For immediate release: June 15, 2020

Despite the closure due to COVID-19, Douglas County Libraries (DCL) continues to find innovative ways to connect with the community. The library’s newest endeavor, DCL Delivers Good Times, provides customers in Douglas County with entertaining new ways to enjoy library services and materials through at-home experiences and celebrations.

Each DCL Delivers package was created for small, safe outdoor gatherings with Colorado’s Safer at Home guidelines in mind. The Backyard BBQ and Backyard Party packages include a mix of nontraditional library materials and signature extras to make gatherings at home easy, convenient and fun. The library’s free Backyard Movie Night package, part of the initial DCL Delivers offering, has already booked up for the summer.

The Backyard BBQ package includes a full-size smoker with charcoal or wood chips, cookbooks, smoker seasonings, disposable dinnerware, and yard games. There is no cost to check out the kit—all that’s needed is a DCL library card—and the kit may be picked up using the library’s Park & Pick-Up curbside service.

The Backyard Party package is available for a fee and includes all the trimmings for celebrating a birthday or hosting a playdate at the customer’s home, with optional decorate-it-yourself dessert and/or an inflatable water slide rental. It also includes the option for home delivery, an on-site party coordinator, and a trained DCL storyteller to present a Storytime. It is an extension of DCL’s popular in-library Birthday Party service.

“We are always looking for ways to connect with our community,” said Amber DeBerry, DCL’s Director of Community Engagement. “When we had to close our doors in consideration of public and staff safety, we immediately started thinking about how we could keep serving our customers with the DCL touch they’re accustomed to.”

The library continues to serve customers not only through DCL Delivers, but also through curbside pick-up, enhancements to digital offerings, and by modifying events for the virtual environment, like Virtual Storytimes, Quarantine Quiz Show, and virtual author events. Many DCL book clubs and discussion groups are now being offered virtually and with special guests. In July, author Kirk Johnson will join the Daytime Book Group virtually to talk about his book, “The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century.”

To reserve a Backyard BBQ or Backyard Party package, or for more information, visit DCL.org/delivers. To learn more about DCL’s virtual events, visit DCL.org/authors-events.

Douglas County Libraries elevates our community by inspiring a love of reading, discovery and connection.

DCL Delivers was specially created to give Douglas County residents new ways to enjoy library services and materials in safe outdoor settings.

For immediate release: May 28, 2020

Douglas County Libraries (DCL) was honored to share in the celebration of the 2020 graduates of Douglas County high schools this month by giving grads a special gift to mark their achievement. The gift included a compact toolkit that can be used for minor repairs and projects, along with a gift card for a gift from a local small-business partner. Approximately 2,100 gifts were either picked up at a library location or delivered to graduates’ homes by DCL staff.

The Donut House, Briccy’s Coffee, Crowfoot Valley Coffee, Honey B’s Macarons, and Swirls Frozen Yogurt partnered with DCL to generously support this gift program, which was funded in part using funds previously earmarked for library staff development.

Douglas County Libraries elevates our community by inspiring a love of reading, discovery and connection.

DCL’s Study Hall + Student Support service gives students in grades 6-12 dedicated library space for schoolwork plus tutoring in the subjects of math, science, and language arts.

For immediate release: May 18, 2020

Douglas County Libraries (DCL) will Splash Into Summer on June 1, when the library’s annual Summer Reading program officially kicks off. The reading program is for all ages and runs from June 1-July 31. Kids, teens and adults can pre-register now to Splash Into Summer at DCL.org/summer-reading.

DCL encourages the community to have a great summer reading, soaking up the sun, and enjoying fun activities. Features of Summer Reading include:

• Cool prizes. Summer Reading sign-up gift coupons and vouchers courtesy of Pirates Cove and Parry’s Pizza. Reading logs, sign-up prizes, and mid-way prizes can be picked up June 1-15 using the library’s Summer Reading curbside service at DCL’s Castle Pines, Castle Rock, Highlands Ranch, Lone Tree, Parker and Roxborough locations during designated pick-up times: Monday-Friday 10AM-2PM, with additional hours Tuesday and Thursday evenings 4-6PM; Saturday 12-4PM; and Sunday 1-3PM. Readers will also be entered into a drawing to win awesome finishing prizes: stand-up paddleboard for adults; 2021 season pass to Elitch Gardens for teens; or 2021 pass to Pirates Cove for kids.
• Reading goals. DCL’s suggested individual reading goal is 1,000 minutes, but readers can also create their own challenge to fit their needs.
• Community reading goal and local giveback. If the community reaches a combined goal of 8 million minutes read, the Douglas County Libraries Foundation will donate $1,000 (its biggest award yet) to the COVID-19 Recovery Fund through the Douglas County Community Foundation (DCCF).
• Awesome prize drawings during the library’s 15 Days of Giveaways, June 1-15! Readers who register for Summer Reading June 1-13 will be entered into a daily random prize drawing based on each day’s registrations. Giveaways on June 14-15 are grand prizes—everyone who registers for Summer Reading May 1 through June 14 and 15 will be entered into those prize drawings.

