Strategic Plan & Brand Promises
While our strategic plan is something that guides our daily work, it is also aspirational; its purpose is to keep us energized and focused over the next three years, ensuring that the Richland Library system can meet the learning needs and goals of its residents.
2022-2025 Strategic Plan
A strategic plan serves as a framework for the work we do. It influences both our day-to-day activities and special initiatives or projects. It is the foundation for the way we treat customers and each other, how we do business in the community, and the services, programs and materials we provide for our residents.
Strategic Planning Process
To better reflect our “Learn. Create. Share.” philosophy, our physical changes and new ways to serve the community, Richland Library embarked on a refresh of our current Strategic Plan in the summer of 2015. Recognized as a ground-breaker among libraries worldwide, we strive to continue to lead the way for libraries to better serve the needs of their communities with innovative services, resources and spaces.
Find out more about our planning process
Mid-point Process Review
Produced in January 2018, this document highlights progress on many of our Strategic Plan goals.
Check out what we've accomplished
Our Promises
We are... WELCOMING.
We are not only friendly, we are familiar. We know our customers and treat them like our friends and family. We pride ourselves on our hospitality and treat our customers like guests we are glad to see. We understand that no matter how valuable our resources and expertise may be, they will not be accessible if we are not welcoming.
We are... CARING.
We understand that you use the library because you need something that we have to offer—but the reason you’ll return is because you know we care about you. We are empathetic to the needs of each person, each interaction, each encounter. We build on what our customers know so we can best meet their needs. We know what it feels like to be treated well and intelligently and we want our customers to feel the same way.
We are... COMMITTED to offering you the best.
We are passionate about what we do. We consider it our responsibility to keep our knowledge and skills current so that our customers get the most timely, accurate and relevant services and information. We actively look for ways to grow and share what we know with our customers and colleagues. We pride ourselves on anticipating the needs of our customers and being ahead of the curve in our ability to find, sort and share the best in service, ideas and information.
We are... HELPFUL.
We jump at the chance to help. We don’t wait to be approached with questions or suggestions for improvement. We are always thinking about services from the customer’s perspective. We want to provide information and service in practical, useful ways that best meet our customers’ preferences and goals. We look for opportunities to make offering services simple and useful. We look for opportunities to serve the person in front of us in the most personalized way possible. We are flexible and try to eliminate barriers to service. People always come before processes and systems. We always work to put “Yes” before “No.”
We are... FRESH and FUN.
We work to be current and interesting. Whether it is the design of our buildings, our displays or the services we provide, we look for ways to surprise our customers and make them happy. We are not afraid to try new things, and we expect to make mistakes, though we know we’ll learn from them and be better for them. We seek creative approaches in our quest to Inspire, Inform and Entertain. We know that true innovation doesn’t need to be grand or expensive; it may simply require looking at something from a fresh perspective. We look for ways to have fun at work, to share our passions and interests with our customers and colleagues. We believe in smiling, laughing and enjoying while we learn.