Early childhood education, local history and cultural experiences are key components of the Boone County Public Library’s Strategic Plan, officials said.
The plan is centered around services, spaces and staff – with an eye toward ensuring Boone County residents have access to information enabling them to compete on a global level, Boone County Library Executive Director Carrie Herrmann said.
“We are emphasizing within our strategic plan early childhood (education),” Herrmann said. “We need to help meet the needs of early literacy in Boone County – making sure our children are ready to start school on time.”
History and genealogy, the study of families, family history and lineages, play a key role in the strategic initiative, which was launched in January 2023 and continues through December 2026, Herrmann said.
“We now have, not just a local history department, it’s an archive and history center that has partnered with the county clerk and the circuit clerk,” Herrmann said. “We’re bringing some Boone County records back from the state library and the state law library that will now be in the county, that people can use.”
Florence resident Connor Howell considers the Boone County Public Library system to be among the nation’s elite.
“I’ve lived in various parts of the country during military service assignments and the libraries here in Northern Kentucky are on par with the best the country has to offer,” Howell said. “Libraries can definitely raise the academic tide of a community. That’s the goal here.”
Cultural and life experiences also play a vital role in the strategic plan, Herrmann said.
“It’s about education materials, collections and programming that engages the community and teaches,” Herrmann said. “Everything that we do is around a 21st century skill.”