By ANN ZYDEK and MELISSA CHAPMAN
Warsaw Community Public Library

One hundred years ago, local residents began planning a public library that opened its doors in 1917. Our library has provided continuous years of service to Warsaw, Winona Lake and Wayne Township residents at this location ever since: about seven generations of residents. Now the library needs “100 Great Ideas” to set direction for the next 100 years.

WCPL is working with library planning consultants, Daniel Wiseman, of Wiseman Consulting and Training along with his wife, Sharon, to set a new direction for the 2016-2021 library strategic plans.

On Monday, April 13, Wiseman will be at the library meeting with community residents, stakeholders, library staff, and board of trustees to gather ideas for the new strategic plan. That evening a community committee will convene to develop a list of primary community needs and goals.

At 4 p.m. Monday, May 11, Wiseman will report the results of all ideas gathered at a public board meeting. Board planning retreats will follow to establish key priorities for the new five-year plan. Library staff will then create goals, objectives, and activities for final board approval later this year.

How can you help? In April you can take a short survey available at the library or on the library’s website. At either noon or 1 p.m. Monday, April 13, share your thoughts at a library community meeting in the library’s meeting room. Or, if you can’t attend one of the community meetings, call the library at (574) 267-6011 for an opportunity to be interviewed by phone or face to face. Thank you for your help.

On Sunday, April 12 through Saturday, April 18, WCPL will celebrate National Library Week. This is a big week for libraries all over. The first National Library Week was observed in 1958 with the theme “Wake up and Read.” How and why did this celebration start?

In the mid-1950s, research showed that Americans were spending less time on books and more on radio, television, and musical instruments. Concerned that we were reading less, a nonprofit organization was formed to encourage people to read in their leisure time, thus began NLW. The theme for 2015 is “Unlimited possibilities at your library.”

Join us during the week of Sunday, April 12 to Saturday, April 18, and explore the possibilities at The Warsaw Community Public Library.