The Boulder Public Library is the
public library of
Boulder, Colorado in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. The main branch and the
Carnegie Branch Library for Local History are located in downtown Boulder, while the George Reynolds Branch is in south Boulder and Meadows Branch is in east Boulder.
History
The Boulder Public Library was originally housed in the
Carnegie library on Pine Street, built in 1906, before moving to its present location on Canyon Boulevard in 1961. The original 1906 library was initially built with $15,000 donated by
Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie (, ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century and became one of the richest Americans i ...
.
When the library moved to its present location, the architect selection committee selected James M. Hunter and Associates to execute the new design and construction of the new building. It was to be a two-story building of 23,800 square feet, with sculpture galleries, reading rooms, gathering spaces, video viewing rooms, and music listening rooms. On November 4, 1959, the City Council voted to provide bonds of $450,000 to fund design and construction. The final cost of the building was $486,437.19. The library was dedicated on November 12, 1961.
In late 2013, the main library temporarily housed the
Boulder City Council while renovations are made to the main council building.
Collection and circulation
, the library's collection was composed of 333,432 items including 94,352
e-book
An ebook (short for electronic book), also known as an e-book or eBook, is a book publication made available in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, readable on the flat-panel display of computers or other electronic devices. Alt ...
s. The
circulation was 1,446,816.
Branches
The Boulder Public Library system comprises four branches. The main branch is in downtown Boulder near
Boulder Creek with an area of . An enclosed
walkway
In American English, walkway is a composite or umbrella term for all engineered surfaces or structures which support the use of trails.
'' The New Oxford American Dictionary'' also defines a walkway as "a passage or path for walking along, esp. a ...
spans the creek between the two library sections. The
Carnegie Branch Library for Local History is also located in downtown Boulder with an area of . This branch focuses on the history of Boulder and the surrounding area. The George Reynolds branch — named after
CU professor of English George F. Reynold — is in south Boulder and the Meadows branch is in east Boulder, with areas of and respectively.
2014 renovations
Renovations funded by
municipal bonds began in 2014. The renovations covered expansion and repairs to the main branch, and address aging
electrical
Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described ...
and data wiring. The renovations expanded other areas of the library and addressed other repairs. The renovations were funded by $2.45 million in
municipal bonds, approved as part of a larger bond initiative by Boulder voters in a 2011
referendum
A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...
.
Boulder Public Library District
The district was formed as a result of the November 2022 referendum. The new library district will be funded by a property tax mill levy.
References
External links
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{{Authority control
Public libraries in Colorado
Buildings and structures in Boulder, Colorado
Library buildings completed in 1961
Education in Boulder, Colorado