Introduction
The Nottoway County Public Library (NCPL) System is an essential part of the community, providing resources for visitors of all ages in a welcoming space. This plan was developed, in part, with feedback from the NCPL’s 2025 resident survey; solicitation of input from community members and local organizations is continual and will inform future revisions to the plan.
The Library Board of Trustees is adopting this plan for 2025-2030 to set objectives for the library and the library staff. The plan ensures that the NCPL will strive to provide County residents and visitors with carefully curated resources, programs, and events that reflect our community and its needs, allowing community members the opportunity to further their personal growth and foster meaningful connections with one another.
Nottoway County residents are diverse, and their needs are ever changing. This plan will be reviewed and updated annually, so that the goals and objectives included remain relevant.
Questions and comments about the Five-Year Plan are encouraged and may be directed to Jacqueline Zataweski, Library Director, 414 Tyler Street, Crewe VA 23930, or jzataweski@nottlib.org.
Library Board of Trustees
Jackie Green August
Shelia Harper, President
Carolyn Leslie
Susan Nash, Vice President
Verna Rhoades
Becky Sones, Secretary
Administration
The Library Board of Trustees employs a qualified director who is responsible for all day-to-day management issues, including personnel. The director establishes procedures for implementing the policies adopted by the board and provides leadership to both the staff and the board. The board conducts annual performance reviews of the director.
The director ensures that the current version of policies relevant to the public are readily available on the library’s website. The NCPL Board and Director will review and update existing policies and other documents at intervals of no more than three years.
Vision: The NCPL will be the vital agency to bring people together to prepare for an ever-changing future.
Mission: The NCPL is the heart of the community, enriching lives by providing welcoming spaces that promote literacy, inspire creativity, and provide opportunities for recreation and connection. We are dedicated to supporting personal growth and lifelong learning for all through collaborative partnerships, engaging programs and accessible resources.
Nottoway County Public Library Goals
2025 - 2030
GOAL NUMBER ONE: Community Relations and Public Services
NCPL will promote access to all library resources and services using a variety of methods so that the entire community, including current non-users, will have the opportunity to learn about library materials, resources, and programs. The library system will continue to make lifelong learning a priority and will work to strengthen current organizational relationships and seek new partners in order to better serve the needs of the community.
GOAL NUMBER TWO: Resources
NCPL will meet the evolving needs of the library system’s diverse users and will work to ensure that the collection reflects all segments of the community it serves. The library will continue to seek the input of educators in order to better determine student needs, and it will encourage staff and community members to help identify areas of the collection that are lacking or are out of date. NCPL will continue to evaluate items and resources other than books for potential addition to the catalog.
The library system will provide high-quality technology resources and digital services to meet evolving community needs for lifelong learning and personal growth. This is an ongoing process, subject to periodic evaluation, as both needs and technology frequently change.
GOAL NUMBER THREE: Sustainability
NCPL will continue to lead by example, keeping the triple bottom line as part of our decision making processes, becoming a library that operates efficiently and effectively, using fewer resources, creating less waste, and saving money.
GOAL NUMBER ONE: Community Relations and Public Services
NCPL will promote access to all library resources and services using a variety of methods so that the whole community, including current non-users, will have the opportunity to learn about available materials, resources, and programs. The library system will make lifelong learning a priority and will work to strengthen current organizational relationships and seek new partners in order to better serve the varied needs and interests of the community.
Objective #1 NCPL will continue to seek feedback from community members in order to determine the best methods of sharing information with each segment of the population.
NCPL will then use appropriate methods to inform the community, including current non-users, of library materials, programs, and services.
Objective #2a The Library will plan programs to highlight partners, building awareness of these organizations and resources and potentially bringing non-users into the library.
Objective #2b The Library Director or appropriate staff will seek opportunities to take library information into the community by maintaining a presence at partners’ events.
Objective #3 The Library will reduce or remove barriers to access of digital resources and physical collections.
GOAL NUMBER TWO: Resources
NCPL will meet the evolving needs of the library system’s diverse users and will work to build a collection that reflects all segments of the community it serves. The Director will continue to seek the input of educators in order to better determine current and projected student needs.
The Director and appropriate staff will explore and evaluate the use of technology as a means of providing resources to meet community needs for lifelong learning and personal growth. As both needs and technology frequently change, the Library Director and IT contractor will work to replace hardware according to the established schedule.
Objective #1a
In FY26, the Director and appropriate staff will determine a baseline copyright year for its print collections.
Objective #1b
Following the completion of Objective 1a, the Director will select portions of the collection to target for updating each fiscal year and will provide an update annually.
Objective #2
In FY26, the Director and appropriate staff will conduct diversity audits of the fiction collections using random sampling. This information will be compared to the demographics of the world population in general and, specifically, to Nottoway County’s population with the goal of building collections that are representative of the world at large. Annual updates will be provided.
Objective #3
In FY27, NCPL Trustees will work with the Library Director to research, craft, and adopt a Preservation Policy for the Local History Collection.
GOAL NUMBER THREE: Environmental Sustainability
In its role as a cornerstone of the community, the library curates and shares information about climate change and sustainability, and it leads by example by seeking to increase energy efficiency, reduce waste, and increase the use of environmentally preferable materials. Successes include reducing waste sent to the landfill by:
- recycling printer cartridges, eWaste, cardboard, newspaper, and plastics
- repurposing or distributing deaccessioned library books to other agencies
- intentionally offering school supplies and other necessary items and experiences (such as park or zoo admission) as incentives to read, rather than trinkets
- purchasing refurbished hardware, rather than new, when it is practical to do so
- offering a Library of Things, a collection that can be borrowed and used when needed rather than being purchased by users
Objective #1
In FY26, the Director and Trustees will NCPL will develop and approve a plan for disaster preparedness and response.
Objective #2
NCPL will continue to work toward completing the Certification Program offered by the Sustainable Libraries Initiative. Future Action Items to be accomplished include:
- providing economic development education for all staff who programs
- creating an appreciation event for the community’s first responders
- demonstrating at least one quantifiable measure of library value and return on investment
- completing at least two checklists in The Inclusive Services Assessment and Guide
- incorporating Triple Bottom Line considerations into the Collection Development Policy
