by Jamie Murphy, Technical Services Librarian

Springtime in the Estes Valley is brilliant. As rivers thaw and days grow longer, what piques your curiosity? How will you conquer your next goal, inspire joy for yourself and those around you? As we look ahead toward connection and regrowth — a new normal — the Estes Valley Library is grateful for the opportunity to serve you in new ways.

Speaking of connectedness: five local libraries have joined together to create the new Village Catalog. The result: you can now search the combined One Million Items of our public library and all 4 school libraries: Elementary, Middle, High School, and Eagle Rock School. Each location is ready and eager to share–connected with courier delivery. It’s a win-win for local residents AND local students.

There’s never been a better time to prepare for college or a new career, research that mountain sport you’ve been dreaming about, or discover new authors, new movies, new ideas. It wouldn’t have happened without our enthusiastic local partners

To find out what it means for local students, we spoke with Anne Dewey, Instructional Technology Coordinator at Estes Park School District R3:

Tell us about the school libraries and the role they serve.

The school district has libraries in each of the three schools, serving our 1000+ students and staff. In our district, libraries are more relevant than ever, providing not only materials, but a space for working and learning from books, online, and each other. Our libraries are active centers for each of our schools, which really mirrors the experience at the public library.

What are the benefits you envision with the new Village Catalog?

Being a library card holder is such an important part of being a member of a community; we are proud to be part of a community that welcomes patrons of all ages. Becoming part of the Village Catalog expands the materials selection for our students exponentially, since the school library budgets are limited.

Of particular note are the digital holdings and access to full-text news articles. This was a missing piece for our high school students in particular who were trying to do research, but struggled to find relevant, timely, and reliable information for their areas of study.

What are other ways the schools collaborate with the public library?

Our school district has valued the partnership of the public library for many years. We have collaborated on many projects, including author visits, book studies, and college planning programs. We are excited to fortify our partnership through the addition of these services.

Thank you to Anne and to our partnerships with both Estes Park and Eagle Rock Schools.

Curious about the Estes Village Catalog? Need help narrowing down your search results? Wondering how to request a new book? Maybe you have a favorite author–and want to find similar writing styles? We’re here  to help. A million items is a lot to sort through, but the possibilities are as bountiful as springtime.