GREENFIELD — Three years after opening and settling into the new building at 412 Main St., the Greenfield Public Library is seeking community feedback to help inform a strategic plan to guide its future.
A survey opened last week asking patrons to share their thoughts on hours, programming, staff knowledge and friendliness, and what people would like to see at the library in the coming years. The 20-question survey is available online at surveymonkey.com/r/GPLSurvey2026 and paper copies can be found at the library. Responses will be accepted until May 31.
“Our goal is to hear from as many voices in the community as possible,” Library Director Anna Bognolo said in a statement. “The more feedback we receive, the better equipped we will be to provide services, programs and resources that reflect what our community wants and needs over the next five years.”
Bognolo explained that the library’s current strategic plan expired in 2020, though library leadership had been focused on building and moving to the new location at the time.
“Now, with the library entering its third year in our new home, we feel this is the right time to take a thoughtful look ahead and plan for the future together,” Bognolo wrote. “This process is not just about library staff or trustees deciding what comes next. In fact, one of the most important parts of strategic planning is hearing directly from the people we serve, and from those we may not yet be serving well enough.”
She said the library wants to hear from regular users, as well as those who do not frequent the space so that leadership can learn what is going well and what can be improved to better serve the community.
“Whether you visit the library every week, occasionally stop in or have never used the library before, your voice matters,” Bognolo wrote. “We want to better understand what our community values, what barriers may exist, what services people would like to see expanded and how the library can continue evolving to meet community needs.”
She added that the strategic plan will help the library not only understand what the community needs, but be better positioned to access grants to meet those needs.
“Strategic planning is also essential to the future sustainability of the library. The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners requires public libraries to maintain a current approved strategic plan in order to qualify for certain competitive funding opportunities, including Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) direct grants. While a strategic plan is not required for general state aid, it is critical for accessing funding opportunities that help libraries grow and innovate,” Bognolo wrote. “Most importantly, this process is about ensuring that the library continues to reflect the needs and aspirations of the Greenfield community.”
Following the conclusion of the survey at the end of the month, the plan is to create a focus group for further discussion and exploration of the library’s future.
