Englewood library presents 5‑year strategic plan; weekend closures amid staff turnover

The Englewood Public Library presented the draft of a five‑year strategic plan to the Englewood City Council at a special meeting Monday, and library leaders reported recent staff turnover has forced temporary weekend closures and a short construction closure this fall.

Library Director Rachel Fuel told council the strategic plan, produced with consultant Barry Dunn, is "about 75% complete" and that staff and community engagement drove the recommendations. Fuel said the remaining work is to finalize action steps and performance measures and return to council with a full implementation plan next year.

"We plan to come back probably early next year to present those action steps to you so you know what direction the library is headed," Christina Underhill, director of parks, recreation, library and golf, said as she introduced the presentation.

The plan frames the library in three roles—"ambassador of learning," "community host" and "resource depot"—and ties these to the city's stated goals of lifelong learning and community engagement. Council was shown draft goals, example performance measures and community input gathered from in‑person and online engagement and a 15–20 person community task force that included representatives from Englewood Public Schools and local nonprofits.

Fuel told council staff engagement and board review have helped shape the plan, but said short‑term workforce issues have affected operations. "We did have a moment there where we had a handful of staff all resigned at the same time, several of them without notice, so we were kind of left with a schedule scramble," Fuel said; as a result, the library was closed on weekends during August and operated Monday–Friday to consolidate leadership for interviews and service continuity.

Library staff outlined near‑term facility work: vestibule improvements and sight‑line improvements at the south entrance, an emergency exit being installed on the north side of the building, and a weeklong closure for deeper maintenance and flooring replacement. Fuel said the south entrance work is likely the week after Labor Day (around Sept. 8) and staff hope to reopen both entrances and resume full service in October, with a potential reopening celebration the week of Oct. 13. The library aims to launch the full strategic plan and related activities in January 2026.

Council members asked about placement of the new emergency exit and impacts to children's programming. Council Member Wright noted earlier plans considered placing the exit near the children's playroom and asked why that was changed; Fuel said the staff found the storage and closet behind the children's area are in heavy use and staff decided to move forward with the south entry and a parent‑room adjacent emergency exit for safety reasons, while continuing to study options for the children's area.

On health and building issues, Fuel said the library has retained Orkin for regular pest monitoring and treatment and that staff are pursuing additional training and partnerships to help manage behavioral health and public‑space safety challenges.

Council members praised staff engagement with the plan and expressed interest in the forthcoming action steps and measures. No formal council action was taken on the plan during the session.

The library presentation and operational update will return to council as a finalized action plan with recommended performance indicators and any required budget or staffing requests for implementation.