Carson City Library hosts strategic planning community workshops, online survey

Community members are invited to free workshops for guiding the Carson City Library’s five-year strategic plan, with the first workshop Feb. 16, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., including morning refreshments and lunch.

The first workshop’s purpose is to complete a comprehensive environmental assessment of the library’s external and internal environment. Participants will do a variety of facilitated small group exercises. The workshop will be held in the Ormsby Room at the Carson City Sheriff’s Office.

The library is also offering a survey as it plans for the next five years. Anyone can take the survey online here: http://bit.ly/carsonlibrarysurvey.

“A library's strategic plan is most effective when it connects directly to the needs of the community,” said Diane Baker, business manager and interim director for the Carson City Library. “Our process to develop the library’s next plan is digging deep into the community — and we’re asking individuals to tell us what they think. With each survey response, with each observation related in a workshop, the plan becomes focused on what will inspire, guide our decisions and improve the city’s future.”

The effort is in partnership with the University of Nevada, Reno. Subsequent workshops will be March 2, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and March 16,10 a.m.-2 p.m. (this workshop will happen in the Carson City Community Center’s Ponderosa Room).

Individuals interested are encouraged to RSVP two days ahead of each workshop. To RSVP or for more information, contact Dr. Frederick Steinmann with the University Center for Economic Development (UCED) at (775) 784-1655 or fred@unr.edu.

The new strategic plan will include a set of core values, a mission and vision statement, a set of goals and objectives, and an implementation plan.

The public is encouraged to be part of any or all of the workshops and take the survey. Each workshop has a purpose including reviewing previous workshop results, more exercises, a comprehensive evaluation of the library’s current strategic plan and creation of a final strategic plan.

“When we develop strategic plans for public entities, it’s sometimes challenging to separate the community from the organization,” Steinmann said. “As opposed to a private sector firm that is more concerned about market share and fending off rivals in the marketplace, a public entity, like the Carson City Library, is more concerned with servicing community needs and wants than it is in strategically positioning itself in a marketplace.”

Steinmann said the multiple workshop approach is part of a larger strategic planning curriculum UCED has developed over the last several years for public sector organizations. Each individual workshop is designed to garner public feedback and build different elements of the strategic plan in a structured format.

“Attuning the library’s programs and services with community needs can only be achieved with community input,” Steinmann said.

About the University of Nevada, Reno’s University Center for Economic Development
The UCED was established in the fall of 1992 in response to the growing need within the state for economic development research, technical assistance and educational services. The center’s primary objective is fostering economic development throughout Nevada by making the extensive resources of UNR available to organizations and areas that can benefit from job and income creation and job retention efforts.

To learn more, visit www.unr.edu/business/research-and-outreach/uced

In the Photo: Creative Learning Manager Maria Klesta, right, talks with Shannon Schnaible and her daughters Amelia, 6, and Cadence, 8, during the NASA@ My Library event at the Carson City Library, in August 2018. The library invites the community to participate in workshops and a survey as part of their process to create a new strategic plan.

About the Carson City Library
The library serves a city of more than 54,000 people and several outlying communities. As a center for knowledge and discovery, the library is committed to inspiring learning, facilitating connection and creating opportunity for its community. The library is a regional leader with its focus on workforce and STEM-skill development for all ages. For more information, visit www.carsoncitylibrary.org and follow the library on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.