Log In


Reset Password
Columnists View from the Center Bear Smart The Travel Troubleshooter Dear Abby Student Aide Of Sound Mind Others Say Powerful solutions You are What You Eat Out Standing in the Fields What's up in Durango Skies Watch Yore Topknot Local First RE-4 Education Update MECC Cares for kids

Library a place to reassemble our community

As we emerge from the pandemic, I am hearing a common thread from our community – the need for connection and access. The Durango Public Library is well-versed in offering services that provide that sense of connectedness to each other and the world.

Access to the physical collection is a form of connection that was missed while our doors were closed. People connect to books. They appreciate the ability to browse, to open a physical book to learn more about it, and then bring it home. The pure joy our customers are experiencing at the ability to roam the stacks is indescribable. As we prepare our 2022 budget, investing in our physical collection will be important in providing what our customers are seeking.

In-person programming has always been a way to connect to others. From storytime to summer reading programs to STEM/STEAM programming, parents, guardians and their children and teens are interacting with one another again outside home and school. Programming is not just limited to youths; we are also planning in-person programs for adults. This summer, we began with some outdoor programs and, if all goes well, we can bring those programs indoors soon.

The ability to connect to the outside world is critical, especially for those who do not have either a computer or internet-enabled device or broadband accessibility. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, La Plata County residents have a high percentage of the population with a computer (90.5%), but a lower number who have broadband access (77.7%). Another interesting statistic was published by GitHub, who worked with Microsoft to track actual broadband speeds. According to their data, only 33% of La Plata County residents use the internet at 25Mbps or above. Lack of broadband access hit our student population especially hard. Access to computers and high-speed internet within the library is crucial to many of our residents, keeping them connected to each other, the classroom and the world.

Our partnerships are another way we are brought together again. The Friends of the Library are operating their bookstore and are conducting sidewalk sales, which have been really successful and fun. Durango Botanic Gardens connect us to nature through the amazing gardens they have developed at the library, with some ambitious plans for the future. The Common Grounds Café connects their students to the community through a teaching and learning environment ... and coffee! These three entities help add to a sense of community here at the library.

As one woman shared with me, the pandemic forced us to really appreciate what was missing from our lives, and she really missed the library. We missed our customers, too. That lack of a connection to the library and all it has to offer had left an empty space. The library is a place where we can reassemble our community in an equitable way and regain our sense of a collective life. I look forward to working with our customers and library staff members to help the community feel whole again.

Sandy Irwin is library director at Durango Public Library.