For immediate release: May 3, 2023

Douglas County Libraries is kicking off another exciting summer of fun with its 2023 Summer Reading celebration, The Dog Days of Summer, sponsored by Douglas County Libraries Foundation. Pre-registration for all ages is now open at DCL.org/summer-reading, with the official kickoff on Saturday, June 3.

“We hope the community will sign up and join us in having fun with reading all summer long,” said Kristen Kallio, Special Events Supervisor at DCL. “We’ve also got a great lineup of dog-themed events all summer, fun prizes, 15 days of giveaways just for signing up, our K-12 school contest, and so much more!”

All participants who register for the Dog Days of Summer will be entered into the library’s Days of Giveaways prize drawings in June and July, and will receive other fun prizes for signing up. Registered participants can pick up registration prizes, reading logs, and a special, limited-time gift, while supplies last, at a kickoff on Saturday, June 3. The special gift is available only on June 3, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

K-12 students are encouraged to participate in the friendly annual school contest for the most sign-ups and help their school earn $500, and all Dog Days of Summer participants can read and log minutes to help meet DCL’s community goal of 9 million minutes of reading. If the goal is met, Douglas County Libraries Foundation will donate $1,000 to Guide Dogs for the Blind, which seeks to provide a safe means of mobility for people who are blind and visually impaired.

Register for the Dog Days of Summer and related events at DCL.org/summer-reading. For more information, visit DCL.org or call (303) 791-7323.

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

Summer Reading includes treats like registration and finishing prizes, giveaways, fun events and activities, friendly challenges, and more!

Summer Reading fun for all ages!

Sign up the whole family for a summer of reading fun.

For immediate release: March 2, 2023

The existing Castle Rock library is open during construction.

Construction of Douglas County Libraries’ new building in Castle Rock is progressing with a projected opening in late summer 2023. The two-story, 62,000-square-foot building is located in front of the existing library (100 S. Wilcox Street), which will be demolished upon completion of the new building to make way for a 220-space parking lot.

“The next few weeks will be quite busy outside our new building,” said Rick O’Dell, DCL’s Interim Special Projects Manager, adding that construction partner Fransen Pittman will continue to lay out site work, trench and install utilities, and install the building’s exterior cladding and windows.

Inside, the library is taking shape as well, with drywall hung on both floors. Tile work in first-floor restrooms is complete with second floor tiling in process. Installation of the ceiling grid on the first floor is underway, and recessed ceiling light fixtures will follow. Interior priming and painting continues.

Construction subcontractors are finishing miscellaneous mechanical, electrical and plumbing work on the first floor, and data cable is being installed.

Meanwhile, the existing library remains open to customers during construction.

The new library will be 17,000 square feet bigger than the existing building, with 42,000 square feet of dedicated library space to serve the growing Castle Rock community into the future. DCL’s administrative offices and Archives & Local History department and its collections will also be housed in the building.

In addition to working with Fransen Pittman General Contractors of Englewood, Colo., DCL has contracted with OPN Architects of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for library design.

Visit DCL.org/build for updates and information about the building project.

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

The new library will feature a drive-though book return, outdoor patios and community spaces, and 42,000 square feet of dedicated library space. Rendering courtesy of OPN Architects.

Photo credit: Hutch Tibbetts, Douglas County Libraries

Northwest corner of the second floor. Photo credit: Hutch Tibbetts, Douglas County Libraries

More second-floor construction, south facing. Photo credit: Hutch Tibbetts, Douglas County Libraries

Construction view from the top of the staircase. Photo credit: Hutch Tibbetts, Douglas County Libraries

For immediate release: February 16, 2023

Photography show lays a foundation for destigmatizing mental health.

Douglas County Libraries is proud to host The Sammy Project, a traveling photography show that brings awareness to mental health and seeks to destigmatize it through personal portraits and stories of young adults living with mental health challenges. The Sammy Project, by Whitney Yeager, is on display at the library’s Castle Rock location (100 S. Wilcox St.) through February, and will travel to the libraries in Highlands Ranch in March, Parker in April, and Lone Tree in May.

“The power of the Sammy Project is that it shows the faces of mental health and tells their stories,” said Jaime Gotlieb, Community Services and Partnerships Manager at Douglas County Libraries (DCL). “Hopefully, by normalizing conversations around mental health, more people will open up about their struggles and seek the support and help they need in whatever way is most appropriate.”

The stories shared in the Sammy Project can show others who might be struggling that they are not alone and that happiness and success are completely within reach.

According to Gotlieb, mental health is a strategic priority for DCL. “We are looking for opportunities to support the very important work being done in our communities by mental health professionals in different community organizations,” she said.

DCL currently has active relationships with several organizations, including Douglas County Mental Health Initiative, AllHealth Network, and Douglas County School District. In addition, Douglas County Libraries Foundation has provided books to groups such as SecondAct Women and Douglas County School District to help support mental health programming.

The library also takes the mental health of its employees seriously, providing training and resources for staff to use personally and/or in their work.

