STE. GENEVIEVE – After a year of planning, surveying, and collaborative meetings with community members, Ste. Genevieve County Library is excited to announce the completion of its first Strategic Plan. “Strategic plans serve as roadmaps for the future; they help organizations understand what is important to both the institution and the people it serves,” said Library Director Shawn Long. “Since becoming independent in 2017, we’ve been inspired by what other libraries provide for their communities and have worked to ensure Ste. Genevieve has those same opportunities. This plan was developed with our community’s future at the forefront.”
The 85-page document highlights the library’s accomplishments while addressing key challenges, particularly its space limitations.
“Our current facility is sized for the city of Ste. Genevieve proper, not the entire county,” Shawn noted. “Library standards recommend one square foot per resident, which for us would mean 18,600 square feet. Right now, we’re working with just under 5,000 square feet—an approximately 13,000-square-foot deficit.” To illustrate the scope of the need, Shawn added, “The plan literally shows our library overtaking the entire gymnasium in the Community Center. That’s the scale of space we’d need to provide a county our size with everything our it deserves. For us this isn’t even an option, but it gives you an idea of the magnitude of the space limitation we face.”
The additional space would support more than just bookshelves—it would provide areas for tutoring, quiet study, creative projects, a dedicated teen zone, and a proper Children’s Story Time space. The plan also explores opportunities for satellite branches to expand access across the county. “I still remember when our Library was downtown, in fact at least a handful of times a year I get asked about moving back downtown, and we’ve had discussions about potential downtown locations or other sites, but making those a reality depends on funding we simply don’t have yet,” Shawn said.
Despite these challenges, the library remains optimistic. “This is a 10-year vision,” Shawn explained. “No one expects everything to happen at once. We’ll chip away at these goals, working within our budget and partnering with our enthusiastic Friends group and community supporters. What matters is that we now have a clear guide for the library’s future.”
Shawn is hopeful that the plan will inspire the community to rally around a library that continues to grow alongside Ste. Genevieve County. “I feel like Ste. Genevieve is on the cusp of great things, and the library can be a key part of that growth,” he said.
To review the Strategic Plan: