Lansdale Library asks: What can we do to enrich our community?

LANSDALE, Pa., Nov. 16, 2021 – Last month, Lansdale Library held two Community Conversations as part of the Libraries Transforming Communities grant received earlier in the year. One of the conversations took place in person at the library, and the other was online via Zoom. The topic of the conversations was What can we do to enrich our community?

Library staff, who received facilitation skills training as part of the grant, led the conversations amongst seven people, a group of 3 on Zoom and 4 in person. Library Director, Tom Meyer, said "While we had hoped for more participants to join us, based on previous conversations and data gathered during surveys, we feel the information we collected during these conversations is representative of our community."

Adapting from The Harwood Institute's Ask Tool, Mr. Meyer asked five questions during the conversations. Children’s Librarian, Lisa Green, took notes for the Zoom session, and Circulation Supervisor, Denise Brackin, was the note-taker during the session at the library. Library staff did not participate in the conversations; they just facilitated the discussions. Information about The Harwood Institute and their Ask Tool is available on their website, www.theharwoodinstitute.org.

Five questions were asked during the conversations

• What would be your ideal community? What would it look like, feel like? What opportunities would it offer for you and your family, friends, and neighbors?
• If you had a magic wand, what would you change in Lansdale to make it more like your ideal community?
• What groups, organizations, or individuals would you trust to make these changes? Why them and not others?
• How can the library bring Lansdale closer to being your ideal community?
• What type of follow-up would you like from this conversation? How would you like to hear about what's going on at the library? How do you get information from other organizations you are part of?

"The goal of the conversations was to hear the participants' thoughts. To better understand our community and what role the library can play in the community." Meyer said, "We cannot promise that we will implement all or any of the suggestions we received, but we are pleased to share the results of our discussions and how we plan to use what we have learned."

The main concern uncovered
during the conversations is a
lack of unified communication.

Conversation Findings

Conversation participants want a diverse, clean, safe, accessible community. One that is connected, where neighbors help each other out, and there are plenty of activities for people from different backgrounds to gather together for learning and recreation. There is a strong desire to get involved and volunteer to bring Lansdale closer to this ideal. Participants aired concerns about traffic, litter, empty stores, and political divisiveness. They expressed appreciation for the library and its offerings. The library is considered a community hub.

The main concern uncovered during the conversations is a lack of unified communication. The library and other organizations in Lansdale offer plenty of activities, but it isn't easy to find out or keep up with what's happening in town.

Lansdale Library needs to communicate more often and through more channels than they currently do. The library can do more outreach and work with other community organizations to spread the word about what the library offers and promote the offerings of those organizations. The library could facilitate more meetups, bring back field trips, and coordinate opportunities for volunteering in the community.

"It's great to hear that the library is appreciated and to know that there is a desire for the programs we offer," Meyer stated. "We understand the need to improve our communications and will strive to do so by increasing the number of messages shared and increasing the channels we use to get our news out. We look forward to reaching out to other community organizations as we work on this. These two conversations are just the beginning of a process to align the library's offerings to the community's wants and needs."

Libraries are unique institutions that are open to all. Everyone in the community can use the library. Lansdale Library wants to hear from you. More community conversations are being planned, and the library has created a survey to learn more about how you would like to hear from them and what services you use. You can access the survey online through https://www.lansdalelibrary.org/survey.

The mission of Lansdale Library is to enrich the community
by encouraging early literacy, fostering lifelong learning,
and celebrating the diversity in the area.

Libraries Transforming Communities: Focus on Small and Rural Libraries is an initiative of the American Library Association (ALA) in collaboration with the Association for Rural & Small Libraries (ARSL).