Author: melissa

Help Neighbors in Need by Donating Toiletries at Douglas County Libraries Locations

Posted on by melissa

For immediate release August 29, 2017:

Douglas County Libraries is holding a communitywide Toiletries Drive through Sunday, September 10, supporting the charitable work of the Douglas/Elbert Task Force. Collection boxes are available at all DCL locations (except Louviers) for donations of much-needed toiletries, including:

  • Toothbrushes/toothpaste
  • Shampoo/conditioner
  • Soap/body wash
  • Deodorant
  • Feminine hygiene products
  • Diapers (size 3, 4, 5, 6)
  • Baby wipes
  • Laundry pods
  • Toilet paper
  • Paper towels
  • Facial tissue
  • Dish soap
  • Cash donations and gift cards also gratefully accepted

“Douglas County Libraries’ annual staff day event usually focuses on staff development, but this year we wanted to look outside of ourselves and focus on more altruistic efforts, like helping our neighbors in need and giving back to the wonderful communities we serve,” says Art Glover, director of human resources at Douglas County Libraries.

Part of that giving back includes an all-staff volunteer effort on Friday, September 15, when DCL employees will pitch in around Douglas County to work on things like:

  • Assisting with the Douglas/Elbert Task Force Toiletries Drive and Food Bank in Castle Rock.
  • Trail cleanup and planting in Roxborough with the Audubon Society of Greater Denver.
  • Crafting handmade cards for children facing challenges with Cardz for Kidz in Parker.
  • Trail cleanup for the City of Parker.
  • Stitching handmade hats and blankets for Sky Ridge Hospital newborns in Lone Tree.

Toiletry donations will be accepted at DCL locations through Sunday, September 10. For more information, visit DCL.org or call 303-791-7323.

The Douglas/Elbert Task Force strives to meet the immediate needs of residents of Douglas and Elbert counties who are in financial distress and/or at risk of becoming homeless. The organization works directly with its clients to help them work through troublesome times by providing essential services with dignity, kindness and respect. For more information about the Douglas/Elbert Task Force, visit detaskforce.org.

Douglas County Libraries elevates our community by inspiring a love of reading, discovery and connection. For more information, visit DCL.org or call 303-791-7323.

Douglas County Libraries Partners With Local Brewers for 4th Annual Great Douglas County Brew Tour

Posted on by melissa

For immediate release: August 22, 2017

Douglas County Libraries’ (DCL’s) Great Douglas County Brew Tour returns in September for its fourth year, serving up local flavor through partnerships with area businesses and inviting Douglas County residents to experience their library in unexpected ways. This year’s tour includes nine craft breweries and a coffee house, adding to the variety of places residents can enjoy specialty brews and excellent events.

The Brew Tour kicks off on Thursday, August 31, at Grist Brewing Company Lab in Lone Tree, with live music, giveaways, beer specials and grub from Savvy Daddy Dogs’ food truck—with 100 percent of the food sale proceeds benefiting the DCL Foundation. Events at other participating businesses during September include beer and chocolate pairings, beer and cheese pairings, “crafty brews,” and hipster coffee. In addition, several breweries are crafting limited-edition library libations that will be tapped during the Brew Tour.

“This fun tour allows Douglas County Libraries to highlight our partnerships with businesses that are a special part of our community all through September,” says Kerri Morgan, program and events supervisor with DCL. “And it’s also a great opportunity for us to reach patrons who aren’t our typical library users. So it’s a win-win for us and the participating businesses,” she adds.

Participating in the Brew Tour is free and offers delicious opportunities to enjoy fresh-brewed beer and coffee. Participants can collect a commemorative Great Douglas County Brew Tour glass by getting a passport stamped at each stop on the tour—or at least five—and then bringing the completed passport to any DCL location (except Louviers). Participants must be age 21 or older, and glasses are available while supplies last.

Participating Breweries & Coffee House

  • 105 West Brewing Company – 1043 Park St., Castle Rock
  • 3 Freaks Brewery – 7140 E. County Line Rd., Highlands Ranch
  • Barnett & Son Brewing Company – 18425 Pony Express Dr., Parker
  • Castle Rock Beer Company, 514 Perry St., Castle Rock
  • Downhill Brewing Company (Formerly Elk Mountain) – 18921 E. Plaza Dr., Parker
  • Grist Brewing Company – 9150 Commerce Center Cir. #300, Highlands Ranch
  • Grist Brewing Company Lab – 9535 Park Meadows Dr., Lone Tree
  • Living the Dream Brewing Company – 12305 N. Dumont Way, Littleton
  • Lone Tree Brewing Company, 8200 Park Meadows Dr. #8222, Lone Tree
  • Rockyard Brewing Company – 880 Castleton Rd., Castle Rock
  • Monk & Mongoose Gourmet Coffee – 9580 RidgeGate Pkwy., Lone Tree

The Brew Tour also makes stops at Light Rail’s Lincoln Station on September 12 and 15, from 3-6 p.m. Commuters can grab DCL freebies and get suggestions for matching great brews with favorite books.

For more information about the Brew Tour and events, visit DCL.org/outside-the-lines or call 303-791-7323.

The Great Douglas County Brew Tour is part of Outside the Lines, an annual Colorado library-led initiative to reintroduce libraries to their communities in engaging and creative ways.

Community Celebration Honors the 100th Anniversary of the Louviers Village Club House

Posted on by melissa

For immediate release: August 10, 2017

The Louviers Village Club House has been the community center in Louviers since 1917, housing various amenities for locals over the years such as a mercantile, post office, reading room, shooting range and barbershop. Today, the building houses the Louviers branch of Douglas County Libraries (DCL), as well as event space and a two-lane bowling alley. To commemorate the clubhouse’s 100th anniversary, DCL in Louviers is hosting an open house celebration on Saturday, August 26, from 10 a.m.-noon.

