Jefferson County Public Library

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Jefferson County Public Library
Jefferson County Public Library logo.png
Arvada Library - JeffCO Public Library, west facade.jpg
The Arvada Library
Jefferson County Public Library
39°44′49″N105°06′49″W / 39.74707°N 105.11358°W / 39.74707; -105.11358
Location Jefferson County, Colorado
United States
Established1952
Branches10
Collection
Size1.3 million
Access and use
Circulation7,900,913 (2016) [1]
Members361,881 (2016) [1]
Other information
Budget$13,729,434 (2017) [2]
DirectorDonna Walker
Website https://jeffcolibrary.org/

Jefferson County Public Library (JCPL) serves Jefferson County, Colorado, United States, and is the third largest public library in the state. Its 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.

Contents

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 library card gives access to the system's 10 libraries, Bookmobile, traveling children's library, and 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.

Over the past decade,[ when? ] services across the system have continued to grow, with most nearly doubling in use. Online use alone has increased nearly 20-fold. In recent years the library has introduced self-checkout and holds pickup. Downloadable music, audiobooks and eBooks are available 24/7. 

JCPL history

Established in 1952, [3] Jefferson County Public Library was founded on a commitment to freedom through knowledge for all residents. It began when several small municipal libraries came together under one system. During its 59-year history[ when? ] as a county library system, the collection has grown from 35,000 items to more than 1.3 million items. Revenue has increased from $10,000 to $25.6 million.[ citation needed ]

JCPL Workers Unionize

On March 7, 2024 workers at the Jefferson County Public Library overwhelmingly voted to form a Union with the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees. The 350 JCPL workers voted 213-62 to become the first county workers to organize under Colorado Senate Bill 22-230. [4] JCPL workers have been contending with a number of issues, including low wages and workplace safety. Safety in particular was a concern, as libraries have become ground zero in culture wars and default social service agencies. [4]

Community opportunities

Each year, JCPL supports thousands of children with programs and services designed to promote early literacy, academic achievement, socialization, workforce readiness and more. Storytimes are held at each library for children of all ages. [5]

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 Challenge 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 risk, 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 Head Start and other 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.

Facilities

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

Programs

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. 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 the Homebound Service, which delivers library materials to homebound individuals and assisted-living and nursing care facilities.

The library also provides instruction on basic computer skills, downloadable audio and eBooks, and a mobile computer training lab.

Patrons may take part in the Culture Pass program, which allows library card holders to visit participating cultural institutions using the library's membership. [6]

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. It is a county-wide organization of volunteers dedicated to enhancing library programs and resources.

Branches

The JCPL Bookmobile Moblie Computer Classroom, JeffCo Library, Belmar Library.jpg
The JCPL Bookmobile
BranchAddress
Arvada Library7525 W. 57th Ave, Arvada
Belmar Library555 S. Allison Parkway, Lakewood
Columbine Library7706 W. Bowles Ave, Littleton
Conifer Library10441 Highway 73, Conifer
Edgewater Library5843 W. 25th Ave, Denver
Evergreen Library5000 Co Rd, Evergreen
Golden Library1019 10th St, Golden
Lakewood Library10200 W. 20th Ave, Lakewood
Standley Lake Library8485 Kipling St, Arvada
Wheat Ridge Library5475 W. 32nd Ave, Wheat Ridge

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References

  1. 1 2 "Jefferson County Public Library Annual Report" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  2. ↑ "Jefferson County Public Library Budget Report 2017" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  3. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-05-08. Retrieved 2014-04-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. 1 2 AFSCME Staff (2024-03-14). "Jefferson County Public Library workers are first to form union under Colorado's collective bargaining law". AFSCME. Retrieved 2024-03-23.
  5. ↑ Vaccarelli, Joe (September 1, 2016). "Jeffco libraries thriving with more funds in 2016". The Denver Post.
  6. ↑ Vaccarelli, Joe (September 22, 2014). "Jefferson County Public Library Culture Pass offers free museum admission". The Denver Post. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
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