Franklin library board emphasizes outreach, program evaluation and new community services

Board members and staff spent much of the Jan. 17 special meeting outlining programmatic priorities and outreach tactics aimed at expanding who uses the library and how the library measures impact.

Staff described a range of offerings the library will continue and expand: literacy programs, book discussion groups, a new silent book club that drew about seven attendees in its first session, and the Summer Reading programming continuum. Carrie Miller described partnerships with the Franklin Health Department for National Library Week programming, saying, "This year, our top theme is find your joy," and staff emphasized mental-health-focused activities tied to that theme.

Trustees pushed for more practical, low-effort evaluation methods to replace low-response surveys: quick post-program tallies, exit whiteboard comments and short, three- to five-question forms. Board members also discussed using focus groups and in-person feedback during events to gather richer input than email surveys.

New services and partnerships discussed
- Notary services: Board members raised repeated patron requests for local notary access. Staff will investigate logistics, hours and staffing required to offer on-site notary service or a curated list of local notaries.
- Public-health collaboration: The board discussed accepting small supplies from the health department (activated-charcoal packets for safe disposal of small amounts of unused medication) and distributing them from the information desk.
- Harm-reduction items: Trustees noted Narcan availability and discussed providing small quantities for patrons or posting information on local resources; staff to coordinate with health partners.

Volunteers and student internships: Trustees explored sign-up platforms (LocalHop and logistics-style volunteer apps) to recruit and manage volunteers and to create internship opportunities (including social-media interns) that could bolster outreach and content creation.

Next steps: Staff will pilot simplified evaluation tools, return data to the board regularly, and report back on feasibility and proposed hours for notary and other services.