The Future of the Appleton Public Library

Colleen Rortvedt, Executive Director, discussed how the Appleton Public Library will be celebrating its 150 anniversary in 2047.  For the past two years, the Board of Trustees and the Friends of APL have been talking to the community, bringing in experts, visiting other libraries and assembling a Community Advisory Committee to try to create a plan whose mission, vision and services would be flexible and responsive to community needs in the future.  The community survey determined APL's strengths (collection, staff and programming), weaknesses (safety, building and parking), threats (safety, funding and lack of action) and opportunities (technology, programming and expanded collection).  APL's mission is: Learn, know, gather grow - your center of community life and their vision is: Where potential is transformed into reality.    Seven strategies were also developed. 

Hub of Learning and Literacy - We connect members of our community with opportunity for growth, self-instruction and inquiry.  We recognize reading as the heart of the library's mission and also expand beyond it to offer our community additional ways to improve and develop.

Collaborative Environment - We celebrate our diverse community, serving as a place where understanding can grow.  We work with many partners, allowing our entire community to benefit from shared knowledge and information.

The Future: Children and Teens - We provide youth of all ages in our community with programs and services that are age-appropriate, dynamic and inspiring.  We ensure that children from all backgrounds find a supportive place at the library for their futures.

Creation and Innovation - We honor imagination, invention, and inspiration.  We implement spaces, collections and programs to encourage discovery, development and originality. 

Engaged and Sustainable Organization - We maintain a knowledgeable and creative staff that represents and aids our diverse community.  We work closely with many organizations and partners to benefit those we serve.

Diversion and Leisure - We embrace the important role of entertainment in the lives of our community members and its ability to enhance and enrich our lives.  We maintain a collection that covers the breadth of changing interests, technologies and formats.

Specialized Services and Programs - We support and sustain learning for all ages.  We address the varied needs within our community by offering targeted assistance for different populations. 

At the March Board of Trustees meeting, they will decide whether or not to renovate or build a new library.  Before deciding, they needed to determine who they were, what they will be doing in the future and whether or not it could be done at the current facility.  With annual circulation of over a million volumes, a growing number of e-book uses now in the tens of thousands per year and tens of thousands of participants in programs each year, the Appleton Public Library continues to play a vital role in our community.