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Trustees refine strategic priorities for 2026–28, emphasize community connection and emerging technology
Summary
At their May 11 meeting trustees reviewed staff input on the Cook Memorial Library's 2026—28 strategic plan, highlighting priorities such as intergenerational programming, facility investment, staff development, and responding to emerging technologies including AI; trustees set next steps to finish the plan narrative and share it with town boards.
Cook Memorial Library trustees spent a significant portion of their May 11 meeting reviewing the draft strategic plan for 2026–28 and discussing priorities staff identified from community feedback.
Mary Cronin, the library director, reported that the top three reasons people use the library are books, attending programs and seeking help from librarians. Trustees and staff discussed prioritizing programs that support community interaction across generations (including teen engagement), improving and investing in comfortable meeting space, recognizing volunteers and contributors, expanding staff professional development and positioning the library as a reliable source for local information and services.
Discussion also focused on the library's response to emerging technologies. Board materials and meeting notes say trustees read aloud AI-related suggestions and discussed how merging technologies might change services and programming. Trustees raised outreach ideas such as little free libraries and a bookmobile; the minutes record that the narrative should include an explanation of the bookmobile effort and why it did not come together previously.
The trustees set next steps: finish the strategic-plan narrative, decide on final priorities and publicly announce the plan; they also asked that the completed plan be shared with other town boards and committees. A policy-review meeting was scheduled for May 19 with updated policies to be presented for trustee review in June.
