Thanks to a grant totaling more than $28,000, the Warren County Memorial Library is kicking off a plan to seek community input that will expand the services it provides to patrons.
The $28,500 grant comes from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and is 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 Library Director Christy Bondy.
“We want to expand our services as much as we can,” Bondy said. “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 information gathered through the surveys and focus groups scheduled for the fall will be used to learn what services patrons use, but Bondy said it also will help learn why the community is not using the library.
“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,” Bondy said. “The feedback will also aid us in determining what could be added to improve the overall experience.”
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 needs assessment portion of the project kicked off Aug. 4; paper copies are available at the library’s circulation desk; complete the online survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WCMLPRMedia.
The Warren County Memorial Library is located at 119 S. Front St. in Warrenton. For more information, visit www.wcmlibrary.org.
