What Does Your ‘Dream Library’ Look Like?

Creed Kidd, Library Director

Every several year’s Red Feather Lakes Library staff and trustees take a certain amount of time to review where the library is, where we’re coming from, and where we’re going in meeting your library service interests and needs.

Officially, this is ‘strategic planning’ with a fairly formal procedural document created, good for three to five years before the next review; informally, this is a ‘best bang for the buck’ discussion with the intent and expectation that time and money will be expended in ways that serve you best.

So, we’re talking ‘bang for the buck’ here. And, ultimately, it’s your bang and your buck we’re discussing – so it’s more than appropriate that you have both a say and a hand in what’s being reviewed, discussed, and eventually hammered out.

This is a very opportune time to do that.

So, what does your ‘Dream Library’ look like?

In 40 years of library work, we’ve been consistently amazed by the variety and variability of individual interests, preferences, and choices. Even in very small libraries – or perhaps even more in small libraries because the ‘one size fits all’ services of larger institutions don’t necessarily fit — and often do not.

The point is that your dream and expectation may vary some or much from that of your neighbor. That’s okay – variety is the spice of life. However, in using the library and using library services, we should be meeting part, much, or all your dream – as if offerings have been tailored specifically for you – because they should be.

So now we’re back to ‘bang for the buck’ in meeting your Library Dream, and both the ‘bang’ and the ‘buck’ should match your library interests.

What works best is when we’re working together. Let us know what you currently like, don’t like, or needs improvement. We do occasional surveys: fill those out and return them, please. Send us an email: [email protected] or call 970-881-2664. We’re on reduced ‘safer at home’ hours of 12 noon to 5 PM seven days a week, so leave us a message if necessary.

Write us a letter: Red Feather Lakes Community Library / PO BOX 123 / Red Feather Lakes, CO 80545.

Do a shoutout on the local social media site NextDoor; leave us a note on the library webpage: https://redfeather.colibraries.org/contact-us/.

We currently have two trustee openings – that’s a great way of contributing to your community, your library – and yourself.

We’re also going to be working with community members, businesses, and organizations to determine how the library can work in tandem with those (and you) folks and assist in appropriate ways.

COVID-19 certainly complicates meeting and discussion issues now, but we’re confident that this can be done safely, securely, and socially distanced.

Please, share your library dream. We work best dreaming together.

For more information regarding Red Feather Lakes Community Library, visit: https://redfeather.colibraries.org