Kansas City Public Library invites residents to shape its future in upcoming public planning sessions

The Kansas City Public Library is starting a new chapter in its 150-year history, one in which every voice matters, including yours.

On July 9, the KC Library is hosting the Strategic Plan Launch Party at Kirk Hall on 14 West 10th St. from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. The event aims at collecting community input and reimagining how the institution can better serve Kansas City residents.

“Our world has evolved quite a bit since 2020,” says Library Director Abby Yellman, who joined the library system last August. “As that world changes, the library is navigating how we can be responsive to the community’s needs and also be thoughtful and make sure we’re doing this work with our community, and not on behalf of our community.”

The event, which already has over 400 RSVPs, will include interactive stations, refreshments, and activities tailored to all ages. The goal is to make feedback fun and accessible from young kids to senior citizens.

“We are a public institution,” Yellman says. “We are funded by taxpayer dollars, like we are stewards of that money. We take that very seriously, so my hope with this strategic plan is that we make sure that what we are providing to the community is relevant and needed, and that it helps empower everyone in our community to be successful and to have opportunity.”

Key areas Yellman is curious about are early literacy, workforce development, and small business engagement. If the community identifies something that the library can improve upon, Yellman says they will better align funding and resources to suit those needs.

Having only led the KC Library for less than a year, Yellman is easing into her role, making sure she truly understands the voices of the city before implementing major changes.

“I always have kind of taken the approach of you need to listen a lot in the beginning,” Yellman says. “I don’t just engage with my executive leadership team; I also engage with patron-facing staff that are interacting with our community every day. I’ve done a lot of listening, and the strategic plan is going to be a catalyst for any changes that we need to make going forward.”

The Strategic Plan event arrives just days after Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe’s veto package of the state’s budget slashed $1 million from the KC Library. That funding was intended for the planned expansion of the Bluford Branch at 31st Street and The Paseo.

While Yellman didn’t express this budget cut as something the Launch Party will cover, it will surely impact the library’s operation moving forward.

If KC residents are unable to attend the event, the library is launching a public survey that patrons and non-patrons alike are encouraged to fill out.