Our Mission Statement

The Library's mission is to provide the people of Louisville and Jefferson County with the broadest possible access to knowledge, ideas and information, and to support them in their pursuit of learning.

Our Vision

It is the vision of the Commission that the Louisville Free Public Library will deliver library service on a par with the best public libraries in the U.S. We will provide:

• Excellent library facilities conveniently accessible to all residents,
• Strong and appealing collections of books and other materials,
• Attentive and effective staff assistance for all readers and researchers,
• Services, public programs and events that promote reading, convey valuable information and extend the value of the Library to its community,
• Sophisticated information technology that advances the Library's mission, and
• Hours of operation that respond to the busy lifestyles of today's families.

Our Values

• We believe that reading improves lives,
• That the library's chief purpose is to support the individual pursuit of knowledge and life-long learning,
• That the library should be an institution for civic exchange and a community forum for ideas,
• And that the bedrock of library service is a collection of reliable published sources, preserving the best from the past and keeping current with new discoveries.
• We believe that literacy and the ability to learn are basic tools of economic opportunity and personal success.
• We are committed to children and youth.
• We respect our patrons as individuals and benefit from the diversity of cultures they represent.
• We support the wide range of the public's reading and research interests as a reflection of that diversity.
• We believe that the freedom to read whatever one chooses is a right as profound as free speech.
• We protect the privacy of a person's use of the library as a sacred trust.
• We take pride in our responsiveness to community needs and individual interests.
• We strive for equity of access to library services across the entire community.
• We embrace electronic information sources as new tools for extending the library's usefulness.
• We believe that every branch library should be a neighborhood anchor, reflecting the culture of the surrounding residents and strengthening the community it serves.
• We believe that every library building should provide space and surroundings conducive to learning as a reflection of the value our community places on education.