PATTEN FREE LIBRARY

Goal 1. Expand library hours of operation. Goal 2. Develop and serve a vibrant and active community of young adult patrons. Goal 3. Expand adult services and programming options. Goal 4. Clarify the mission and message of the library, promoting the full spectrum of resources and services provided by the library, as well as its enduring and relevant public benefits for our users and the community-at-large. Goal 5. Establish regular contact with stakeholders and partners, expand the audiences we reach, and establish consistency of visual appeal and content across all forms of communication. Goal 6. Cultivate, revive, and/or expand relationships with key community groups that will help build support for library funding and programs. Goal 7. Expand and promote new modes of access to information and resources available in and through the library. Goal 8. Strengthen the library’s development efforts and financial position.

Goal 1: Review and reorganize library hours to better serve working families and students; Determine the level to which hours of operation can be restored to former levels, including expanded Saturday hours. Goal 2: Allocate staff resources to develop and coordinate teen/tween services; Establish a Teen Advisory Committee to recommend and promote programs; Establish partnership activities with local middle and high schools; Improve/redesign spaces devoted to teen/tween services. Goal 3: Establish a permanent line item in the operating budget for adult programming, and develop a process for the annual review and discussion of the budget line; Establish a system for planning and evaluating adult programs and for collecting participant information; Establish realistic, measurable goals for increased adult programming; Develop and execute a plan for making the Community Room more versatile and comfortable; Develop at least one new community partnership per year, including one that serves low-income residents. Goal 4: Enlist professional assistance to assist in redefining the library’s brand; Complete implementation of re-branding process. Goal 5: Develop a revised format for the electronic newsletter through the re-branding process; Re-design the library website; Consider and develop recommendations regarding the effective deployment of other social media to promote the library services and programs; Identify opportunities for improved and/or new signage; Establish a weekly column/calendar in local newspapers; Explore the feasibility of a regular local cable television program. Goal 6: Conduct regular meetings and maintain regular contact with key community partners regarding programs, services, and collaborations; Clarify and expand the roles of the library Corporators and the Friends group in promoting library fundraising and programming. Goal 7: Make it possible to register for a library card and use the library catalog at town offices and other public places; Research the costs and benefits of providing additional satellite services (lending and programming) in towns, through local schools, libraries, and town offices, including delivery services or local television programming. Goal 8: Develop and allocate resources for the optimal development staffing configuration in support of the strategic plan goals for institutional advancement; Strengthen and expand grant-writing and cultivation activities, both through increased staffing and development committee work; Examine the feasibility of an endowment campaign; Increase annual giving by 10% per year.

The Patten Free Library will complete these 8 goals, outlined in our Strategic Plan, by engaging our Board of Trustees, Corporators, Volunteers, and Staff in working together to move forward. We also have begun reaching out to Community and Business Supporters to create a network for success.

Already completed goals: Increased our hours and added Saturday hours to better serve working families & students; Established a teen council and have begun working with architects to build a new Teen Space (we have already nearly tripled use of our library by Teens); Established a operating budget for adult programming, and created a system for planning & evaluating the adult programming, while increasing what we offer; Rebranded the Library, including launching a new website and redesigning our eNews; Approved increasing the Development Staff hours starting July 2015.