Purpose -This paper aims to describe the use of collaborative co-design activities to advance strategic planning assessment efforts by staff members of the merged (city-university) Dr Martin Luther King, Jr Library in California's Silicon Valley. Design/methodology/approach -The activities use action research approaches rather than traditional approaches which rely on gathering library-centric data to assess organizational effectiveness. The paper also reports on staff members' application of Learning 2.0 competencies to co-create physical places and virtual spaces which enable learning for and with users.Findings -This conversation based approach encourages co-defining "success" with user constituencies through sustained dialogue that, over time, builds relationships. Practical implications -In the process, library staff invite, interpret, and apply user generated evidence and insights to co-create sustainable relationships and concurrently advance systems thinking and workplace information literacy. This "research in practice" initiative extends action research on "thought leadership". Originality/value -In development since 2003, this inclusive co-design approach reflects theoretical and applied insights from researchers in Europe, Australia, and North America, who have worked with US library practitioners to develop user-centric processes for improving organizational effectiveness and enhancing user efficacy.