant to the Director
Angela Jones, Youth Program Coordinator
Amy Koester, Learning Experiences Manager (Subcommittee Chair)
Terry Ratoff, Community Engagement Librarian
Subcommittee #5: “Curious and Creative”
Stephen Delaney, Web Developer
Calin Muntean, Materials Handling Lead
Caitlin Myers, Assistant Information Services Supervisor
Vanessa Rosenbaum, Visual Design Supervisor
Leah White, Learning and Development Manager (Subcommittee Chair)
Community Partners and Supporters
Theresa Alberico-Madl, School District 73
Steven Applebaum, Behavioral Services
Tony Araque, Niles Township Food Pantry
Aynur Aytes, Euro Echo Cafe
Erine Banac, Patron
Brian Barnes, Patron
Iris Barrios, Village of Skokie Human Services
Rosamin Bhanpuri, School District 219
Tim Biel, Central Methodist Church
Henry Biar, St. Paul Lutheran Church
Betty Bogg, Connections for the Homeless
Peter Bromberg, Salt Lake City Library
Craige Christensen, YWCA Evanston/Northshore
Olga Chertkova, Patron
Margaret Clauson, School District 69
Bridget Connolly, School District 219
Catherine Counard, Village of Skokie Health
Tiffany Culpepper, Infant Welfare Society of Evanston
Phil Crittenden, Volunteer
Matthew Daigler, National Able Network
Juanita Davis, Village of Skokie Human Services
David Donegan, Village of Skokie Human Relations Commission
Kate Donegan, School District 73.5
Andi Drileck, National Able Network
Mary Elston, Metropolitan Family Services
Miguel Figueroa, American Library Association Center for the Future of Libraries
Mark Fijor, School District 72
Sharon Fine, Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center
James Garwood, School District 68
Tsetsegmaa Gomez, School District 73.5
Ekram Hanna, Iraqi Mutual Aid Society
Andrew Hazard, Volunteer
Laura Hazard, Volunteer
Jean Hedstrom, People for a Safer Society
Eileen Heineman, YWCA Evanston/Northshore
Ken Hockenberry, Carter-Westminster United Presbyterian Church
Abigail Hoffman, Turning Point
Casia Holmgren, Oakton Community College
Beth Hooten, Orchard Village
Russ Hopkins, Military Families Initiative
Jennifer Hutchison, Patron
Steven Isoye, School District 219
Diana Juarez, ELL Parent Center
Bryan Kelly, School District 69
Tarin Kendrick, Niles Township District for Special Education
Janet Kenny, School District 72
Rifath Khan, Douglas Center
Khem Khoeun, Skokie Park District
Bernadette Komenda, School District 219
Elizabeth Kristiansen, Douglas Center
Esther Lang, Assyrian Universal Alliance Foundation
Baruch Lev, Patron
Sasha Lev, Patron
Cara Liace, Children’s Advocacy Center
Bob Libit, Village of Skokie Police
Beth Lindley, Village of Skokie Human Services
John Lockerby, Village of Skokie
Barb Macikas, Public Library Association
Steve Marciani, Village of Skokie Planning
Joannie McKinney, Niles Township Clothing Closet
Amy Memis-Foler, Beth Emet Free Synagogue
Katie Merrell, Ethical Humanist Society
Daniel Morris, St. Timothy's Lutheran Church
John Ohrlund, Skokie Park District
Habeeb Quadri, MCC Academy
Kee Park, Patron
Kate Paz, Mather LifeWays
Fernanda Perez, Skokie United
Amy Puente, Patron
Ann Raney, Turning Point
Sarah Rankin, School District 69
Mary Rose, Metropolitan Family Services
Julianne Rooney, Turning Point
Tony Scarpelli, Village of Skokie Police
Sarin Seesawat, Patron
Christine Somervill, NAMI
Allison Stark, Orchard Village
Susan Stump, YWCA Evanston/Northshore
Jen Sultz, Turning Point
Jim Szczepaniak, School District 219
Ann Tennes, Village of Skokie
Belinda Tibayan, MCC Academy
Michelle Tuft, Skokie Park District
George Van Dusen, Village of Skokie
Joanna Varda, SCC Early Childhood Centers
Stephen Vick, Infant Welfare Society of Evanston
Dilnaz Waraich, Muslim Community Center
Michael Weinberg, Temple Beth Israel
Cindy Whitaker, School District 72
Brian Williams, Skokie United
Brad Wooten, Oakton Community College