East Lansing Public Library FY2022 Action Plan

Date: July 2022

Mission

The East Lansing Public Library provides a place and resources where people gather to share information and ideas to enrich lives and foster community.

Vision

The East Lansing Public Library enriches, connects and transforms lives through knowledge and innovation.

Core Values

  • Accessibility
  • Community
  • Innovation
  • Knowledge

Accessibility

  • Reopen library to pre-pandemic hours and full services
  • Complete phase 1 of the site improvements (part of the sidewalk replacement, tree removal and paving/straightening of the circle drive); complete the HVAC replacement; and complete the update of the electrical system
  • Develop a new teen afterschool program
  • Work with ELPD Neighborhood Resource Teams to establish good guidelines for afterschool program
  • Create and adopt a library privacy policy
  • Create and adopt a library accessibility policy for elpl.org
  • Restart in-person storytime programs
  • Partner with local international students and families to provide bilingual storytime quarterly
  • Redesign the volunteer program
  • Restart outreach efforts with childcare facilities, Islamic Center, Chabad Student Center
  • Develop catalog and classification headings that align with the collection diversity audit findings and more inclusive language; this will be ongoing. Create a page(s) on elpl.org to share visual representations of data collected during ongoing diversity audits. Page(s) will be updated annually/biannually as new data is collected
  • Review and update policies; this will be ongoing
  • Apply for American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant money via the Library of Michigan through the Library Services and Technology Act for addition 24/7 lockers in offsite locations throughout East Lansing as additional accessibility to library materials

Community

  • Hire staff to fill vacant positions
  • Hire a consultant to work with the staff, library board and community members to develop, write and implement a new strategic plan
  • Purchase supplies for and create the Conscious Child: Family Book Discussion Kits (diversity reading kits) for circulation
  • Restart/revamp Stories in the Garden for summer 2022, as collaboration between youth services and teen services
  • Create Storytime-To-Go print-outs and blog posts for families and caregivers
  • Work with the Planning Department, DDA and DPW to install a permanent storywalk in downtown East Lansing or at a city park
  • Work with Parks and Rec and DPW to install Little Free Libraries on the Northern Tier Trail and area parks
  • Host the Great Michigan Read author Mary Doria Russell in October, author of The Women of Copper Country
  • Create a fundraiser with “Love Your Library” items in a special gift box for the holidays
  • Reinvigorate and hold Books, Bites and Bids in April 2022
  • Develop fall schedule for the Library on the Go
  • Work with the East Lansing Arts Commislon to install a mural on the northwest exterior wall of the library
  • Work with the Friends of the Library to establish quarterly or annual big book sales
  • Revamp the One Book, One Community program
  • Host National Night Out in partnership with ELPD in August.

Innovation

  • Determine if it is cost effective for the library to pursue adoption of an alternative ILS
  • Investigate, create, and begin “facilitating” more passive programming
  • Seek out and apply for grants
  • Plan, develop and begin installation of the interactive children’s garden
  • Plan a community wide art project to coordinate with the children’s garden installation
  • Install an additional bay of pickup lockers at the library
  • Create a “Change Team” or Library Cultural Development Team that is staff led
  • Partner with MSU Libraries to create a “one” library card for MSU students
  • Partner with ELPS to develop a program to automatically sign students up for library cards via their student ID

Knowledge

  • Attend DEI training with Truth and Titus for nine months beginning in July 2021—all staff
  • Explore grants that will allow us to bring storytellers and/or performers for special programs during Black History Month
  • Send staff to in-person professional development opportunities
  • Research, plan, and launch a reading and discussion program series called Thoughtful Kids, or something similar, for elementary-aged children
  • Create a digital literacy learning plan for staff members
  • Update the Priority-Based Budget documents
  • Work with ELPS to establish relationships at the schools, coordinate library visits
  • Cross-train all staff on circulation essentials and cross-department duties
  • Create a library security and safety team that is staff led
  • Develop and host social justice programs for all ages, including revamp the social justice reading/viewing groups for adults and children
  • Form a workgroup of marketing, programming, and content creation staff to unify the library’s content promotion across all platforms, centering diversity equity and inclusion (DEI) principals at the center of all library content
  • Develop and implement a marketing/pr plan
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