Staff photo/Laurie Johnson The Grand Marais Library will be involved in a strategic planning process in upcoming months.
The Grand Marais Public Library has announced its participation in the Arrowhead Library System (ALS) Strategic Planning Initiative. Over the next three months, the library will have access to a strategic planning consultant who will facilitate a community-based planning process.
” According to Library Director Linda Chappell, “The board and staff do their best to be good stewards of the library’s limited resources, but we can’t be all things to all people. This is an opportunity to hear from the community about a vision for the future and what the community’s needs are. Hearing that, the library’s task is to determine how it can help address those needs.”
Strategic planning is a process used to set the future direction and priorities of an organization. This type of planning is especially important in times of rapid change. “With the economic and social impacts of a recession, constant advances in technology, and local population growth just to name a few – the environment the library is working in is undergoing a lot of change. Thisis a good time for us to step back and take the community’s pulse,” Chappell said.
The process will begin by gathering input from community leaders through a focus group. Representatives of a wide variety of constituencies are being asked to participate. This input, along with statistical data about the library and the community, will be analyzed by the library’s planning team. They will consider those findings in updating their mission, establishing priority goals, and developing action plans for the first year of implementation.
“The resulting Strategic Plan will guide the library’s work for the next five years, with action plans being updated annually. This planning process is an investment in the library’s, and the community’s, future,” Chappell said.
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