Carbondale-area residents will be the first to learn the results of the recent “Community Interviews” conducted by the Garfield County Public Library District (GCPLD) at 6pm on Jan. 24.
Carbondale Branch Library Manager Tracy Kallassy told The Sopris Sun that staff members across the district conducted 83 interviews with “movers and shakers” from around the county, with the aim of learning more about what matters to the people the district serves.
“The information we gathered will be used to inform the library district’s long-range planning, as well as to influence day-to-day decisions at the Carbondale branch about the programs and services we provide,” Kallassy said.
Carbondale staff members interviewed 18 people with a variety of backgrounds and roles in the community. “We talked to business owners, town officials, non-profit and faith leaders, teachers and community builders. I was so impressed by the passion and drive among those we interviewed,” Kallassy continued. “We learned so much from the people we spoke to, and I hope to continue the interviews even as the official project concludes.”
She said that overall, participants’ greatest concern was undoubtedly the lack of attainable housing in the region and its impacts, including the impact on businesses unable to sustain a workforce and a decrease in diversity as more and more people are pushed downvalley.
“We heard about a sense of loss of community spirit and a great desire to preserve or regain our small-town feel, where everyone knows their neighbors,” Kallassy said. “Many spoke about the mental health crisis and issues with obtaining affordable childcare. We also heard about tensions between newcomers and longtime residents, a lack of civic engagement and volunteerism and concerns about the cultural divide between our Spanish and English-speaking residents.”
Kallassy said it was also “very evident” how much people love Carbondale. “We heard so much about Carbondale’s unique personality, artistic core and supportive community. Overwhelmingly people are looking to the future with optimism, positivity and a hope that we can come together as one community.”
At the event on Jan. 24, GCPLD Executive Director Jamie LaRue and Branch Libraries Director Nancy Barnes will present the results of the interviews in depth, and share more about the library’s vision for the coming years. Other “Community Interviews” meetings are as follows, all at 6pm:
- Jan. 29, Rifle branch library,
- Feb. 5, New Castle branch library,
- Feb. 6, Glenwood Springs branch library,
- Feb. 15, Parachute branch library,
- Feb. 27, Silt branch library.
Human Library event
In another first-time program, the Carbondale Library presents “Human Library: Unjudge Someone” from 10am to 1pm on Sunday, Jan. 28. The GCPLD website says, “Experience a different life perspective through conversation. Participants will get to sit with three of six unique individuals and read them through conversation as if they were books.” Space is limited and registration is required at www.bit.ly/human-library-carbondale
The program’s participation agreement reads, in part: “I understand that this is not a space for debating, personal agendas, discrimination or causing harm.”
Board news…
The GCPLD board of directors decided on Jan. 4 to keep its monthly meeting time at 2pm, rather than switch to evenings. “One of the advantages of the earlier meeting time is that staff gets to attend,” LaRue told The Sopris Sun. The board will offer a Zoom option for its meetings and also record them in the future, he continued. Changing the meeting time, allowing for online attendance and recording the meetings were suggestions from Garfield County resident Trish O’Grady during a recent meeting.
The board has experienced a vacancy since last fall. LaRue said the board plans to start advertising for applicants in February.
The next library board meeting is at the New Castle branch library at 2pm on Feb. 1. The next board meeting at the Carbondale branch library will be on June 6. Carbondale’s representative is Jocelyn Durrance. She can be reached at jdurrance@gcpld.org
For more information on the library board, go to gcpld.org/about-us/board-of-trustees
Board meeting packets are generally posted online a few days before the meetings, which are held on the first Thursday of each month.