This week we remain closed until Saturday, Aug. 9, to keep you safe as construction begins on our expansion project.
During this time, we will be constructing a new entrance and walkway from the new parking lot to the west and also building a temporary wall to separate our inside service area from construction activity.
We will welcome you back to our temporarily reduced library space via a new entryway next Monday, Aug. 11.
Construction will take place in phases.
Phase one, which began this week, will build out the expansion. Then, during phase two, the library will move into the new space while the remodel of the existing space is completed. That work will update the inside of our existing building and create two new areas — a dedicated teen room and a makerspace lab.
Phase three will result in a beautiful garden for community gatherings and peaceful natural enjoyment.
Breaking ground now means we have one year to raise the last $800,000 needed to fully fund the expansion and renovation of our beloved library. We are grateful for any contribution you can make to this important project.
Activity locations will change
Given that we will have much less space for our operations and no meeting rooms during construction, several of our regular activities and special events will happen in other locations.
For example, we are very grateful to St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church for their generosity allowing our ESL, Conversational Spanish and Knitters Circle activities to take place on their premises at 225 S. Pagosa Blvd.
Please check the listings in this column and on your library’s website, https://pagosalibrary.org, for location changes throughout the construction. If no other location is mentioned, the activity will stay at your library.
No more book donations, please
Regretfully, Director Barb Brattin has made the decision to cease accepting book donations for a year beginning immediately.
The reality of operating in a much smaller space while construction happens on the first phase of your library’s long-awaited expansion has made the action a necessity.
Library staff are determined to minimize disruption to programs and patrons during construction. Digging up the current parking lot will be the first step, signaling the start of the project on Monday, Aug. 4, which is expected to continue through June 2026.
Initial construction involves creating a new entrance to the library on the west side of the building where you’ll enter through the community garden.
The new addition will feature a large program room that can accommodate 100 people or be divided in two for smaller groups, as well as a children’s room and an adjacent children’s garden.
Eagerly awaited improvements like these will happen only with some temporary dislocation to library operations as construction proceeds, according to Brattin.
“But, the good news is that we are staying in the building during construction,” she said.
The circulation desk will remain in place with your dedicated, knowledgeable staff there to help you, but you’ll enter the building by a different route. Parking will move to a new lot west of the library, which you’ll enter off U.S. 160.
You’ll have the same copy, fax and print services available, but fewer computers and no meeting rooms during construction. Also, the free book and magazine shelves disappear.
Children’s programs will move temporarily to the Turner Reading Room, and the Hershey and Chimney Rock Collections went into storage to make this happen. Inside bathrooms cannot be accessed, so porta-potties will have to do.
“We’re determined to keep disruptions to a minimum as construction proceeds over the next two years,” Brattin said. “We’re excited because we know the end result will make the temporary interruptions more than worthwhile as the new building will provide so many of the facilities our patrons have requested for a very long time.”
Brattin pointed out that the expansion is totally paid for by private donations and grants — not taxpayer money — that has raised $4.2 million.
As an example, she cited a $840,000 grant from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs. Fundraising continues for upgrades to the existing building.
“All of us on staff are already dreaming of the new and improved programs and services we’ll be able to offer when the construction is complete,” she said.
Conversational Spanish
The Conversational Spanish group will meet Monday, Aug. 11, from 4 to 5 p.m. This is a great opportunity to practice your Spanish in a free group setting. No minimum skill level is needed. This activity is taking place at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church at 225 S. Pagosa Blvd. during construction.
Ruby’s Book Club
Ruby’s Book Club will meet from 2 to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 12, to discuss “The Only Woman in the Room” by Marie Benedict. Copies are available at your library.
This free book club for adults is held the second Tuesday of each month, alternating between fiction and nonfiction titles. Anyone is welcome to attend.
It is taking place at the Ross Aragon Community Center at 451 Hot Springs Blvd. during August. Starting in September, while construction continues, the group will meet at the new Archuleta County Transit Center, 83 Harman Park Drive, next to the Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office.
Virtual legal clinic
This month’s free legal clinic is by appointment Wednesday, Aug. 13, from 2 to 3:40 p.m. Come to the library to meet privately via Zoom with our volunteer civil attorney. To schedule an appointment, phone (970) 264-2209. When you call, let us know if you need a translator.
Registration opens the first of the month and is required because space is limited.
Writers Guild
Thursdays from 9 to 11 a.m., Ruby’s Writers Guild welcomes writers looking for support, guidance, resources and camaraderie with other writers at this free gathering.
