Carpinteria Library presents three-year strategic plan after community outreach; council receives report

Carpinteria’s library board and city council received a three‑year strategic and operating plan on Sept. 8, 2025, after a six‑month engagement process that included visioning sessions, community asset mapping and surveys.

The presentation by consultant Akila Manuel and city library staff summarized community input gathered from about 95 stakeholders and 33 survey respondents and framed priorities for the next three years. Manuel said the plan aims to "improve transparency and engagement by strengthening communication and outreach efforts" and to expand programs for teens and families, increase bilingual services and shore up staff support and operational policies.

Why it matters: the plan will guide library programming, partnerships and budgeting at a small, busy library that reported high use over the summer. Library staff told the council the system’s summer reading program drew 435 children; staff also highlighted new digital and tutoring services. City library staff said the library will provide a Brainfuse 24/7 on‑demand tutoring subscription and cover school access so local students can use the service free of charge.

The consultant walked through a SWOT analysis taken with library staff: strengths included a small, responsive team and strong strategic partnerships; weaknesses included limited meeting and study space and thin staffing that can force closures when a staffer is absent. Manuel said the staff had sought additional hours in prior budget cycles to address service and safety gaps that were repeatedly denied, and noted, "if one person gets sick at the public library, the library will have to close on certain days of the week." Council members pressed for clarity about what the plan would require in new staffing and whether partnerships with the school district would be formalized; Manuel said formal memoranda of understanding are part of the operations plan and that staff intends to pursue those agreements.

Council members also discussed digital access and catalog systems: staff described plans to integrate the library website with the Black Gold Consortium catalog to make searching and digital resource access clearer for patrons. On funding and facilities, the plan recommends a capital improvement study to assess expansion feasibility; consultants and staff said a larger, multi‑level community hub is a long‑term vision but will require funding and a capital plan.

The council voted to receive and file the strategic and operating plan, directing staff to follow up on operational milestones, partnerships and staffing needs. Staff said implementation milestones are organized by year and quarter and will be set by the city librarian to reflect capacity and funding constraints.

The next steps: the council will use the plan as a guide for budget and partnership decisions. Staff said grant and program details — including the recently awarded Career Online High School scholarships and other new services — will be implemented as capacity and funding permit.