City of Boulder holiday schedule for Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009 (Veterans Day)

NEWS
www.bouldercolorado.gov

Closures:
• All city administrative offices
• All library branches
• All senior centers

Open regular hours:
• All city recreation centers
• Boulder Reservoir
• Flatirons Golf Course

Open with revised hours:
• Pottery Lab is open from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Parking:
• All city lots, meters and garages are free.

–END–

Update on Food Services at Main Library

With the unexpected closure of the café on October 1, the Boulder Public Library (BPL) is undertaking a complete review of the alternatives for offering food services at Main Library.   The process we are working with is one that will help us address several matters and result in offering the best possible food service, as a compliment to the library experience.

The most significant matter we must address in replacing the previous café with a similar food service is the lack of adequate utilities on the bridge, including water, sewer and electrical power.  A new operator of a similar food service will be required to comply with all applicable Health Department regulations.  This will require making some important capital investments in order to meet these code requirements.  Within these considerations, potential vendors will need to address necessary items to appropriately outfit the space. The equipment and fixtures previously at the café on the library bridge were not owned by the library. It is also important to note that there are currently no capital resources available in the library budget to make such an investment at this time.

As a result, we are considering a wide array of alternative food service delivery models, menus and locations within the library so that we can creatively explore the best options for our customers. We also expect that this will give many vendors the opportunity to consider a partnership with the library.

A request for proposals (RFP) will be released in mid-December, and library staff expects to make a decision on the best proposal in late January.  Assuming that no unforeseen obstacles are encountered, we hope to resume food service in February or early March.

The library understands that our customers and staff desire a robust food service that enhances the experience at Main Library.  We appreciate your patience as we work through this deliberate process to identify the best alternative.

If you have questions about the City of Boulder RFP process, please contact Calder Grey in the Purchasing Division at:  greyc@bouldercolorado.gov.

New Carpet for Reynolds Branch

The Reynolds Branch Library will be closed from Monday, Nov. 9th through Monday, Nov. 16th, while new carpet is installed.  We apologize for any inconvenience.

Pulse Points @ the Library

If you’ve visited the Main Library in the past few months (and I really hope you have), you’ve likely noticed that there are a few new elements and activities happening here. In addition to our normal programs and activities (concerts, storytelling, book and media check-out and such) we’ve been active developing a new initiative called Pulse Points. The idea behind Pulse Points is to create new experiences to engage and delight our library customers. Pulse Points are areas throughout the building that offer focused opportunities to learn or create something new, interact with one another as well as explore information, art and community.

We’ve worked to designate Pulse Points in various areas in the library. Some Pulse Points are obvious and some more subtle. Our aim is to encourage you to explore the building, encounter an interesting morsel of information or creative happening and look forward to coming back again soon to see what else is might happen. The primary Pulse Point at Main Library is directly behind the first floor elevator. You’ll see that this space is minimally and flexibly furnished to enable many types of experiences to happen here. There is a projection screen painted right on the wall to allow us to show films or easily project images and presentations in the space. (Many of you may have enjoyed the library’s celebration of Home Movie Day at this Pulse Point in October a wonderful, retro and unusual way to be delighted in the library, huh?)

Our Pulse Points are designated by signs or tags like the one you see to the right.  Many of the experiences in a Pulse Point will be spontaneous and last for only a few minutes. Some will be more traditional such as storytelling or a seasonal craft. None of these programs are behind doors and you don’t have to register for any of them.

Remember several months ago when I wrote about Boulder Library’s dedication to embracing curiosity as a guiding quality? We’re doing just that through our Pulse Point initiative. We have several creative ideas and notions about how this initiative will grow and morph over the coming year. We also are keeping our minds open to possibilities, suggestions and input from the imaginations of our community and staff. So look for this idea to morph and expand just like the curious mind itself! You might say we are consciously looking for ways to keep you curious and wondering what intriguing thing might happen next at your library.

Libraries to keep same schedule in 2010

Boulder City Council voted last night to approve a 2010 City budget that will keep Boulder Public Library branches and Main Library hours in 2010 consistent with 2009. Simply put, the libraries will remain open at the same hours next year.

Over the past several months, Library staff has worked diligently to find budget savings that would allow the branches to remain open and the City Manager’s Office looked into ways to find funding to keep Main Library Sunday hours consistent. This process has involved a great deal of thought, concern and attention by many people.

“We’re thrilled to know where we are in the big picture for the coming year and moving forward with creating deep and wonderful experiences for the 21st Century Boulder Library Learner,” said Library and Arts Director Tony Tallent.

Information on Library hours: www.boulderlibrary.org/locations/

Boulder’s Dance Bridge wins Colorado Dance Award

The Boulder Arts Commission’s Dance Bridge won the statewide Colorado Dance Award for Service to the Field (for Organizations) on Saturday, Oct. 24. The Colorado Dance Awards are held annually by the Colorado Dance Alliance to recognize excellence in the dance community.

