Strategic Planning Begins at Boyne District Library

The Boyne District Library has begun a multi-level strategic planning/visioning process and organizational review, which will be used to help guide the Library’s Board of Trustees and staff in planning for the future.

The impetus for the planning project comes from the library’s receipt of a gift of $250,000 from the Mary Peabody Foundation in 2011. The foundation specified the purpose of the gift is “to provide support for special capital improvement projects of the Boyne District Library.”

The planning process will rely heavily on local involvement through a community survey, focus group sessions, and interviews with key community leaders.

Marianne Hartzell, Joseph Mika, and Robert Raz of Hartzell-Mika Consulting, a library consulting firm based in East Lansing, are facilitators for the project. The consultants spent two days at the Library in mid-September, including meeting with trustees at their September 12 board session.

Library board members are enthusiastic about the planning process and eager to learn the results of the information that will be gathered from the community, especially in the areas of library growth, potential future services, and possible expansion.

“This gift will allow us to improve our resources and services to our patrons, so we are very interested in their input,” said library board president Jane MacKenzie. “Having a strong plan will help the board, staff and community immensely as we look to the future.”

All members of the community are invited and encouraged to complete a survey, distributed through the library’s fall newsletter, the Boyne Area Chamber of Commerce, and available at tinyurl.com/BDLsurvey. Individuals wishing to complete a paper version of the survey should visit or contact the Library.

Focus group sessions facilitated by Hartzell-Mika are scheduled at the library on Thursday, October 11 at 1:30 and 7 p.m., and on Friday, Oct. 12 at 8 a.m. A sign-up sheet is located at the library for anyone interested in participating in any of the sessions. Those interested may sign up in person or call the library at 231-582-7861.

The information gained through the survey and focus group sessions will serve as a basis for discussions at two Community Planning Sessions scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 27 and Saturday, Nov. 10, during which priorities will be identified for the Library, and specific goals and plans established.

Community members interested in participating in the Community Planning Sessions can contact library director Cliff Carey at 231-582-7861.