{"id":41,"date":"2026-10-22T15:48:22","date_gmt":"2026-10-22T15:48:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/explorationhyperlinked\/?p=41"},"modified":"2026-10-22T15:53:14","modified_gmt":"2026-10-22T15:53:14","slug":"innovation-strategy-roadmap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/explorationhyperlinked\/2026\/10\/22\/innovation-strategy-roadmap\/","title":{"rendered":"Innovation Strategy & Roadmap"},"content":{"rendered":"

What is the idea?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Adding Community Pantries into library branches would help a lot of people. Pantries would contain food and other basic necessities. The pantries would be easily accessible for everyone in the community to use. Libraries would partner with various organizations to stock the pantry. Charitable institutions such as local food banks such as Feeding San Diego and other not for profit agencies will help to support the pantries. Local restaurants, grocery stores and retailers will also donate surplus food and other necessities. Libraries would not be in charge of policing the pantry users. The pantry would provide both shelf stable items and fresh produce along with other necessities such as personal care items like soap, shampoo, menstrual products. The items in the pantry would change weekly depending on what is available. The pantries would be located near the front of the libraries where they can be quickly accessible to users.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Mission & Institutional Context<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The mission is to provide services to community members that would benefit from assistance with food or other basic necessities. The library is a trusted place and adding pantries into existing branches will speed up the process of providing food assistance to our communities. Many libraries regularly interact with individuals who are in need of basic necessities, such as food and shelter. It makes sense since the library is well positioned to provide services outside of traditional information services. The staff is already used to helping individuals in need and they are already trained in providing compassionate services. The addition of a pantry will add another layer to library services.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The cost of food and other basic necessities has risen dramatically over the last few years and there seems to be no end in sight. Unfortunately, wages have not increased enough in order to cover the increasing cost of living. This has led to an increase in food insecurity and even homelessness for working families. Traditionally the library provides services to this population and it would be reasonable to add food assistance to its list of services. San Diego County Library has 33 branches spread out across the San Diego area. The branches are well positioned to service a large percentage of families in need. The library branches are welcoming and have nurtured trust and connection with the communities they serve. They provide a safe and welcoming place for the community to access information.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This is an innovation for library services because it goes beyond what libraries traditionally focus on. Library services usually focus on providing information services such as books, programming, cultural enrichment, school readiness, and adult learning. Providing assistance with food and necessities would be a way to do more good in the community. It allows libraries to add more value to their branches. Modern libraries are community centers and this would be a step towards facilitating community engagement and cement the library in their role of community helpers. Adding services to the library would allow for people to come into one place and get multiple needs filled. People would get access to all of the traditional library services and food and necessities.<\/span><\/p>\n

Action Brief Statement<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Convince:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

San Diego Residents including library users and non-library users in need.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

They can come into their local San Diego County library branch to access free food and various personal care necessities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

They will:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Gain access to food assistance and various personal care items for free.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Which Will:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Meet their basic needs for food and various personal care items.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Because:\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Every branch will have a pantry that distributes food and personal care items.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Where did you find inspiration?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

This idea was born from my experience working in a library for the last seven years. I have seen a real need for access to food and other basic necessities. Individuals often come into the branches seeking housing, mental health, food assistance, bathing and various related services. Traditionally libraries are able to provide assistance with locating and contacting programs and groups that provide these services, but are not able to provide services themselves. Adding food pantries into library branches allows the library to provide some of these valuable services directly to their communities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

San Diego County Library does not currently have anything like these pantries in any of their branches. However, while researching this topic I found a nearby library that recently opened a pantry in its central branch. The Chula Vista Public Library recently added a pantry where residents can come in and pick up food and other necessities. The pantry requires residents to register online or by phone. The pantry is currently open two days a week from noon to 7 p.m. The online form does ask residents to self-certify they meet federal income guidelines before they are routed to the food request form. However, the website clearly states that the program strives to provide assistance to everyone in need. The library website is linked to the Catholic Charities Diocese of San Diego. The organization runs a network of thirteen food banks in the San Diego and El Centro area, including the pantry located within the library. Some locations offer drop off service, however the library does not provide this service.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Although I understand the reasoning behind requiring residents to certify that they meet federal income minimum requirements I do not believe that library pantries should require this. There are several reasons I do not think libraries should require individuals who come into the pantry to sign anything. First of all this causes stigma associated with needing assistance. Second there are many individuals and families who do not meet the shockingly low income requirements but still need assistance buying food and other necessities. The library pantry must have a take what you need policy without judgement or threats of perjury.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Here is a short article about the food pantries in the Chula Vista Main Library Branch<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.chulavistaca.gov\/Home\/Components\/News\/News\/4027\/3175?ref=daylightsandiego.org<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

The city of Chula Vista is located in the southern part of the San Diego County area. It is minutes away from the Mexico border. The city responded to a dire need for food assistance by implementing a food pantry in it’s main library branch.<\/p>\n

