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The Library's website is not user friendly and users would like to see a major overhaul <br />and upgrade. This message was heard in virtually all venues. <br />Respondents want the Library to maintain strong print collections, but also increase <br />downloadable and digital materials. <br />Respondents would also like to see the Library keep up-to-date with technology, but are <br />more concerned about technology training and assistance than hardware/software. <br />Increased or enhanced services to under -resourced, diverse, and special needs <br />households and individuals was heard widely. Major strategies or concerns in this area <br />centered around outreach, transportation issues, and lack of awareness among these <br />varied populations. <br />There was substantial interest, although not universal, in the creation of "makerspaces" <br />or other creative areas in some of the libraries. <br />Although not shared in all of these qualitative venues, there was significant interest in <br />advancing the Library's mission around workforce and economic development. <br />Advancing partnerships in the community was a regular theme, both to increase <br />resources and connections for the Library, but also as a public awareness and <br />community advancement tool more broadly. Stronger partnerships with schools was <br />desired across all of these forums, although many noted that it will be a challenge <br />working across multiple, diverse school districts. <br />Increasing use of volunteers for more diverse tasks was a common theme. <br />Stronger marketing, public relations, and public awareness of the Library and its services <br />was widely desired. <br />In the community retreats, and to some extent in the other qualitative venues, most <br />people expressed a preference for larger, full service libraries rather than small <br />community or neighborhood libraries. This was not universally expressed, but was the <br />preponderance of the direction for the majority of those in attendance. <br />There was significant agreement that more space was desired for the current library <br />facilities—for meetings, programs, training and educational offerings, community <br />gathering — and that additional facilities or expansions are also likely needed in the <br />future. Respondents strongly agreed that there should be an emphasis on flexible, <br />changeable space in any renovations or expansions in the future. <br />Investigative Phase: Major Drivers <br />All of the above findings and rationales listed above must be considered in shaping the Library's <br />strategic directions and goals, balanced, of course, by resource, geographic and other realities. <br />However, the short list of major drivers that must be accounted for in shaping the strategic plan <br />include: <br />9 <br />