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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Russell Library Strategic Planning Committee Meeting - March 23, 2026

Common Council & Commissions — Monday, March 23, 2026

BodyMiddletown, Connecticut

SessionCommon Council & Commissions

DateMonday, March 23, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 32:29

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:02

So calling to order the March 19th, 2026 uh meeting of the Russell Library Strategic Planning Committee.

0:09

Um, do we have to do we have to call so I'm calling the meeting to order?

0:14

I don't think we need to approve the call to order.

0:16

Or do we need to okay?

0:17

So call to order.

0:18

Uh first order of business is is there any public comment?

0:26

I see no members of the public present.

0:28

Uh, but Amen is checking his email.

0:32

I haven't received any.

0:33

No.

0:34

No emails received for this committee.

0:36

Okay.

0:37

Thank you.

0:38

Uh next order of business is approval of the minutes from the January 15th, 2026 meeting.

0:49

I haven't done anything, Aiman.

0:50

What are you doing?

0:51

Oh, I'm I'm I'm saying I'll I'll move in favor of first.

0:56

So I'll first uh do we have a do we have a second for the approval?

0:59

Jennifer, thank you.

1:00

I was like, what is happening with the finger hand?

1:02

Um any comments uh on uh or corrections to the to the meeting notes, amen.

1:11

Wonderful minutes.

1:13

Thank you.

1:14

As always, wonderful minutes.

1:16

Um so motion to approve the eyes have it.

1:28

Minutes of the January 15th, 2026 meeting approved.

1:32

On to our unfinished business update on outreach work, communications plan and data review.

1:38

Uh we uh we have closed our comment period.

1:41

Um and um as of the 28th of February, there were a few last minute uh last minute editions, uh, which is uh always always to be expected.

1:52

Uh but um Ramona has begun the the sort of data analysis work along with uh her uh along with Gemini, uh one of our one of our uh uh delightful robot overlords.

2:03

Um uh and um Ramona, do you have uh uh uh comments on how the process is going thus far?

2:12

I mean, you know, reading through um, and I and I did send out the um synopses to the committee along with the raw data and spreadsheet form.

2:23

Um as I read through it, you know, I definitely see the themes coming through, and definitely themes that I noticed when I spoke with people individually.

2:33

Um and you know, you can the committee can feel free to add or you know, change that as um if it differs from your perception.

2:43

Um, I I think it's a good start.

2:48

Um, I have not had a chance to sit down and really comb through the actual raw data in the spreadsheets.

2:57

Really, what I did was took the spreadsheets and said, hey Gemini, give me a synopsis of what's being said.

3:03

Um, and also you all have the raw data.

3:07

Um, you know, and you know, any tools that you might have to comb through the data as well.

3:15

Um that is also fine.

3:17

Obviously, um making sure that we're we don't have any personally identifying data anyway, but uh well the spreadsheets might have some names on them, but um yeah, you're welcome to to synthesize the data as well.

3:31

Um if you and then see if you get any significant differences, but we are seeing those themes though coming through as um, you know, people are really facing um crises of affordability.

3:47

Um, you know, taxes are mentioned, literacies are mentioned, um community and isolation are mentioned, social services and you know the social safety net are mentioned, and I'm not surprised that those actually kind of uh rose to the top as as major themes um when we when we ran the data through Gemini.

4:13

Yeah, I was wondering what what uh what do other folks think?

4:16

Uh the questions that I the framing questions that I had suggested early in an email earlier today about do does uh the synopsis, the synthesis in particular, did that resonate with you?

4:27

Are there things that you seem that that uh that um based on the interviews that you had done that that are missing?

4:34

Um what do folks think?

4:39

Sarah.

4:42

I can share quickly because I got home at 520 today and opened my email and I have not had a chance to read through yet.

4:51

So I'm gonna be quite honest.

4:53

I've not done the work yet.

4:55

When I wrote that email this morning, I'm like, Sarah's not gonna have time to do this today.

5:00

So sorry, I don't get to my personal email school, so I thought it.

5:03

Um, but I will say based on what um Ramona has shared today and what was shared at the meeting on Tuesday.

5:12

Um what I'm hearing of the themes that are repeated were absolutely mentioned in the interviews that I did.

5:20

So um I can't say I'm surprised um by seeing those and also just as a as a community member myself and knowing um how we have responded and how we are feeling.

5:34

Um so it's not surprising, but I have work to do Jennifer.

5:44

Um I just said had three things.

5:47

Um, and you know, they're really uh slanted based on the people I talked to, which is very narrow sample.

5:54

But um one thing in addition to literacy, uh the uh people I taught to are very interested in um uh other uh ways that Russell could work with um schools to help with tutoring and education beyond just the literacy part, but also feeling that there's this generation who has lost a lot due to COVID and needed a lot of support.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Library Development█████████████████████████████████████████████62%

Procedural████████████17%

Community Engagement██████8%

Mental Health Awareness████5%

Budget Equity Analysis████5%

Technology and Innovation██3%

Summary of Proceedings

Russell Library Strategic Planning Committee Meeting - March 23, 2026

Note: The transcript for this meeting opens with a reference to "March 19th, 2026," but the official date provided for the summary is March 23, 2026. This discrepancy could not be resolved from available materials.

The Russell Library Strategic Planning Committee met to review results from its community outreach and data collection efforts and to begin drafting an updated strategic plan. Members discussed the use of AI-generated summaries of public comments, the continued relevance of the library's existing strategic pillars, and next steps for producing a renewed plan.

