Franklin Public Library board finalizes 2026 action priorities, plans children's-area redesign and fundraising push

The Franklin Public Library Board of Trustees on Jan. 17 reviewed and refined the library strategic plan and the 2026 action plan, with trustees and staff laying out next steps on program priorities, building space needs and fundraising.

Board member Maria m opened the special meeting by reading the library mission and tying it to the action items. "The Franklin Public Library is dedicated to providing every member of our community with abundant opportunities to learn, explore, and connect," she said, underscoring the board's emphasis on community-facing services.

Why it matters: Trustees said the plan will guide program scheduling, partnership work and capital decisions over the next five years. Staff and trustees placed early emphasis on redesigning the children's area, fundraising through the Franklin Public Library Foundation and collecting operational data to inform future budget requests.

What trustees discussed and decided
- Children's department: Carrie Miller and staff will visit two vendor showrooms (Demco Interiors and Library Furniture International) and a recently renovated Kenosha children's branch as part of design research. The board framed the work as a multi-quarter effort tied to capital and foundation fundraising.
- Fundraising and foundation role: Staff described a "wish list" of items and discussed naming-rights opportunities; trustees asked the foundation to expand membership and take a leading role in sponsorship outreach to local businesses.
- Program and evaluation alignment: Trustees directed staff to standardize brief program-evaluation forms and to report outcomes regularly to the board so the plan's actions can be tracked against measurable results.
- Timeline and next steps: Jennifer Lawful will incorporate feedback from today and return a revised action plan for approval at the board's next meeting.

Numbers and clarifications
- Postcard advocacy: staff reported about 1,100 postcards mailed as part of a statewide initiative to alert lawmakers to library funding needs.
- Foreign-language collection: staff said the collection contains 131 titles with 244 total checkouts to date; expansion is contingent on vendor availability and budget.

What comes next: Staff will continue design research for the children's area, prepare budget-level estimates for capital and foundation fundraising priorities, and present an updated action plan to the full board at its next scheduled meeting.