In my last job I took a required workshop on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. One of the exercises paired me up with a young woman whose parents were born in India, although she’d been born and raised in the States. We were supposed to talk about where we’d grown up. Who did we feel comfortable […]
Garfield County Public Library District
Literate Life: Library director begins a new chapter
Before I came to Garfield County, I lived in two big cities: Chicago and Denver. I was surprised to learn that I did a lot more walking and biking there than I did in the more rural and suburban settings I’d lived in before. Cars are a hassle in the city. In the country, you […]
GarCo Report: SPEED Act, library trustee appointments, new dozer for the landfill
Monday, Jan. 5, marked the first Garfield County Commissioners (BOCC) meeting of 2026. The agenda opened with the appointment of three trustees for the Garfield County Public Library District. Library Board of Trustees Chair Adrian Rippy-Sheehy and Executive Director Jamie LaRue were on-hand. Describing the selection process, Jankovsky explained, “The library will get one vote […]
Library board candidates chime in on restricted access
On Friday, Dec. 12, the Garfield County Commissioners (BOCC), along with three members of the Garfield County Public Library District Board of Trustees — President Adrian Rippy-Sheehy (Silt), Vice President Michelle Foster (Parachute) and John Mallonee (at large) — interviewed a dozen candidates, four for each of the three open seats representing New Castle, Rifle […]
Censorship is no laughing matter
The past week, Oct. 5-11, was Banned Books Week. This event, the offshoot of a book expo in 1982, celebrates the Freedom to Read. It does so, paradoxically, by recounting the many ways people try to remove or restrict access to books, movies, magazines, databases, exhibits, programs and virtually anything else a library provides. The […]
Library Report: Board approves information protection policy, examines revenue
On Oct. 2, the Garfield County Public Library District (GCPLD) Board of Trustees approved a policy on second reading protecting the personal information of library patrons and staff from federal immigration authorities. The policy was drafted in response to C.R.S. Section 24–74–103, which states that state agency employees may not disclose personal identifying information which […]
Literate Life: ‘That’s impossible!’
When I was 12 I was talking with my mom at the dining table. Suddenly she looked up, stood up and said, “Mother?” She asked me, “Did you hear that?” I’d heard nothing. “I hear my mother calling my name!” she said. She walked around the house, upstairs, out front. My maternal grandparents lived about […]
Literate Life: Substance abuse has solutions
Back in March of this year, a Rifle library patron reported to our security guard that a man was apparently sleeping in the bathroom. The guard contacted our staff, and they went carefully to investigate. The man was not asleep. But he was unresponsive and drooling. There are people reading this that are already nodding. […]
Library Report: Trustees dismiss age-restricted library card idea
Garfield County Public Library District trustees voted on Aug. 7 to keep the status quo of current library cards without introducing a new age-restricted one, saying they could discuss the issue again in the future if desired. The vote was 4-1, with trustee Tony Hershey giving the dissenting vote and trustee Stephanie Hirsch absent. Following […]
Literate Life: Spotlight on Glenwood Springs Branch Library
One of the standard segments of our library board meetings is the Branch Manager Report. In July, our director of branches, Nancy Barnes, filled in for vacationing Abraham Korah. Their comments were so good I thought them worthy of wider dissemination. I have lightly edited them, adding my own intro and conclusions. IntroOur board meetings […]
