Our Library Goals
2025-2028
Goal One: Community
Ensure that the library is committed to being a vital community resource for everyone and is attentive to the needs and interests of all its residents. We bring people together with collections and programs that are inclusive, celebrate our uniqueness and similarities, and which foster an appreciation for other cultures and beliefs by creating shared experiences of joy and friendship. This library is home to all the people of East Brunswick. All races and ethnicities. All ages. All who are under-served and underrepresented. All genders and orientations. All points of view. All abilities.
Objective 1.1
Promote the library as a community beacon to welcome and celebrate the many ethnicities, languages, lifestyles, and points of view in our community by fostering appreciation for the differences that unite us and make us stronger.
Objective 1.2
Assure that Accessibility and Inclusivity is at the heart of everything we do by removing barriers to access and inspiring a sense of belonging for everyone.
Goal Two: Programming
Ensure that the library offers programs, services and celebrations that build people connections by instilling kindness and acceptance; inspiring curiosity and the joy of learning for all ages; fostering inclusivity; and empowering individuals to be informed and engaged citizens to build a better community.
Objective 2.1
Host cultural programs for all ages that celebrate the diverse backgrounds, values and perspectives of our residents. Aim to increase community participation and measure success through attendance and community feedback.
Objective 2.2
Host programs for children, teens, adults, or seniors that focus on sustainability; STEM; business; employment; visual & performing arts; literacy (including financial and digital); humanities; social engagement; and community dialogue.
Objective 2.3
Seek out new community partners to build upon our 93+ current partnerships so that we continue to offer the community a breadth of free or low-cost programs that educate and entertain.
Objective 2.4
Enhance the library’s reputation as a pillar of environmental education by offering programs & services that teach citizens to understand and appreciate the world around us and to be sustainability-conscious stewards of the environment.
Goal Three: Collections & Services
Ensure that the library builds responsive collections and services across all age groups in diverse formats, languages, venues and abilities which support the library’s mission to promote literacy, lifelong learning, and personal fulfillment.
Objective 3.1
Build collections in traditional and nontraditional formats and genres that appeal to active library users and also attract nontraditional users with emergent interests.
Objective 3.2
Simplify access to library resources, systems and services to ensure a more engaging and fulfilling user experience for people of all interests, languages, and backgrounds.
Goal Four: “Just for the Health of It” Initiative for Health Literacy
Ensure that the library is dedicated to building a healthy and resilient community through its “Just for the Health of It” health literacy initiative. The program aims to educate, engage, and empower our residents with access to quality health information needed to make informed choices and best advocate for higher levels of health. Just for the Health of It” addresses systemic racism and injustice in health among vulnerable populations by providing understandable and actionable health information, programs, and access to free screenings.
Objective 4.1:
Partner with local healthcare providers, hospitals, RWJ Medical School, Rutgers University Graduate School of Social Work, NJ State Library, Middlesex County Public Health Department, local pharmacies, and nonprofit organizations to offer a wide breadth of free screenings, vaccines, and social work services.
Objective 4.2:
All health and wellness programming will be centered on the overarching health priorities of the 2024-2025 Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) of Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and Saint Peter’s University Hospital. These priorities are: Access to Care; Technology Use & Access; Chronic Disease; Mental Health; Financial Insecurity; Housing Insecurity; Food Insecurity; Violence; and Systemic Racism, Racial Injustice & Discrimination.
Objective 4.3
Support the Mayor’s “Mental Health is Health: EB Stands Together” task force that is committed to creating a community where mental health is valued and respected as much as physical health.
Objective 4.4
Expand the availability of health programs that target population health and address the diverse factors that influence health disparities across different populations.
Objective 4.5:
Build on the Natural Health & Vitality collection of books, brochures, and programs so that our residents can achieve their optimum state of physical and mental health, energy and vitality.
Objective 4.6:
Maintain a community-focused Health Portal that is centered on the overarching health priorities of Middlesex County as determined by the Community Health Needs Assessment of Healthier Middlesex consortium of local hospitals.
Goal Five: Library Staff
Ensure that the library values our staff as the backbone of our success. We commit to building and retaining a team that mirrors the cultural diversity of the people we serve. We prioritize trust, open communication, mutual respect, safety and a commitment to ongoing professional development as core values so that each team member is invested in making the library the best it can be.
Objective 5.1:
Recruit and retain a multilingual team of employees who speak the languages of the community to foster a welcoming and inclusive environment for foreign-born residents.
Objective 5.2
Transition the library to a union environment that is mutually satisfying for staff and management.
Objective 5.3
All staff at public service desks in the Information Services, Youth Services, and Teen Department must attend professional development workshops throughout the year.
Objective 5.4
All staff will participate in the building of a “word cloud” that will capture their shared values and expectations for a healthy and inclusive workplace. The word cloud will be shared with the public on the library’s website.
Objective 5.5
Consumer Health Librarians will maintain their Consumer Health Information Specialization (CHIS) certification by taking classes through the National Library of Medicine.
Goal Six: Capital Improvements
Ensure that the library makes cost-conscious and judicious decisions that enhance the library’s physical space and technology infrastructure and which are aligned with responsible environmental stewardship.
Objective 6.1
Collaborate with the township’s Information Technology and Planning & Engineering departments on initiatives such as IT infrastructure, purchases, next cloud-based telephone system, and new HVAC.
Objective 6.2
Improve upon the visual and functional library spaces to make the library a clean, welcoming, and environmentally-conscious facility.