PRESS RELEASES
September 8, 2006 Ami Patrick, Office of Community Relations
Phone: 858-7182 (W); 284-0509 (H)
Fax: 858-6211 Email: patricka@buffalolib.org
BUFFALO AND ERIE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
SEEKS COMMUNITY INPUT ON FIVE-YEAR PLAN OF SERVICE
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Buffalo, NY -- The Buffalo and Erie County Public Library (B&ECPL) is releasing a proposed Five-Year (2007-2011) Plan of Service, announced Director Michael C. Mahaney .
“During the past two years, the B&ECPL has been pummeled by change and challenges,” said Mahaney. “We have faced drastic budget reductions and the resulting cuts in services, locations, materials, hours and staff. It has been a difficult time of transition for the community and for the Library's dedicated employees. The Library System now looks to the future. Through a five-year planning process, we are evaluating our overall mission and goals to determine what the community values and needs most from its public library. The System is committed, now more than ever, to enhancing its services and operations to meet these needs in the most efficient and cost effective manner possible.”
The Five-Year Plan of Service is being released to the public to collect comments, proposals and suggestions that may be incorporated before the B&ECPL Board of Trustees considers adoption of a final plan at its September 28 th meeting. The draft plan is prepared in two formats. The first is drafted to meet the requirements of New York State 's Division of Library Development, which provides a template of broad goals, intended results and evaluation methods in a number of categories. It is currently available online at the Library's website, www.buffalolib.org and also in print at any of the 37 B&ECPL locations. Secondly, a narrative version of the plan will be available beginning September 13 th . This version offers a message to the community, outlines a more detailed list of activities designed to meet stated objectives and includes the results of the B&ECPL's recent online survey.
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Community feedback is invited and encouraged. Comments may be submitted electronically through a fillable form located on the Library's website or in writing to the attention of the B&ECPL Director (Central Library, 1 Lafayette Square , Buffalo , NY 14203 ).
In addition, the B&ECPL Board of Trustees invites individuals to attend public forums on any of the following dates: September 19 th at 6 pm at the City of Tonawanda Public Library (333 Main Street, Tonawanda), September 21 st at 6 pm at the Crane Branch Library (633 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo) or September 26 th at 6 pm at the Hamburg Public Library (102 Buffalo Street, Hamburg).
For more information, call (716) 858-7180 or visit www.buffalolib.org.