Sweet Home Library Board adopts 2025–2030 strategic plan; discusses building search, collections and programs

The Sweet Home Public Library Board adopted a five-year strategic plan for 2025–2030 by voice vote and reviewed several operational priorities, including a recent donation of books from the Library of Congress, plans for a new tween collection and ongoing efforts to identify property for a future library building.

Board chair Eva Journey said the board voted to adopt the plan after a motion on the floor. "Second," Journey said when the motion was seconded, and the chair called for the voice vote. All those in favor said "aye," and the plan was approved.

The plan formalizes goals the board and staff had discussed in draft form, including creating teen and tween services, improving accessibility and pursuing enhanced library standards. Library Director Kira reported that Mayor Coleman had selected and arranged shipment of five boxes of books from the Library of Congress collection, and that Senator Ron Wyden’s office sent an additional five boxes. "Mayor Coleman was able to go to the Library of Congress in DC, and select 5 boxes of books for our collection," Kira said, and she noted most items will be added to the library’s holdings while a few older volumes will be placed in local Little Free Libraries.

Why this matters: adopting a strategic plan qualifies the library for certain state-level programs and grants and sets targets for collections, staffing and facilities. Board members repeatedly connected planned goals to funding and to community needs such as youth literacy and improved physical access.

Board discussion before the vote focused on implementation details rather than major changes to the document. Journey praised the plan’s wording on organizational learning: "In the core value statement, I was real I'm really glad that on the third line, it says we are a learning organization." Board members raised editorial fixes and asked staff to follow up on tactics such as marketing, timelines and how the plan would help the library meet Oregon State Library public library standards.

Director’s report and programming: Kira summarized recent activity, including high program attendance for several February events, a local author signing by Simone Dankenberg and plans to host the University of Oregon Museum of Natural and Cultural History’s "Native Innovations" traveling exhibit in April. Kira also noted circulation and engagement metrics: the library issued 78 new patron cards in February and the Libby e-book service accounts for roughly 750 monthly checkouts by the library’s patrons. Kira said the state library moved funding away from LinkedIn Learning because of low statewide usage and redirected resources into the Libby collection.

Facilities and property search: board members pressed on space and building needs. Kira said a potential donated parcel is no longer available because the owner died and the property is in escrow; other owners have declined to negotiate. The director said the current building is about 5,400 square feet and that a recommended facility for the community should be roughly double that size. Board members discussed renovating an existing building as a less expensive option than new construction.

Collections and services: staff described plans to condense the western-fiction collection and create a dedicated tween area near the circulation desk to make materials easier for middle-school–age patrons to find. The board also discussed a "library of things" model used elsewhere but noted Sweet Home currently lacks space to host larger circulating items. The library’s seed library continues to be popular; Kira reported the library has distributed about 2,000 seed packets so far this year.

Policy and standards briefing: staff presented a condensed guide to the Oregon public library standards and a two-page summary for board members. The director said Sweet Home meets most "essential" standards for a library of its size and is working toward "enhanced" and "exemplary" markers in areas such as teen services and catalog access.

Other actions: the board postponed approval of January meeting minutes until April. At the start of the meeting staff noted the January minutes were omitted from the packet and recommended tabling approval; the board agreed to table them until April.

The meeting included routine operational updates, volunteer recruitment for the history jamboree and a request to preserve the library’s stained glass; staff reported architects had suggested options for relocating or lighting the stained glass in a new building. The board adjourned after completing the agenda.

Votes at a glance • Adoption of the Sweet Home Public Library 2025–2030 Strategic Plan — motion to adopt made from the floor; seconded; approved by voice vote ("aye" recorded; no nays recorded). • Approval of January meeting minutes — tabled until April (mover/second not specified in the record).