MENOMINEE, MI (NBC 26) — Leaders of the Spies Public Library in Menominee, Michigan are asking members of the public for help in planning for future improvements.
"This is the original section of the library, many years ago it all used to be here,” said Blair Nelson, Spies Public Library Director.
The library has been a vital part of the community for over 100 years.
Modeled after the Carnegie libraries, this facility brings community members inside to not only use its resources but to be mesmerized by its beauty.
“Particularly, the architecture, the columns, are very similar to that greek architecture style,” said Nelson. “A lot of people would come and marvel at the architecture and just be in awe, because they’re aren’t many Carnegie libraries left.”
But that’s not the only reason people come by, Nelson said they see home school families along with those who don’t have access to connectivity.
“We get a lot of patrons who come in to use internet services. Not everybody can get internet,” said Nelson.
So to better help the public, the library has launched a survey as part of its strategic plan, asking people what they think can make it better.
“There’s several questions on the survey about different programs. Are we serving the needs as well? How is our facility? How is our collection?” said Nelson.
To further engage with the community, the library will be hosting listening sessions to gather input from people just like you.
“We’ll be doing from October 11th through the 13th, a total of nine sessions we hope,” Nelson said. “A chance for people to really share what they want for the library.”
Nelson said they also hope to target non-library users, as they work to find ways to bring them in.
“I think where libraries are really surviving and really thriving is with the programming aspect of it. For example, I’m planning on doing a con here. Like a comic con, not just comics. That challenges people’s ideas of what a library is and what it can do,” Nelson said.
If you live in the Menominee, MI area, and you’d like to participate in the survey click here to be redirected. This is a great opportunity to share your input as they embark on the exciting future of the library.
