Building Community from the Riverbank: Strategic Planning at Kanawha County Public Library

If you’ve ever worked in a library system with a wide geographic reach and diverse communities, you know how hard it can be to provide equitable service across the board. That’s exactly the challenge facing Erika Connelly, Director of the Kanawha County Public Library System in West Virginia. Her library system serves the most populous and commercially active county in the state, extending services even into surrounding areas. With industry ranging from coal and chemicals to river barge traffic, and with the state capital located in Charleston, the community has complex needs. 

“Our community is fairly mixed and reflective of the rest of the state,” Connelly shared. “We have a small middle class, some affluent pockets, and a larger lower-income section. It’s always a challenge to provide service to those who are disenfranchised.” 

A couple of years ago, Connelly and her team partnered with ReThinking Libraries to conduct a community analysis as the first step in a broader planning process. “We wanted to really understand who our community is, where they are, and what makes up that community,” she said. “That gave us the foundation for our strategic plan.” 

The analysis involved surveying residents about their awareness and perceptions of library services. The findings were illuminating. “Some things we already knew,” Connelly noted, “but we were surprised by how dissatisfied people were with the quality of our collection. That hit hard—we weren’t fulfilling that core obligation of a library.” 

Assessing Branches 

The data prompted immediate action. One of the most ambitious outcomes was the decision to build a new regional library on the underserved eastern side of the county. “We have multiple tiny libraries along the river there, and service is really fragmented,” Connelly explained. “The river splits the county, and the lack of bridges makes it even harder. We worked with our foundation to launch a campaign to fund a new branch that would serve the whole region more effectively.” 

At the same time, Connelly and her team are evaluating service on the western side of the county, where there’s a high concentration of branches. “We’re asking tough questions about whether we’re overlapping services. Maybe it’s time to retool some assets,” she said. “We’re having discussions now about reallocating staffing as part of our five-year plan.” 

Growing Talent 

Another core focus has been on staffing. “We knew salary was an issue—if you want high-quality service, you need educated, skilled staff,” said Connelly. Recruiting has long been difficult in West Virginia, with few MLS programs in the state and limited candidate pools. But new opportunities are on the horizon. Marshall University, located in nearby Huntington, is launching an MLS program with a new dean in place and courses starting soon. 

Kanawha County Public Library has responded by investing in its current staff. “We’ve created an education assistance program to help our employees go through the program, instead of constantly trying to recruit externally,” Connelly said. “We’re growing our own talent.” 

Incorporating Community Input 

One of the most transformative changes Connelly is proud of is the system’s new approach to collection development. “We’ve introduced a patron-driven acquisition model using a tool called LibraryIQ,” she explained. “It’s a mindset shift—we’re not just buying what we think they want. We’re buying what they’re actually asking for, and we’re doing it fast.” 

This shift required new workflows in technical services and a willingness from staff to adapt to a very different model of librarianship. “It’s been challenging to get everyone on board, but our new department head is all in,” said Connelly. “We now evaluate the data weekly and adjust our purchasing to match demand.” 

All of this planning and progress is anchored by a deep commitment to community input. As Connelly begins work on the architectural phase of the new eastern branch, she’s starting with a new community analysis. “We want to know what this library should be—do they want meeting spaces? A place to relax by the water? A training center? We want the library to reflect what the community needs most.” 

Connelly is also coming off the completion of a $32 million renovation of the system’s main library. The eastern branch is expected to cost $10 million, though funding may impact the final scale. “We have a strong vision and some initial cost estimates,” she said, “but the political landscape could force us to scale back. Still, I’m most excited about what we’re building on the eastern side. That’s where we’ll really see our strategic plan come to life.” 

In many ways, Kanawha County’s story is one of adapting to complexity—balancing industry, geography, and community expectations. Through careful planning, candid self-reflection, and a willingness to change, Connelly and her team are finding ways to make library service stronger and more equitable, one branch at a time.