The Tribune recently had the pleasant experience of wresting West Custer County Library Co-DirecÂtors Genna Calkins (ColÂlections) and Janet Rhodes (Administrative) away from a terribly busy workday for a focused conversation on new and expanding direcÂtions in 2025. A sign of what was to lie ahead occurred when Rhodes noted with us, in quest of a quiet place to sit and chat, that the Library had become âquite a bit activeâ that day, while navÂigating ourselves around a group of youth quite volubly chattering about some book finds. This writer is of an age when the irascible Miss Bear stalked the stacks and study nooks of our high school library shushing everybody into silence. The modern library is not Miss Bearâs!
At almost any hour a visitor would find our local Library humming with activÂity, laughter, and a joyous engagement with learning, not all of it book-centered. That was the point of our rambling conversation: what is all this activity, and where is it headed?
Of particular note for example, the âLibrary of Thingsâ is growing in inventory and in popularÂity. Metal detectors, campÂing and sports equipment, and sewing machines, are among the non-traditional items patrons can now find available for the traditional sign-out. Keep an eye out for Pi Day, March 14, during which this aspect of the Library will be featured.
March will also usher in an intriguing collaboration between the Library and the good folks at High Mountain Hay Fever Festival. This new program has created a free musical instrument lending library, complete with music lessons; as the program grows it will incorÂporate jams, performances, and a closer tie-in of local musicians with the festival. To our quizzical question regarding where this equipÂment would be âshelved,â Calkins and Rhodes proudly waved to the newâone of at least twoâglass-covered metal case in a corner of the Community Room, where we had settled in.
Getting back to the more conventional literate side of librarianship, a new e-book/audio-book app, LIBBY, will soon be available, with greatly expanded offerings. Yet most fascinating for us was the little-larger-than-a-phone-booth structure sitting in the main reading/shelving area of the Library. It is a privacy booth that can be reserved for a variety of purposes. The user might be engaged in the monthly twenty-minute sesÂsions of the revamped free legal clinics, or in a telehealth conference with a healthcare provider one would otherwise âgo down the hillâ to see. The state-of-the-art health kit available for these sessions is impressive. From enhanced camera and lighting, to reportÂing oneâs vitals in live time, are all available in compact and user-friendly form. There is no question about privacy; the booth is sound-proof, and oneâs session is wiped from the computer upon its conÂclusion. The program is made possible by a grant generated from Colorado State Library and the Office of eHealth Innovations.
When we inquired about the origin of all these âoutside the boxâ ideas and implemenÂtation programs, we all three had the opportunity to celeÂbrate a number of dynamics unique to our local commuÂnity: an engaged, creative staff who take part in strateÂgic planning, and collaboraÂtion with other community businesses and non-profÂits. Regarding the latter, for example, is the approach High Mountain Hay Fever made to the Library, and the easy commercial relationÂship the Library has with the regional, but locally-owned and -operated, All the Range outdoor gear business right across Main Street. EmerÂgent conversations with the local Rotary Van Service may result in bringing clients to the Library for medical appointÂments, via the privacy booth.
We also chuckled though, that within the cooperative statewide, and even national, library network and associÂations, West Custer County feels very at ease in lifting ideas from other libraries to adapt here to local circumÂstances. That works both ways, of course. Then too, patrons make suggestions, that grow into programs, not only a new book on the shelf.
Access to all this? A free library card! And thatâs no ordinary library card anymore; it brings with it discounted entries to a number of Colorado venues. Remember that if you want a metal detector, and arenât interested in the current best-sellersâ list of fiction and non-fiction books, there is no discrimination! A metal detector it shall be for you!
Both Calkins and Rhodes lauded the overall genÂeral support shown by the local community and by the Friends of the Library and its varied services. Calkins paused to ruminate on how it is that libraries everywhere are changing, and made an excellent observation on why libraries are sometimes a point of contention. âLibrarÂies are the cornerstone of democracy,â she said, and it is no wonder that the all-inÂclusive dedication to learning, education, and truth draws occasional criticism from fear or exclusive ideologies. Itâs part of the tangible vibrancy one feels upon entrance to this gem of a library.
Join in, acquire your card, drop in virtually at www.westcusterlibrary.org or visit in person at 209 Main Street, Westcliffeâhours are Tuesday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Itâs hard to keep track of all the events within the Library or the Libraryâs Common Roomâbut not if youâre a part of it!
â W.A. Ewing