Staff at Curtis Memorial Library are looking for a few great ideas from the public as to how to make its services better. Well, they’re looking for more than a few.
Actually, the library wants 100 great ideas in just 10 days.
Starting today and going until April 17, the library is conducting an experiment in opening a dialogue with residents of Brunswick and Harpswell to share ideas about how Curtis library can best serve the community.
A question from the library designed to generate discussion and dialogue will appear on Page A2 in The Times Record on every day the paper is published until April 17.
According to the library, people can answer the question, build on others’ answers, come up with their own ideas, share articles and images that are relevant to the topic, or whatever else they think has value.
Over 10 days, staff wants to collect at least 100 new ideas that the library can incorporate into its updated strategic plan.
Responses and ideas can be posted at the library’s bulletin board and at the Harpswell town offices. Residents can also post ideas online at the following sites/social media pages: www.curtislibrary.com www.facebook.com/curtislibrary www.pinterest.com/curtislibraryme
Library Director Elisabeth Doucett said the 100 ideas/10 days concept was inspired by a group of libraries that did something similar in Florida.
“We’re updating our strategic plan, and looking for input from the community — what we’re doing right, what you’d like to see more of or less of,” said Doucett. “The idea is to open up to the community and give people a voice.”
According to Doucett, the strategic plan, which defines the library’s long-term direction, was last updated in 2011. However, she said it needs to be updated again because “the world’s changing fast, so we have to change with it.”
Libraries can’t merely be book depositories, said Doucett, and it’s clear that libraries are becoming more like community centers.
“I’m really hopeful we’ll get a lot of input,” Doucett said. “That’s what makes the difference in how this library operates.”
jswinconeck@timesrecord.com
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