(WOODLAND PARK, Colo.) — Public libraries are a place where you can grab a good book or find a quiet nook to browse the internet. The Woodland Park Library is so much more than that.
From the library’s unofficial bearded dragon mascot, Waffles, to the views of America’s Mountain from the quiet reading room, with this library, you can judge a book by its cover.
“This library is beautiful and it’s massive,” said Megan Ekker, communications coordinator for the Rampart Library District.
Looks aside, Ekker said it holds a deeper meaning for some in the community.
“I got my first library card from here before I could legibly write my name,” Ekker remembered. “During high school, my whole friend group used to come hang out here in the teen room downstairs. We’d play boaard games and just, you know, hang out until we felt it was time to go home.”
Even now, the library is more than just the books on shelves.
“We have a very strong focus on relationships with other people. We know a lot of our patrons by name,” Ekker said.
About 23 years ago, the Woodland Park Public Library moved to its new location, just a block north of Highway 24, on East Midland Avenue where it stands ready to welcome people just passing through.
“People are looking for, you know, local tourist information, fun things to do in the area. A lot of people use it as a rest stop. I mean, we have free internet, that sort of thing,” Ekker said.
And hopefully if they stop in once, they will come back in the future for more that the library has to offer.
“There’s events all the time. October 7th, we have a fundraiser coming up that our foundation is putting on,” Ekker said. “It’s a 1920s themed event. Wear costumes if you want. There’s live music, food and drink.”
Events like these helped make the library even more of an essential part of Woodland Park by funding new projects for various needs including an editing and producing studio, which will be open to the public soon.
“It is complete with very high-tech computers,” Ekker said. “It has the capability for video editing, all kinds of software, digital art animation, audio editing, all sorts of things along those lines.”
