Reflection Blog 4 – Wild Card – Salt Lake City Public Library

Last week I had the opportunity to visit a friend in Salt Lake City and remembered going through the Salt Lake City Strategic Roadmap from Module 6 Hyperlinked Environments and Issues. I knew I had to check it out to see their place in the community. The following is the Salt Lake City Public Library Mission Statement:

The City Library is a dynamic civic resource that promotes free and open access to information, materials, and services to all members of the community to advance knowledge, foster creativity, encourage the exchange of ideas, build community, and enhance the quality of life.

They also have a Culture Statement:

We are The City Library. We work together to make lives better.

We are inclusive.

We are open.

We are curious.

We are playful.

We are kind.

Together, we are The City Library.

In addition, they have 6 Strategic Areas of Focus. I had forgotten what these areas were before my visit; however, I certainly found all of them in my exploration.

Arts & Creativity

Focuses on creating, experiencing, and celebrating the arts in Salt Lake City.

The creative spirit is on full display with an indoor children’s playground and a Creative Lab encouraging people of any age to explore graphic design, music, photography, sewing, filmmaking, and 3D printing, and more.

Civic Engagement

Focuses on individuals and groups who have the knowledge, skills, and social connections to take action in creating a strong, vibrant community.

A teen gaming safe space is also open for community engagement bringing friends and strangers together creating a social connection. I was also there on election night and saw the lines of those waiting to vote making the library an important community hub.

Critical Literacies

Focuses on the critical role The City Library plays in fostering literacies as the basis of an individual’s ability to participate fully in a free society.

Books and computers encourage all types of literacy. I love how they encourage people to browse books freely without worrying where to put them back.

Economic Success

Focuses on assisting individuals to meet their economic, financial, and career goals. Focuses on assisting the Salt Lake City business community to achieve success.

A bookable conference room and passport services to travel can help people achieve their economic goals.

Healthy Together

Focuses on supporting pathways to a healthy community — specifically physical, mental, and emotional health — and facilitating solutions to our city’s health concerns.

SLC Public Library has a free seed check out station, encouraging healthy living and connecting with nature. A Licensed Clinical Social Worker is also available to help with mental health and other community service like snacks and clothing.

Inclusion & Belonging

Focuses on creating opportunities for people to experience, express, and celebrate cultures and diversity, thereby connecting.

The library has done an amazing job creating a welcoming space for everyone to belong.

Reference

Salt Lake City Public Library Strategic Roadmap https://static.libnet.info/images/pdfs/slcpl/StrategicRoadmap.pdf