From a small reading room established 136 years ago, PPLD continues to evolve to meet the ever-changing needs of our sprawling community. Our service area covers 2,070 square miles of El Paso County with a population of nearly 700,000 – people of all ages and backgrounds with varying views and interests.
Thanks to taxpayer funding, we can continue to provide residents with access to 15 facilities, three mobile libraries, and a large online hub of resources and services, all of which are inclusive and welcoming to everyone. The Library team strives to make its physical and digital spaces safe and respectful for diverse voices, perspectives, and pursuits; to foster community dialogue and connections; and to help people achieve their goals and dreams in life.
Overview and Process
In the winter and spring of 2022, our Board of Trustees and staff revisited PPLD’s mission statement and developed a vision statement and organizational values that best reflect our public library system and growing community in El Paso County.
This became our starting point to develop our new strategic plan for 2023 - 2025. After months of input from the public through surveys and in-person meetings, PPLD staff, Library patrons, and other community members and government officials, PPLD used the rich qualitative data it received from more than 1,600 responses to develop a new strategic plan for 2023 - 2025.
This plan was publicly released on Dec. 6, 2022. In December 2025, the Board of Trustees voted to extend the plan through 2026 with minor revisions.
Below are the plan's six areas of focus and related strategies.
Access
PPLD is an access point for everyone to engage with resources, services, and spaces as they choose.
- Protect the right of all Library patrons to exercise intellectual freedom.
- Protect the right of individuals to create and consume content without censorship.
- Offer services and resources that meet the needs and wants of the community.
- Provide spaces and hours of operation that meet the needs and wants of the community.
Accountability
PPLD is accountable to all stakeholders through fiscal responsibility, continuous evaluation, and by sharing findings with the public.
- Evaluate and share the impact of Library resources, services, and spaces.
- Evaluate and share the internal and external impacts within each area of focus.
- Gather, evaluate, and share public input.
- Maintain, track, and share practices of fiscal responsibility.
- Conduct evaluations of what is offered in the community, where and when, to ensure the Library is not duplicating efforts.
Communications
PPLD invests in and elevates community awareness of its resources, services, and spaces.
- Improve the digital experience and interface for Library patrons, including functionality, usability, and accessibility.
- Enhance the in-person patron experience at Library locations and through community outreach.
- Support staff in serving as Library ambassadors.
- Develop and implement a public relations and marketing plan that demonstrates the Library’s value and showcases what is offered in its physical and digital spaces.
- Enhance internal communications to ensure all staff are aware, knowledgeable, and using provided
tools about the Library’s value and what is offered to the community. - Provide patrons with a consistent brand experience across all PPLD channels, including brand identity and messaging.
Community Connections
PPLD builds community through relationships and partnerships to connect people to relevant resources, services, and spaces.
- Build, maintain, and strengthen community-based relationships that benefit local and regional communities. Build, maintain, and strengthen strategic partnerships to maximize areas of alignment that benefit local and regional communities.
- Expand existing partnerships and explore new opportunities for innovation.
- Maintain an ongoing presence in the community.
- Be responsive to current events and multi-cultural celebrations within our communities, serving as a hub and connector for residents and community groups.
- Participate and engage with local, regional, national, and international entities with staff serving as PPLD representatives.
Physical and Virtual Spaces
PPLD provides equal access to physical and virtual spaces in safe and inclusive environments.
- Identify and address current and future facility, safety, and accessibility needs across the District.
- Update the technology and equipment master plan to identify and address current and future information technology needs across the Library District.
Staff
PPLD values, trusts, and invests in staff.
- Support staff in their educational goals and growth.
- Build digital literacy skills among staff to best support the community’s needs.
- Train staff to provide awareness of Library and community resources.
- Provide excellence in internal and external customer service.
- Align individual staff talents to meet the community’s needs.
- Apply current Human Resources (HR) best practices in hiring and retention.
- Strengthen relationships within and among PPLD staff.
- Offer salary and benefits that are on par with local, state, and national standards and in compliance with legal requirements to recruit and retain an excellent workforce.
- Increase the skills, capabilities, and confidence of PPLD’s direct supervisors and managers.