Aspen, Colorado is known for its elite skiing conditions and premium boutiques and restaurants. This popular, ski-resort town sees countless visitors a year, but it is still a place of residence for many families.
I love to ski, and I recently visited Aspen. The mountains are majestic and the scenery is breathtaking. However, I also love libraries. When I heard Aspen’s public library was close to our hotel, I had to check it out.
Libraries are everywhere, even in fancy resort towns like Aspen. Libraries help grow community connections, strengthen and promote information literacy and childhood early literacy, and provide services to their overall communities. Aspen’s Pitkin County Library is no different.
The Pitkin County Library provides multiple tools and resources to its patrons. They have a makerspace (which offers workshops in coding, sewing, 3-D printing, robotics, and games), they have special events (such as movie nights, book clubs, and crafting), and they have unique programming (including summer reading, story walks and story times, and financial literacy classes for teens). These diverse services provide distinctive experiences to not only the citizens of Aspen but those who visit the prominent town.
Being a children’s librarian, I enjoy seeing the children’s department of any library. I love to discover the various ways libraries interact with their residents. This helps me invent new tools and resources for my own community.
Pitkin’s children’s department was relaxing, quaint, and perfectly targeted to the youngsters within the area. They had accessible book shelves for the smaller children and a play area for families. There were games available to check out in neatly organized bags. They also had numerous reading nooks for children to enjoy. I personally love reading nooks. Reading nooks provide children with a level of creative exploration and individualization, which a simple chair could never give. Nooks show that reading does not have to be strict and confined. It can be fun and personal.
Whether you are a citizen of Aspen or simply skiing through, Pitkin County Library can provide you and your children a respite from the cold. Whenever you visit a new city, check out their local library. Libraries are home to stories for everyone: visitors and locals alike.
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