Members of the Fairfax County Library Board of Trustees met on January 28 at the Government Center for a five-hour board retreat. In addition to receiving training from an official at the Library of Virginia, they were also briefed about the county’s budget cycle and Fiscal Year 2018 direction. The Trustees made a number of decisions by the end of the day including reinstating budget hearings in June to allow residents to express their opinions about library budgeting.

The Board also set three focus areas for the library: technology, collections and programming. These umbrella priority areas will allow the staff at library branches to customize branch objectives to meet the individual needs of their communities. The priorities were based on community engagement results from the 2016 public engagement process as well as staff feedback. When asked about the priorities set, Chairman of the Library Board of Trustees Karrie Delaney responded, “It is critical that we take steps to build our libraries into centers for 21st century innovation and economic development while expanding our collection and offering community based programming to best serve our citizens.” A strategic planning process has begun for the library which is expected to take 9-12 months and will steer the library for the next 3-5 years. In addition to using the results from the 2016 Public Engagement Process while developing the strategic plan, the 18-member committee will ensure the contents align with other county documents including the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors’ Priorities and Vision and the Strategic Plan to Facilitate the Economic Success of Fairfax County.