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 2025 Annual Report.

• The five libraries in our district had more than 309,501 checkouts and renewals of our materials
• 14,455 people in our county carry a library card
• 151,586 people walked through our doors last year
• We lent our items to other libraries 22,987 times
• We brought in 35,922 items upon patron request
• There were 12,181 uses of our public computers
• We provided 55,895 WiFi sessions
• Our libraries offered 1,381 programs that 11,937 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 weekly ELL classes, averaging 5 students each week.
• Administered 28 HiSET exams (high school equivalency).
• Launched the Delta County Success Closet Program in partnership with local thrift stores, where 13 participants redeemed vouchers toward professional attire for job interviews, job-related dress codes, court hearings, etc

Community Engagement – Youth

• Distributed 2,263 student e-cards to public, charter, and private school students.
• Launched the Faro Project in partnership with artist Seth Weber to install artworks at Delta and Paonia libraries and to partner with local youth-focused organizations to inspire awareness of unhoused, abused, and neglected children.
• Expanded bilingual materials for Spanish-speaking youth—Launchpads, Wonderbooks, Learning Kits—with grant funds from The Bacon Family Foundation and Delta County Libraries Foundation.
• Engaged youth and adults in our Summer Reading Program —520 youth and 207 adults.

Connecting Our Community to Resources

• Eliminated overdue fines on most materials, increasing access to the library for people who need it the most, especially children.
• Completed the planning phase and began the design phase of our new website scheduled to launch mid-April 2026, with grant funds from Delta Community Fund, Surface Creek Community Fund, and West Elk Community Fund.
• Migrated to the Marmot Overdrive collection, increasing electronic materials by 39% and increasing circulation of electronic materials by 15%.

Notable Staff Accomplishments

• Completed a comprehensive Staff Safety Manual along with staff training.
• Claudia Bishop, Delta Library Manager, represented Colorado at the IMLS-sponsored National Forum—Libraries Advancing Community Learning to Reduce Substance Use—in Kansas City