Milford Public Library Director Christine Angeli in the building's new children's department. The library has made a survey available seeking the public's comment on its services and what changes, if any are needed.
Brian Gioiele/Hearst Connecticut MediaMILFORD — The public library’s strategic plan was last completed in late 2018 — a world away since the onset of the pandemic roughly a year later.
While the library has expanded its online offerings in that time to better connect with the community, library Director Christine Angeli said, with the pandemic waning, time has come to revisit the strategic plan as priorities may have changed post COVID-19.
“What services would our current users like to have added or improved, and what needs are we not meeting for those who don’t use the library?” Angeli said. “We are a community library, and we want to serve the needs of all the residents of Milford … that’s our goal.
“We hear from our regular users, and this survey will also let us hear from those who aren’t regular users and what we can provide to change that.”
Angeli said that the pandemic has forced a change to the priorities identified in 2018, forcing staff to review and update that plan. To do that, she is seeking input on how to shape the library's operations and services over the upcoming three years.
A community survey is available online through June 27.
Before the 2018 strategic plan was completed, the plan had not been updated since 2001. The library hired a consultant and held numerous group sessions to gather information on the community’s needs and wants from the library.
Angeli said there would be no consultant hired this time. She said the library staff will take the community survey responses and compare them with the 2018 results “so that we can come up with a new plan of operation for the next three years with the new reality we are in.”
The survey calls on residents to detail what changes they would want to improve the library; what would be the best programming and use of space in the facility; and what non-book items would residents most like to check out.
Angeli said the survey also asks residents what technological enhancements would be welcome, with some suggestions being credit and debit acceptance services, tech-ready meeting spaces and hotspot lending options.
The library is back to nearly full service, Angeli said, with some 95 percent of programming for adults and teens back in person. While children’s storytime has been brought back in person, she said that most children’s programs are still not being offered in person.
“Now that we are back to full service … we’re fully open, no restrictions, and now we are looking to see what the community is comfortable with coming back post pandemic,” Angeli said. “What priorities have changed? This survey will help answer that.”
The library’s annual circulation stands at some 150,000 items checked out annually. Angeli said a few hundred people come into the library — whether to check out items, use technology or just to meet people — daily.
The survey should take no more than 10 minutes. For more information on the library or the survey, contact Angeli at cangeli@milfordct.gov or 203-783-3399.
brian.gioiele@hearstmediact.com