Mission & Vision

The Library District maintains a varied collection of materials in print, audio, visual and electronic formats, as well as a wide range of technology for on-site and home use.  The libraries offer an annual schedule of dynamic programming for all ages, including a Summer Reading Program, children’s Storytimes, community presentations and events, book clubs, technology help and so much more.  Delta County Libraries also provides adult education through programming, high school equivalency testing, college exam proctoring, and English as a Second Language classes.

Our Strategic Plan is an important road map for the success of the Library District by mapping out our future based upon the needs of our community members.  It guides and informs the decisions made by the Board, management, and library staff through 2026. From the results of our community needs assessment completed in 2023, we identified these priorities as the most beneficial to our community members.

Vision

Serving and Empowering People; Providing Resources for Life, Leisure, and Learning.

Mission

Providing Publicly Supported Free Library Services to all Residents of the District.

Values

Integrity; Education; Community; Service; Fiscal Responsibility

Board Strategic Priorities

Balanced Budget; Open Libraries; Collaborate with Library Foundations and Friends of the Libraries; Board Evaluation to inform future governance; Participate with staff in community needs update.

Operations Strategic Priorities

Community Engagement: Workforce and Skill Development, Community-Youth, and Community Connections

Team Development: Professional Growth

Every year we receive an annual report from the Colorado State Library that details how our resources and services were utilized by our patrons. The information that follows is a summary of our 2024 Annual Report.

• The five libraries in our district had more than 304,886 checkouts and renewals of our materials
• 14,259 people in our county carry a library card
• 152,582 people walked through our doors last year
• We had a total of 304,886 checkouts and renewals
• We lent our items to other libraries 21,986 times
• We brought in 36,723 items upon patron request
• There were 10,927 uses of our public computers
• We provided 55,001 WiFi sessions
• Our libraries offered 971 programs that 10,774 people attended in total

Delta County Libraries is important to our community. The information represented here is shows the value of the library and the impact it has in Delta County. These trends encourage us to continue enhancing our services to meet the needs of our residents.

As part of this year’s report, we were recognized for several strategic accomplishments and notable awards.

Community Engagement – Workforce and Skill Development

• Offered twice-weekly ELL classes, averaging 24 students.
• Offered 358 adult programs, many focusing on tech-related skills and life skills.
• Administered 30 HiSET exams (high school equivalency).
• Increased collection materials, focusing on building resumes and developing job interview skills.

Community Engagement – Youth

• Distributed 1,942 student e-cards.
• Offered weekly early literacy programs, such as story times, including bilingual and lap sit story times.
• Offered regular writing clubs, book clubs, LEGO clubs, video game tournaments, theater games, and board games, providing opportunities for socialization among youth.
• Expanded collection of read-along materials for youth (Wonderbooks and VOX books).

Board Governance

• Adopted a balanced 2025 budget.
• Increased open hours at Hotchkiss and Paonia libraries and maintained open hours at Cedaredge, Crawford, and Delta libraries.
• Conducted an annual board evaluation.

Notable Awards

• District Director LaDonna Gunn and the Delta Library Innovation Workspace received the Colorado Association of Libraries Innovated Spaces Award.