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Jefferson County Public Library Long Range Plan 2020-2024

Mission

The Jefferson County Public Library provides the opportunity:

• to obtain and use information in a variety of formats;

• to pursue lifelong learning;

• to explore recreational interests; and

• to better understand personal and regional heritage

Community

The Jefferson County Public Library is located in southern Indiana along the Ohio River between Cincinnati, Ohio and Louisville, Kentucky. The Library serves all the residents of Jefferson County, including the city of Madison and the town of Hanover. The Main Library is on Main Street in historic downtown Madison. The Branch Library is on a main thoroughfare, State Road 56, in the town of Hanover.

In 2018, the U.S. Census reported that Jefferson County has a population of 32,208. The population is primarily white (95%) with only 2% African American and 2.9% Hispanic. Over half of the population is between the ages of 25-64, with the larger portion between the ages of 45- 64.

The Library has 9714 registered users which include nonresidents in Clark County, Indiana and Kentucky and students from Hanover College and the local school systems who do not live in Jefferson County. The Library is open 106 hours per typical week and annually processes 170,000 circulations, presents over 580 programs, and provides over 69,000 computer and wireless uses. The Library is one of 121 libraries that comprise the Evergreen Indiana Consortium. In addition, the Library participates in the elndiana Digital Consortium, Statewide Remote Circulation System, and the Indiana Share interlibrary loan program.

Facilities

The library system includes the Main Library located in the city of Madison, population 11,879 and the town of Hanover with a population of 3510.

The Main Library was originally a home built in 1859. In 1967, an addition was wrapped around the building. Because of its location in the National Historic Landmark district, the Library is landlocked and subject to historic preservation rules so it is unlikely that it will be enlarged or altered significantly in its present location.

The Main Library is 18,000 square feet; the Hanover Branch is 4957 square feet. The Library also has a separate boiler house and a detached garage, called the annex, which is used by the Friends of the Library to store materials for biannual book sales.

Because of the age of the main building, there is ongoing maintenance. New roofs were installed on all four buildings in 2019. An assessment of the facilities was also completed in 2019 by Harry Mohler of Mohler Architects. While there are several smaller maintenance and repair issues, the following is a list of priorities for repair or replacement for 2020 through 2024.

1. Complete replacement to handicap ramp and entryway at main building

2. Upgrade elevator operation in main building

3. Refurbish and repair outside of main building

4. Cleaning of ductwork and flooring at both library buildings

Services

The Library’s collection includes print books, audiobooks, large print format materials, Spanish and bilingual items, periodicals, graphic novels, music CDs, movies, children’s tablets, Wi-Fi hotspots, eBooks, e-audiobooks, and streaming services.

Library programs include art classes, story times, craft classes, book discussion groups, speaker series, summer reading programs, winter reading programs, teen crafts, movies, children’s crafts, writing classes, and STEM programs.

The Library collaborates with local organizations and agencies to provide programming as well. Examples include partnering with the Madison Elks Lodge and five other service agencies to provide new winter coats and library cards to children. Another annual treat is Caroling with Santa, a community effort between the City of Madison, Visit Madison and the Library. The Library also supports non-library events, such as the Friends of the Library Book Sale and local festivals, by publicizing them on the Library's front fence and on the community bulletin board.

Computer services are provided by the Library in adult and children’s areas in both libraries. The Library offers 24 computers to patrons. Over the past few years, the Library has seen a decrease in the number of people who request the use of the computers but bring their own devices to access the wireless network. In response to this change, the Library repurposed a former computer table into a charging station for personal devices. The Library also increased the wireless bandwidth.

The Library has limited meeting spaces which are used daily. With the addition of an online reservation system, the use of the spaces has increased. The Library offers an auditorium, a conference room, two small study rooms at the Main Library and a conference room and small study room at the Hanover Branch.

Additionally, the Library offers print services, scanning, fax services and copiers for patron use. The Library also offers the Evergreen Indiana online public access catalog, as well as Statewide Resource Circulation System and interlibrary loan programs.