Here is a short article about the community group that runs the food pantries in the Chula Vista Main Library Branch<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/ccdsd.org\/efdn\/<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

The food pantry is run by the Catholic Charities Dioceses of San Diego.<\/p>\n

While researching I found a wonderful article about Public Librarianship and food justice. The article <\/b><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/b><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.ageoptions.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Public-Librarianship-and-Food-Justice-Report.pdf<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

I highly recommend public library staff take the time to read this highly insightful work. It is linked above. It discusses the role libraries can and should play in addressing food insecurity in their communities.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Guidelines & Policies<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

The pantry is for everyone who needs it. The library will not police what people take and will not take it upon themselves to assess individual needs. Staff will not discourage or track what people take. The role of\u00a0 the library is to provide a safe and welcoming environment that encourages people to feel comfortable getting their basic needs met. The pantries will be located near the front of the libraries to allow for quick and easy access. The delivery of food and supplies will be coordinated by outside agencies, like Feeding San Diego or a similar charitable aid association. These outside groups will take care of not only stocking the pantry but tracking best by dates and the pantry physical space, including clean-up and maintenance.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The pantries will be open during regular library hours and closed on holidays observed by the library. They will be equipped with a lockable door or gate in order to be secured during non-operational hours. Staff will be responsible to secure pantries at the end of their work days. If at any point the pantries are out of items staff will secure pantries and contact the people in charge of stocking them. Staff will not be reasonable for issues with the pantries and will direct user complaints and concerns to the agencies in charge of maintaining pantries.<\/p>\n

Timeline for Implementation\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

The pantries would be added into existing branches so the lead time would be minimal. I would imagine that it would take several months to implement the pantries into the branches. It would take some time to adjust branch layouts to accommodate the pantry. The pantries would have varying sizes depending on the branch size and community demographics. Ideally pantries would be large enough to accommodate a variety of foods and basic necessities. They should be located near the front of the libraries to allow for quick and easy access. In some cases where their is inadequate space within branches to accommodate pantries a storage unit,\u00a0 tiny home or locker like structure will be placed near the front of the branch to house various food and personal care items. Library management along with aid providers will access each location to determine the best way to add pantries into each branch.<\/span><\/p>\n

Marketing & Promotion<\/b> <\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

The pantries will be highlighted on the library website. Pantry hours and locations will be searchable on the library website and app in much the same way that materials\u00a0 and other services are. The library will post stories and door counts for pantries and periodically collect stories from willing pantry users. Individuals will be able to locate pantries by searching for food assistance in the San Diego area. Information on pantry location and hours will be provided at library outreach events to inform the community. Information will also be posted on the library social media pages. County agencies working with residents experiencing food insecurity will be directed to library pantries.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The pantries will be clearly labeled and their intention and rules would be posted in multiple languages. Since this may be new to many patrons it is critical that members of the community understand what the pantry is. There would also be signage encouraging people to take what they need but to please leave things for others who also need them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Staff Training & Readiness<\/span><\/b> <\/b><\/p>\n

There would have to be staff guidance from library management in order to make sure that all branch staff understand pantry best practices. Staff would understandably have many questions and it would be important for staff to be heard. It is critical to the success of the program to have staff buy in.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Library staff will receive training on how to deal with potential issues with the pantries. Staff will be provided with a Standard Operating Procedure document available on the library internet page. Additionally, the library learning, marketing and engagement team will provide a system wide staff training and question and answer session. Staff will be encouraged to reach out the management team with any questions or concerns regarding the pantries. The training will include a quick reference guide and “who to call” directory for staff. The staff will be supported and provided with information in order to empower them to support the pantries and the individuals using them.<\/p>\n

Evaluation & Future Expansion<\/b><\/span>\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

The pantries will have a door count device that will assist in providing statistics for its usage. The agencies stocking the pantries will provide statistics on how much food and other items are used. Comments and concerns from library staff will be tracked and used to assess pantry usage and other potential trends including issues with the program. <\/span>\u00a0Library management will meet with the aid agencies annually to discuss any issues with the pantries. If any processes are found to be not working the library will provide library staff with guidance and update the SOP and training.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The long term goal for the pantries would be to become an essential community service and encourage other institutions to join in addressing food insecurity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What is the idea? Adding Community Pantries into library branches would help a lot of people. Pantries would contain food and other basic necessities. The pantries would be easily accessible for everyone in the...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":892,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/explorationhyperlinked\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/explorationhyperlinked\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/explorationhyperlinked\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/explorationhyperlinked\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/892"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/explorationhyperlinked\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/explorationhyperlinked\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":59,"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/explorationhyperlinked\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41\/revisions\/59"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/explorationhyperlinked\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/explorationhyperlinked\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/explorationhyperlinked\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}