Strategic Plan
 |
Goals and Strategies
Goal 1: Elevate the Visitor Experience
Provide functional, comfortable, and safe spaces for learning and community engagement.
1.1 Collaborate with the City, County, and local nonprofits to address public safety issues straining library services and patron experiences.
1.2 Pilot on-site social services support in collaboration with partner agencies.
1.3 Perform a system-wide service hours evaluation, integrating usage metrics, peer library comparisons, and an audit of staffing capacity.
1.4 Explore ways of serving patrons outside physical open hours.
1.5 Pursue capital projects prioritized in APL’s Facility Plan and expand the framework to encompass accessibility and beautification improvements including fixtures and furnishings.
1.6 Audit and enhance exterior lighting, signage, and landscaping at branches, particularly where safety or visibility is a concern, with partners.
Goal 2: Refine Collections and Digital Resources
Optimize the library’s finite collection budget through responsive, data-driven development priorities.
2.1 Designate a portion of the annual collection development budget for each branch to allocate towards materials selected for neighborhood needs.
2.2 Launch a Library of Things pilot program at one branch, with system-wide expansion as a possibility.
2.3 Empower users to understand and utilize the digital resources available to them.
2.4 Explore consortium agreements or other budget-conscious strategies to expand digital holdings.
2.5 Expand the Museum and Adventure Pass program to include additional access passes and more partner institutions.
Goal 3: Build a Firm Financial Foundation
Anchor the Library’s work in financial stability through stewardship of public funds and cultivation of private funding support.
3.1 Develop and present an annual five-year financial forecast to the Board, including tax levy scenarios and capital needs projections.
3.2 Maintain and regularly review all policies relating to finance.
3.3 Strengthen and deepen partnerships with the Friends and Foundation of Albany Public Library.
3.4 Annually identify and pursue significant grant opportunities aligned with strategic plan priorities.
Goal 4: Expand Community Awareness and Access
Promote and broaden access and awareness of the valuable resources and opportunities that APL provides for all residents.
4.1 Develop a comprehensive Communications and Marketing Plan, including target audiences, social media strategies, and associated staffing or contracting needs.
4.2 Improve library website to be compliant with accessibility requirements, search engine optimization (SEO) practices, and mobile access.
4.3 Explore the feasibility of an opt-out library card program and other accessibility services for the district’s school-age children.
4.4 Develop responsive programs for the underserved in collaboration with community partners embedded in those communities.
Goal 5: Support a Strong and Engaged Workforce
Cultivate an internal culture of equity, clarity, and open dialogue to maintain a strong foundation for institutional excellence.
5.1 Conduct an organizational structure review resulting in clearly defined roles, reporting lines, and expectations for all positions.
5.2 Conduct a compensation benchmarking study comparing APL salaries to peer libraries in the Capital Region and statewide, with recommendations for phased salary adjustments, contingent on budget capacity.
5.3 Implement structured internal communications strategies, including regular all-staff meetings, a staff intranet or newsletter, and intentional leadership engagement.
5.4 Evaluate and customize service and interaction training for staff, including active listening and de-escalation techniques.
5.5 Provide staff training on the library applications and shortcomings of Artificial Intelligence.
Mission, Vision, and Values
Mission
Albany Public Library educates, entertains, and empowers our community.
Vision
Albany Public Library is a resource for life. Let’s grow together!
Values
Collaboration: Proactively engage with community partners to address social and educational issues.
Discovery: Help members of the community learn, grow, and achieve their dreams by expanding minds and opening new worlds.
Diversity: Commit to human rights, free thought, and free expression.
Empathy: Treat everyone with understanding and compassion.
Integrity: Maintain transparency in operations and governance.
Literacy: Introduce the community to a wide variety of materials, programs, and resources that increase their knowledge, understanding, and enjoyment.
Privacy: Protect the privacy of users.
Service: Provide resources for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the community.
Strategic Planning Process
Between January and May 2026, the Albany Public Library conducted a broad-based strategic planning process. This project roadmap, co-designed by Library Strategies Consulting Group and overseen by a board-designated community steering committee, centered and built upon robust stakeholder engagement.
Community Survey
Library Strategies customized a 25-question online survey for dissemination across APL’s service area. Questions covered a wide range of library topics ranging from collections and day-to-day services to perceptions of library buildings, staff, and safety. Surveying drew 1,314 responses, far exceeding the established stretch goal of 1% of the library’s total service area. Respondents included daily users, self-identified nonusers, and every patron profile in between.
Focus Groups
In late April, the Library Strategies consulting team led in-person focus groups at the North Albany, Pine Hills, and Delaware branches of Albany Public Library. Together with a virtual session held the following week, this exercise engaged 39 residents. APL’s local project steering committee identified invitees based on criteria provided by the consultants, ensuring a cross-pollination of lived experiences, professional backgrounds, and vantage points on the Library and the community it serves.
Interviews
In addition to group dialogues, lead Library Strategies consultants Cathi Alloway MLIS and Brian Hare MLIS conducted one-on-one interviews with six community leaders. Senior library leadership identified these interview subjects as key individuals who could offer an invaluable vantage point on the Library and the community in which it is embedded — or in other words, richer insights than can be mined in a focus group context.
Benchmarking Analysis
Library Strategies conducted a data-driven benchmarking analysis (aka peer library review) to contextualize APL’s resources, performance, and priorities against the metrics of other library systems serving a similarly sized population. Benchmarking encompassed revenue sources, expenditures, staffing, collections and circulation, programming, open hours, branch location density, and more. Peer libraries spanned six states: California, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.
After completing community engagement and collating all data collected, Albany Public Library’s leadership team collaborated with the consultants on a fitted and actionable draft plan framework. APL’s project steering committee and Board of Trustees both reviewed and vetted the identified goals and strategies prior to final approval in June 2026.
Strategic Plan Steering Committee
Owusu Anane
Heather Ardrey
Dennis Gaffney
Hailey Hamias
Kaira Kristbergs
Tandra LaGrone
Freya Mercer
Donna Nieman
Kathy Tabora
Published 7/23/26