Community Survey

2-2-2024

          This week the Strategic Planning Committee is sending out our community survey. This is arguably the most important step in the planning process. Without community input, we’re just a group of library lovers working in a vacuum.

          That brings me to my ask. We would love to have everyone who reads this article complete the survey and peer pressure a friend who doesn’t read it into completing one too. That may give us a variety of perspectives. Some people will complete it simply because they love the library. Others won’t want to because they hate surveys. I generally fall into the second category. To the second group, know that the survey is only 20 questions: 17 ask for checked boxes, 2 ask for ranking a list in order of priorities, and 1 free response. Just one.

          Fliers are being placed on any community board we could think of and stuffed into Hansen’s grocery bags. They include a QR code that takes smartphone users directly to the online survey. There is a link on the library’s website and on our Facebook page. Printed copies will be available at the East Troy Area Intergenerational Community Center and the East Troy Lions Public Library.

          Hopefully everyone will find access to the survey easy to find. If convenient doesn’t sway people, we have two more incentives. The first is an opportunity to be entered into a drawing for $20 Kwik Trip gift cards. The second is for the competitive members of our community.

          During our preparing the survey meeting, the coordinator was asked about the number of responses we need. I won’t try to remember the exact percent she mentioned, but I do remember for ETLPL that meant less than 50 total surveys. So, for the competitive among us, I challenge the greater East Troy Community and surrounding towns who came up with a name for their community that doesn’t involve Troy, to reach triple digits in our rate of return.

          Let’s show Edgerton, Spring Green and the other libraries in our cohort that East Troy is in a league of its own.

          The survey opened on February 1^st and remains open through February 14^th. For the procrastinators among us, what better way to spend Valentines with your sweety than taking the survey together?

          For the organized and timely, here is the link to the survey.  Fliers contain a QR code to the survey. Anyone wanting a lesson in QR codes, stop in the library any day or visit the 2^nd Saturday of the month, February 10, and let IT with Lori and (Sometimes) Wade lend a hand.

 

Reading:  Monsters: A Fan's Diemma by Claire Dederer, Deep by James Nestor

Listening to: Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, What Now? podcast with Trevor Noah