Community Goals

In order to understand the community’s goals and to address them, we looked at information gathered from the Library's community conversations, vision and comprehensive plans from Jefferson County and the city of Madison, and Library staff input during a “Bright Ideas” focus group meeting.

In 2019, the Library held four community conversations to determine priorities for the community by the community. The Library Board of Trustees, the entire Library staff, and on- the-street interviews were included in the community conversations. The following are the desires expressed for the community:

1. Develop a safe, friendly and inclusive environment

2. Increase activities for teens

3. Increase services for the homeless and those suffering from addictions

4. Address the suicide rate

5. Promote the Library as a community center

The One Madison Comprehensive Plan for Quality of Life listed the following goals:

1. Maintain and improve quality of life facilitated by dense, pedestrian-friendly historic urban neighborhoods

2. Revitalize and improve struggling neighborhoods

3. Approach improvements to health from multiple avenues

4. Improve the quality and reputation of the local educational system

5. Leverage recreational assets for enjoyment of residents and tourists, as well as economic development potential

The One Madison Steering Committee included city council members, directors of the chamber of commerce, the Community Foundation, Historic Madison, the Madison Area Arts Alliance, and Madison Main Street, as well as school, college and health care facilities leaders.

ENVISION Jefferson County listed the following as the vision and action plan:

1. Advance personal prosperity and community economic vitality

2. Create attractive, productive and desirable places

3. Create quality education

4. Shape a vibrant community through entertainment and arts

5. Build a positive community through collaboration and leadership

6. Promote health, safety and well-being

The steering committee included attorneys, city and county council members, business owners, directors of nonprofit organizations, representatives from local school systems, Ivy Tech Community College and Hanover College, media outlets, and the Madison Chamber of Commerce.

Goals and Objectives

Taking into consideration the Library's mission, the objectives of the Library staff, Library Board of Trustees, and the steering committees for ENVISION Jefferson County and One Madison, the Library set the following goals and objectives.

1. Goal: Create a safe, healthy, and inclusive environment

a. Update Library facilities

i. Install digital cameras and DVR on a 30-day loop at both Libraries

ii. Update elevator at main library by replacing the motor mechanism and refurbishing the elevator car

iii. Remodel and update handicap access entrance at Main Library

b. Provide staff training and opportunities for community involvement

i. Mandatory monthly staff meetings and biannual staff development days which include training in CPR, customer service, emergency procedures and achieving long range goals

ii. Schedule time and encourage staff to represent the Library by attending civic organizations and governmental agency meetings

c. Provide outreach programs

i. Deliver reading materials to homebound and nursing facility residents once a month

d. Provide health programs including nutrition classes four times per year

2. Goal: Improve and enhance education for all ages

a. Provide educational programming

i. Offer at least one session of classes to adults for computers, resumé writing or downloading digital media each year

b. Collaborate with local schools to provide access to materials

i. Provide library cards and access to online materials and databases for students

c. Offer STEM programs for teens and children

i. Offer “Girls Who Code” program for 15 weeks in 2020

ii. Offer at least six STEM children’s programs per year

d. Provide a viable collection of physical books, periodicals, music, movies and audiobooks, e-services and devices

i. Visit local schools at least once a semester and maintain communication with teachers, administrators and media specialists

ii. Offer “Lunch in the Library” program once a year

3. Goal: Enhance the community through arts and recreation

a. Partner with Madison Arts Alliance, local sororities and other civic organizations to provide arts and crafts programs

i. Provide drawing/painting classes three times per year.

