Statement of Purpose

The Waterford Township Public library shall be for the free use of all legal residents of the areas served by The Library Network (TLN).

Open Access

The Waterford Township Public library shall be a general community library striving to provide a collection of broadly based materials of stimulus, interest, and benefit to all ages and abilities. It shall work toward the provision of varied media for educational, cultural, informational and recreational needs of the general populace. The library shall participate in local, regional, and state networks of cooperation to expand the resources available to the community beyond any limitations imposed by budget or space constraints and to make the most efficient use of the budget dollar.

Self-Education

The public library shall challenge the individual to the continuing self-education so essential to responsible informed citizenry in a democracy, and as members of the larger family of man. The public library shall also provide materials in varied formats to meet the individual's need for instructional and self-help materials to supplement the programs of formal educational institutions.

The public library services shall be that of collecting, locating, and disseminating information, guiding reading, and stimulating discussion and thought through the sponsorship of discussion groups and programs and through cooperation with other groups in the community.

Services

All of these may aid the individual in becoming an effective member of the community. For this reason, the library shall participate in such activities as local literacy programs and shall provide materials suitable for use by participants in such programs. The library shall also provide materials in various formats such as large print, audio and video recordings for the use of community members unable to utilize the traditional printed word, and shall maintain collections geared toward meeting specific community needs a the branch library and locations throughout the community, in addition to the main library, as deem appropriate. Services shall also be provided through the Outreach Department to residents confined to their homes.

Library Service to Adults

The primary function of library work with adults is to provide materials of both a recreational and instructional nature which communicate experiences and ideas from one person to another. Effective use of the library will provide continuing self education on an informal or formal basis, meeting the needs for instruction, information, and recreation. In today's society education is a never-ending process to:

  • Improve and enhance the quality of daily life
  • Become more capable in one's daily occupation
  • Keep abreast of progress in all fields of knowledge
  • Appreciate and enjoy works of art and literature
  • Effectively discharge one's political and social obligations
  • Develop creative and spiritual capacities
  • Promote a constructive use of leisure time

Library Services to Young Adults

The primary function of library services to young adults is to assist with specific educational needs, encourage self-realization, widen their knowledge of the smaller community in which they reside as well as the world at large, enrich their life and help them fulfill recreational and emotional needs. Through its selection of materials and provision of services, the library will help provide a bridge between the world of childhood and adulthood.

Library Service to Children

The primary function of library work with children is to supplement, compliment, and enhance in knowledge, awareness, judgment, and manners the child's home, school, church and community experiences in helping him realize the fullest possible potential of childhood. The library shall provide an informal learning atmosphere to be enjoyed by families as well as individual children.