Strategic Plan 2012-2015

I’m Cameron MacKay, Chair of the Toronto Public Library’s (TPL) Strategic Planning Committee.

I'd like to quote John Wood, the founder of Room to Read, a charity that’s opened over 7,500 libraries in the developing world, who says that if you get education right, you get many things right: “education has a ripple effect. One drop can initiate a cascade of possibility, each concentric circle gaining in size and traveling further.”

TPL’s job is to make those ripples of possibility touch as many Torontonians as possible so they can catalyze lifelong learning, experimentation and exploration.

So what does this mean in practical terms? A couple of examples:

First, many of us won’t – and will never – work in a traditional workplace. A recent study says that a growing “distributed workforce” will work in relative isolation (I’m writing this blog from home!) and will need places to gather and work collaboratively.

They are also going to be largely on their own when it comes to skills training and professional development. Here TPL could serve as the infrastructure that enables peer-to-peer interaction and be a place to exchange the ideas that fuel this less traditional workforce.

Second, because we are retiring in better health, often we have the energy and interest to start a second career, open a business or simply become what David Brooks calls culture vultures. It’s a fact that mental stimulation improves longevity and, again, TPL could provide the knowledge, organize the social interaction and generally give Toronto’s retirees the options they need to live fulfilling post-work lives.

We don’t have all the answers for what the future holds for Torontonians or TPL, but you can be assured that the staff and board are thinking about them. One thing we do know is that we are committed to making TPL the world’s leading public library and to helping you be smarter at all ages and stages of your life, all while offering excellent service.

Don’t be shy – let us know what you think about the four themes of the 2012-2015 draft strategy by responding to the survey or by responding to our blogs.