2026-2031 Strategic Plan
City of Long Beach
Goal 1
Foster a culture of lifelong learning and literacy by ensuring that all individuals in Long Beach’s diverse community can empower themselves with accessible information, support, connections, and resources.
Our goal is to make lifelong learning and literacy accessible to all. Through collections, programs, spaces, and connections, we help individuals discover educational pathways and enrich their lives. We aspire to be a destination for reading, growth, and advancement.
We will enhance our communication across all branches through consistent messaging, improved branding, and multilingual marketing. By partnering with community leaders and launching targeted outreach, we aim to raise awareness of library resources—especially in underserved neighborhoods— and increase our positive impact.
We will strengthen equity in learning by offering inclusive, culturally responsive collections and educational programs—both physical and digital—that reflect Long Beach’s diversity. Our resources will support multilingual households, language learners, and individuals with varied learning needs, ensuring everyone can access tools for lifelong learning.
We aim to empower residents by expanding digital literacy programs and access to advanced technologies. Through partnerships with tech leaders and educators, we will bridge the digital divide and ensure all community members—especially underserved groups—can confidently use library digital resources. Training and patron feedback will guide continuous improvement.
We aim to grow our volunteer network by streamlining recruitment, building partnerships with schools and other organizations, and promoting literacy initiatives. Additionally, we’ll support lifelong learning through programs on health, finance, and technology, and offer peer-led mentorship in collaborative spaces.
Goal 2
Establish the Department of Library, Arts, and Culture as an inspiring place for everyone, a destination that proudly represents the spirit of our city.
We aim to strengthen the organization’s presence and relevance in the community and prepare to welcome local and international visitors. Our goal is to be the entity that embraces, preserves, celebrates, and shares the richness of our vibrant, culturally diverse Long Beach community.
We will position the department as a vibrant cultural destination by expanding artistic, musical, and cultural programming that reflects and celebrates community diversity. This includes hosting performances, exhibitions, and festivals, and partnering with local artists and cultural groups to create events that foster expression and connection.
We will enrich our cultural and creative offerings by expanding artistic and multicultural materials and resources, and by providing spaces for local creators to share their work. Through exhibitions, performances, and interactive experiences, we aim to make the department a dynamic destination that celebrates Long Beach’s spirit.
We will enhance and expand our mobile programs, large-scale events, and virtual offerings to increase access to arts and culture. This includes improving livestreamed performances and virtual workshops to ensure that participation is accessible for everyone, including individuals with physical and other disabilities.
We are committed to creating a safe, welcoming environment for all. We will strengthen the current support from social workers and security staff, review, update, and communicate policies as needed, and ensure staff training and resources. Our goal is to promote community well-being, so everyone feels safe, respected, and valued.
Goal 3
Foster a high-performing, inclusive, innovative, and safe organizational culture rooted in trust, accountability, and continuous growth.
Guided by our core values, we strive to build a resilient, forward-thinking organization that champions well-being, equity, innovation, and excellence. By investing in people, technology, and infrastructure, we will strengthen our ability to serve Long Beach with integrity, safety, and creativity.
We will ensure every library space is safe, welcoming, and supportive. This includes ongoing safety and trauma-informed training, partnerships with public safety and health agencies, facility improvements, and updated policies enforced with fairness and transparency.
We will optimize collaboration frameworks, branch-level communication strategies, and cross-departmental interactions to ensure all are informed, engaged, and empowered to drive collective impact across the organization and achieve our strategic plan goals.
We are committed to strengthening our equitable hiring, onboarding, mentorship, and performance expectations process. We aim to provide access to professional development and advancement opportunities, with performance evaluations aligned with strategic priorities and inclusive values.
We will foster innovation through experimentation, learning, and adaptability. Targeted training and data literacy will empower us to use insights to improve services and operations. Strategic goals will be measured and refined to ensure accountability and results.
