New HPL vision and mission statements

_____________________________________________
From: Lawson, Rhea - HPL
Sent: Tuesday, March 12, 2013 4:07 PM
To: HPL - All Employees
Subject: New HPL vision and mission statements

 

Dear HPL,

Last year HPL began the process of updating our vision and mission statements.  This is very important work for the organization as the vision and mission statements serve to say to the world why the Houston Public Library exists or our purpose for being, and, ultimately, what kind of organization we aspire to become.

A critical part of this process was to reach out to several stakeholder groups.  Stakeholder input helped us to develop statements that we believe are vibrant and memorable. The mission statement captures the breadth of the work we do each day while the vision statement sets our forward direction.

During this process, we received great input and critical feedback from a number of groups including the following:

• Houston City Council members
• Mayor’s Youth Council
• Super Neighborhoods Alliance
• Mayor’s Hispanic Advisory Board
• Other community groups
• Houston Public Library Friends organization
• And, of course, the Houston Public Library staff (through the library’s intranet site) (https://hplnet.hpl.lib.tx.us/vision-mission.html).

After months of discussion, we are now ready to formally introduce our new statements and the rationale for selecting them.  It was important for us to keep the statements powerful enough to have meaning, but simple enough for all of us to easily embrace, remember and share.

HPL’s New Vision Statement

HPL is a vital member of a dynamic and diverse local, national and global community.

This statement can be divided into three parts:

• First, HPL is a vital member of the communities (local, national and global) in which we exist and interact.  We want people everywhere on the planet to think of HPL as a member of the team and a major resource that makes important, innovative contributions in the ever evolving and information universe.
• Second, the communities we serve are dynamic and diverse.   We want HPL to work to ensure that all communities remain vibrant and growing – economically, intellectually and culturally.
• And, third, we serve local, national and global communities.   We want to be positively impactful, making a difference in the quality of lives, providing equitable access to information in all its forms, for people in our local communities and all over the world.

HPL’s New Mission Statement

We link people to the world.

While simple and concise, this statement captures all that we do at HPL, every day, in every interaction. This mission statement also links nicely with our tag line – Linking You to the world. Listed below are some of the ways in which we link people to the world:

• We link people to the world through the pages of a book and electronic resources, providing equitable access to information in all its forms.  
• We link people to the world through access to technology and the internet, bridging the digital divide and helping people achieve digital literacy. 
• We link people to the world by providing access to resources and programs that help people improve their literacy and job search skills 
• We link people to the world by supporting success for students of all ages.

Our next steps include updating the HPL Brand Manual and Style Guide to reflect these and other changes to our messaging and branding efforts.  These two documents will be merged into one and will be posted on the intranet for staff access in the next few months. In the meantime you will begin seeing our new statements being used almost immediately. Please begin using our new statements in place of our previous statements and wherever else it is appropriate – in print, in conversation with customers, etc. Please learn them right away – yes there will be a test!

 

Thanks to all who participated in this process. I sincerely appreciate your thoughtful and passionate input.  Please feel free to contact me or any member of the Executive Leadership Team if you have questions or comments.

We link people to the world.

 

Dr. Lawson