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Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives

Strategic Plan

Introduction

With the help of Stephanie Chase, Constructive Disruption, we have been working on our strategic plan since November 2024. This has involved several in-agency meetings, discussions, and work groups to identify our strengths, wishes, opportunities, and dreams. Together, we decided on our new mission statement, determined our vision, and laid out our core values.


Mission Statement

Uniting People and Information


Vision Statement

We envision a future in which Kentuckians value the importance of libraries and Kentucky government records, and we are recognized for:

  • Innovative and creative approaches for preserving and providing access to government records;
  • Enabling libraries to be essential to their communities; and
  • Being a valued partner in the educational and economic development of the Commonwealth.


Core Values

  • Access – KDLA is dedicated to open access to its records, resources, training, and expertise.
  • Collaboration – KDLA strives to collaborate within the agency, with other state departments, and with the communities we serve.
  • Preservation — KDLA has a responsibility to preserve the records of Kentucky and invest in their stewardship.
  • Service — KDLA provides supportive, responsive, and accessible service to all.


Plan Priorities, In Brief

  • Priority 1: Build awareness across all stakeholder groups about KDLA’s key services.
  • Priority 2: Establish a consistent, agency-wide approach to training offerings.
  • Priority 3: Strongly support public records management, digitization, and preservation.
  • Priority 4: Extend KDLA’s personalized approach across all service areas.


Plan Priorities, In Full

Priority 1: Build awareness across all stakeholder groups about KDLA’s key services.

  • Goal: Develop a communications plan, including the opportunity to engage in a rebrand for the department.
  • Goal: Dedicate resources to one-on-one support and consulting services for key stakeholder groups.
  • Goal: Expand awareness of Kentucky Libraries Unbound, TeachingBooks, and KDLA’s digital archives and agency records.
  • Goal: Experiment with specialized, dedicated communication with specific stakeholder groups to increase awareness of resources and services.
  • Goal: In collaboration with users, update the KDLA website to promote easier access to resources.

Priority 2: Establish a consistent, agency-wide approach to training offerings.

  • Goal: Expand in-person, in depth training options.
  • Goal: Develop a robust menu of self-guided training and resources for stakeholder user groups, including on-demand training.
  • Goal: Evaluate Learning Management System (LMS) options to better support self-guided and on-demand training materials and access.

Priority 3: Strongly support public records management, digitization, and preservation.

  • Goal: Ensure support for inventory, moving, and restoration of public records.
  • Goal: Clarify records retention guidelines and policies, including guidance for online public records.
  • Goal: Provide resources for disaster planning and recovery as related to public records.
  • Goal: Explore tools for connecting users with records and archives, including the development of a historical records and archives directory and an “Archive in a Box” program.
  • Goal: Establish a plan and timeline for digitizing KDLA’s holdings.
  • Goal: Establish and implement a plan and timeline to inventory all the collections and holdings within KDLA's repositories. 

Priority 4: Extend KDLA’s personalized approach across all service areas.

  • Goal: Ensure quality and regular meet ups with local and state government personnel.
  • Goal: Explore creating more regions across the state to ensure connection to local library and government staff.
  • Goal: Find ways to assist in facilitating stronger school and public library connections at a local level.
  • Goal: Strengthen outreach connections to new library directors and local and state government staff.
  • Goal: Ensure that the expertise of KDLA staff and resources support projects across the Commonwealth.


Acknowledgements

We would like to thank those who participated in our strategic plan stakeholder survey and those who attended the focus groups and town halls for the county clerks, state employees, public library staff, and the State Libraries, Archives, and Records Commission. We would also like to thank those who participated in individual interviews.

And finally, thank you to all the KDLA staff who contributed to the development of this strategic plan.

​Download the strategic plan. (PDF)