Skip to main content
Font size options
Increase or decrease the font size for this website by clicking on the 'A's.
Contrast options
Choose a color combination to give the most comfortable contrast.

Strategic Plan 2025-27

Rolling Meadows Exterior in the Spring

Our new Strategic Plan is centered on five key goals, all designed to help the library extend its reach and impact. In the coming years, you’ll see expanded programming for adults, children, and teens, as well as new partnerships and community events that bring us closer together.

Letter from the Director

I am delighted to present the Rolling Meadows Library 2025–2027 Strategic Plan, the first of its kind for our institution. Developed through a broad and collaborative process, this blueprint embodies the diverse voices and aspirations of our community. As a newer member of the library, having joined in 2024, I am particularly grateful for the enthusiasm and insights that helped shape such a thoughtful and forward looking guide for our future direction.

Over the past several months, we convened a slate of focus groups — in both English and Spanish — and gathered input from 767 survey respondents in English, Polish, and Spanish. These efforts were further strengthened by additional focus groups with our staff and board, a staff survey, and the guidance of key community partners serving on our steering committee. Their collective feedback shaped our five overarching goals, each aimed at ensuring the library remains a vibrant, welcoming, and inclusive hub. You can look forward to expanded programs for all ages, enriched collections in both traditional and digital formats, and innovative technological enhancements that make our services even more accessible.

I recently spoke with an older resident who relies on our home delivery service to enjoy her favorite books. She fondly recalled how the library once served as her “window to the world” and expressed gratitude that we still bring those opportunities right to her doorstep. Her optimism underscored the importance of ensuring that, no matter one’s physical limitations or language barriers, everyone in Rolling Meadows has equal access to the joy of reading and learning.

Whether it’s forging strategic partnerships, expanding our Library of Things, or finding innovative ways to bring resources deeper into the community, every initiative in this plan is grounded in our commitment to Rolling Meadows. Together, we will continue to cultivate a space where everyone feels empowered to learn, explore, and connect.

Thank you for your steadfast support and enthusiasm. I look forward to sharing updates as we put this plan into action—and to welcoming you at the library soon!


Jack's Headshot

Sincerely,

Jack Bower

Executive Director, Rolling Meadows Library

Mission



Mission Statement:

To provide excellent customer service and information in a variety of formats, materials and programs that Educate, Inform, Enrich, Inspire, and Entertain.

To serve the citizens of Rolling Meadows, linking them with resources throughout the world and providing equal access for all.

Smiling teens standing next to chalk drawing that says Welcome to RML

Goal Areas

Goal 1:

Programs & Partnerships: Extend the library’s reach and impact through strategic partnerships and in-demand programs.

Strategies:

1.1
Diversify adult programming, with a particular emphasis on opportunities which center culture and language and offerings that hold intergenerational appeal.
1.2
Foster and expand strategic community partnerships across both the public and private sectors.
1.3
Position the library as a versatile education hub for young patrons from infants to teens.
1.4
Provide more volunteer opportunities inside and outside the library, including engagement pathways that do not require English language fluency.
1.5
Coordinate larger-scale, family-oriented community events positioned to increase the library’s visibility and reach.
1.6
Reevaluate programming to ensure that days and times conform with the scheduling needs of targeted audiences.
RML Board Members

Goal 2:

Collections & Resources: Align what RML offers with the community’s
current and emerging needs.

Strategies:

2.1
Continue investments in Spanish-language collections and prioritize their promotion.
2.2
Increase the availability of nontraditional resources, including the loanable Library of Things and on-site, makerspace-style amenities.
2.3
Invest in the library’s online discovery tools through a website redesign and improvements to app functionality.
2.4
Pinpoint and address imbalances between what patrons want and what is available to them from RML and the possibilities of consortium membership.
Patrons lined up to get ice cream from a truck

Goal 3:

Facility & Accessibility: Consciously and authentically position the library
as a welcoming and accessible space for everyone.

Strategies:

3.1
Conduct a facility needs assessment to understand and begin sequencing needed reinvestments in the aging library facility.
3.2
Equip meeting rooms with up-to-date, collaboration-friendly technology for educational, recreational, and work-related purposes.
3.3
Explore the incorporation of convenient self-service touch points into RML’s existing service models.
3.4
Revisit library policies and procedures to ensure all reflect and foster a “welcoming” atmosphere.
3.5
Update and diversify wayfinding signage and other interior visuals.
3.6
Promote and expand home delivery services for residents physically unable to visit the library.
3.7
Explore the roll out of nontraditional physical access points around the community, such as kiosks and drop boxes.
Happy RML staff member surrounded by balloons

Goal 4:

Marketing & Outreach: Increase community awareness around the value
and versatility of the library

Strategies:

4.1
Prioritize outreach into underserved pockets of the community.
4.2
Develop a broad-based marketing plan to guide RML’s promotional efforts.
4.3
Craft and distribute key messaging in languages other than English.
4.4
Refresh the library’s online presence, including the website and all relevant social media channels.
4.5
Adopt continual feedback mechanisms to gather input from community members on an ongoing basis.
crowd gathered around a speech at RML

Goal 5:

Administration & Staff: Equip staff and board members to advance RML’s mission and advocate for its place in the fabric and future of Rolling Meadows.

Strategies:

5.1
Engage in regular Library Board training to ensure all members fully understand the library’s vision and feel confident in championing its mission.
5.2
Work toward increasing staff diversity, including volunteer and internship opportunities.
5.3
Invest in staff cross-training in select areas to increase cross-departmental understanding and foster a nimble frontline team.
5.4
Provide periodic customer service training to increase staff confidence when interacting with any patron and in a wide range of scenarios.
5.5
Explore logo-wear for pride of place and identification markers (such as buttons) to denote special skills.
5.6
Investigate equipping public floor staff with tools to instantaneously reach colleagues for an outstanding customer service experience.
5.7
Collaborate actively in citywide dialogue around Rolling Meadows' future growth and development.
5.8
Explore how best to collaborate with the City’s new Human Services Department to help connect its resources and services to all residents.
Happy RML staff members

Project Leadership Teams

Strategic Planning Steering Committee

Library Staff

  • Jack Bower
    Executive Director
  • Lucia Khipple
    Assistant Library Director/ Youth Services Director
  • Mary Constance Back
    Readers Services Department Director
  • Jennifer Collette
    Reference Department Director
  • Laura Garcia
    Community Relations Manager

Library Board

  • Jean Threadgill
    President
  • Steve Rossi
    Treasurer
  • Sylvia Vange
    Trustee

Community Partners

  • Rob Sabo
    City Manager, City of Rolling Meadows
  • Natalia Nieves
    Director of Human Services, City of Rolling Meadows
  • Nick Troy
    Executive Director, Rolling Meadows Park District
  • Steven Gaus
    Business Development Director, Rolling Meadows Chamber of Commerce
  • Kristin Franke
    Library Innovation Teacher
  • Katie Shaw
    Head Librarian, Rolling Meadows High School

Full Board of Trustees

  • Jean Threadgill
    President
  • Phil Priest
    Vice-President
  • Steve Rossi
    Treasurer
  • Marsha Kremer
    Secretary
  • Melanie Elfers
    Board Member
  • Mary Erturk
    Board Member
  • Megan Gawlik
    Board Member
  • Liesel Hughes
    Board Member
  • Sylvia Vange
    Board Member
  • Stefanie Boucher
    City Council Liaison/ Ex-Officio Director