Carson City Library launches 2026–2030 strategic‑planning process with UNR consultant

On Oct. 9 the Carson City Library Board of Trustees held a facilitated planning workshop with Dr. Fred Steinman, director of the University Center for Economic Development at the University of Nevada, Reno, to begin developing a five‑year strategic plan for 2026–2030.

The workshop, led by Dr. Steinman, reviewed the library's expiring plan, solicited trustee and staff input on core values, mission and vision, and began a strengths‑weaknesses‑opportunities‑threats (SWOT) exercise. Dr. Steinman said the work will guide budgets, programming and partnerships over the next five years and noted the library’s fixed‑fee agreement with his center includes annual updates and reviews.

Trustees and staff raised recurring priorities that will shape the plan: highlighting literacy and lifelong learning; increasing community engagement and outreach (including Spanish‑language outreach); addressing staffing and recruitment shortages; upgrading aging technology and building infrastructure; and diversifying funding sources.

"The central mission of any library is literacy," Dr. Fred Steinman said during the workshop, urging that literacy be made visible in the new plan. He also read the current vision statement aloud: "The Carson City Library will be a welcoming and vibrant hub for communication, discovery, and learning." Members debated whether to retain, revise or replace that wording.

Dr. Steinman outlined the planning timeline and process: staff and trustees will use a community needs assessment survey, one‑on‑one and small‑group interviews, and at least one facilitated workshop before the holidays and a follow‑up session after the holidays to draft mission, vision, goals, objectives and implementation items. He said the survey will run for about a month and will include questions similar to the prior survey to allow direct comparisons.

Trustees offered detailed feedback on values and goals. Suggestions included making community cultural events and stewardship of local history more prominent; expanding the emphasis on digital access and digital literacy; sharpening language around customer service and accountability; and explicitly naming outreach and communication as priorities. Several trustees urged the plan be concise and written to engage residents as well as staff.

Participants also identified operational constraints the plan will need to address. Staff shortages and difficulty recruiting qualified applicants were cited repeatedly as immediate constraints. Trustees and the director flagged the library building and supporting infrastructure — including electrical outlets, charging stations, ADA and other accessibility considerations — as aging and limiting potential program expansion. Funding stability and dependence on non‑mandated local and state funding were noted as ongoing risks.

Board and staff directions from the workshop included: run and broadly publicize the community needs survey (including a Spanish version and targeted outreach through Empire Elementary and local Spanish media), schedule the next facilitated workshop before the holiday season and a follow‑up after the holidays, and return draft mission/vision proposals to the board for review and possible approval.

Dr. Steinman said the center will produce a technical report and return annually to update the plan under the existing fixed‑fee agreement with the library. He noted the survey will allow comparison with results from the prior planning cycle and said the consultants will supply socio‑economic and housing data to inform priorities.

Next steps: the library will run the community needs assessment for roughly one month, collect stakeholder interview results, schedule the two planning workshops with trustees and staff, and bring a draft strategic plan to the board for review and potential approval. Dr. Steinman and Library Director Joy Holt will coordinate the schedule and public outreach.