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 […]
Garfield County Public Library District
Posted inColumns
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. […]
Posted inLocal Government, News
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 […]
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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 […]
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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]