Larry Greico, Librarian.  The Gilpin County Public Library can look back over 2015 and find much to be proud of. One of the highlights was the acquisition of the Early Literacy Station, made possible by a generous grant from the Friends of the Library. This is a complete educational computer for children ages 2 to 10. It is the premier all-in-one computer solution for young children in public libraries, requiring near-zero technical support. We learned that all we really needed to do was plug it in and turn it on. Our station features more than 70 educational software programs spanning all subject areas—math, reading, creative arts, science, and more. Kids are instantly engaged by an imaginative interface that includes touchscreen gesturing and page-turning functionality. This Early Literacy Station provides children with education skills that will put them on the path to a lifetime of learning, and it supports school readiness and cultivates a love of learning.

The library hosted An Early Spring Night’s Poetry Reading in March, with guest poets Burt Rashbaum and Karla Schorzman, and very special guest Denver poet Kathryn Bass. We had around 25 people in attendance, and more than a dozen of them read poems during the open microphone segment of the evening. In conjunction with this, I published a blog entry on the Programming Librarian website: Poetry Readings Made Simple, which was aimed at rural librarians everywhere.

We offered a film series that, as always, was well attended, with Walter Chaw introducing and discussing a host of remarkable movies from the annals of film history. This marked the 12th year of showing films in series, and we’ve literally presented and discussed hundreds of the best American and foreign films that have ever been made.

Another sparkling highlight of 2015 was the artist-in-residence program in the summer. We selected Mia Lucero to be “Jewelry-maker-in-Residence,” and she presented a series of craft workshops during June, July, and August. Our Summer Reading Program for kids was called Catch a Dragon by the Tale, and attracted over 140 kids who read books all summer long.

We had a number of art exhibits over the course of the year, including the Gilpin School kids’ art, which has become a summer tradition for the last decade. We also hosted the Gilpin Art Studio Tour exhibit in the fall, with art from a number of artists in a variety of media.

With the help of another generous donation of the Friends, I was able to attend the first annual Public Libraries and STEM Conference which took place in Denver in August. This conference was attended by 150 science experts and librarians from around the country, and was by invitation only. The topics presented were about having STEM activities in public libraries, a growing movement around the country.

Looking ahead into 2016, we’ve got a few exciting things coming up in January. There will be a wonderful exhibit on the library art wall of quilts crafted by Ruth Briggs, going up in just a few weeks. That show should run through the month of January and until at least the end of February. We are also hosting A Midwinter Day’s Poetry and Literary Bash on the afternoon of Saturday, Jan. 30. Again the usual local poets, Burt Rashbaum and Marcelo Games, and Colorado poet Karla Schorzman will be front and center, with Burt reading from his newly published novel, The Ones that I Know.

Since Jan. 30 is also the birthday of the late writer Richard Brautigan, yours truly will present a tribute to Brautigan that you won’t want to miss. Watch for more announcements here and the library’s website and social media for these and other programs at the Gilpin Library. We look forward to serving up the best library experience possible in the coming year. Happy New Year everybody!