Category: News – East Forest Park

by Ryan Feyre | Jul 23, 2025 | Read at The Reminder.

SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield City Library is hoping to get 2,000 or more city residents to answer a survey that will help shape the library’s future strategic plan.

Community Relations Coordinator Jamillah Medina Nova said the library has circulated surveys in the past, particularly for its 2020-2024 strategic plan, but this one is expected to be “bigger” and more widespread.

“We’re looking for 2,000 responses so we can have a really good indication from all different neighborhoods, all different walks of life,” she said in an interview. “We really want everyone’s input.”

The survey’s questions cover anything from, “how often you use the library,” to “what do you like to do at the library,” according to Nova. Additionally, there are agree or disagree questions such as “does the library have enough space for your needs,” “is it up to date in technology” and “how important are the different resources to you.”

“[The survey] is basically measuring the importance of our services and what we have to offer,” Nova said. “We’re making sure that we’re aligned with our mission, vision and values, [and] the community’s eyes as well.”

The Springfield City Library is using ReThinking Libraries as a consultant for the survey and eventual strategic plan, according to Nova. The organization will be spearheading community listening sessions in September and October at the city’s local branches to help steer the planning process.

Nova said the survey will roll into the fall before the City Library officially institutes the strategic plan.

“Right now, we want to get as many [survey respondents] as possible through the fall,” Nova said. “I think we’ll start finalizing the details in November, December so that we can be ready for the new year to have [the plan] finalized.”

In addition to the survey, Nova said people have the option of visiting the City Library’s branches to vote for their favorite services using a visual voting board.

Available in English and Spanish, Nova shared that the boards allow people to list the top five services they would love to see at their local branches.

“There will be different ways to hear people’s input,” Nova said. “They’ll be able to vote with the visual voting boards, take the survey, and then we invite everyone to come out to our listening sessions [when the dates are out].”

According to the City Library, the survey is available to the public in English, Spanish, Haitian Creole, Swahili, and in both online and paper formats to ensure accessibility. Nova said this initiative along with the $10,000 Library Card Campaign are two of the many ways Springfield City Library is trying to engage with the public in a post-pandemic landscape.

“After COVID, it was hard to get people back into any building,” Nova said. “But our resources are here and they’re growing and they’re going to continue to grow. So, we just want to make sure that we’re connecting with everyone, meeting them where they’re at, especially with digital access.”

Founded in 1857, the Springfield City Library provides over 800,000 free print, physical and digital resources for public enrichment. Readers will find the survey on its website. According to Nova, it will take about 10 minutes to complete.

From the Springfield Republican

SPRINGFIELD — Rachel Gravel is laying down a seven-figure challenge for readers in Springfield. She wants several thousand children and adults to collectively read for one million minutes during the summer break from school.

“We’re encouraging folks to go for it. Level up your reading game, and let’s try and get a million minutes together as a community,” said Gravel, who is manager of adult and youth information services at Springfield City Library.

The challenge kicks off June 23, running through July and August. Gravel said she hopes to triple the number of people who joined the library’s summer reading program last year — from fewer than 1,000 to 3,000 readers.

She told The Republican that group read around 250,000 minutes.

If Springfield hopes to hit the million-minute mark with 3,000 readers, each person will have to read 5½ minutes a day for 60 days.

“This is an opportunity to really go for gold,” she said.

Each summer, some 400,000 Massachusetts children, teens and adults join library reading programs, according to Massachusetts Libraries Board of Library Commissioners. Nearly every library in Western Massachusetts is running programs, which are free and open to the public.

Research shows if students do not read over the summer, they lose reading, comprehension and critical-thinking skills, according to Scholastic Parents.

“Kids lose significant knowledge in reading and math over summer break, which tends to have a snowball effect as they experience subsequent skill loss each year. (Another) study showed students lost about 20 percent of their school-year gains in reading and 27 percent of their school-year gains in math,” according to Scholastic Parents.

The Holyoke Public Library has summer reading programs for children, teens and adults, and has been marketing them to the public through city departments and speaking directly to children in school.

“We try and get the entire community involved, from birth to 99-plus. We want everyone participating,” said Nathan Hayes, the children’s librarian in Holyoke.

Like many libraries, Holyoke has a kickoff party and ongoing events that promote reading for the entire summer. Depending on the library, there can be magicians, clowns, face painting, music, games, ice cream socials — and prizes are everywhere.