Cascade Public Library Five Year Plan and Mission Statement

Mission: The mission of the Cascade Public Library is to enrich people’s lives by providing current resources, programs, education, and entertainment for the entire community.

Cascade Public Library

5 Year Plan

2022 - 2027

Approved by the Cascade Public Library Board of Trustees

Tuesday, February 1, 2022

Community: Cascade is primarily located in Dubuque County in Eastern Iowa. There are also residents in Cascade that live in Jones, Jackson, and Delaware counties. The population of Cascade is 2,386 as of the Census of 2020. The median age is 40.7 years old. Residents of Cascade are 95.3% white, 3.4% Hispanic or Latino, and 0.3% black or African American. English is the predominate language.

The children of Cascade attend school in the Western Dubuque Community School District. There are two elementary schools and a Jr./Sr. High School in Cascade. 75.02% of the population in Cascade are high school graduates, with 13.49% having obtained an Associates degree, 10.93% having a Bachelor’s degree, and 4.0% having a Master’s degree or higher.

Citizens of Cascade have access to information in a variety of formats including a local newspaper, television, and Internet providers.

The main employers include The City of Cascade, Western Dubuque Community School District, American-Iowa Manufacturing, Cascade Lumber, Cascade Communications, Webber Metals, Cascade Municipal Utilities, and Custom Precast. The community also includes 2 banks, 3 bars, 2 chiropractors, dentist offices, a pharmacy, 2 medical clinics, several gas stations, auto repair and sales, insurance agencies, beauty salons, Aquin Little Angels Daycare center, a grocery store, and various other carpentry, farm services, and other assorted businesses. The median income in Cascade is $62,607, which is below the state average of $68,469, and unemployment is at 2.6%.

(All statistics are courtesy of the Iowa State Data Center)

Library: The Cascade Public Library has been open since 1968 and has been in its current location for the last 50 years.  4 employees currently work at the library and the library is open 47.5 hours per week with morning, afternoon, evening, and Saturday morning hours. The library provides books, periodicals, games, puzzles, toys, visual and audio materials, electronic databases and other electronic materials, crafts, and more. Also provided are offsite programs at the schools and daycare, the Summer Reading program, copy and scanning services, and 5 public computers.

Staff:

Melissa Kane        Becky Johnson         Jane Strang           Carol Cigrand             

Library Director   Library Assistant     Library Assistant   Library Assistant     

Cascade Public Library Board of Trustees:

Amy Ludwig    Monica Recker   Jacob Brindle   Ce Ann Brickley     Marie Thomas

President        Secretary

Introduction: Information was gathered relating to existing services and the current inventory of library resources. The long-term space needs of the library have exceeded the library’s current space allotment (2,220 square feet) and are expected to grow into long-term space needs of 7310 square feet. The substantial difference between what the library has and what the library needs, space-wise, was based on the underlying service goals and national trends in public library service. These include the provision of more user-friendly access to collection and an increased emphasis on programming. Additional meeting/programming spaces, improved space for child and teen services, and a better environment for using technological resources. During the months of July and August of 2021, the public was asked to provide input by attending Advisory Task Force meetings and SPARKS sessions. The public met five times and confirmed the recommended library’s space needs, developed project goals for success, suggested site option locations, and evaluated options. A two-day design workshop was held, where the public shared their thoughts, ideas, and opinions on what site and building options should be studied. Through the months of September, October and November 2021 the Cascade Public Library with FEH Design of Dubuque, Iowa collected survey input to help envision the future of the library. 299 survey responses were collected.  analyzing the survey’s collected the Library Board identified the following needs to focus on for Strategic Planning:

• Create a new Cascade Public Library that provides adequate space for a robust collection, delivering programming and services, and providing access to 21^st century technologies and tools.
• Develop more community partnerships to better serve the needs of our community.

The Cascade Public Library used these survey responses as the foundation for the Strategic Plan. This plan outlines goals and objectives that the Cascade Public Library will endeavor to accomplish 2022-2027.

Mission: The mission of the Cascade Public Library is to enrich people’s lives by providing current resources, programs, education, and entertainment for the entire community.

The library should be a comfortable place, with room to host community groups, programs, and other events.

 GOAL #1: Construct an enhanced physical space to welcome and empower our community.

1. 1. Locate and select a site for the future library building. (2022)
   2. Secure funding through a variety of channels including, but not limited to, the city of Cascade, grants, donations, and fundraisers. (2022-2025)
   3. Design of the future library to be a reflection of the community. (2023-2027)

The library seeks to promote literacy in our community by offering a wide variety of programming.

GOAL #2: Inspire and create opportunities that cultivate and enrich people’s lives. (2022-2027)

1. Library staff will identify topics of interest for diverse groups in the community. (2022)
2. Seek opportunities to reach out to organizations in our community, being an active partner in life-long learning. (2022-2027)
3. Library staff will work with the local schools to engage students and their families in the services the library has to offer.
4. Library staff that work with programming will research various partnerships with other community groups to provide programming at the best location to reach a wider audience. (2022-2027)

The library should be a vital part of the community it serves.

GOAL #3: Increase community support and awareness of the services the library has to offer.

1. Support the efforts of the Friends of the Cascade Public Library to involve community members as volunteers and advocates for the library. (2022-2027)
2. Develop a plan to better inform people about the services the library provides, as well as promoting library programs and events. (2022-2027)