Planning the Future with Your Help

What do you really think of the public library? The Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library wants to know.

4,000 local residents recently received a survey in the mail inquiring about the library’s services, collections, programs and level of customer satisfaction. It’s part of the library’s strategic plan called The Next Decade, which launched in 2007.

Page from the survey

The randomly selected recipients received a phone call telling them the survey, followed by a reminder phone call a couple weeks after delivery if no action has been taken.

“We encourage everyone who receives a survey to respond promptly. The community’s answers will shape the next decade of library service and help us identify the ways we can make a difference in the community going forward,” said Gina Millsap, CEO.

While the library has done smaller focus groups over the years, this is its first community survey of users and non-users since the early 1990s.

The survey was developed in consultation with and mailed by ETC Institute, an Olathe, Kan., market research firm that works with government, nonprofits and libraries around the country. The library has been working with ETC since October 2013. Survey results are expected in April, and a summary of the results will be shared with the community.

If someone has questions or concerns about the survey, contact Diana Friend, Communications & Marketing Director, at 785-580-4486.

Library hours: Mon–Fri. 9am to 9pm, Sat 9am to 6pm, and Sun 12pm to 9pm.