2025-2027 Strategic Plan Equitable ACCESS

Offer opportunities for people of all ages and abilities, including pre-readers and non-English readers, to connect with resources and staff that nurture a love of reading and writing for enjoyment. The Library will connect families and individuals with resources to help them achieve their reading and writing literacy goals.

• Goal KPI: Print + e-Material Circulation
• Goal KPI: World Language Collection Use
• Goal KPI: L1 Program Attendance

Build the Library’s capacity to support learning the languages spoken in the community to support access to the Library’s resources offered in those languages.

• Goal KPI: Language Learning Collection Use
• Goal KPI: L2 Program Attendance

Support digital equity by providing access to the technology needed to live, work, and learn. Help develop digital resiliency with resources that encourage safe and effective technology use. Explore emerging technologies and understand the impact and potential innovation technologies offer.

• Goal KPI: Wi-fi Utilization (Unique) per People Count
• Goal KPI: Public PC Utilization per People Count
• Goal KPI: L3 Program Attendance

Deliver resources that encourage STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics)

learning. Stay responsive to learners’ emerging needs, embracing opportunities to support learning acceleration with resources that help families and the community achieve literacy goals.

• Goal KPI: L4 Program Attendance

Connect educators with library resources that support their needs and strengthen their students’ connection to the Library. Continue to deepen the impact of the Shared System.

• Goal KPI: Shared System Metrics
  

Provide access to resources for nonprofits that support the multiple stages of their growth, from determining if you should start a nonprofit, enhancing effectiveness, to sustainability for existing nonprofits.

• Goal KPI: L6 Program Attendance

Provide access to resources that develop skills that support small businesses and entrepreneurs.

• Goal KPI: L7 Program Attendance
  

Encourage meaningful engagement with the Library’s programs, events, services, collections, and opportunities for volunteering. Ensure community members understand the value that a library card offers them at each stage of life. Deepen community members’ understanding of navigating library resources through strengthening their connection to the support offered by staff and volunteers.

• Goal KPI: Active Cardholder %

Enrich everyone through open access to a welcoming third place. Celebrate the unique character of each neighborhood served. Offer spaces that encourage connection and strengthen the communities we serve.

Develop strategies to increase cardholders by leveraging existing partnerships, community engagement and targeted promotions to new residents and families with children. Provide intentional outreach that communicates cultural context for those unfamiliar with The Indianapolis Public Library.

• Goal KPI: New Cardholders

Provide information, space, and a neutral civic forum for discussion that stimulates curiosity and civic involvement. Build understanding and appreciation for the diverse world cultures within our communities and the positive impact and enrichment that immigration brings to our civic life.

Serve as a hub for celebrating the fullness of intersectional identities. Provide resources that encourage the exchange of diverse perspectives and experiences allowing

• Goal KPI: B5 Program Attendance

Reflect, connect, and preserve neighborhood and community stories prioritizing expanding our story through inclusion of communities whose histories have been under-documented. Build partnerships with these communities to expand collections in Digital Indy and the Indianapolis Special Collections Room (ISCR), develop new entries in the Encyclopedia of Indianapolis (EOI), and with programs and exhibits that celebrate these collaborations.

• Goal KPI: Digital Indy, ISCR, and DEOI Collection Utilization

Provide staff, volunteers, and community partners resources that support connecting to wellbeing services and overcoming access barriers. Leverage existing navigator models in the community and explore the Library’s capacity for developing a peer navigator model for social services.

• Goal KPI: Social Service Reference - Desktracker

Offer access to resources that support mental and physical wellbeing. Support families with socialemotional development resources. Build strategic partnerships centered on physical and mental health information. Promote the Library’s commitment to privacy, creating a safer space for exploring sensitive topics and accessing reliable health information.

Goal KPI: W2 Program Attendance

Be a resource hub for those seeking employment opportunities. Connect community member to employment services and resources that meet their diverse needs to support career growth. Provide reliable resources to support informed personal finance decisions. Connect community members to partners that support access to unbiased financial literacy education for all ages

• W3 Program Attendance

The Library attracts, retains, and develops talented staff and volunteers who are dedicated to providing exceptional service. We share a commitment to wellbeing, engagement, and professional growth for staff and volunteers so that they feel secure, valued, and supported. We navigate change with datainformed decisions, clear guidance, and strong internal communication plans.

The Library supports belonging for our staff and volunteers through implementing our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Plan.

The Talent and Development team, along with the Access, Belonging, and Culture Officer, provides trainings to support our staff professional development and culture at The Indianapolis Public Library. We strive to offer trainings to strengthen learning, leadership, and overall professional development in the areas of technology, DEIA, leadership, mental health, customer service, and related skills-based trainings.