Strategic Plan
Goal #1 – Increase access to services and resources Strategies
- Increased Dawson County Satellite Library open hours from two days per week to four days per week.
- Developed plan to add afternoon hours to the Dawson County Satellite Library schedule in the near future.
- Received donation from the Dawson County Lions club for large print materials.
- Received donation from the Dawson County Rotary in honor of the speakers who present at their meetings.
- Increased Lumpkin County Library’s book sale room open hours.
- Dawson County Library held special book sales and advertised them via roadside signage, in-library posters, social media posts, and website announcements.
- Partnered with community organizations to provide children’s programs including:
- Storytime Tea Party with Dahlonega Women’s Club
- Arbor Day Storytime with the City of Dahlonega
- Storytime Dance Class with Cumming Dance Academy
- Sensory Storytimes with ConnectAbility
- Pumpkin Decorating and Gingerbread House Decorating with Lumpkin County Retired Teachers
- Touch-a-Truck
- Partnered with community organizations to provide adult programs including:
- Food For Fines with the Community Helping Place
- Holiday Greeting Cards for local nursing homes
- Free shredding services for the community twice a year with Dahlonega Rotary/Sunrise
- Driver Safety Course with with AARP
- Blood drives with the American Red Cross
- Financial literacy programs with BB&T Bank and Wells Fargo
- Medicare programs with GeorgiaCares/Legacy Link
- Constitution week and collection additions with the local chapter of DAR
- Dahlonega Literary Festival with the Lumpkin Literacy Coalition
- Book signing with University of North Georgia President Bonita Jacobs
- Bibliotherapy program with UNG Counseling Center
- Staff members participated in programs and events hosted by other community organizations including:
- Lumpkin County Head Start Programs
- Lumpkin County Kindergarten Readiness Committee
- Dawson County Chamber of Commerce Women in Commerce program
- Dawson County Chamber of Commerce monthly luncheons
- Lumpkin County Census Readiness Committee
- Partnered with Lumpkin County Friends of the Library for events/projects throughout the year.
- Welcomed volunteers from the University of North Georgia’s First Saturday of Service program, various college fraternities, and the Lumpkin County Retired Teachers.
- Partnered with the City of Dahlonega for various programs.
- Partnered with the Dawson County Humane Society to hold pet adoptions before each Summer Reading Program.
- Partnered with the Dawson County Woman’s Club to hand out free lunches provided by the Seamless Summer Feeding grant to children who attended the Summer Reading programs.
- Visited Dawson County Junior High to conduct Origami Club.
- Developed plan to add afternoon hours at Dawson County Satellite Library.
- Scheduled storytimes for after-work hours.
- Provided outreach program to Brooks Point apartments in Lumpkin County once per month.
- Provided outreach to Headstart and other area childcare/preschool facilities.
- Staff members attended local open houses.
- Prepared a laptop equipped with Evergreen software in order to issue library cards remotely at outreach events.
- Increased Lumpkin County Library’s book sale room open hours.
- Expanded Lumpkin County Library’s homebound delivery service through an outreach program at Chelsey Park with plans to implement the program at a new memory care facility in Dahlonega.
- Made it possible to reserve library meetings rooms online.
- In partnership with the UNG Counseling Center, developed a bibliotherapy (healing through books) binder that lists books, websites, and crisis help lines for difficult subjects. Included a finding aid for patrons and take-home lists so patrons who are hesitant to ask for assistance can more easily find the books they need.
- Served on the Lumpkin County Census Readiness committee to promote online response in the upcoming 2020 census.
- Participated in the Free Poverty Trainings presented by Lumpkin County Family Connection which focus on empowering those in poverty.
- Created an option to register for the Summer Reading Program online.
Goal #2 – Advance literacy and lifelong learning Strategies:
- Dawson County Library added the Little Hands Art Class to storytime sessions to address children 18 months to 3 years old.
- Lumpkin County Library added Sensory Storytimes designed for children of all abilities to Summer Reading Program events.
- Lumpkin County Library added 1,000 Books B4 Kindergarten celebration storytimes.
- Offered new and ongoing computer and classes including:
- RBdigital workshops
- Managing Digital Photos
- Pinterest for Beginners
- Staying Safe Online
- Tutorials on how to use genealogy databases such as Ancestry Library Edition, HeritageQuest, and Fold3
- Information Specialists tutored patrons one-on-one through Book-a-Librarian appointments and monthly Bring Your Own Technology sessions. Lesson examples include: using Facebook, filling out job applications, basics with Microsoft Office products, smartphone basics (android and iOS), borrowing eBooks from the library, and computer and internet basics.
- Provided information to UNG Clinical Counseling Center about how to get a library card, online GED preparation, and other library resources available digitally to those who can’t physically get to the library.
- Offered family programs including:
- STEAM Express
- All storytimes
- Pumpkin Decorating
- Gingerbread Decorating
- LEGO Free-build Days
- Reading to Dogs
- Movie programs
- VIVE virtual reality game programs
- Human Space Flight conducted by NASA Ambassador Katie Searcy
- Offered free family movies through Theater Thursday & Movie Monday programs.
