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Our mission

The mission of Whitman County Rural Library District is to be our community’s #1 resource for education, information, recreation and discovery.
Whitman County Rural Library District is committed to meeting the most pressing needs within our communities while enhancing the lives of residents via countywide library locations, online products and services, and through community involvement. It is our aim to stimulate the connections between people and ideas, to encourage literacy, to enhance opportunities for self-education and to be an effective community partner.

Our commitment to quality service

The staff of Whitman County Library is dedicated to meeting the needs of our customers while exceeding their service expectations. We strive to see that each customer experience is a positive one!

Whitman County Library staff members provide quality public service that is reliable, confidential, competent, accessible, respectful, nonjudgmental, courteous, credible, understanding, convenient and responsive.

Whitman County Library acknowledges the valuable role played by staff, volunteers, Friends of the Library and members of the Board of Trustees. Their dedication and commitment to quality service offset the limited resources of our rural library district.

Values to which we adhere and believe

  • Intellectual freedom
  • Equal access for all
  • Respect for diversity
  • Personal and organizational accountability
  • Providing services, technology, and library materials based on the needs and desires of the community
  • Individual pursuit of learning as an informed citizenry is the foundation of a democratic society
  • Basic literacy, information literacy and technology literacy as critical life skills in our ever-changing world
  • Reading as a means to education, enlightenment and enjoyment
  • The library as social and informational commons
  • Helpful, friendly service
  • Collaboration and partnerships with public, private and library organizations
  • Cooperation, collaboration and partnerships with area residents, businesses, libraries, and public and private agencies and organizations.
  • Fiscal and professional responsibility

Service Roles

Heart of the community/Anchor Institutions
Our fourteen branch libraries are the educational, informational and social commons for our rural communities. With a long tradition of “down-home” service, we provide the best library experience possible by creating bonds that help forge healthy, vibrant, and informed communities. Because the needs and desires of each community often differ, services provided in each community respond accordingly.

Popular materials, technology, programs and services focus
Whitman County Library features materials, technology, programs and services that are relevant to the needs of today’s customers. These materials and services are timely, in high-demand, and appeal to a variety of ages. While the library continues to provide resources and services for research, the public has expressed a desire that our limited resources be more focused upon popular materials and services that meet the trends of today.

Center for lifelong learning
Whitman County Library encourages life-long learning for all citizens and supports our resident’s ability to improve knowledge, skills and competence throughout their lifetimes. We provide access to materials, technology, educational classes, community programs and other services that satisfy the educational needs of citizens of all ages.

Access to information and referral
Whitman County Library is our community’s top resource for timely, accurate, and useful information. From research assistance to simple every day questions, the library is where our community turns. We feature quality materials, public access to the Internet and helpful referrals to meet the varied needs of our customers.

Community Development
Whitman County Library is a catalyst for improvement for the communities within the district. We strive to meet the needs of our communities through leadership, partnerships, innovative services, economic development efforts, problem solving, and local involvement.

Whitman County Library Goals

  • Together, the staff, administration, Board of Trustees, Friends and Foundation will:
  • Provide the very best in responsive customer service by hiring staff that are dedicated, friendly and competent
  • Make it easy for customers to use the library by offering walk-in, online, outreach, mobile and telephone assistance
  • Not only meet, but exceed, customer expectations
  • Aggressively educate the community about library facilities, classes, community programs, collections, services, public computing and available technologies, or any other services available as a result of their tax funding, donations and volunteer support
  • Continually improve library collections, technologies, programs and services of the highest standard that are timely and popular within or service area
  • Strengthen ties and collaborative efforts with government entities, community partners, outside agencies and other libraries to increase our effectiveness, conserve finances and improve services for our customers
  • Develop and maintain a high quality training program for all staff, trustees and friends of the library
  • Improve the branch libraries in each of our communities to best meet the needs of the residents using those facilities
  • Encourage financial support for Whitman County Library encouraging positive election returns, donations and volunteers, including participation in Friends of the Library and Whitman County Library Foundation.
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