Developing a Community-Aligned Strategic Plan
Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library
Innovation Synopsis
EVPL wanted to create a strategic plan that truly reflected the wishes and needs of the community, while also creating a shared roadmap with other organizations addressing key issues related to education, quality of life, quality of place, social cohesion, and economic progress.
In creating EVPL’s new Strategic Plan, feedback from the entire community was solicited and collected via a months-long survey campaign in the summer of 2023. That feedback was then tied to relevant community economic and demographic data.
EVPL asked patrons open-ended questions about what our libraries do well and how the library system could improve. The question, “What community issue do you think the library could support?” evoked compelling responses spanning personal, educational, and societal needs and concerns.
The EVPL leadership team then reviewed responses, identifying overlapping themes, leading to the core focus areas of the 2024-2027 Strategic Plan: Open Dialogues, Open Access, Open Minds.
Challenge/Opportunity
In prior strategic plans, patron feedback had been solicited, along with input from the EVPL Board of Trustees and employees. For the 2024-2027 plan, EVPL leadership wanted far more input from the community beyond those who happened to visit a location during the survey window.
By implementing an online survey, and promoting it concurrently with the annual summer reading celebration (“Our Summer”), EVPL maximized the opportunity to engage with patrons of all ages throughout the community.
Additionally, librarians and other library leaders utilized various publications and local, state, and federal data sources that corroborated and supported patron feedback. Examples of relevant sources include the SAVI Indiana database, U.S. Census data, National Institutes of Health, Indiana Department of Health, U.S. Surgeon General, and the local Community Health Needs Assessment.
The result was a more informed and community-aligned Strategic Plan.
Key Elements of Innovation
Elements of the online survey campaign included a dedicated survey webpage, an extensive social media schedule, e-newsletter features, and QR codes on various print materials.
Individuals who came to EVPL locations to participate in Our Summer were also encouraged to participate in the survey. Throughout the survey window, patrons encountered multiple touchpoints that indicated the value of their input.
By offering the survey digitally, form responses were easy to review and sort. Locations also offered paper versions of the survey for those individuals who didn’t wish to participate online. Their responses were then entered into the online form by staff.
At the completion of the survey, patron feedback directed and informed the EVPL’s data research. By identifying key themes from the responses, librarians and other leaders had focused direction in researching topics and identifying socially and/or geographically relevant sources.
Achieved Outcomes
Incorporating community data from local economic and social organizations created alignment with other organizations’ efforts to implement meaningful change, all leading to a strategic plan that reflects the needs, wishes, and aspirations of the community we serve.
The feedback for the new EVPL Strategic Plan has been overwhelmingly positive. Community organizations have referenced it during discussion about partnerships. Staff regularly use the plan in decision-making about starting, continuing, or enhancing programs and initiatives. The strategic plan has even been quoted as a forward-thinking, inclusive, and community-serving document by individuals speaking at our Board of Trustees meetings.
An African proverb states, “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.” EVPL’s plan for the next three years was developed together with others, and will be implemented with others. We look forward to seeing how far we will go, together.