b. Update audiovisual system in auditorium for improved audience experience

c. Offer a variety of programs for adults and children including two multi-week reading programs per year

d. Provide craft classes including weekly knitting and other textile classes

e. Expand personal and regional heritage research services

i. Write a technology grant, hire a consultant and implement digitization program

ii. Increase online access to local history collection

iii. Continue scanning and digitizing Harry Lemen photo collection and scrapbooks

f. Maintain historic building

4. Goal: Build a better community through collaboration

a. Continue and deepen partnerships with city of Madison, VisitMadison, Madison Chamber of Commerce, Retired and Senior Volunteer Program, American Red Cross and River Valley Resources

b. Staff visits and outreach to local schools to develop programs

c. Host Red Cross Blood Drive every two months

Technology Plan

The Library currently has a server at each branch, including a tape backup at Madison. There are 21 desktops and 4 laptop for staff use, and 29 desktops and 4 iPads for public use. The Library offers 15 wireless hotspots and 20 children’s tablets for checkout.

In 2019, the Library replaced all the network switches and wireless access points. A new printer for public and staff use was installed at Hanover. In 2016, new computers were installed for staff and the following year the public computers were replaced. The three-year contract for the firewall service began in 2019. Computers, UPS, switches, and WAPs will be replaced on a five-year schedule. The servers will be replaced every seven years. Below is a schedule for replacement of the current hardware.

Professional Development Strategy

The Library encourages and sponsors all staff to attend at least two professional off-site trainings, conferences or professional meetings per year. In-house staff training includes two staff development days per year, as well as monthly staff meetings. As part of the Salary Resolution, staff may participate in the 3/3 training incentive program by which salaries will increase by $.03/hour for attending three documented training, i.e., webinars or face-to-face sessions.

The Library staff consists of 13 fulltime and 12 part-time members. Three staff members have ALA MLS degrees, five members have other master’s degrees and four have bachelor’s degrees. By providing tuition reimbursement, the Library plans to increase the educational level of at least three members in the next five years, including one ALA MLS and two library certifications.

Collaboration with Other Public Libraries and Community Partners

The Library collaborates with other public libraries through membership and participation in the Evergreen Indiana consortium, Indiana Library Federation, elndiana Digital Consortium, American Library Association, Statewide Resource Circulation System, and Indiana Share. The Library works with the several community partners, including local public and private school systems, City of Madison, VisitMadison, Madison Chamber of Commerce, the Clearinghouse Project, River Valley Resources, Retired and Senior Volunteer Program, the Friends of the Library, American Red Cross, Hanover College, and Ivy Tech Community College.

Communication Plan

This plan will be linked on the Library website www.mjcpl.org and posted on the Library’s public bulletin board.

Ongoing Annual Evaluation Process

The Long Range Plan will be evaluated annually by staff and the Library Board of Trustees.

Financial Resources and Sustainability

The Library receives funding from Jefferson County property tax revenue, an endowment at the Jefferson County Community Foundation, grants from the Friends of the Library and other organizations, as well as gifts from individual donors. The Library receives E-rate funds from Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) under the direction of the Federal Communications Committee (FCC) and internet reimbursements from the State Technology Grant Fund.

Sources

“Bright Ideas” Focus Group, Library staff, October 14, 2019

Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy, Southeastern Regional Planning Commission- SIRPC, www.sirpc.org, 2015

ENVISION Jefferson County Vision & Action Plan, https://www.madison-in.gov/DocumentCenter/View/788/Envision-Jefferson-County-Final-Plan, 2015

Indiana Stats, https://www.stats.indiana.edu/

“Jefferson County Public Library Facilities Assessment,” Harry Mohler, Mohler Architects, 2019

“Jefferson County Public Library Technology Assessment,” Brian Johnson, AVC Technology, 2019

One Madison Comprehensive Plan, https://s3.amazonaws.com/online.anyflip.com/bdux/lusa/mobile/index.html, 2016

U.S. Census 2018, https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/jeffersoncountyindiana

Approved this 12th day of December, 2019 by the Jefferson County Public Library Board of Trustees

ATTEST: Katherine Rosenberg, Secretary of the Jefferson County Public Library Board

Respectfully submitted by Judi Terpening, Library Director