Creating strategic plans can sometimes be complicated, often involving large groups of constituents and outside consultants. But when the Charleston County (SC) Public Library (CCPL) set out to develop a three-year strategic vision in 2020, all they had to do was look to current employees to make this vision a reality. During Leveraging Staff Talent to Create your Strategic Vision on Thursday morning, core members of the CCPL team shared their experiences as the plan was developed and implemented, beginning in August of 2020.
Angela Craig, CCPL Executive Director, opened with a simple statement: “Staff are the most valuable resource of any library.†She spoke about what staff members offer by bringing their talent, experience, and viewpoints to the table. “They can help move communities forward and empower colleagues to be the best versions of themselves,†said Craig. Five focus areas for the strategic vision were identified: literacy, equity, community engagement, workforce development, educational success.
Considering recent events, which included the pandemic and the death of George Floyd, the decision was to move forward with a strategic plan centered around equity. Craig also spoke about the legacy of Cynthia Graham Hurd, a Charleston librarian who was one of the victims of the Emmanuel Church shooting in 2015.
Throughout the presentation, Craig, along with CCPL staff members Julian Gooding and Lourdes Montes, discussed their contributions and experiences working on the strategic vision. Amy Adams was also a member of the presentation team but was unable to attend PLA 2022. Gooding spoke about his involvement, becoming a co-leader in creating the EDI (equity, diversion and inclusion) committee, adding that it was much more than a black and white issue. “We began the process of seeing if we could do it in house, without having to bring someone in,†he said. “Could we leverage the staff?â€
Once they identified that there was significant staff interest, the focus moved to exploring the core issues of EDI. “We looked at a variety of issues of inclusion,†said Gooding, which included issues facing disabled individuals and veterans. For Montes, becoming a part of the EDI committee was very important to her, as she wanted to raise awareness about issues impacting Hispanic communities. She spoke about how members of the group shared their personal experiences as they developed the statement of equity. Gooding added that they expect that the statement of equity will always evolve. “We’re constantly going through changes,†he said. “Having the committee, we can have the conversation within our own staff. We want to make sure that our staff is well trained so that they are serving the community effectively and wisely.â€
“We decided on a three year plan because the world is very unpredictable,†said Craig. “Five was unsustainable, three felt right.†Montes spoke about what’s come about as a result of the strategic vision, including COVID vaccine clinics at rural libraries, a Free and Fresh food donation program, and expansion of the Spanish collection. “We see how our engaging in the strategic vision has impacted the libraries in our everyday services to the community,†she said. “I am really proud of the work that we’re doing and that we have yet to do.â€
An assessment was conducted at the end of 2021, with Craig stating that “60% of our strategic vision was in progress or complete by 2021. But complete doesn’t mean that we’re done with it, it means that it has become part of our procedures.†In 2024, CCPL will sunset the current strategic vision and engage staff for 2025 and beyond. “Based on our success, we know we have the talent to think about what 3,5,10 years will look like,†said Craig. “I love to see staff share our skillsets and make our libraries better.â€
For more information, visit https://www.ccpl.org/strategicvision. â–