- Provided fun and creative youth programming including Artful Afternoon, Art Explorers, Little Hands Art Class, Lego Club, Board Game Extravaganza, Teen Cafe, Reading to Dogs, and The STEAM Express.
- Offered music, magic, puppetry, and more through Summer Reading Program performers.
- Introduced kids, teens, and adults to the world of virtual reality gaming with VIVE Days.
- Provided adult wellness programming including Qigong, Tai Chi, Floor Yoga, and Chair Yoga.
- Provided adult art programming including, Adult Coloring, Stitch in Time crafting sessions, Crochet Club, Knitting Club, Needlework Fridays, and Adult Craft Night.
- Hosted book clubs and adult game programs including Alternate Visions Book Club, Georgia On My Mind Book Club, Happy Bookers Book Club, Pageturners Book Club, Cookbook Club, Just Words Scrabble Club, Bunco, and various author presentations.
- Provided free admission through Georgia Public Library Service partnerships to public attractions including Zoo Atlanta, the Chatahoochee Nature Preserve, Georgia Sports Hall of Fame, the Breman Museum, the Center for Puppetry Arts, Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites, the Michael C. Carlos Museum, the Harriet Tubman Museum, and the Macon Arts & Sciences museum.
- Hosted Community Scanning Day to assist patrons in preserving their important documents.
- Offered demonstrations of the 3-D printer each week, with explanations of how 3-D printing works.
Goal #3 – Maximize library collections Strategies:
- Continually weeded the adult fiction and nonfiction collections at both Dawson and Lumpkin County Libraries to identify what circulates and what patrons enjoy while also making room for new materials.
- Requested new nonfiction books to replace outdated reference books.
- Weeded duplicate items from Dawson County Satellite Library, as shelf space is limited.
- Continually increased and improved Chestatee Regional Library’s collection of ebooks, downloadable audiobooks, and digital magazines.
- Maintained links to free online reference resources from local, state, and federal organizations including GALILEO, the Digital Library of Georgia, and the Digital Public Library of America.
- Provided patrons with access to online versions of The Dahlonega Nugget, White County News, USA Today, Consumer Reports, and The Wall Street Journal.
- Converted all issues of the Dahlonega Nugget to microfilm through the UGA newspaper project.
- Acquired microfilm copies of all issues of Dawson County News and Advertiser and Dawson Community News.
- Received donation from the Dawson County Lions club for large print materials.
- Posted press releases on Chestatee Regional Library’s website about new digital resources provided by Georgia Public Library Service.
- Posted in-library signage for Digital Library of Georgia, GALILEO, Digital Public Library of America, RBdigital, Mango Languages, Family Search, and Ancestry as well as offering any handouts those resources made available.
- all issues of Dawson County News and Advertiser, as well as Dawson Community News, have been microfilmed.
- Promoted new eRead Kids at Headstart.
- Handed out bookmarks to patrons to promote resources digital resources including RBDigital, eRead Kids, and Galileo.
- Offered genealogy Lunch & Learn programs that highlighted digital resources for genealogy.
- Promoted any new databases or electronic resources through Library News column in the Dahlonega Nugget and bookmarks/informational pamphlets for patron use.
- Provided training for library staff on all available digital resources that the library offers in order to market them effectively and be prepared to help patrons.
- Promoted the on-line Encyclopedia Britannica Library in The Highlighter and on the website.
- Offered classes and individual appointments to patrons on available resources including GALILEO, Gale LegalForms, Mango Languages, Ancestry Library Edition, Fold3, and HeritageQuest Online.
Goal #4 – Increase public awareness Strategies:
- Created a cake pan display.
- Created an area dedicated to Great Courses materials.
- Published information about upcoming programs and library resources each week in the Library News column in the Dahlonega Nugget.
- Staff members submitted articles for the library newsletter The Highlighter, which is available in print and electronic format.
- Posted happenings and upcoming events on Facebook
- Lumpkin County Library offered a chance to win a Walmart gift card for any new library cards issued during Get a Library Card month. Registered 70 new cards during this promotion.
- Provided Farmington Creek apartment complex in Dawson County with copies of the The Highlighter on a monthly basis.
- Engaged with local students by offering student tours and school visits.
- Offered pop-up crafts.
- Ongoing instruction for patrons on how to use the library catalog and locate books on the shelves.
- Ordered books for various book clubs each month.
- Created a Best Seller’s List each week.
- Created a teen coloring table in the teen area of Dawson County Library during the Summer Reading Program.
- Staff took webinars focused on enhancing customer service.
- Dawson County Library staff and volunteers worked towards making 1,000 paper cranes for a library display. Patrons have enjoyed watching the display as it progresses.
- Dawson County Library created a Read Next jar and genre flyers as readers’ advisory aids.
- Added a What’s New section to the Chestatee Regional Library website to advertise new books, dvds, and other items by audience.
- Dawson County Library posted Trivia Tuesday questions on Facebook each week through the Summer Reading Program. Winners received a summer reading program t-shirt.
- Both Dawson and Lumpkin County Libraries posted library news and upcoming events on Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram.
- Posted press releases about Georgia Public Library Service programs and partnerships on Chestatee Regional Library website.
- Created logo images for various library programs for online and in-library advertising.