Jefferson County Public Library

Serving Jefferson County, Colorado, Jefferson County Public Library (JCPL) is the third largest public library in the state of Colorado. The library's mission is to meet the changing needs of their communities by providing information and environments that promote personal growth and community transformation. A JCPL library card is the key to a network of 10 libraries, a Bookmobile, a Traveling Children's Library and the eTrain Mobile Computer Training Lab. The library offers a collection of more than 1.3 million books, periodicals, CDs and DVDs, in addition to computer and Internet resources.

The library's service area spans from the foothills of Colorado's Rocky Mountains to the edge of the metro Denver area. It serves a diverse set of Colorado communities, from Lakewood, (pop. 144,000) to Morrison (pop. 420), to unincorporated areas of the county (pop. 190,000). The demographics of the populations served are equally diverse, ranging from the very wealthy to the poor and underserved.

Over the past decade, services across the system have continued to grow – with most nearly doubling in use. Online use alone has increased nearly 20 fold and in recent years, the library has introduced self-check out and holds pickup. Additionally, downloadable music, audiobooks and eBooks are available 24/7 from computers with Internet access.

JCPL history

Established in 1952,[1] Jefferson County Public Library was founded on a commitment to freedom through knowledge for all residents. The early years of JCPL began when several small municipal libraries came together under one system. During its 59-year history as a county library system, the collection has grown from 35,000 items to more than 1.3 million items. Similarly, revenue has increased from $10,000 to $25.6 million.

Strengthening relationships and meeting needs

The library has identified five priority areas to meet the specific needs of the communities within Jefferson County. These goals will guide their programs and services through 2013.

Aiding the development of young people

Each year, JCPL supports thousands of children with programs and services designed to promote early literacy, academic achievement, socialization, workforce readiness and more. The library can provide children the tools children need to become happy and productive adults.

There are areas JCPL is focusing on to inspire an enduring appreciation for education and personal development:

The library offers several programs that support the development of young people. Storytimes are held at each library for babies, toddlers and children of all ages.

In January 2011, JCPL launched the Every Child Ready to Read effort, which seeks to inform parents of their crucial role as their child's first teacher. This program provides literacy resources for parents and their children.

The annual Summer Reading Club holds a long tradition of stopping the "summer slide." Research conducted by the Department of Education reveals that students make steady progress in their reading skills during the school year, but if they don't continue to read over the summer risked a noticeable decline in both their reading and spelling skills. This is most evident among low-income students, who can lose the equivalent of around two months of literacy skills each summer.

The Traveling Children's Library (TCL) enhances the early literacy experiences of preschool-aged children by delivering books and programs to children in their Head Start and other preschool classrooms. Through a monthly bilingual storytime visit from JCPL staff and a monthly deposit of books in English and Spanish, the TCL provides children with greater exposure to books, reading and stories. The TCL also works to educate children's families about the free services and materials available to them through the public library and how parents, as a child’s first teacher, can help develop their child's pre-reading skills.

Promoting technology as a core skill and resource for the community

With the Internet becoming the primary source for information and communication being digitally connected is becoming a requirement for full economic and educational advancement, and community participation. Those with limited access to computers and the Internet face increasing social inequality in social and economic advancement. JCPL is committed to bridging the "digital divide" by providing convenient and universal access to the latest technology resources people need to participate fully in the information economy.

Areas where JCPL is focusing include:

The library provides basic computer skills instruction, downloadable audio and eBooks, an Online Library with access to resources and the eTrain, a mobile computer training lab.

Supporting the educational, economic and cultural development of individuals and communities

Lifelong learning helps people develop new skills, enhance employability, support personal and business endeavors, engage with others and use their abilities to make the world a better place. JCPL is committed to providing the materials, services and facilities adults and seniors need to support personal growth, address their needs and create opportunities for civic, social and cultural engagement.

Areas where JCPL is focusing include:

The library offers classes and programs for adults and seniors, discussion groups that focus on current global issues, online databases and research resources, and the InSight & InPerson Distinguished Author Series.

Being a good neighbor

The library wants to be more than a collection of facilities housing books and other materials. It wants to be an active participant in its communities by building productive partnerships with other community groups, understanding the diverse needs of their populations, offering materials and resources to address community needs and serving as a catalyst for community engagement and transformation.

Areas where JCPL is focusing include:

Twice a month, JCPL's Bookmobile delivers library resources to retirement communities, independent living and assisted living facilities in the county.

The library also offers a Homebound Service, which delivers library materials to homebound individuals and assisted-living and nursing care facilities.

At JCPL, patrons have access to several meeting rooms and smaller study rooms to conduct business or organizational meetings.

Patrons of the library can take part in the Culture Pass program, which allows library card holders are able to visit participating cultural institutions using the library's membership.

Being a good neighbor includes being friendly to Mother Earth. The library offers programming that creates dialog on current environmental issues as well as programming on ways to be more environmentally friendly in daily life. Since JCPL believes that if they are going to talk the talk, they should walk the walk, they also look internally at how they can be gentler to the environment. Recently, the library stopped producing plastic bags and replaced them with reusable bags patrons can purchase. In addition, JCPL has undertaken a system-wide audit of their facilities to identify ways to make their buildings more energy and cost-efficient. These initiatives began implementation in early 2011.

Practicing effective stewardship of community resources

JCPL receives the majority of its funding through county-assessed property taxes and other assessments. Throughout its nearly 60-year history, it continues to practice good stewardship of taxpayer dollars through the efficient use of technology, innovative approaches to service delivery, solid financial controls and careful expense management.

Areas where JCPL is focusing include:

To support these efforts, the library has:

Jefferson County Library Foundation and Friends

The Jefferson County Library Foundation and Friends works to support and enrich the capabilities, resources and services of Jefferson County Public library through fundraising and advocacy efforts that benefit the community. The Friends of Jefferson County Public Library is a county-wide organization of volunteers dedicated to enhancing the programs and resources of our libraries.

2010 statistics

Library visits: 3 million
Items checked out: 7.5 million
Online Library page views: 4.8 million
Programs and classes: 6,706
Program attendance: 137,435
Summer Reading Club participants: 26,138
Items loaned to other libraries: 151,994
Items borrowed from other libraries: 94,183

References

  1. ↑ http://jeffcolibrary.org/sites/default/files/press_room/fact_sheets/03_factsheet_history.pdf

Coordinates: 39°44′49″N 105°06′49″W / 39.74707°N 105.11358°W / 39.74707; -105.11358

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