The anniversary celebration will honor the storied history of the clubhouse, with an old-fashioned ice cream social, games like horseshoes and ring toss, crafts and more, and guests from various historical societies and groups will be on hand. It will also offer community members a first look at the library’s newly updated space, which includes refinished floors, restored historic furniture, new carpets, and fresh paint.

“Louviers is a community that treasures its history and its library, and DCL is excited to celebrate the building’s 100-year anniversary with them and unveil renovations that will help keep the library going strong,” says Jill Seeland, patron service technician with DCL in Louviers.

The town of Louviers was established in the early 1900s as a DuPont company town with the goal of attracting long-term employees for what was then the nearby DuPont dynamite plant and housing the workers and their families. The clubhouse built in 1917 replaced a smaller clubhouse that was built in 1908 for the recreational use of DuPont employees.

The Louviers Village Club House is on the National Register of Historic Places, and Louviers Village is designated as a Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places.

For more information on the clubhouse’s 100-year anniversary celebration hosted by DCL, call 303-791-7323 or visit DCL.org.

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

Kids Camp Screenings Provide a Cool Benefit for Douglas County Libraries Foundation in July

Posted on by melissa

For immediate release: June 21, 2017

Alamo Drafthouse in Littleton has kicked off its Kids Camp film series for the summer, and when families escape on these film adventures during the month of July, all ticket proceeds will benefit Douglas County Libraries Foundation. It’s one more way readers can play this summer by watching an entertaining book adaptation like “The Iron Giant,” while also giving back to the library.

Each Kids Camp film has been hand-picked by Alamo Drafthouse with an eye toward family-friendly fare for kids ages 3-12, offering alternatives to the summer’s slate of PG-13 releases. Screenings in July include such film favorites as “The Iron Giant,” “Trolls,” “Muppets From Space,” and “The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie.”

Movies are an entertaining way to help fuel summer reading. Kids Camp screenings take place every day (with some exceptions) during matinee hours. Families can pick their own ticket price — $1, $3 or $5 — and may buy their tickets online to reserve their seats in advance. One-hundred percent of Kids Camp ticket proceeds in July benefit Douglas County Libraries Foundation.

Douglas County Libraries Foundation helps fund programs that reach youth, adults and families in Douglas County and across Colorado, and helps ensure the long-term success of its libraries, which are critical to education, neighborhood development, workforce development, and economic development.

Tickets for Alamo’s Kids Camp screenings may be purchased at Alamo Drafthouse in Littleton (7301 S. Santa Fe Drive) or online. Donations to Douglas County Libraries Foundation may also be made directly via DCL.org/foundation. For more information, call (303) 791-7323.

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

New U.S. Citizens Sworn in During Naturalization Ceremony at Douglas County Libraries in Parker

Posted on by melissa

For immediate release May 24, 2017:

In partnership with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Douglas County Libraries hosted its first Naturalization Ceremony at its Parker, Colorado, location on Saturday afternoon, May 20. Twenty-eight individuals from 19 different countries took the Oath of Allegiance to become U.S. citizens in front of their families, friends and library patrons. The new citizens all reside within Douglas County and Aurora.

Tiffany Curtin, adult literacy specialist with Douglas County Libraries, worked closely with USCIS to coordinate and facilitate the Naturalization Ceremony. “I have had the pleasure of seeing firsthand how new Americans enrich our lives,” Curtin said. “At the library, we see new Americans gain the language skills to become volunteers, gain employment, pursue professional goals, earn promotions, enter higher education, support their children in school, and transform their lives,” she added.

Bob Pasicznyuk, executive library director of Douglas County Libraries, was the keynote speaker at the event, which was open to the public. Other speakers from Douglas County Libraries included Tiffany Curtin; Norma Akers, a library volunteer and naturalized citizen; and Jessica Bassan, a library volunteer and citizenship class student. Political speakers at the event included Mark Jackson for Rep. Ken Buck, Andrew Dunkley for Sen. Cory Gardner, and John Griego for Sen. Michael Bennet.

Representatives from the Smoky Hill Trail Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution presented American flags to the citizen candidates. Two fifth-graders from the Parker Performing Arts School performed the national anthem and “Dream a Dream,” and the Pledge of Allegiance was led by the two daughters of one of the citizenship candidates.

The emotion and excitement in the event hall were palpable. Melek Eckhardt, a Highlands Ranch, Colorado, resident originally from Turkey, was one of the first to arrive for the ceremony, excited to be taking the Oath of Allegiance to conclude her journey to becoming a U.S. citizen. “I love the U.S.,” said Eckhardt, beaming with pride. “I love the people here, and this state.”

Douglas County Libraries offers one-on-one language tutoring (English as a second language); citizenship preparation classes to prepare for citizenship application and interviews, with representatives from USCIS available to answer questions; English-language conversation groups so non-natives can practice their English; and basic adult education classes for aspiring citizens.

USCIS is the government agency that oversees lawful immigration to the U.S. USCIS partners with libraries, national parks, schools and other entities to host naturalization information sessions and administrative naturalization ceremonies. The organization naturalized 752,800 people in fiscal year 2016. Information on how to become a U.S. citizen is available at uscis.gov/citizenship. For more information about USCIS, visit uscis.gov.

Douglas County Libraries elevates our community by inspiring a love of reading, discovery and connection. For more information, visit DCL.org or call 303-791-7323.