County committee hears plan to expand county services inside Prince George’s library branches

Prince George’s County Memorial Library System officials and county staff presented a proposal Sept. 8 to use library branches more extensively as sites for resident‑facing county services, pilot satellite offices and partner programming.

Director Adrian Albert and library system representatives said the proposal would bring periodic services—such as vaccination drives, permitting workshops, information sessions and job‑center outreach—closer to residents by using existing branch space and capabilities. The presentation noted branches vary in size, staffing and technology and described a planned rubric to prioritize branches that can host specific services based on door count, program attendance and circulation metrics.

Library representatives described ongoing partnerships with a range of organizations. Megan Sutherland and Dr. Winston cited recent branch programs with county agencies (the Office of Human Rights and Prince George’s County Public Schools’ infant and toddler program), state agencies (Maryland Department of Human Services and the State Health Insurance Assistance Program), academic partners such as the University of Maryland and federal partners like the Social Security Administration. The presentation also highlighted community programming with nonprofits (Priority Partners, local museums) and health demonstrations.

Committee members supported piloting services in high‑need districts and suggested options ranging from one‑day events to longer-term satellite offices in selected branches. Council members and library staff discussed data collection to measure impacts, pre-literacy and parent‑education programming to support early reading, and potential site uses such as community pantries or small grocery pilots in partnership with Parks and Planning.

Library staff said they already track usage data (door count, program attendance, circulation and digital-resource metrics) and are developing a rubric to identify which branches are best suited for which services. Staff also said the library has tested partnerships and mobile units and will coordinate scheduling and security needs with agencies before hosting services.

Council members asked library staff to coordinate pilots with the county executive’s office and Parks and Planning and suggested exploring a social‑technology lab to engage younger residents. Dr. Winston and Megan Sutherland said they would continue planning pilots, share branch‑level data, and work with county partners on next steps.

No formal committee vote was taken on the library proposal; it was presented for discussion and next-step coordination with the executive branch and other county departments.