City facility attendant Les Graham (left) and a contractor from Diamond Stoneworks recently helped the Orinda Library prepare for installation of a new inventory system. The high tech tool will offer faster self-service, says library manager Beth Girshman, and it will also help staff keep collections vibrant by monitoring which books are circulating and which aren't. If you'd like to help prepare books for scanning by the new system, call the library to volunteer. Photo Ohlen Alexander

The Orinda Library staff want to borrow your brains - temporarily (no surgery required). On Tuesday, Oct. 5 from 10:30 a.m. to noon, staff from the Contra Costa Library System (CCLS) will facilitate a Town Hall meeting at the Founder's Auditorium of the Orinda Community Center in order to help Orindans plan for the short and long-term health of the Orinda Library. All residents, whether regular patrons or not, are invited to participate.
County library leaders are taking this step even though Orinda has one of the highest percentages of residents possessing library cards because the last time this type of strategic planning was done was about eight years ago, and because demographics are continuing to change, as are the ways in which materials are delivered - diversifying from books and magazines to print, ebooks, DVDs, CDs, and databases and other online content accessible at onsite computer terminals.
Back in 2006 brainstorming focused on facilities, explains Orinda Community Library manager Beth Girshman. In 2013, Orinda's Town Hall will begin with a brief presentation before breaking into table groups, each with its own moderator. Groups will consider a series of questions - about the ways in which the library should serve the larger community and how residents can work together to make those goals happen, rather than about the number of mysteries residents want to see on the shelves.
Participants will be asked to come to agreement before presenting their responses. "There will be very few questions so that there will be enough time to get into the heart of it," explains Girshman, "to encourage in-depth conversation" about what Orindans want in a public space. "There is room for disagreement, and all opinions will be respected, captured and reported on."
A head facilitator will serve as the ringmaster to keep the entire process on track. Responses will be captured on flip charts and then turned over to the CCLS Strategic Planning Committee.
"We want to hear from people who use the library, but we also really want to hear from people who don't," urges Girshman. "This is part of our community, part of our budget ... It's about how you're spending your money, what your vision is ... what you're hoping to accomplish over the next five years."
All are welcome and encouraged to help chart a course for the future. Preregistration is encouraged so that there will be ample food and coffee to fuel participants' brains. Just call the Orinda Library or sign up online via the event calendar at www.ccclib.org. For more information, contact Girshman at (925) 254-2184, ext. 15, or bgirshma@ccclib.org.

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