“We’re so excited to bring back our community reading goal this year. It gives everyone something to work toward together,” said DCL Special Events Coordinator Kristen Kallio. “But we also hope that participants will read for fun and spend time reading together as families. Reading digital magazines counts and so does listening to audiobooks. People can shoot for the 1,000-minute goal or set their own goal and have fun with the alternate activities included on our reading logs. We encourage summer readers to mold this program to fit their needs and have fun.”

School Contest

The friendly fundraising competition among K-12 schools affiliated with Douglas County School District is also back, and charter schools are now a separate category. The charter, elementary, middle and high schools with the most summer reading sign-ups by July 31 will win an increased prize of $500—one winning school at each level—courtesy of the Douglas County Libraries Foundation. Some rules and restrictions apply; visit DCL.org/summer-reading/registration for more details.

For more information about the Splash Into Summer reading program, visit DCL.org/summer-reading.

Douglas County Libraries elevates our community by inspiring a love of reading, discovery and connection.

For immediate release: May 13, 2020

Douglas County Libraries (DCL) began its Park & Pick-Up curbside services on Monday, May 11. While the libraries remain closed to walk-in traffic, Park & Pick-Up is open for pick-up of holds at all DCL locations.

Park & Pick-Up services are available Monday-Thursday 9AM-7PM, Friday-Saturday 9AM-5PM, and Sunday 12-5PM. At the library’s Louviers location, pick-up hours are Tuesday 3-7PM.

Library customers can use Park & Pick-Up at their preferred DCL location as follows:

• Look for the flag denoting parking spaces set aside for this service.
• If all marked spots are full, customers should wait in their car for a space to become available. DCL staff will work as quickly as possible to serve customers, but there may be a wait during busy times. Please be prepared.
• Customers should keep their phone handy. Once parked in a numbered space, call or text the number on the sign with the required information.
• Health regulations prevent DCL staff from touching vehicles. Customers should be prepared to open and close their own trunk for delivery of held items.

Book drops at all DCL locations are scheduled to reopen beginning Monday, May 18.

For more details and up-to-date information, visit DCL.org/safety-notice.

Douglas County Libraries elevates our community by inspiring a love of reading, discovery and connection.

DCL customers enjoyed free ice cream treats in celebration of the library’s Splash Into Summer reading program.

DCL customers enjoyed free ice cream treats in celebration of the library’s Splash Into Summer reading program.

More than 2,000 ice cream treats were handed out and enjoyed at DCL locations throughout the county.

DCL customers enjoyed free ice cream treats in celebration of the library’s Splash Into Summer reading program.

For immediate release: May 4, 2020

Douglas County Libraries (DCL) is thrilled to celebrate the accomplishments of high school graduates in Douglas County by giving them a special gift in honor of their achievement. To receive this gift, parents or graduates must simply visit DCL.org/dcl-celebrates-grads and complete the required form, providing their graduation info and how they’d like to receive the gift. Gifts will be delivered or available for pick-up at a DCL location starting May 18.

“Though graduation for the Class of 2020 will look a bit different this year, it remains a milestone in the lives of our county’s young adults. We want them to know that DCL celebrates them, and celebrates with them,” said Amber DeBerry, Director of Community Engagement at DCL.

The gift includes a handy toolkit that grads may find useful as they become more independent, along with a gift card for a gift from a local small business. DCL has partnered with local businesses in support of this graduates gift program, as well as to support these local small businesses, using funds previously earmarked for library staff development.

Visit DCL.org/dcl-celebrates-grads to add your name to DCL’s graduation gift list and for more information.

Douglas County Libraries elevates our community by inspiring a love of reading, discovery and connection.

DCL along with generous local business sponsors celebrated the 2020 graduates of Douglas County high schools with a special gift. Many gifts were delivered to the graduates’ doors.