February 22, 2022

Over the last seven months, library staff and trustees took some time to step back from their day-to-day work and set goals for the coming three years.

They surveyed the public, staff, and trustees; talked with focus groups; and held retreats for staff and trustees to answer the question, What does Nashua want and need from its library? As a result of this data gathering and analysis of demographic data they decided to focus on three strategic directions:

• Welcoming and comfortable: Make the library a trusted, safe place that is inviting, easy to use, and a hub of community activity.
• Learning and culture: Support community members in living enriched lives by connecting them to learning opportunities throughout their lifetime in an equitable and inclusive way.
• Collaborative and connected: Integrate the library into the community to achieve high awareness, meaningful partnerships, and recognition of its value.

For each of these directions, three long-term goals were set. Now library staff are working on an action plan that identifies what services, policies, and other resources are needed to meet those nine goals. For example, under the “Welcoming and comfortable” strategic direction, library staff will work toward the goal of “Serving as a welcoming community-gathering place for every member of the community” by implementing technology that will help staff communicate with customers who speak languages other than English.

The three-year action plan for carrying out the strategic plan will be completed later this spring.

Read the plan

The complete strategic plan includes a list of all goals, results of the surveys and focus groups, and a profile of the Nashua community. You can read it here.

Amanda Standerfer of Standerfer Consulting facilitated development of the plan.