Library Strategic Plan

Letter From the Director

This strategic plan before you is the first of its kind for the Monterey Park Bruggemeyer Library – a comprehensive plan for the future of library services which is the result of a broad and inclusive process of engagement with the individuals and groups that we serve. 

The best strategic plans are those made with the community members we serve, not just for them. This is why the first task in creating this plan was to reach out to our stakeholders to learn about their aspirations for themselves, their families and their community, and to determine how the Monterey Park Bruggemeyer Library can help make that vision a reality. Our process in creating this strategic plan solicited feedback in numerous ways and from various groups: from interviews with individuals and organizations in our city, feedback from elected officials and leaders, a community survey, an online website and idea wall, conversations with residents at outreach events, and meetings with our Community Taskforce. 

Creating our strategic plan at this particular moment also builds on the change that we’ve experienced over the past two and a half years due to the Covid pandemic. Since the March 2020, the Bruggemeyer Library demonstrated change-readiness by swiftly providing innovative services in response to Covid: introducing contactless checkout; partnering with our own Recreation and Community Services Department to provide Home Delivery to residents and to conduct telephone wellness checks during shelter-in-place orders; pivoting to virtual and then outdoor programming; offering storytimes, library card sign up, printing, passport services and checking out books at our outdoor Pop Up Library; and loaning wi-fi hotspots and laptops for residents so that residents were able to work and study remotely. 

Our Library has certainly undergone massive change in the past few years. However, despite the immense change locally and globally over the past years the Monterey Park Bruggemeyer Library remains an enduring institution in our community. The purpose of a public library has always been to strengthen the community and transform lives using currently available technologies and resources – whether those are books, multimedia, classes, or programs either digital or analog – so that all people can fully participate in our society. With this plan, the Library is well poised to continue to anticipate and respond to the changing needs and expectations of our community and to use this momentum to create impactful change in Monterey Park.

Diana Garcia, Monterey Park City Librarian

Read the strategic plan (PDF)

Strategic Plan Summary (PDF)
Strategic Plan Summary in Chinese (PDF)
Strategic Plan Summary in Spanish (PDF)
Strategic Plan Summary in Vietnamese (PDF)