It’s tough times for library programs …
Library programs compete with other local programs offered by Recreation, the Museum, Gallery, YMCA, Early Years, Seneca, school boards, retail and countless private organizations such as Kumon and Oxford Learning. To add to the challenge, some of these organizations are offering their programs within our facilities.
Meanwhile, the community is changing rapidly in terms of age, ethnicity, cultural, socioeconomics, densification and value differences. There are increased demographics for which we need to provide relevant programs and challenges in marketing those programs. We need to maintain a constant vigil over these changing demographics to develop programs and to evaluate how well these programs are meeting the community need.
There are also great opportunities for us. With strong programming strategies we can thrive and set the standard for programming in the community. A global economic downturn has changed spending habits. At the same time, record numbers are returning to school to upgrade their skills. While discretionary spending may be down people will invest in a high quality product that addresses their learning need.
An untapped market and great opportunity for MPL is in cultural programming. Very few Markham organizations have yet invested the effort into offering programs to non-English speaking communties. By partnering with local cultural organizations we can develop diverse cultural programming that satisfy the personal and intellectual needs of the entire
community.
Online technology has a lot to offer the life-long learner. Maximizing technology to deliver programs has tremendous opportunities for MPL. Virtual programs are an ideal forum for both formal and informal opportunities for language learning, literacy, computer literacy, and community engagement.
Across all organizations offering programs (educational institutions, recreational facilities, etc.) studies have shown that the more in tune the program is with the institution’s mission, the more support it received. In other words – by focusing on our core mandate we build customer confidence in our product. And so, The Learning Place is born!
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The Learning Place is a gateway for learning and literacy. It offers programs that expand experiences and enhance life skills. It is a social space where people gather to exchange ideas and learn together. It is about the joy of reading, the power of information and the discovery of ideas. The Learning Place provides opportunities for Markham’s communities to come together to imagine, learn and grow.
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