The Twig: Smaller than a Branch, Big on Convenience

by Peggy Moore, Patron Services Supervisor

The Library’s downtown facility is our anchor—and the best place to find all our services under one roof. But for quick check-out and return of materials, there’s another option. And it’s especially suited for these busy summer days.

The creation of the Twig grew out of many years of listening to our Library patrons. You told us that downtown parking during the peak summer season can sometimes make it difficult to get to the Library. If there were a quick-stop alternative, it would save you time in your busy day.

The construction of the Community Center offered a solution: a place to install a self-serve kiosk without the expense of purchasing or building a stand-alone Library facility.

Now in its second year of operation, the Twig is a mini-branch kiosk located in the lower level of the Estes Valley Community Center (EVCC). When searching for items in the Library catalog, you can easily choose to route materials to the Twig by selecting “EVCC – The Twig” as pick-up location when placing holds.

What items may be sent to the Twig? The very same materials we check out downtown, with the exception of electronics and large items like Discovery Kits.

If the items you’ve requested are on our shelves, it usually takes just a day for us to deliver them to the Twig. You’ll get an email notice to let you know they’re there.

Then, stop by the Community Center during any of their open hours, and with your Library card, it’s fast and easy to check out your items at the kiosk. And you don’t need to have a Community Center membership to use or access the Twig.

Convenience doesn’t stop there. You can also return Library materials to the drive-up book returns at EVCC, 24/7. It doesn’t matter whether you borrowed the materials from the Twig or from downtown.

The Twig has been building a loyal and happy following in its first year. Twig users tell us how much they appreciate how reliable it is to use.

And since the Twig is open the same hours as the Community Center, it greatly expands the hours each week that you can borrow Library materials. While our downtown facility has convenient hours of its own (more hours, in fact, than the downtown Denver library), the Twig expands access to an additional 28 hours each week—making it a great option for weekday morning early-birds and Friday-nighters alike.

Treat yourself to a visit to the Twig this summer and give this convenient Library resource a try. While it’s smaller than a branch, it provides Library materials both when and where you need them.