Peters Township Public Library embarks on developing strategic plan
A five-year strategic plan is is in the works for Peters Township Public Library.
“With a full management turnover and large staff turnover over the past year, the library has the perfect opportunity to set new goals,” Lacey Love, library director, wrote in a memo to township council.
The Peters Township Library Foundation, which has the mission of building financial and volunteer support, is funding the development of the plan by Pittsburgh-based Procopia Nonprofit Consulting.
A strategic planning committee includes members of the library board and foundation, along with township manager Paul Lauer, council member Frank Kosir Jr. and other community leaders.
“Due to the pandemic and staffing changes, much of the past year has been dedicated to reopening the library in phases, onboarding and training new employees, and dealing with day-to-day issues,” Love wrote. At this point, it is necessary for us to set long-term goals so that all library stakeholders are on the same page.”
She took over as director in the fall of 2020 following the summer retirement of Myra Oleynik, who had held the position since 2015. Illyanna Logan joined the staff as assistant director in May.
According to Love, the strategic planning process will involve focus groups and interviews, along with conducting a community needs assessment and creating a patron survey, to help arrive at “a high-level work plan to support our strategic plan goals.”
The process is scheduled to run through April, after which the consulting firm will do a formal presentation of the final strategic plan to council for feedback and approval.
In 2016, the township developed a similarly forward-looking Comprehensive Parks, Recreation and Open Space Plan. While serving as director of Bradford Area Public Library in McKean County, Love oversaw the development of a strategic plan for that institution.