Plan includes a new name, North Central Washington Libraries

North Central Regional Library has adopted new mission and vision statements, and recently launched a new three-year strategic plan that outlines the future of library service in North Central Washington.
The plan approved by the library district’s board of trustees identifies five strategic directions, ten objectives, and twenty-five goals that will guide the work of the library system over the next three years.
“This is critical work, and it will continue long after this plan ends,” said NCRL Executive Director Barbara Walters. “Our long-term goal, which we are beginning here, is nothing less than to be a library system that evolves alongside the communities we serve.”

Some key goals outlined in the plan include:

• Conduct a thorough assessment of each of the library’s 30 facilities. NCRL libraries and bookmobiles had more than 1 million visits in 2018, but some of the spaces have accessibility issues or otherwise don’t meet the needs of staff and the public.
• Develop a bilingual/bicultural advisory committee to help NCRL better serve Spanish-speaking populations. About one-quarter of the population in NCW speaks Spanish at home.
• Develop individualized plans for each library that will outline how staff will build community partnerships, provide access to resources, and offer programs and services for their unique communities.

The plan also calls for changing the name of the organization from North Central Regional Library to North Central Washington Libraries. The board voted to change the name at their March meeting.

“Many people don’t know that our library system includes 30 libraries across all five counties of North Central Washington,” said Project Manager Kim Neher. “This name change is one small part of a much bigger plan to help people connect with the library and the resources we provide.”

The change will be rolled out over several months and will not be fully implemented until early 2020.