Library System planning for the future
By Samantha Lyles, Staff Writer, slyles@newsandpress.net
The Darlington County Library System is working on a plan that will help your local libraries tailor their services to best suit the needs of a changing and growing group of patrons in Darlington, Lamar, Hartsville, and Society Hill.
“We’re trying to develop a strategic plan that will guide us on how best to serve Darlington County through 2021,” says Jimmie Epling, director of Darlington County Library System.
This initiative, entitled “Imagine the Possibilities,” aims to develop ideas gathered via online survey from members of the public, and through meetings where library staff, community leaders, and members of the Darlington County Library Board discussed their hopes, needs, and priorities for all local library branches.
Beginning in early May, the Library began gathering input from the community and started working with Andy Burkemper (Ph.D.), Director of Coker College’s Center for Leadership & Entrepreneurship in Hartsville, on the strategic plan initiative. Burkemper turned the transcripts of each planning meeting into Word Cloud documents so that the most frequently used concepts stand out in literal bold type.
“Patrons, people, community – those are among the three most used words,” says Epling. “So it’s uppermost in people’s minds that we are a people and community-focused organization.”
Other concepts getting a lot of play were “computers” and “technology,” and Epling says the Library System plans to keep abreast of the latest tech trends by offering fast computers and broadband connections so patrons can visit the library to work on school projects, search for jobs, and explore the Internet.
Epling adds that county libraries already offer some 3-D printing services and (given adequate grant funding) he would like to establish a training program so local businesses and citizens can learn how to use this powerful new tool.
The Word Clouds also show repeated mentions of “children” and “teens” and Epling says that the Library hopes to expand its youth programs (like this summer’s Libraries Rock! Series) to include a wider array of activities and – possibly – more outdoor learning opportunities.
With “Imagine the Possibilities,” the goal is to craft a strategic plan by the end of July, with actionable goals ready to roll sometime in August.
For more information, contact Epling at 843-398-4940 or jimmie.epling@darlington-lib.org.