Forward-thinking library

Leaders of the Hewlett-Woodmere Public Library are at the halfway point of their latest long-range plan, and are looking carefully at what still needs to be accomplished. The goal is to revitalize the library to best serve today’s — and tomorrow’s — patrons.
The facility’s director, Susan de Sciora, said that libraries are built to serve their communities for 20 years, and then they need to make adjustments to adapt to changing uses. “Every generation uses a library differently,” de Sciora said. “What happens as you approach the 20-year mark is you start thinking about improvements. We need more people space here, and young people want more private study spaces where it’s quiet.”
The Hewlett-Woodmere Library was built in 1955, expanded 11 years later, last underwent renovation in 1996 and formed a Long-Range Planning Committee in 2005. The facility, which now serves 20,265 residents, is in the midst of its most recent plan, which spans from 2010 to 2014. The committee’s report, which was issued in March 2010, was divided into four sections: Library Facility, Collections and Public Service programs, Segments of the Population, and Communications, and has helped the library improve services and programs while looking toward the future.
“We have to plan for the future and can’t wait for things to happen,” said library board President and Planning Committee member Ben Eilbott. “Our community is changing, and we see that in the use of our library.”
Community input was vital in drafting the plan, according to de Sciora. “We surveyed the community twice to see what they want in their library, and allocated space for those individual functions,” she said.