Starting today, Aug. 7, the group will meet at the Senior Center, 451 Hot Springs Blvd. Enter through the left side of the building.
Family storytime
Wednesdays from 10 to 11 a.m., join a free educational hour of reading, singing and free play to build early literacy skills.
Bilingual storytime
Hora de Cuentos, a bilingual storytime for children, will take place Thursday, Aug. 14, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
It is an educational hour of reading and singing in Spanish plus free play to build early literacy skills.
Tech Time
Free in-person slots are available from 2 to 4 p.m. on Thursdays. Taylor helps with basic questions relating to computers, smartphones and tablets and also provides assistance in accessing the library’s online resources. No appointment is needed, but please bring your device’s charger and passwords with you.
English as a second
language
English as a second language (ESL) classes will take place from 4 to 7 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church beginning Aug. 12.
ESL classes are free and open to all ages and levels. Call (970) 264-2209 or email for more information.
Pagosa Adult Learning Services (PALS)
Join Mark or Sally for free individualized PALS sessions Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 to 8 p.m. to help with high school equivalency, GED, college prep, financial aid, tutoring and more. No appointment is necessary.
Downloadable books
CloudLibrary has a wide variety of downloadable e-books and audiobooks for all ages. To access this free digital collection, download the cloudLibrary app, answer a few simple questions, select AspenCat Union Catalog for the name of your library, then enter your library card number and four-digit PIN. Library staff are happy to help you set up your device if you need assistance.
How-to and self-help
“How to Open a Mobile Catering Business” by Jaylani Viotto is a guide to succeeding at turning your food skills into a successful business. “Food Truck Business for Starters” by Ember Thyme offers a blueprint on how to run a successful mobile truck business. “Exploring Colorado with Kids” is a Falcon Guide by Jamie Siebrase and Debbie Mock that shows families how to explore some of the best Front Range destinations. “The Self-Reliant Kitchen” by Michelle Mullennix provides 80 cooking-from-scratch recipes to help you replace store-bought, processed foods for your family and friends. “Quantum Ascension” and “Heal Yourself For God’s Sake” are guides to looking to God for healing, health and wellness by Peter Colla.
Mysteries and thrillers
“Exposure” by Ramona Emerson follows a serial killer targeting Indigenous people in Gallup, N.M. “25 Alive” by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro is a Women’s Murder Club mystery. “Broken Country” by Clare Leslie Hall is a love story that begins when a man shoots a dog going after their sheep.
Other novels
“Atmosphere” by Taylor Jenkins Reid follows a woman selected to train to go to space with an exceptional group of classmates in the 1980s space shuttle program. “Curse Carves in Bone” by Danielle L. Jensen is the conclusion to the Norse-inspired fantasy romance duology. “Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club” by Martha Hall Kelly is based on the true story of two sisters who start a wartime book club during World War II. “Brideshead Revisited” by Evelyn Waugh immerses readers in the glittering, seductive world of English aristocracy in the waning days of the British Empire.
“The Wanting Seed” by Anthony Burgess is a Malthusian near-future comedy about the strange world that overpopulation will produce. “Empire of the Sun” by J.G. Ballard is the classic story of a young boy’s struggles to survive World War II in China made famous by Stephen Spielberg’s film. “The Good Terrorist” by Doris Lessing focuses on a woman who transforms her home into a headquarters for the IRA. “Martha’s Quest,” also by Lessing, is a classic coming-of-age story of a young woman on a farm in Africa.
“Howards End” by E.M. Forester is the classic that revolves around an English country house. “Room with a View,” also by E.M. Forester, follows a young upper-class woman who travels to Florence in the Edwardian era. “At Play in the Fields of the Lord” by Peter Matthiessen is set in a malarial outpost in the South American rainforest. “Burr” by Gore Vidal is a fictionalized portrait of perhaps the most complex and misunderstood of the Founding Fathers. “Travels with My Aunt” by Graham Greene follows a retired bank manager who travels with his unorthodox aunt whom he met for the first time at his mother’s funeral.
Quotable quote
“Pick something you enjoy and don’t worry about being good at it. Nobody picks up a paintbrush and expects to create a masterpiece the first time.” — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who won a record six NBA Most Valuable Player awards, with advice on how to reinvent yourself later in life.
Website
For more information on library books, services and programs — and to reserve books, e-books, books on CD and DVDs from the comfort of your home — please visit our website at https://pagosalibrary.org.
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