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Mansfield library director presents 2026–2030 strategic plan, highlights digital shift and staffing needs
Summary
Library director Yolanda Boteo presented a draft five‑year plan that emphasizes digital services, community outreach, facilities planning for a future multigenerational center, and a request to reinstate an adult services librarian. The plan will go to the library advisory board before council adoption in February.
Yolanda Boteo, director of Library and Historical Services, presented the Mansfield Public Library’s draft five‑year strategic plan for 2026–2030 at the Jan. 12 work session, saying the plan updates the library’s mission and core values and prioritizes services, outreach, collections, technology, facilities, staffing and budget.
Boteo said the plan revises the library’s mission to emphasize free and equal access and aims to position the Mansfield Public Library as “an essential dynamic hub that connects the community through knowledge, culture, creativity, and outreach.” She noted four core values in the draft: intellectual freedom; excellent and equitable services; community‑wide accessibility; and inspiration and curiosity.
The director called attention to accreditation rules and reporting timelines under state standards, explaining that the library submits an annual report to the Texas State Library, Archives and Commission (TSLAC) in March and uses TSLAC’s assigned service‑area population for per‑capita comparisons. Boteo warned that TSLAC’s population figure is typically lower than the city’s internal number, which affects the library’s ranked statistics among peer libraries.
On usage trends, Boteo said total circulation rose from just over 300,000 items in 2019 to about 373,000 in 2024, while digital circulation (e‑books and e‑audiobooks) increased from under 50,000 in 2019 to roughly 130,000 in 2024. “That growth is insane, actually,” she told council, and said the library is reallocating budget to reflect the digital shift.
Boteo described nontraditional circulating items other libraries use — ranging from cake pans to pickleball kits — and urged the city to consider modernizing both public‑facing technology (catalog, self‑service hardware) and back‑office automation systems. She also flagged digital‑safety and literacy work, including programming about AI and basic computer skills for patrons who lack them.
On facilities, Boteo showed renderings of a proposed multigenerational center as a long‑term goal while stressing ongoing investment in the current building. On staffing, she said the library will again request reinstatement of an adult services librarian position that has been unfunded for about five years and described a heavy reliance on volunteers — noting 8,411 volunteer hours in the prior plan period.
Council members asked about the timing of the FY25 annual report (Boteo said it is due in March and that the state typically notifies accreditation status by June and releases full stats in mid‑August), consortium arrangements with Arlington and Kennedale (Boteo confirmed Mansfield shares the Polaris system and a 2–3 times weekly courier), and how Libby e‑materials function on devices (Boteo explained users can download to phones/tablets and loans expire automatically).
Boteo said the draft will go to the library advisory board for adoption and staff plans to return to council in February for official adoption and any additional feedback.
The work session portion concluded with council discussion of outreach strategies, satellite holds lockers, and the mobile library van used for events; no formal action was taken on the plan during the Jan. 12 meeting.
