Thursday, May 26, 2011

Greenwich Library Embarks on Strategic Planning Process


What do you think of the Greenwich Library?  (Connecticut Post, 5/23/2011)

ExcerptThe library will be using survey results to come up with a new strategic plan. Currently in the form of a small brochure, Mahoney envisions a plan that will span several pages. The process is being modeled after a survey and strategic planning process recently carried out by the Seattle Public Library system, which operates more than two dozen branches and also offers mobile services to a population ten times the size of Greenwich's.

Greenwich Library is even using the same Seattle-based consulting firm, Berk & Associates, to create the survey and analyze the results.

Mahoney said the survey could show a desire for library kiosks at places around town, such as train stations, and more services available via smartphones and tablet computers. E-books are also becoming much more popular, and the survey will touch on the devices people use to read materials.

Though it may prove to be tricky, Mahoney said they would like to reach out to residents who are not using the library, and find out why.

"We just can't sit here and wait for people to come in," Mahoney said.

The library is already considered the busiest in the state, with a total circulation of about 1.4 million items. The planning process will be valuable in deciding how to allocate the library's $8.5 million annual budget.

Aside from the survey, the library's planning process will also include focus groups scheduled for September and October, during which people can elaborate on their survey responses
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