Strategic Direction
2024-2027 Strategic Direction
Mission | Vision | Values
Mission
To welcome all people to connect, learn, participate and grow.
Vision
A city that works for all, where libraries bring people together to experience hope and unlock new possibilities.
Values
We believe in connection. Libraries help people connect to information, resources, and each other. The library is open and welcoming, where all people can find comfortable, joyful access to space, technology, materials, and support.
We believe in innovation. Libraries must continually transform to serve community needs – today and in the future. Every day, the library finds new ways to cultivate empathy and unlock potential, igniting collective curiosity through creative exploration and discovery.
We believe in resilience. The library is a place for quiet reflection and boisterous activity, for likeness and for difference. It is a brave space for public participation: to exchange ideas and build human relationships, power, and community. As part of the foundation of a city’s social infrastructure, libraries are essential to community resilience.
We believe in the power of belonging. Libraries are a safe place where all people can see themselves actively reflected, supported, and celebrated. The library acknowledges and rejects racism, white supremacy and hate of all kinds, and is committing to a public future that delivers truth, fairness, dignity, respect, and healing so all library users can thrive.
A Note from the Director
Saint Paul Public Library community:
Libraries are about people. Saint Paul Public Library’s core purpose today is the same as it was 142 years ago when it was founded – connect the people of Saint Paul to information and resources that will make their lives better.
Each and every day community members seek out library services in at 13 locations across Saint Paul, the Mobile Library that travels around the city, and online. Jobseekers are using computers and virtual call kits to find employment, families are learning together through play in our interactive and imaginative children’s areas, musicians are producing songs in our recording studios, remote workers are connecting to Wi-Fi and a quiet space. Residents seeking resources and connection are finding a warm space in the winter and comfortable spot to cool off on a hot day. They find support from our social worker to connect to city, county, and community resources.
Residents have told us libraries are a place to do life and to be introduced to new ideas and new people.
Libraries are an essential element in the infrastructure of a healthy and thriving city. They are deeply accessible public spaces where all of our community members gather and find connection with each other.
This strategic direction will guide SPPL’s work for the next four years and is based upon the insights our community members have shared with us. Many of the goals deepen SPPL’s commitment to its foundational work. And with those goals, we will continue to evolve our approach and our services to meet the needs, hopes, and dreams of residents in Saint Paul.
Please see this strategic direction as an invitation to connect with our services. Visit one or all of our locations across Saint Paul, find us online at sppl.org, and sign up for a library card and new unlock possibilities.
In connection,
Maureen Hartman, Library Director
"What we pay attention to grows."
Author, facilitator, musician and liberation activist adrienne maree brown said, “what we give our
attention to grows; what we pay attention to grows.” This strategic direction includes two overarching
outcomes that will drive our work alongside our strategic direction goals. The collective impact and
value of our work is measured by both quantitative and qualitative data—stories and numbers. As we
deliver library services to community members, we will also together focus on connecting more
residents in Saint Paul to the vast array of resources that their neighborhood library makes available
and make progress over the next four years to:
- Increase in number of in-person visitors to library locations.
- Increase number of St Paul residents who have and use a library card.
STRATEGIC GOALS
GOAL 1 - Transform library buildings to meet current and future needs.
Outcomes we envision:
- Residents of all cultures, abilities, and communities feel affirmed, celebrated, and reflected through investments in SPPL's spaces, with a current focus on Hamline Midway, Hayden Heights, and Riverview libraries.
- Everyone can easily find and access the tools and digital connection they need to ‘do life’ in libraries in Saint Paul.
- Families are playing and learning together in interactive spaces that reflect the diversity of Saint Paul.
What the work might look like:
- Secure full funding and make progress on construction and investments for the Transforming Libraries initiative, which includes transformations to three outdated library buildings and updates to spaces across the system.
- Develop and begin executing a plan for systemwide improvements to technology; spaces for play and learning; and accessibility of library spaces, services, and information shared.
- Develop standards for the design of library buildings that take into consideration accessibility, refreshed brand identity, and maintenance of library spaces to create a more consistent experience across locations for everyone in Saint Paul.
GOAL 3 - Celebrate and affirm the importance of literacy in the community and as a core service of SPPL.
Outcomes we envision:
- Community members realize their literacy goals and dreams.
- SPPL is a vital leader in the community in advancing literacy.
- Residents and community organizations engaged in literacy work see SPPL as an essential partner to help them reach their goals.
What the work might look like:
- Name literacy priorities for SPPL.
- Strengthen existing SPPL programs and services and experiment with new ways to support literacy goals.
- Integrate learning from community experts about culturally specific values and approaches to literacy into the delivery of library services.
GOAL 4 - Deepen and increase the impact of SPPL’s equity, inclusion, and anti-racism behaviors and practices.
Outcomes we envision:
- Saint Paul residents increase their use of and participation in library services.
- Perspectives of patrons and staff members of color are front and center in identifying the most important priorities in equity, inclusion, and anti-racist work in SPPL’s culture.
- All staff members are able to articulate, practice, and grow equity, inclusion and anti-racism in their daily work
What the work might look like:
- Transform aspects of SPPL’s public service delivery model to deliver on its promise to the community.
- Implement additional racial equity impact tools in program planning and development.
- Resource new opportunities to support staff in growing their shared abilities to practice equity, inclusion, and anti-racism work.
GOAL 5 - Library stakeholders can voice the important role SPPL plays in our city, state, and nationally.
Outcomes we envision:
- Residents, elected officials, and funders understand the value that SPPL contributes to a thriving community.
- Patrons are positively sharing the ways libraries improve their lives.
- Staff are confident and able to tell SPPL stories of impact.
What the work might look like:
- Build staff members’ storytelling skills and increase opportunities for staff members to share the impact of their work with elected officials and other stakeholders.
- Identify ways to invite and lift up patrons’ stories and experiences in libraries.
- Increase internal capacity for development of new ideas, projects, and services to secure funding in partnership with The Friends of Saint Paul Public Library.
GOAL 6 - Invest in the development of SPPL staff.
Outcomes we envision:
- Staff are leading and co-creating services that continually evolve and improve to meet the changing needs of Saint Paul residents.
- Staff at every level are confident in using new tools, equipped with flexible and adaptive skills, and committed to a practice of sharing, learning, and feedback.
- SPPL attracts and retains staff committed to its vision, values, and goals and engaged in delivering on the Library Experience Promise in their work.
What the work might look like:
- Create new onboarding, training plans, expectations, and evaluation tools for staff roles across the organization.
- Develop internal resources for development that allow staff to take advantage of existing
opportunities, explore new settings, and learn new skills outside of their current assignments. - Review current positions to develop transparent career pathways that allow staff to see a path toward growth and understand the necessary steps to advance within SPPL.
