The renovation of Golden Library will show Jefferson County Public Library patrons what is possible at the Jeffco library of the future.
“What we’re hoping to do is build a showcase for this model in Golden, so people have an idea of what it looks like and if it fits for them,” said Donna Walker, director of public services for Jeffco libraries.
So far, that model includes a maker space — which would offer hardware and software for patrons to learn certain skills — an XBox gaming console with a large screen, a literacy play space for children, laptops possibly available for checkout, more technology upgrades, increased availability of popular material and more.
Walker said library staff have been touring libraries across the state and the country, where they have seen examples of such uses and how they fit the needs of modern library patrons. The library also sourced community members for input at a public meeting in June.
The community highlighted traditional needs such as places for kids and another for teens, but Walker said what was surprising was that much of the feedback focused on the library as a place to go for peace and quiet.
People said “‘We need the library to be a quiet place for us,’ because there’s nowhere else in their lives where they can go and be quiet,” she said.
And so, in addition to the technology upgrades, new carpet and new paint, there will be some changes in the layout of the space that will allow for areas of absolute quiet, places for quiet conversation and communal zones for social gathering.
None of this will mean an increase in square footage, for what Walker said is Jefferson County’s most used branch.
“With what the newer model is in libraries, you really can serve the needs in the smaller 10,000-square-foot space,” she said. “We should be able to serve that size of community with that size of library if we do a good job curating the collections.”
The budget for the renovations, Walker said, is $250,000, which does not include the $50,000 budget for technology upgrades or $90,000 for collection upgrades.
The final plans still need to be approved. Walker said she hoped that would happen by mid-August. Plans will be presented to Golden City Council on Aug. 14, and then to the library board Aug. 21.
Golden City Manager Mike Bestor said the city provided an $85,000 contribution for library renovations after library executive director Pam Nissler shared with him her vision for bringing Jeffco libraries up to date.
He also joined her on a tour of other area libraries, including the Arapahoe County library where she used to work. He said he was impressed with how inviting and comfortable it was.
“The current best-sellers (the ones most people want) are readily available,” he said in an e-mail. “It reminds me of a Barnes and Noble store which, of course, is designed to get us to buy books. The new (Golden) library will be designed to get us to borrow a book and read it.”
Josie Klemaier: 303-954-2465, jklemaier@denverpost.com
