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Attachment A 3 ww+ North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources State Library of North Carolina Library Development Section Beverly Eaves perdue, Governor Cal Shepard, State Librarian Linda A, Carlisle, Secretary June 8, 2012 Lucinda Munger, Director Orange County Public Library 137 West Margaret Lane Hillsborough, NC 27278 Dear Lucinda, Your planning grant application has been approved for funding. We would also like to invite you to participate in the Community Needs Assessment Project, a new LSTA funded pilot. The purpose of this project is to assist libraries with identifying and analyzing the needs of their communities. Understanding community needs is the first step in developing a strategic plan that works for your community. We believe this step will be crucial for the five new county libraries as they establish their new identities. Your planning grant application was one of the applications that included a community needs assessment. Your library was selected for this pilot because we believe that your library's participation in this project will enhance your work as well as that of the others. How will the pilot project work? Your library will work with Dr. Anthony Chow (funded by the State library) to complete the Needs Assessment (NA). Typical activities include gathering demographic data about your communities, conducting a patron survey, interviews (or focus groups) with local government officials, other stakeholders and nonusers. Dr. Chow will guide you through the process and create a written final report. At the end you will have a good picture of local community needs. The State Library sees these needs assessment projects as a lead in to effective strategic planning. Once you have completed the needs assessment you will be able to proceed with your strategic planning grant. The application will most likely need some adjustments to the timeline, budget, and expected outcomes. The first step in this pilot project will be a meeting in Raleigh on July 12, 2012 to connect the State Library, Selected Consultants, and the Participating Libraries. During this meeting we will discuss the process of conducting a needs assessment and agree on a template to be used for conducting the Needs Assessment. Each NA should be completed by December 2012; then Strategic Planning work may begin for those interested in continuing. MAIUNG ADDRESS LOCATION 4640 Mail Senvicc Center Telephone 919 -807 -7400 109 East Jones Strect Raleigh, NC 276994640 Fax 919- 733 -87-18 Rafeigh, NC