The Warren County Memorial Library has received a Library Services and Technology Act grant totaling $28,500 that will be used for a needs assessment survey, conducting focus groups, and the development of a new strategic plan.
This grant is funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and administered through the State Library of North Carolina. The IMLS provides funding to agencies affiliated with the State Library by using a population-based formula.
“This assessment will help the library to gather feedback from the community on how to best serve the residents in Warren County,” stated Christy Bondy, library director.
The assessment will be conducted by Rethinking Libraries, LCC, a library consulting firm that helps clients to see their institutions differently and embrace changes to become more vibrant, 21st-century libraries. Rethinking Libraries has been involved in numerous facilities projects, strategic planning processes, building programs, and other consulting work with hundreds of libraries across the United States. Clients range from small rural public libraries to large urban facilities.
The library launched the needs assessment survey on August 4th and will host focus groups at the beginning of October.
“We will use the survey and focus group input to learn what services and resources the community is using, as well as what services are being provided that the population is unaware of,” said Bondy. “The feedback will also aid us in determining what could be added to improve the overall experience.”
Bondy plans to further use the assessment to learn why certain people are not using the library.
“We want to expand our services as much as we can,” Bondy continued. “To do that, we need to find out where our blind spots are. We’re looking for creative ways to serve the community and want to see everyone’s basic needs get met when it comes to literacy. But as libraries evolve, we’re here to help people in whatever way we can.”
The library has paper copies of the survey available at the circulation desk, or it can be completed online at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WCMLPRMedia.
The Warren County Memorial Library is located at 119 S. Front St. Warrenton, NC. For more information, visit www.wcmlibrary.org.