CREATING NEW LIBRARIES FOR A NEW AGE
Every community deserves a great library.
Libraries in Summit County and around the nation continue to serve a critical purpose in the communities they serve, especially during a global pandemic. In Summit County, our libraries were deemed an “essential business” as community members required critical access to technology to apply for unemployment benefits, food assistance, and other basic needs. Staff responded immediately and were among the first to roll out safe practices to serve patrons. All three branches continue to provide access to critical services, respite for weary parents, and essential connections and communication to the broader community.
As our services, programming, and technology adapt and evolve, our buildings must follow suit. The Summit County libraries in Frisco and Silverthorne were built at a time when Summit County’s needs and the role of the local library were vastly different. Changes in population and expanding technology, paired with the expanding social, educational, and economic roles of modern libraries, are severely limited with facilities designed for the past.
Our Building Campaign is an effort to ensure that the Summit County community can continue to count on the library as a literary, educational, technological, and social center for Summit County in the decades to come.
While the need to offer patrons access to a wider array of technology is paramount, there is also a great need for libraries to serve as community meeting spaces for large and small groups and serve as resource centers for different demographics. All of this requires a library with a flexible, 21st-century layout. This project will ensure the longevity of the Summit County Library through community collaboration and a commitment to the diverse needs of future generations of library users.
Some features of the project include:
Expand and modernize the North Branch Library in Silverthorne by 12,000 square feet, helping us meet the growing demand for space and resources.
Create a brighter, more open, and user-friendly space at the Main Library in Frisco.
Build more community meeting rooms and study rooms for students.
Provide expanded outdoor spaces, allowing us all to relish in our stunning outdoor setting.
Expand children’s reading and creative areas.
Our Project Objectives were developed by the Library Board, the Library Foundation, Friends of the Library, and the DAG Committee. They draw on priorities identified in community surveys.
Spaces that accommodate the needs of children, young adults, families, and an increasingly linguistically and culturally diverse community.
Accessible, flexible, and sustainable design providing a comfortable and safe interior
Integrated technology.
Library facilities that serve as vibrant centers of learning and creativity at the heart of the community.