The Dance Bridge acts as a clearing-house for dancers and dance-related activities in the area. Residents are encouraged to utilize the Dance Bridge when seeking information on individual dance artists, performances, classes, studios, teachers, workshops and events. While providing equal access to all forms of dance, the Dance Bridge encourages quality program development, promoting communication and collaboration to increase publicity, coordinate activities and share services.

“Dance Bridge Manager Mary Wohl Haan has created an invaluable resource for Boulder’s dance community and to see her tireless efforts recognized by the Colorado Dance Alliance is so rewarding,” said Donna Gartenmann, Arts & Culture manager for the City of Boulder.

In May 2003, the Boulder Arts Commission (BAC) established the Dance Bridge, a new arts resource center for Boulder’s diverse dance community. Spearheaded by the BAC and the Boulder County Arts Alliance (BCAA), members of the dance community participated in forums and discussions moving towards a consensus on common needs, ideas and direction. BAC monies that had served the dance community for years funded the Dance Bridge, a multifaceted project aimed to broaden public participation in dance through support, promotion and the centralization of services and resources.

Information about the Dance Bridge: www.artsresource.org.

–CITY–

Laptop Registration at Main Library Oct. 28

Boulder Police will host a free laptop registration event from 3 to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 28, in the Main Boulder Public Library Reference Area, 1001 Arapahoe Ave.
Information: Library Reference Department, 303-441-3194

“Inside Red China” film screening at library Friday

Robert Cohen directed “Inside Red China” in 1957, defying a U.S. State Department travel ban to film for NBC television. The filmmaker, a resident of Boulder since 1993, will be available to answer audience questions following the screening at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 23, at the Main Boulder Public Library’s Canyon Theater.
Cohen, an army veteran, was studying for his PhD in Paris when he went to China for NBC. During his 45-day tour in China for the filming, he became the first American to film China since the 1949 Communist victory, documenting forbidden things such as bridges, aircraft, tanks and the “brain washing” of political prisoners. Cohen received a letter of commendation for this film from Under-Secretary of State Chester Bowles, during the Kennedy-Johnson administration. Today, with foreign tourists and business people able to visit a China rapidly filling with modern factories and cities, “Inside Red China” provides a rare insight into that vast nation’s tumultuous past.
Information: Joel Haertling, Film Program coordinator, haertlingj@boulderlibrary.org.

Main Library Café closure

We’re sorry to report that the owner of the Espress-Oh! café found it necessary to close the café on Oct. 1 for personal reasons. Between Oct. 1 and mid-November, the owner will be removing furnishings and fixtures from the Main Library bridge. After the removal of these fixtures, several repairs need to be made to the space. Library staff anticipates sending out a solicitation for food services for the Main Library within 60 days after the repairs are completed. Once the solicitation is released, the request for proposals will be posted on the City of Boulder website at the following link: http://www.bouldercolorado.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1042&Itemid=392

Thank you!

Golden Opportunities

Autumn is naturally a golden time of the year. Is there anything more remarkable than seeing the shimmer of millions of golden aspen leaves moving in the autumn light? The idea of golden moments can have many meanings: a brush with the awesomeness of nature, a sweet melancholy memory or an unexpected, remarkable experience. We all have our own personal collections of golden moments. I believe the library creates the opportunity for golden moments each day. Many of these golden moments at the library are quite personal while others are on a more grand scale.

Is there anything that captures personal golden moments like home movies? This month, we’re exploring taking this personal expression public as we celebrate World Wide Home Movie Day right in the library. Celebrating the poignancy, randomness and poetics of home movies gives us a glimpse into the worlds of individuals and families we would never otherwise encounter. Joel Haertling, Boulder Library’s own film guru, has created a way for library visitors to simply catch a glimpse the lives of other caught on home movies or experience this medium in true screening style. Come by the Main Library any time on Saturday, October 17 between 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. and be a part of this new venture in Boulder Library’s program line-up.

Another golden opportunity at the library this month comes in the form of music, visuals and a little bit of dreaminess. We’re presenting the Gustafer Yellowgold Show at two of our locations! Gustafer Yellowgold is the type of performance that is not easy to describe (thus the use of the word dreaminess above). Primarily a live, rocking music show for kids and families, Gustafer Yellowgold has a following that transcends age and categories. You don’t have to be a kid to come listen to the mellow, rock sounds that help tell the story of a strange little guy who lived on the sun.  Gustafer Yellowgold is the same group who has opened for Wilco, played in their own off-Broadway show and continue to delight audience members, whether you’re 3 or 83.  The show will play at Meadows Branch on October 16 at 11 a.m. and in the Main Library’s Canyon Theater on October 17 at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. You can also check-out Gustafer Yellowgold’s CD and DVD from the library so that you can take the show on the road with you!

You’ll find that we’re excitedly creating for new ways for all our community members to have memorable experiences at the library. You only have to read through our program listing to get inspired. Here’s wishing you an autumn filled with golden moments.