LEOMINSTER — Library staff are seeking community input to help guide the next few years of service through a survey that runs through August.
Leominster Public Library Director Alexander Lent said they have received about 150 responses so far.
“While we haven’t fully assessed the results yet, we can say that they are overwhelmingly positive but still provide good direction for our planning efforts,” he said. “We would love to hear more from folks who don’t use the library very often to see if there are collections, services, or events we could offer that would encourage them to use the library more often.”
When it comes to service goals and strategic planning, Lent said keeping the community in the loop — and asking for their ideas — is at the root of the library survey.
“It’s important to engage the Leominster community in library planning because the Leominster Public Library belongs to the Leominster community,” Lent said. “Success for the library comes down to the extent to which the library meets the specific needs of its community, and to meet those needs, we have to know what they are. This survey helps us to do that.”
A committee made up of staff members from all areas of the library, a member of the library Board of Trustees, a Friends of the Leominster Public Library board member, and a member of the public put together the survey questions that focus on short-term and long-term strategic planning goals.
“We’ll work together to understand the responses that come in and to create a list of broad goals and more specific objectives for the library to focus on over the next few years,” Lent said. “The most important participant in this process is the public. We need our community’s input in order to move forward.”
He went on to say that he hopes people will take the time to provide input and feedback via the survey.
“In addition to being an incredibly useful and important task, strategic planning is among the best parts of librarianship,” Lent said. “It’s a chance to directly engage with the community, learn about their experiences, find out about their hopes for their community and their library, and then work together to achieve shared goals. I love this process.”
Visit tinyurl.com/LeominsterPLSurvey to participate in the survey.
