The BHM (Beaufort, Hyde, Martin) Library System is gearing up for long-range planning with community input, thanks to a $34,540 federal grant.

The State Library of North Carolina recently announced the 2016-2017 Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant awards to local library branches across the state. The federal funds help libraries deliver up-to-date services to their communities, according to a press release from the State Library of North Carolina. The awards are given for projects that advance literacy and lifelong learning, expand access to library resources and expertise, promote partnerships and collaboration and digitize materials important to the cultural heritage of North Carolina, according to the release.

According to Hannah Easley, director of the BHM Regional Library System, the LSTA grant will be used this fall to hire a consultant to assist the system with long-range planning through gathering data and input from the community. The consultant, Robert Burgin with RB Software and Consulting, will be helping the library gather demographic data, host community forums and interview people from the community to get input on long-term planning, Easley said.

“We’re looking for all kinds of people to get input about what they feel the library should be doing over the next five years,” Easley said.

Easley said in September, the library will be sending out a survey about library services to get a better idea about what people are using and what they’re interested in having available in terms of services and programs.

The system has eight branches — two in Hyde County, two in Martin County and four in Beaufort County, according to Easley.

According to Easley, the library system hasn’t done long-range planning in a long time.

Following the survey, the library will commission a community steering committee to guide the focus of the planning and coordinate with library staff to come up with goals and ways to bring them to fruition, Easley said.

“We haven’t done long-range planning in a long time so it’s going to be a pretty big project to do that community analysis,” Easley said. “I know what my goals are, but I want this to be about listening to the community and give people the chance to share what they want to see at their library.”

Easley said the library recently started offering eBooks but hopes to expand its technological offerings, such as upgrading to a faster speed of internet.

“The biggest thing is we’re looking to hear from everyone, especially people who don’t use the library,” Easley said. “It’s hard to get in touch with people who don’t use our services, but that’s who we want to hear from to see if there is something different we can do to meet their needs. That’s why the grants are so great. It enables us to do things we wouldn’t otherwise be able to do. Once we’re done with this process, we’ll be in a better position to focus our efforts on what’s most important to the community and to figure out what areas we should be looking at to apply for grants in the future. We’re really grateful that we were able to get this grant, and we’re really excited to do this project next year. I think we can learn a lot from it.”

For more information, contact the BHM Regional Library System at 252-946-6401.