Mission,Vision, and Strategic Plan

Nancy Schram, Director, Ventura County Library

Mission

Ventura County Library: Inspiring our community to explore, discover, and connect

Vision Statement

For many Americans, libraries have been the beginning of the climb out of poverty. They are the physical reminder that Americans believe knowledge should be available and freely shared. They are a place that reminds us that education takes place in many venues, over all the years of our lives. Libraries hold a special position in the United States. The values that make our county unique are made visible in our libraries. They are the places we come to as children and return to as adults, to find adventure, to learn, to discover, in the vast world of ideas mankind has created.

Increasingly, libraries are not only a place. We can access information, books and videos from our homes, our businesses or anywhere we have access to the library’s homepage. Ventura County Library (VCL) is committed to creating the same sense of community, of ownership in the virtual world that our communities feel in their neighborhood libraries.

We are committed to providing the communities we serve with the very best of what libraries can provide in as many ways and as conveniently as possible.

Our communities are a vital part of deciding how to create and improve our libraries. We listen for their voices and respond to their ideas. We invite and welcome everyone to engage in lifelong learning with us at VCL.

 

Library Director Nancy Schram

Nancy Schram has been the Library Director for the Ventura County Library since December 2017. She joined the Ventura County Library System as the Deputy Library Director in 2016. Prior to that, she worked for almost ten years for the City of Thousand Oaks Library as Deputy Library Director and Division Manager. She also worked nine years for the County of Los Angeles Public Library in several positions including Adult Literacy Coordinator and Branch Library Manager in both Westlake Village and Canyon Country, CA. She has worked as a professional librarian since 1994 and has a master’s degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. She is a longtime member of both the California Library Association and the American Library Association. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for CENIC, the Board of Directors for the California Library Association, the Administrative Council for the Southern California Library Cooperative, and is the current President of the California County Librarians Association.

           Watch an interview with Ventura County Library Director, Nancy Schram [November 2018]

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At Ventura County Library, customer service is the most important thing we do.

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Strategic Plan

Core Values:

Our behaviors are connected to our values.

Service Excellence -

We strive to meet or excel customer expectations.

Intellectual Freedom -

We recognize and support the rights of library users to read, seek information, and speak freely.

Community -

Our communities are a vital part of deciding how to create and improve our libraries.

Creativity & Innovation -

We explore new and different ways to deliver services to create added value.

Inclusivity -

We value every customer regardless of citizenship, age, race, religious affiliation, gender identity, or sexual orientation.

Equity -

We provide equitable access to all of our services and resources.

Focus Areas:

Our goals fall into our focus areas.

Customer Service and Access

Workforce Support

Fiscal Health

Outreach & Community Engagement