The Harrison Public Library is preparing to draft its three-year strategic plan for 2017, and is asking for feedback from residents and patrons of the library.
Galina Chernykh, the library’s director, said the library sets a new strategic plan every three years in order to keep up with the development of information technologies.
She added that although the library has some plans on what it will address between 2017 and 2020, community input will be vital to how the library shapes its strategy. “The library is not just a place for books,” she said. “It’s a community center.”
The library is inviting residents to sign up to participate in focus groups between Oct. 17 and Oct. 24. There is also a 10-question online survey on the library website—http://www.harrisonpl.org/share-your-ideas—which includes questions about the types of events the library offers and asks participants to prioritize how the library should expand its services. Another tab on the website invites users to leave recommendations for the library on a message board, or by using the Twitter hashtag #HPLFuture.
Chernykh said the library wants input from adult readers and parents who frequently visit the library’s two locations, at 2 Bruce Ave. in Harrison and 2 Madison St. in West Harrison. “We would also like to reach out to newcomers and ask about their needs,” she added.
The collection of feedback from the public is scheduled to end by November, at which point the library board will develop its final strategy. That strategy will then go into effect at the end of December.
According to the library’s website, the 2014-17 strategic plan included community outreach, infrastructural repair and technological advancement. Over the last three-year period, the library purchased a 3-D printer, which is now available for use at no charge for anyone with a valid library card within the Westchester Library System.
“We have our upgraded technologies,” Chernykh said. “Now we have to advance our services and our collections.”
The main library completed a yearlong $3.6 million infrastructural renovation project on the Richard M. Halperin Memorial Building last year, and is in the final stages of repairs to the West Harrison branch—including asbestos abatement—which began in August and which Chernykh said will be completed by mid-November. The West Harrison branch will remain closed until construction is completed.
The library is also working to fill the vacant positions on its board of trustees. On Sept. 5, LoAnn Austin was unanimously nominated by the board to fill one of two vacant seats. Chernykh said the board is interviewing candidates for the second position, and hopes to make a decision by the November board meeting.
