The Collegedale Public library is a lot of things to different people. For some, it’s a place to bring their little ones to read and hear stories each week. For others, the computers are a valuable resource.
But what can – and should – the library grow to be? That’s what the Collegedale Library board wants to find out.
At a public focus group meeting at the end of November, nearly a dozen library patrons shared their thoughts about the small, community library. It was one of many meetings the library board has held around the community.
“Everything is just changing so fast,” said board member and strategic planning committee chairwoman Mary Waggonar-Angelin. “We want to look at what we’re doing and where we are going to better serve our community.”
Focus groups held with the library staff, the Ooltewah-Collegedale Council of the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce, home-schooling parents and even members of nearby retirement communities will help the board form a strategic plan.
“We’re going to take all of the information, study and analyze it and form a plan and release it to the community in the new year,” Waggonar-Angelin said.
Questions answered by the public focus group centered on what library services the patrons like and what they would like to see in the future.
Many stressed that they currently enjoy programs like story time, book clubs and author talks, adding that the advancement of other programs and expansion of space would be nice to see in the future. A number of the library’s population are seniors and could benefit from computer literacy classes and other services, they noted.