01-03-2025
New master plan designed to shape future of Aurora, Colorado's library system, public input wanted
The folks at the Aurora Public Library District want to help their community. But with a budget of $8 million for a population of nearly 400,000, the city of Aurora ranks in the bottom five for per capita public library funding in the state. That means finding the resources to do everything the community wants is a challenge.
"It is a significant challenge," said Jo McNeal, the deputy director of library services. "However, checking in with the community allows us to fine tune what we do and use the resources that we have most effectively."
That's why they launched a strategic and facilities master plan. It's an effort to shape the future of the library.
The library will assess the condition and usage of its facilities, identify necessary capital improvements and evaluate future needs. All are based on recommendations from the community they receive from an online survey.
"It's connecting with the community and getting input from the community, not just library users, but non-users as well," McNeal said. "To check in and see what exactly they need in their lives that the library might be able to help with."
They want to know what Aurorans want to get out of their libraries. The library held a survey like this before, but it says it's been a while, and now more than ever, it needs to fine tune its efforts to have the most impact.
"We haven't talked to the community since 2015. It's 10 years ago. A lot has changed in that time," McNeal said. "We just want to make sure that we're not spread too thin and that we are focusing on the top needs, the highest needs of the community."
"Engage Aurora" website.
