Our Projects

Omaha Public Library is engaged in a dramatic reimaging of its city-wide campus, including a $150 million philanthropic campaign to build a new central library. Advancing with Purpose prepared a future state, pro-forma budget for the library system, so the city and philanthropic community can anticipate the staffing and operational resources needed starting in 2026 (when the new building is completed). We contributed to a Facilities Plan to position the new Central Library as a catalyst for investment and growth. Currently, Advancing with Purpose is coordinating work across city leaders, funders, library leaders, and board members to to prepare for the library’s expanded role, budget, and footprint.

Advancing with Purpose co-led a comprehensive strategic planning process in Sarasota, grounded in the libraries’ contribution to quality of life and community well being. The process placed significant emphasis on partner networks and coalitions, positioning the library as a galvanizing force to facilitate shared outcome goals for community-wide priorities. We continue to support the implementation phase by leading a project management cohort that is training more than forty staff to own delivery of a coordinated series of actions and initiatives as well as submitting an annual implementation plan to the County.

New Jersey State Library’s (NJSL) new leadership was seeking opportunities to work differently. The library had followed a similar model for many years in planning for and expending the state’s Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funds. For the 2023-2027 plan, NJSL partnered with Advancing with Purpose to engage constituents from across the state about current performance and future needs for LSTA projects serving New Jersey’s 296 public libraries. Through collaborative design sessions, NJSL crafted priorities, goals, and activities with an intentional focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) work at the state and local level.

Richland Library selected Advancing with Purpose to design and develop a DEI curriculum based on their Let’s Talk Race program for courageous community conversations. We worked with Richland’s core team to craft the getting started resources, facilitation modules, discussion guides, video scripts, and other key tools. The product - a free, asynchronous online curriculum - launched nationally in June 2023. The website helps empower organizations to stand up Let’s Talk Race initiatives tailored to their organization and community. The Richland Library Let’s Talk Race initiative is featured in Library Journal in the June 2022 issue.

LA County Library is committed to strengthening its position as a community anchor through its new Strategic Plan. In collaboration with Arroyo Associates, Kim Zablud led the five-year strategic planning process with a focus on fortifying County partnerships and co-creating experiences with diverse communities across LACL’s 86 locations. The project started with community and staff engagement reflected in a detailed “What We Heard” report. From there, a team of staff volunteers participated in a series of workshops to develop the content for the written plan. To support the transition to implementation, our consultants provided an implementation guide with suggested annual activities, an outline for recommended trainings, a template to continually analyze performance, and recommendations for conducting an annual review and refresh so objectives remain relevant and actionable.

Local history collections in public libraries are uniquely positioned to activate history for new audiences. In 2021, FWPL engaged Kim Zablud to craft a strategic plan for its local history unit as well as a move action plan to relocate the unit from the Central Library to a standalone facility. Work began with a Findings & Assessment Report, followed by human- centered design workshops to put staff in the driver’s seat of their new plan. Today, the unit is successfully operating in its new facility based off the work from their plan.

The Ocean County Library recognized major demographic shifts in the county at large, which would drive their strategy and future relevance as an institution. Advancing with Purpose led a comprehensive engagement and planning process that emphasized staff development, internal and external feedback loops, community listening, and partnership opportunities. Techniques included: gallery walks and pulse surveys (21 locations); staff and public surveys; interviews and focus groups; and staff design teams. Staff utilized human-centered design techniques to reflect on findings and craft the final plan.

Advancing with Purpose stewarded a six-month process with ATPL to deliver a plan with an iterative, flexible framework and a new mission and values. The engagement focused on building internal capacity to own and implement the plan. To that end, the library assembled a “design team” with representatives from staff and the board. Elected officials were clear that - while they are interested in a new facility - the strategic plan must establish the “why” on a programmatic level first. In parallel, the township is working on their own strategic plan, which will pave the way for future conversations about buildings and facilities.

The Library System of Lancaster County (LSLC) – a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization – administers a portfolio of services for fourteen independent member libraries. To develop their seven-year comprehensive plan, LSLC asked Advancing with Purpose to conduct a holistic assessment of current operations. As a subsidiary project, the consultants worked with the County GIS and planning office to analyze service area allocation by member library, which directly impacts the annual distribution of funds. With these findings in hand, Advancing with Purpose led a collaborative design process to develop mission, values, strategic priorities, objectives, and next steps within the framework of a comprehensive plan.