Norwin library compiling long-range study

Norwin Public Library officials plan to use the results of a survey to determine the course of the library’s future.

Library Director Diana Falk wants to start implementing programs or services included in a long-range plan being developed.

“We really want to look at it (the study) to see what is feasible and necessary,” said Falk, who has been the librarian since 2005.

This is the first long-range plan the library has conducted since moving to its facility on Caruthers Lane in Irwin in August 2004. It was formerly located at the U.S. post office on Third Street in downtown Irwin.

“It really seems time to evaluate whether the new facility is meeting the needs of the community,” Falk said.

When the library moved to the new location, “e-books and downloadable audio books and WiFi were not part of the mix,” Falk said.

The nine-member board, staff, volunteers and the Friends of the Library organization first received the survey before distributing it to the school district, different community organizations and representatives, Falk said. The nine-question survey sought answers to what the public believes are the library’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, Falk said.

The long-range study “has engaged everyone (on the nine-member board), and it is getting us to think of the future,” Falk said.

“We are winding down the survey. We want to analyze the results and see where we will focus,” Falk said.

It is important for a library to have a plan for moving into the future, “especially with our fast-changing environment,” said Cesare Muccari, executive director of the Westmoreland Library Network, which provides support to 24 member libraries in the county.

“With a plan, I think it is easier for a library to navigate the future,” Muccari said.

With electronic access to the Norwin library, it has become accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Falk said.

The library does not have plans to make changes to the two-story building, but if it were to undertake any facility projects, it will depend on the results of a needs assessment, Falk said.

To pay for such projects, the library would seek grants, Falk said. The library receives revenue generated by 1.2 mills real estate tax levied by the Norwin School District. The school district said that tax generated $482,000 for the 2018-2019 school year.