Mission of Stephentown Memorial Library
The Stephentown Memorial Library empowers our community by offering free access to information, programs and services to all its residents. As a living memorial to those who have served our country, we aspire to help each generation remember the past, thrive in the present, and fulfill the promise of the future.
Strategic Objectives
- Expand the Library’s educational and community service.
- Enhance the Library’s space, programs, tools, and resources. Expand Library services and facilities to meet Stephentown’s needs, supplying materials, programs, and other support for lifelong education, reading, civic participation, and community development.
- Assure the Library’s Continuing Viability and Relevance
- Manage the Library effectively to assure that the public’s investment is protected and well used in the long term.
- Honor the Service and Sacrifices of Stephentown’s Veterans.
- Fulfill the Library’s mission as a memorial to the Veterans of Stephentown.
Action Plan
Expand the Library’s educational and community services
Enhance the Library’s space, programs, tools, and resources. Expand Library services and facilities to meet Stephentown’s needs, supplying materials, programs, and other support for lifelong education, reading, civic participation, and community development.
- Regularly assess the needs of Library users and non-users, including continuing to solicit and respond to community input.
- Continue to utilize surveys.
- Expand programs for life skills, including digital, early, and cultural literacy.
- Continue to develop and implement programs for children.
- Optimize the Library’s physical resources to support evolving needs of the community.
- Work with the architectural firm Butler Rowland Mays and its partner Paul Mays to further develop and start to implement a long-term master plan for the Library
- Pursue short-term options to maximize use of the existing indoor and outdoor space while the master plan develops.
- Expand access to digital services to residents of Stephentown.
- Create new Technology Plan after analyzing technology needs for next three years.
- Research viability of hotspot, other technology-loan programs.
- Organize training classes (both online and in person, when again possible).
- Continue to use and strengthen the Library website to promote and provide services.
- Continue to analyze, update and refine Library policies.
Assure the Library’s Continuing Viability and Relevance
Manage the Library effectively to assure that the public’s investment is protected and well used in the long term.
- Continue to develop and recruit for volunteer groups, in part by focusing on what the volunteers specifically want to do to reduce burn-out caused by doing things that they do not want to do).
- Promote the Library to attract users.
- Publicize the Library at local businesses and organizations to promote its programming and resources.
- Continue to utilize local print media and social media for promotional purposes.
- Fundraising
- Fund raising for special projects.
- Expand and manage the financial reserve appropriately.
- Continue annual appeal.
- Recruit 1-3 new Board Members annually, with particular emphasis on attracting veterans.
- Maintain positive relationship with all types of Town residents.
- Maintain the current level of Library staffing and expand staff-development opportunities.
- Continue to implement and update the annual board-approved budget designed to address community needs as defined in this long-range plan.
- Master plan must include maintaining the facilities for the long term.
- Implement the engineering studies of the Library’s systems and structure proposed in the master plan.
- Use the results of the studies to develop and initiate a long-term maintenance plan and reserve for replacement.
- Be environmentally conscious and responsible.
- Increase size of Board of Trustees to thirteen (13) members.
Honor the Service and Sacrifices of Stephentown’s Veterans.
Fulfill the Library’s mission as a memorial to the Veterans of Stephentown.
- Continue to work with local Veterans and their organizations to create a closer relationship.
- Update Veterans’ Services Kiosk as Veterans supply appropriate materials.
- Continue annual display of Stephentown Veterans’ materials during Veterans Day.
- Continue to develop lecture/presentation series focusing on Veterans and US military history and related topics.