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 […]
Garfield County Public Library District
Posted inLocal Government
Library Report: Manga books will not be relocated; board to consider new access card for minors
The Garfield County Public Library District (GCPLD) will not relocate books that some members of the public consider unsuitable for children to read, library staff said at the board of trustees meeting on June 5. However, the board will consider a new library card at its July meeting that would restrict materials that minors could […]
Posted inColumns
It’s not just about the books
My name is Jocelyn Durrance. I was a librarian for 30 years. I joined the Garfield County Public Library Board in March 2020. Things were good. Board meetings ran smoothly. Library board trustees included an attorney, a single Latina mom with high school aged children, a 30-year retired librarian and a Parachute resident with years […]
Posted inColumns
Literate Life: What is leadership?
Jamie LaRue is the executive director of the Garfield County Public Library District. My partner and I just finished co-teaching a leadership institute for librarians in the Western States. But I keep thinking about it. Some people, I know, think leadership is all about power. But I always wonder: power to do what? To make […]
Posted inLocal Government
Library Report: Residents demand apologies from two board members, ask president to resign
Library business was once again overshadowed by high contention at the Garfield County Public Library District’s Board of Trustees meeting on May 1. Before reaching the board’s scheduled discussion items, which included a new appointment to the Glenwood Urban Renewal Authority, a presentation from the Grand Valley Historical Society and a tour of the Parachute […]
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Literate Life: Wanna write a book?
I know you do. Everything changed in 2010. Patrons handed library staff their shiny Christmas present: Kindles. “Make them work!” Despite the many predictions of a paperless society, eBooks really hadn’t caught on. But suddenly it was possible to carry 15 or 20 or 100 books around with you in your preferred font type and […]
Posted inLocal Government
Library Report: Hershey attends first library board meeting as its Glenwood representative
The lines were clearly drawn at the Garfield County Public Library District’s Board of Trustees meeting on April 3, the first meeting where newly appointed Glenwood Springs representative Tony Hershey sat at the table as a board member. Members of the public spoke for more than 45 minutes at the beginning of the meeting, divided […]
Posted inLocal Government
GarCo Report: New library trustee, $797,000 for new SUVs, a trip to D.C.
The Garfield County Commissioners (BOCC) meeting in Rifle on Monday began with public comment from Rifle resident Mary Jane Hangs, a regular attendee when the BOCC comes to town. She had two concerns about the county’s senior citizens. First, she disagrees with how the Garfield County Department of Human Services (DHS) represents the county on […]
Posted inLocal Government
Library Report: Board split on recommending Use or Hershey for Glenwood seat, staff compensation called into question
The Garfield County Public Library District Board of Trustees voted on Thursday to recommend Susan Use and Tony Hershey to the Garfield Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) for the vacant Glenwood Springs seat on the library’s governing body. On Feb. 27, the BOCC interviewed Hershey and Use in addition to two other applicants — Ksana […]
Posted inLocal Government
Conservative play for library board worries former librarian
On Thursday, Feb. 27, the Garfield County Commissioners (BOCC) will listen for a second time to candidates for the Glenwood Springs position on the Garfield County Library Board of Trustees. And Jocelyn Durrance, who served as a trustee representing Carbondale for five years, is worried. “I think there is a group within Garfield County who […]