“Ultimately, we would love to be part of the solution of encouraging the positive mental health of our communities,” Gotlieb said.

The Sammy Project exhibit at DCL is free and open during normal library hours. For more information, visit DCL.org/featured-events.

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

About The Sammy Project

The Sammy Project is a photography show in honor of Sam Yeager, artist Whitney Yeager’s son. It takes great courage to write about one’s mental health, which traditionally is kept very private. In doing so, the participants in this project take agency over their struggles, and in the process we honor our son, brother, grandson, friend and neighbor Samuel Boone Yeager, whose life was cut short in 2021. Had he felt comfortable to talk about his mental illness and ask for help, Sam might still be here today.

The mission of this photography show is to lay the foundation toward destigmatizing mental health. With suicide on the rise (Colorado is traditionally listed in the top 10 states in the nation for suicide), having an open attitude about our internal struggles is more important than ever before. If people could talk as easily about mental health as they can about diabetes or any other ailment, countless lives could be improved and possibly saved. Learn more at thesammyproject.com. Anyone interested in participating in the project may email Whitney at the following email address: whitneyyeager@icloud.com.

The Sammy Project is on exhibit at Douglas County Libraries in Castle Rock through February. It moves to DCL in Highlands Ranch in March, Parker in April, and Lone Tree in May. Photo credit: Hutch Tibbetts, Douglas County Libraries

Sydney’s portrait and story are featured in The Sammy Project, along with several other participants. Photo courtesy of Whitney Yeager, thesammyproject.com.

Whitney Yeager created The Sammy Project in honor of her late son, Sam. Photo courtesy of Whitney Yeager, thesammyproject.com.

For immediate release: February 7, 2023

Together with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, Douglas County Libraries is sending books to children in Douglas County.

CASTLE ROCK, Colo.—Douglas County Libraries is excited to put great books into the hands of children across Douglas County through its new partnership with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Through the Imagination Library, children from birth to age five receive high-quality, age-appropriate books every month, for free, that they get to keep.

“We are thrilled to bring Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to DCL and to provide even more literacy-rich experiences to children in Douglas County,” said Mary Lanni, Youth Literacy Outreach Specialist at Douglas County Libraries. “This program is the perfect complement to our early literacy programs and our broader vision of inspiring a love of reading, discovery and connection in our community.”

Parents and guardians may register their children from birth to age five to get started receiving books every month, delivered directly to them. Every child in a family may participate, including twins, and receive their own age-appropriate book when registered individually. There is no charge for participating in the program.

“We know that reading to children builds strong foundations in literacy and increases the potential for learning success in school,” said Lanni. “By reaching the 19,000-plus children under age five in Douglas County through this program, we are aiming to support school readiness as children and their caregivers are offered even more opportunities to read together.”

Funding for the program in Douglas County is currently provided equally by the State of Colorado’s Imagination Library program funds and Douglas County Libraries.

Visit DCL.org/imagination-library to learn more and register for the program.

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

About Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library

Since launching in 1995, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has become the preeminent early childhood book-gifting program in the world. The flagship program of The Dollywood Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, has gifted over 200 million free books in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, and The Republic of Ireland. This is achieved through funding shared by The Dollywood Foundation and local community partners. The Imagination Library mails more than 2 million high-quality, age-appropriate books each month to enrolled children from birth to age five. Dolly envisioned creating a lifelong love of reading and inspiring children to Dream More, Learn More, Care More and Be More.

The program has been widely researched and results demonstrate its positive impact on early childhood development and literacy skills. Penguin Random House is the exclusive publisher for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. For more information, please visit imaginationlibrary.com.

Photo courtesy of Dolly Parton's Imagination Library.

Photo courtesy of Dolly Parton's Imagination Library.

Photo courtesy of Dolly Parton's Imagination Library.

For immediate release: December 21, 2022

Families looking for kid-friendly entertainment during winter break can find it at Douglas County Libraries’ Forest of Stories. The interactive exhibit at all DCL locations includes a twinkling display of trees decked in beloved children’s tales, classic literature, comedy, crime thrillers, mysteries, classic rock, manga, and more, plus life-sized trimmings. The exhibit is free and open during library operating hours through January 7, 2023; no ticket or registration required.

Each library features whimsical trees of all sizes trimmed in themed decor and memorabilia, plus specially coded ornaments that are part of an immersive districtwide scavenger hunt. Customers are invited to visit every DCL location, find the coded ornaments among the trees, and enter those codes online for a chance to win prizes. The more libraries visited and codes entered, the more chances to win.

Forest of Stories offers something for everyone to enjoy over winter break, from tree peeping to playing for prizes. Learn more at DCL.org/forest-of-stories.

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

The Great Gatsby is a highlight in Highlands Ranch.

Different themed Harry Potter trees can be seen at Castle Rock, Highlands Ranch, Lone Tree, and Parker. Here, the Sorting Hat tree.

Jane Austen, H.G. Wells, and A Christmas Carol add sparkle to Lone Tree.

Oh, what fun in Parker! Trees shown: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, Despicable Me, and The Nightmare Before Christmas.