Community Spotlight: Golden Library offers division

Colorado School of Mines students tend to be a left-brained bunch. They pore over chemistry, physics, mathematics, and engineering late into the night, in an unending search for the correct answer. However, many students recognize, or at least suspect, the existence of a world outside of the left-brained confines of their classes. For these students, there is a haven just a few blocks away at the Golden branch of the Jefferson County Public Library (JCPL).

CSM has a library on campus, and it might therefore seem that a public library is redundant for a student. True, the CSM library is the destination for research, but what about re-reading Harry Potter? For that sort of thing, the Golden library is a must. As a member of JCPL, the Golden library has access to 1.2 million items including books, movies, and CDs, including addition to its own collection of approximately 88,000 items.

The Golden library has a rich history and is the oldest library in Jefferson County. On the official website, Ada Jo Barber reported, “The Golden Library… was incorporated on February 7, 1914, after a year of planning by four local women’s organizations: Bay View, Fortnightly, Progressive, and Thursday Musicales.” The organization was originally christened the “Golden Library and Improvement Association.” It remained as such until the Golden Public Library merged with JCPL in 1961 and moved into the Golden Civic Center at 911 10th street, which is now the home of the Golden Police Department. In 1970, the library moved to another location on 10th street, marking its first exclusive building. However, “In the mid 1990s… it became apparent that the library was outgrowing its quarters” and the current 13,500 square foot Golden library facility opened May 4, 1996.

The library is located at 1019 10th Street, which means it is just across Clear Creek via the footbridge at Illinois street. It is an easy walk down from campus, though a bit more strenuous on the uphill route back. It is open Tuesday through Thursday 10 AM to 9 PM, Friday and Saturday 10 AM to 5 PM, Sunday 12 PM to 5 PM, and is closed on Mondays.

Anyone who resides in Jefferson County is eligible for a library card enabling them to check out books. Requirements for proving residency and a registration form are available at the JCPL website at http://jeffcolibrary.org/about/card.html. If the approximately half-mile walk is impossible, the hours are inconvenient, or one does not reside in Jefferson County, JCPL is a member of the Prospector library system. This means any JCPL book can be requested and sent to the Arthur Lakes Library on campus. Everyone can have access to these nearby, non-technical materials.

No matter who they are, everyone needs an occasional break from studying. At break time, the Golden branch of JCPL is a good choice for a complete change of pace.