HEATH — Having conducted a study to help inform the Heath Free Public Library’s future, library trustees are hosting an Open House and Strategic Planning Party on Saturday to present a draft of their strategic plan for the next three to five years.

The event will be held from noon to 2 p.m. at the Jacobs Road Municipal Center.

Aside from the main presentation about the draft strategic plan, there will be music from Dave Herrera, aka Dave the Entertainer, as well as free snacks provided by the Friends of the Heath Free Public Library. The trustees also created an historical timeline of the library featuring historical photographs that will be on display.

The library worked with a consultant and conducted roundtable discussions with residents in the spring of 2022 to hear what locals want to see in the library’s future. About 25 people participated in four different sessions.

“One thing I noticed is how much people love and support the library,” said Library Director Kate Barrows. “People are very dedicated to volunteer and donate money and time.”

The big issue at the time the study was conducted was the limited accessibility of Sawyer Hall, where the library was located. There were issues with the wheelchair ramp and the small room that housed the library created mobility concerns.

“We spent months figuring out the responsible course of action,” Barrows said, explaining the trustees decided to move the library to the Municipal Center slightly over a year ago as a provisional move. The new space is about twice as large and includes a children’s reading area.

Barrows explained the goal of the move was to be minimally disruptive while keeping the process affordable.

“We feel like we are making the most of the resources we have available to us and are trying to offer as much as we can to the community,” Barrows said.

She explained the library has a lively group of visitors every Saturday who check out books, socialize and attend regular storytelling sessions. Patron numbers have stayed consistent compared to before the move, but Barrows said the library doesn’t have as many visitors as it did before the pandemic.

The library’s presence has not completely disappeared from the town center, though. The library still hosts office hours in Sawyer Hall on Thursdays where people can pick up and drop off books.

After explaining how the library got to the building at 18 Jacobs Road, the trustees will present draft plans for the future on Saturday. Barrows indicated they do not know if the move to the new space is permanent or provisional.

Presenters will provide attendees with a worksheet asking for feedback about the draft plans and ask for any additional comments about wants and needs for a library. People who miss Saturday’s party can still give feedback until the beginning of December by contacting the library and filling out the worksheet.

“We know that a majority of people are happy about the library move,” Barrows said, estimating that only about 10% of people expressed frustration with the move.

The library director said between the elementary school closing, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the town offices and library moving to the Jacobs Road Municipal Center, the town has incurred many losses in recent years.

“All these losses are piled up on people and it has been hard,” Barrows said. “We want to recognize that and try to celebrate what we have.”

Reach Bella Levavi at 413-930-4579 or blevavi@recorder.com.