The public library catalogs have been updated for a faster searching experience and enhanced with bigger screens and keyboards. Pictured is Tyson Barnett, IT Supervisor.

By ANN M. ZYDEK
Library Director, Warsaw Community Public Library

WARSAW — Special thanks to everyone who helped the library gather “100 Great Ideas” about the community and library this spring for a 2016-2021 Warsaw Community Public Library Strategic Plan. By year’s end the library board will have reviewed and approved a new long range plan based on these “100 Great Ideas.”

It’ll be a great way to celebrate because in February 2017, the library will have had its doors open to the public at its current location for 100 years.

What’s been done so far? In April, the Library Board working with Dan and Sharon Wiseman, library planning consultants, held a marathon day of “community conversations” with staff meetings, library town hall events, a library board meeting, and a Community Planning Committee meeting. These results along with ideas gathered from phone interviews and a 2015 Library Planning Survey over a month’s time were summarized at the May board meeting.

At the May meeting the library board, staff, and the Community Planning Committee learned that our residents see the library focusing resources on three key service areas: First, access to the Internet, to technology, to special equipment, and to information. Second, enrich reading enjoyment, leisure activities and stimulate imagination (e.g., read books, view movies, listen to music, participate in programs.) and third, enjoy comfortable safe physical/virtual library destinations to read, study, relax, talk, and meet with others.

At the May library planning retreat these key service areas were explored to identify “how” to get there. Four topics were covered: first, staffing, training, and support succession, second, finding new sources of revenue, third, volunteers, friends group, and interns, and four, space, meeting rooms, hours, and policy modifications. Staff work has now started, after a successful “Super Heroes” Summer Reading Program, to create measurable goals, objectives, and action steps.

Many ideas including new diverse programs, “how-to” workshops, access to special equipment, library meeting room policy changes, improvements in the visitor/reader “user” experience, and creating comfortable safe spaces will be explored. Many asked for a library “Friends” group. If you are interested, a meeting is scheduled at the library at 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 19, to discuss it. You are invited to keep up on progress made by reading the monthly board reports at warsawlibrary.org under the menu tab “About Us/ Board of Trustees.”