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Happy PRIDE month! We have a LOT going on in June, and summer reading hasn't even started yet! Thank you to our creative staff for putting together a truly excellent and diverse lineup of programs and displays for Pride month--we strive to make the Grafton Public Library a welcoming and safe space for all, year-round.
We are embarking on the Strategic Planning Process to turn in an updated plan to Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) by October 1, 2023. The Library’s LRP expired in December 2020, and we have had an extension due to the pandemic, but it’s time to update, review priorities, and see where we are going, next!
To that end, we are seeking a community of key stakeholders: Grafton residents, property owners, business owners, and community leaders to volunteer to serve on a planning committee that will assist in setting Library service priorities for the next five years (2024-2028) for the Grafton Public Library.
The time commitment is about 6 hours total; participants MUST attend two evening focus group meetings, one in July, one in August. Meeting attendance is MANDATORY for planning committee members. The successful candidate has a strong working knowledge of the Grafton community, and may or may not be a current Library user. The meetings will be facilitated by an outside library consultant.
Meetings will include defining a vision for the community served by the Library, brainstorming, and conducting a strengths, weaknesses, growth opportunities and aspirations type analysis, first looking externally at the community, then internally at the Library. The feedback gathered will be used to develop a Strategic Plan, or Long Range Plan (LRP) for 2024-2028. This written document provides goals, measurable objectives and specific activities for Library staff to carry out. Strategic planning isn’t new for Grafton; it is a routine part of running a successful Library, and considered to be a standard of best practices in library management.
A Long Range Plan spanning five years is required by the MBLC for any library that wishes to apply for—or keep—grant funding. We currently have a MPLCP grant of $7.4M for our new library building, and need a LRP to remain compliant.
The LRP is reviewed annually by the Grafton Public Library Board of Trustees, and the Library Director must submit an approved, updated a plan of action to the MBLC by December 1 annually. Anyone can review the current LRP and Action Plan online at www.graftonlibrary.org/lrp.
If you are interested in participating in the strategic planning process and joining the Long Range Plan committee, please contact Beth Schreiber, Library Director, to get an information packet, at gallawayb@graftonlibrary.org or 508-839-4649.
Can’t commit? Bored by meetings? You can still provide valuable input! A Library Satisfaction Survey will be available for public input this summer.
Thanks in advance for your continued help and support!
Beth Schreiber,
Library Director
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