Multnomah County Library has sought to keep pace with rapidly evolving community needs. In 2016, we decided to radically rethink how we shape our three-year organizational priorities by taking a community-focused approach, rather than creating them internally. We used an aspirational community engagement process to elicit the greatest areas of community need, without the frame of what people think a library can do. Effective July 1, 2018, those priorities directly address those needs.

• Leveraged extensive outreach and culturally specific staff
• Gathered 839 responses in facilitated discussions and at community events in English, Spanish, Chinese and Russian
• Themed and analyzed results; compiled detailed report
• Key community priorities were community building, safety, meeting basic needs, belonging and inclusion/diversity, recreation, environment, education and transportation
• Solicited staff feedback on how to act on findings
• Created priorities at an accessible reading level that highlight equity/inclusion throughout and focus on community feedback

Multnomah County Library will enter the next fiscal year with priorities firmly centered on community needs. The new priorities are far more understandable and accessible than previous iterations. For staff, the community’s needs are clearer and they provide a helpful way for us to reflect about what we think we know and what we actually heard. We also built capacity to share this work with peers and continue it in the future.