It wasn't long ago that most people thought of their local library as simply a place to go and read books. But today's libraries need to offer so much more to help fill the voids in the community. That's why the Library's 2012-2014 Strategic Plan focuses on critical community issues in addition to literacy. Specifically, the Library sought to address the concerns identified as priorities by various community groups. These included: education, jobs, healthcare, criminal justice and sustainable food.

Although there is still much work to be done in this area, a number of new programs and services were effectively launched during 2013 to start filling the gaps.