By embracing change, fostering partnerships, and prioritizing community engagement, Jennings County Library has redefined what it means to be a modern library in the 21st century.

We were excited to participate in the Indiana Library Federation conference in person this week. It marked the first time since the onset of the pandemic we have been able to attend a library conference in-person and the first time Rob and I have been able to present together in-person. We had a full room and fantastic audience participation.

When was the last time you heard, “I didn’t know the library did that”? I’m guessing it’s a routine occurrence and maddening at that. We have been listening to librarians and library staff for over 20 years and more recently have been seeking the voice of community members as well. In the past six years alone, we have worked with nearly 100 public library clients, facilitated over 600 community discussion sessions with over 8,500 attendees, and conducted 75 online surveys with over 20,000 total responses. We can honestly say that this sentiment is one of the most universal responses we hear time and time again in our community discussion sessions, regardless of the library size, budget, or level of usage.