WESTLOCK – The Westlock Library has begun work on its new strategic plan of service and is looking for input and feedback from the community before it is finalized this December and implemented in January 2024.
Westlock-area residents were invited to a needs-assessment open house June 22 to answer questions that will help guide the development of the Westlock Intermunicipal Library’s five-year strategic plan of service from 2024 to 2028. In addition to the open house, the library is also gathering feedback from staff and a survey that runs until July 17.
“This is our open house to gather information from the community of what they would like in the library and the (library’s) direction for the next five years,” said library board chairperson Kathy Kieser, who was elected last November. “(Feedback) goes back to Yellowhead Regional Library and they will compile all the data and give us the big points about what we should be focusing on for our plan of service.”
During the open house, residents provided ideas and feedback on several questions including what patrons wish they could learn, read, think, experience or do at the library, what patrons love about the library and what they hope never changes. Looking ahead five years, how do patrons know the library has reached its goals and what role has the library played in thei life, the lives of community members and how has it made Westlock the best place to live in Alberta?
“We need input from all areas,” said Kieser, noting she reached out to various organizations and community groups as well as schools.
The board’s current five-year plan of service expires at the end this year. Currently, there are three library service points including the Westlock Library, the Jarvie Library, and the M. Alice Frose Library in Fawcett — the latter two are open seven hours a week.
Another part of the assessment will engage library staff about 15 service responses, different areas the three libraries should focus on and prioritize, based on public feedback.
“We choose maybe five of these that really stand out and we make goals and outcomes about what we want to focus on for the next five years,” she said, noting some of them include promoting early literacy, supporting lifelong learning, encouraging teens to gather, read and learn, and helping connect people with community resources.
“Another way to gather data, is we have a survey to find out more specificially, what areas the library can focus on. There’s a hard copy (survey) and there’s a QR code,” said Kieser, noting the survey runs until July 17. Staff will provide two feedback sessions with the first one in August. “Once we get the goals and the outcomes and the five big areas that we want to focus on, then we’ll bring it back to the staff for their input again, just to make sure it’s a workable document and it’s something we can achieve over five years.”
Staff with Yellowhead Regional Library (YRL) in Spruce Grove was also on hand for the needs assessment open house.
“It’s required by the province that each library in the province has a plan of service and typically it’s done every five years,” said consulting librarian Christine Hutchinson with YRL. “That’s to make sure that libraries are meeting the needs and the goals of their community and appropriately addressing what they need and what services and programs they should have.”
The YRL has 43 public libraries in its service area including those in Westlock, Jarvie and Fawcett. “We work with the libraries to complete these assessments and do consultations so that we can help them through the process.”
