The mission of the Mahwah Public Library is to be an essential resource, connecting everyone in the community with ideas, information, technology and each other to further lifelong learning opportunities and the cultural and business interests of its residents.
Strategic planning has proven to an important tool in helping the Library to identify areas for growth and to develop a roadmap for advancing its mission, its vision, its guiding principles, and its broader goals for the future.
Strategic Plan 2025-2030
Mahwah Public Library has set its sights on the next chapter: We are developing our 2025-2030 Strategic Plan! We need your help in this developing a plan for the future!
How are we doing, and how can we improve? How can we make our collections, programs, and services more impactful to you and your family?
As valued members of the community, we need your input to inform this decision-making process. This is an opportunity for you to share what you like, dislike, and/or want to see down the road so we can make improvements and plans for the next five years to better meet your needs. Tell us what services are most valuable to you. Tell us what changes you would like to see in your library. Whether you’re a regular library visitor, a casual user, or someone who hasn’t yet explored all that we have to offer, your feedback will shape the future of your local library.
Town Halls
The Library will host a series of Town Hall meetings in June 2025 to solicit feedback from the community about their use of and needs from the Library, as well as their hopes for its future.
Meeting Dates:
- Wednesday, June 4 at 7PM at Mahwah Public Library in the Winter Room
- Saturday, June 7 at 2PM at Mahwah Public Library in the Winter Room
Community Survey
We value your input! The Mahwah community is invited to participate in to contribute their feedback by completing an online Strategic Planning Survey (to be released here at a later date).
Strategic Planning History
The Mahwah Public Library undertook development of its first strategic plan in 2011. That plan guided the Library’s development and growth through 2012 through 2015. Notable accomplishments during this time include completion of the lower level renovation, construction of a unique teen space, “The Inbetween,” maintaining a high level of use – and a growing audience for programs – during a time of stagnant economic growth. Read the 2012-2015 Strategic and Technology Plans.
In the fall of 2015, the Library Board of Trustees formed an ad hoc committee to develop a second long-range plan to guide the Library from 2016 through 2018. Notable accomplishments during this time include construction of five quiet study rooms on the main floor, development and execution of a marketing strategy to improve communications with patrons and the community at large, significant upgrades to the wired and wireless network, and a focus on data-driven collection management. Read the 2016-2018 Strategic Plan.
In the fall of 2018, the Library once again began a new Strategic Plan to guide us for the next five years. This dynamic planning process was designed to be both community-focused and forward-looking. Shifting demographics, usage statistics, prevailing industry trends, emerging technology, SWAT analysis, surveys, best practices, and benchmark data were all taken into consideration throughout the process. The Committee worked together to evaluate this wealth of information and develop strategic initiatives that were closely aligned with the mission, vision and guiding principles developed as part of the previous strategic plan. The selected goals of sustainable funding, an increase in programming and non-traditional services, and more embody a plan that is both responsive to the community’s current expectations and actively plans for future growth. Read the 2019-2023 Strategic Plan.
