Ruth Keeler Memorial Library seeks to keep pace with a changing world

It’s been nearly ten years since the Ruth Keeler Memorial Library surveyed the community to learn more about what they want and need from their local library. Now, library leaders are seeking community input in order to best position the organization to keep pace with a rapidly changing world.

Library staff are asking community members to take 5 to 10 minutes to complete its community survey between now and late June. Responses will be kept anonymous and will help library leaders understand how residents currently use the library and its services, what they find most valuable, how they discover library events and what ideas and suggestions they have for improving the library's offering. The library is equally interested in hearing from community members who don’t currently use the library, in order to understand why they aren’t coming in as well as what programs and services might entice them to visit in the future.

“As we come out of the pandemic, we feel like now is the right time to reassess what our community needs and wants from the library,” said Jacqueline Horan Fisher, a member of the Keeler Library Board of Trustees. “We know that many people have made changes to their daily routines and their use of different resources around town. For example, there are a lot more people working from home these days... so maybe they envision using the library for work purposes more than they did pre-pandemic.”

Horan said that library staff feel strongly that the library needs to modernize along with the rest of the world, given the significant advances in technology that have taken place over the past several years. “While we have lots of our own ideas, we also want to make sure that we are doing this in a way that feels meaningful to our community members!” Fisher said.

Survey results will be made available to the public after all responses have been recorded. Horan said the library will hold a community meeting to share feedback once survey data has been analyzed. “We'll be sure to also share what feedback is actionable immediately and what we incorporate into our long-term plans for the library.” she added.

The survey is available online, in print and at post offices in North Salem. Click here to take the Library survey online.