BRATTLEBORO — Libraries have evolved beyond collections of books and media into institutions that provide new kinds of programs, services, and opportunities, and Brooks Memorial Library is looking for new ways to do the same.
Some libraries offer classes, some loan out tools and gear, some connect patrons with community resources, and some provide space for business incubators, conversation salons, or maker-spaces.
Brooks can do many of these things and already does some of them. But Library Director Starr LaTronica wants to know what else patrons and cardholders want and need.
The Planning Committee, constituted of staff, trustees, and community members, has been meeting for several months to understand the new world that libraries serve. The committee recently created a survey to help gather information about what the community wants.
The survey will be emailed to all subscribers to the library's online newsletter, and committee members will go out in the community with paper surveys for residents to fill out on the spot or take home and mail in. It will also be available in paper form in the library's main reading room, and online at brookslibraryvt.org.