Library staff, facilitator outline strategic-plan outreach and literacy metrics; community forum set for March 23

Martha Kuriladu, facilitator from Quality Metrics, presented the library's strategic-planning process on March 11, saying discovery began in February and the team will conduct an on-site intensive data-collection week starting March 20. She said the commission and the public are invited to a community forum scheduled for 5:30–7:30 p.m. on March 23 in the library auditorium, and that an April deadline will close the initial public survey used to collect input.

"The philosophy behind the planning process is to create the future of the library together," Kuriladu said, and she outlined outreach plans including intercept surveys, bookmobile outreach and targeted interviews. She listed the internal team working on the plan: Brandy Wenner, Administrative Services Manager; Jamie Alexander Baugh, Library Director; Christy Burr, Circulation and Bookmobile Services Manager; Nelia Carahato, Community Services Manager; and Laura Salisbury, Collection Services Manager.

Library staff presented literacy and program statistics for February: items added, items repaired, outreach visits and patrons, bookmobile stops and interactions, and program participation across age groups. Staff also noted new equipment and minor capital purchases — a disc cleaner able to process batches of discs and five new children's book bins — and reiterated that a bookmobile purchase is planned in a future fiscal year. Commissioners asked whether the plan would assess specific renovated spaces (teen room, learning lab, coffee shop); staff said the process will capture users' perceptions rather than produce in-depth program evaluations for each element.

Why it matters: the strategic plan will guide collections, services, facilities and outreach and is the vehicle through which the commission will advise the library on literacy priorities. The March on-site work and March 23 forum are immediate opportunities for public input.