Consent Calendar

The meeting was called to order with no public comment (no emails received).
The minutes from the January 15, 2026 meeting were approved unanimously.

Discussion Items

Data Review and Outreach Update
- The public comment period closed on February 28, 2026. Ramona presented an AI (Gemini)-generated synopsis of the raw data, noting recurring themes: affordability, taxes, literacy, community/isolation, social services, and the social safety net.
- Committee members shared observations from their own interviews and from reviewing the raw data:
  - Jennifer noted additional themes: a need for broader school collaboration beyond literacy (e.g., tutoring and support for COVID-related learning loss), deep emotional and mental health needs among youth, and a potential overstatement by AI regarding library ADA compliance (the library may not be fully compliant despite AI's assertion).
  - Amen pointed out a staff comment about the library being a "living organism" that needs to refocus on books, which the AI summarized as needing to move "from lending to leading" — an opposite interpretation, though many other responses indeed support a leadership role.
  - Andrew expressed concern that while the existing strategic pillars remain valid, community needs have become more acute and the library is not adequately staffed or resourced to meet them. He also noted the community's trust in the library as a positive.
  - Sarah had not yet read the full materials but said the themes mentioned were consistent with her interviews.
- The committee agreed that the existing four pillars (Strengthen Community, Safe & Welcoming Destination, Thriving Economic Ecosystem, Lifelong Love of Learning) and foundational strategies (Equity & Inclusion, Youth Voices) still capture community input effectively. Members suggested organizing raw responses under these pillars to identify any outliers.
Draft Plan for Publication
- Ramona volunteered to draft the renewed strategic plan, using the previous plan's format (from Brandy) but clearly marking it as a renewal. The draft will include methodology, landscape changes, community engagement data, photos, and pull quotes.
- The committee discussed the need to balance high-level goals with concrete examples of how feedback will be acted upon, without bogging down in minute details that may change.
- Jennifer emphasized using the renewal to promote accomplishments and show the community that their input was heard.

Key Outcomes

Decision: The committee will proceed with an updated strategic plan based on the existing framework, which remains valid.
Next Steps:
- Ramona will add a controlled vocabulary (dropdown menu) to the raw data spreadsheets, aligning with the strategic pillars, so committee members can categorize responses. She will distribute this by the morning of March 24.
- Committee members will review the raw data and sort responses into the pillars, looking for themes that do not fit.
- Ramona will create a shared document for the draft plan and circulate it before the April 16, 2026 meeting, where the committee will workshop the draft.
Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned by motion (Sarah, seconded by Amen) at approximately 6:03 PM.

Meeting Transcript

So calling to order the March 19th, 2026 uh meeting of the Russell Library Strategic Planning Committee. Um, do we have to do we have to call so I'm calling the meeting to order? I don't think we need to approve the call to order. Or do we need to okay? So call to order. Uh first order of business is is there any public comment? I see no members of the public present. Uh, but Amen is checking his email. I haven't received any. No. No emails received for this committee. Okay. Thank you. Uh next order of business is approval of the minutes from the January 15th, 2026 meeting. I haven't done anything, Aiman. What are you doing? Oh, I'm I'm I'm saying I'll I'll move in favor of first. So I'll first uh do we have a do we have a second for the approval? Jennifer, thank you. I was like, what is happening with the finger hand? Um any comments uh on uh or corrections to the to the meeting notes, amen. Wonderful minutes. Thank you. As always, wonderful minutes. Um so motion to approve the eyes have it. Minutes of the January 15th, 2026 meeting approved. On to our unfinished business update on outreach work, communications plan and data review. Uh we uh we have closed our comment period. Um and um as of the 28th of February, there were a few last minute uh last minute editions, uh, which is uh always always to be expected. Uh but um Ramona has begun the the sort of data analysis work along with uh her uh along with Gemini, uh one of our one of our uh uh delightful robot overlords. Um uh and um Ramona, do you have uh uh uh comments on how the process is going thus far? I mean, you know, reading through um, and I and I did send out the um synopses to the committee along with the raw data and spreadsheet form. Um as I read through it, you know, I definitely see the themes coming through, and definitely themes that I noticed when I spoke with people individually. Um and you know, you can the committee can feel free to add or you know, change that as um if it differs from your perception. Um, I I think it's a good start. Um, I have not had a chance to sit down and really comb through the actual raw data in the spreadsheets. Really, what I did was took the spreadsheets and said, hey Gemini, give me a synopsis of what's being said. Um, and also you all have the raw data. Um, you know, and you know, any tools that you might have to comb through the data as well. Um that is also fine. Obviously, um making sure that we're we don't have any personally identifying data anyway, but uh well the spreadsheets might have some names on them, but um yeah, you're welcome to to synthesize the data as well. Um if you and then see if you get any significant differences, but we are seeing those themes though coming through as um, you know, people are really facing um crises of affordability. Um, you know, taxes are mentioned, literacies are mentioned, um community and isolation are mentioned, social services and you know the social safety net are mentioned, and I'm not surprised that those actually kind of uh rose to the top as as major themes um when we when we ran the data through Gemini. Yeah, I was wondering what what uh what do other folks think? Uh the questions that I the framing questions that I had suggested early in an email earlier today about do does uh the synopsis, the synthesis in particular, did that resonate with you? Are there things that you seem that that uh that um based on the interviews that you had done that that are missing? Um what do folks think? Sarah. I can share quickly because I got home at 520 today and opened my email and I have not had a chance to read through yet. So I'm gonna be quite honest.

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