Library’s family 'fanfare' event faces volunteer shortfall; marketing committee readies patron survey

Marketing committee members reported active planning for an upcoming family fair (“fanfare”) that will include vendor booths, escape-room props, a 360-degree photo booth and a cat room. Vendor registration closes Saturday and organizers said they may have to limit applicants because of space constraints.

The committee reported an early volunteer shortfall—"we only have 4 registered volunteers," an unnamed committee member said, while noting Elizabeth’s target of 24—and later updates in the meeting indicated nine volunteers had signed up that day. Organizers asked board members and community groups (including local school guidance counselors and boy scout groups) to help recruit volunteers for setup, teardown and event staffing.

To gather actionable input, the marketing committee drafted a patron survey on SurveyMonkey aimed at asking fairgoers what they want from the White House Public Library. The committee plans to distribute the survey via QR codes placed on vendor maps and signage and to offer a website link as an alternative for people who prefer not to scan QR codes. They said they will run statistical tests on response patterns after the survey window to assess confidence in the results.

Why it matters: the fanfare is a key outreach moment that the library is using to collect patron preferences and to expand visibility; volunteer and vendor capacity will affect the event’s scale and logistics.

What’s next: organizers will continue recruitment, finalize volunteer rosters, deploy QR codes at the fair, and use survey results to shape the library’s marketing plan.