Russell Library committee enlists Wesleyan students, launches survey and readies press release to reach Middletown residents

The Russell Library strategic planning committee met Oct. 16 and reviewed progress on community outreach tied to its strategic-plan update, where library staff and Wesleyan University students have been collecting resident feedback and preparing a public-facing push to raise awareness in Middletown.

Committee Chair called the meeting to order and the group approved the Sept. 25, 2025 minutes after Eamon moved and Sarah seconded; the motion carried. The chair then opened discussion of ongoing outreach.

Ramona, a library staff member leading the outreach effort, said students from Mariel Sadat’s urban policy class visited campus, attended community events and library programs and have been testing an eight-question interview script. "I have created a Google form that the students can use to type their notes into that will gather all that data and that feedback," Ramona said, describing a plan to centralize student-collected responses. She told the committee the students’ first outreach event was the Wesleyan Pumpkin Fest and that students have also spent time at Play Pals and other library programs.

Ramona said the student portion of the project is expected to wrap up most of its fieldwork by the end of October, though a few events may extend into November. She added students will be at the library on Nov. 18 to interview staff and that the staff interview questions will be adjusted from the community set. Ramona also reported broad prior survey engagement: "We got, you know, several 100 responses. I think we're 6 or 700 responses to our last big questionnaire," she said, noting the committee’s earlier outreach success.

Committee members flagged a recurring public misunderstanding that outreach implies building a new library. Ramona said the project FAQ posted on the library website clarifies that the church and the Hubbard Room "would not be torn down," and the committee agreed to make the FAQ and survey link more prominent on the library homepage and in the newsletter to reduce confusion.

Jennifer Hadley suggested trying to secure coverage from the Middletown Press to spotlight the collaboration with Wesleyan and the new survey. The committee agreed to finalize a press release and to request a brief quote from the current mayor for inclusion. Ramona offered to help draft and distribute the release and to push a prominent link in the library newsletter to drive responses.

Members discussed additional outreach channels. Diane proposed poster-based QR codes at polling places to reach residents; the Chair cautioned that state election rules constrain activity near polling locations, noting "Section 9 deals with election places...advertising is prohibited within 75 feet of a polling place." The group instead discussed using Middletown Facebook groups, ParentSquare, school communications, a Middletown High School football game and the St. Pius holiday fair (Oct. 25) as venues to gather community input.

The committee reviewed a shared stakeholder list prepared with Professor Mary Alice Haddad and noted bolded names likely indicate those who had confirmed interviews. The Chair said roughly 15–20 local government officials appear on the list and proposed putting those names into a spreadsheet for committee volunteers to claim outreach assignments. Eamon asked that the committee solicit volunteers at the upcoming board meeting; the Chair said she would report the need for volunteers during the committee report-out.

The meeting also touched briefly on the Russell Library’s 150th dedication commemoration, which members called a kickoff for yearlong celebrations, and on outreach to current Russell company members via an up-to-date email group Ramona maintains.

Votes at a glance: the committee approved the Sept. 25, 2025 minutes (moved by Eamon; seconded by Sarah) and later voted to adjourn (moved by Eamon; seconded by Sarah). No vote tallies by name were recorded in the transcript.

The committee adjourned after confirming next steps: finalize the press release and mayor quote, publish and promote the survey and FAQ on library channels, assemble the stakeholder spreadsheet, and solicit volunteers at the next board meeting.