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Matawan Aberdeen Public Library Strategic Plan – 2025 Status Report

In December of 2024, the Library’s Board of Trustees approved a new Strategic Plan that spans from 2025 to 2030. This document can be found on our website at https://mapl.org/strategic-plan/. The Library staff has worked very diligently to accomplish action items in each of the areas of Strategic Focus listed in the plan. The following is an overview of our progress in 2025.

Increase community awareness and usage of library resources by exploring new marketing and promotion plans.

In 2025, our number of cardholders, physical circulation, digital circulation, program attendance, and foot traffic all increased over our 2024 numbers. (See 2025 annual report at the end of this document.) We have increased our reach in the community by being more active with our senior population, providing social work services to those in need, and donating hundreds of items to local organizations that were made by our Crochet/Knit for a Cause group. We are being proactive by providing ?yers to local food pantries (along with donated food) to promote our social work services and ELC classes.

Innovate new approaches that expand public access to library resources.

In early 2025, a complete overhaul of the library’s website was completed, with a keen eye to accessibility for all patrons. Currently, our tech team is working on ensuring that we meet all ADA guidelines. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) mandates that websites for state and local government entities like libraries must be accessible to people with disabilities. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) determine if a website meets the ADA’s requirements. There have been dates set for state and local governments to meet WCAG 2.1, Level AA compliance. For government entities under 50,000 citizens, it is April 26, 2027. We will be in complete compliance before that date. In May of 2025, the library started a monthly English Language Conversation group. This group started small (one participant), but slowly grew, and to meet the needs of its participants, the meetings have been increased to twice a month in 2026. In October 2025, we hired a Community Engagement Librarian. She has taken on coordinating our many outreach activities, but since the late fall and winter have less events than warmer months, her focus has been to engage seniors at local assisted living locations. She is visiting these residences on a regular basis, creating library cards for the residents, bringing materials, troubleshooting problems with electronic devices, and participating in activities. We have partnered with Matawan Recreation Department to implement a book club for seniors and will be working on other projects with them as well in 2026.

Develop new and strengthen existing partnerships with local schools that complement their curricula and educational objectives.

In the spring of 2025, the Library Director visited faculty meetings at all seven schools in the district to promote library cards to teachers. She also shared information about electronic resources available to teachers and students and previewed the details of the upcoming program (in fall 2025) to get library cards for all students. Approximately 100 cards were issued to teachers. In the late summer of 2025, district parents were given an opportunity in the online portal with the usual start of school forms to approve the issuing of a library card to their school- age children. Once the school year began, the school district provided the library with the necessary information for students who were not opted-out and the Circulation staff got to work to issue cards, school by school. To date, cards have been distributed to the High School, the Middle School, Lloyd Road School, and Strathmore Elementary School. Cliffwood cards will be distributed soon and Ravine Drive cards are in progress. Then we will work on cards for the Pre-K students at Cambridge Park and Lightbridge. We will achieve our goal of assuring that all cards are complete and distributed by the end of the school year. All students were given an age-appropriate brochure with information about library services, programs, and resources, whether they already had a card, were getting a new card, or their parents opted out. Each student also received a note about how to renew, replace, or apply for a card.

Expand collaborations with local, county, and state organizations and nonprofits to provide wellness and social service assistance to community members through the library.

In July of 2025, we hired a Library Social Worker to assist our patrons with ?nding assistance with food and housing insecurity, mental/physical health, substance use, and more. The Social Worker has drop-in hours two nights a week and two Saturdays a month, and there are appointments available on a third night each week. He has also developed programs for our patrons, such as one about Seasonal Affective Disorder, one about creating a vision board for the new year, and, as part of our Grandparenting 101 series, the upcoming session on Family Dynamics and Emotional Well-Being.