Two of the first victims of the 2020/2021 pandemic shutdown were live music and public spaces. In what Library Director Elektra Greer calls a “Happy Little Accident,” both were given some relief in our Nederland community through a program called “#Songs from the Stacks.”

Patron Services Supervisor Michael Sivcovich, Library Director Greer and Core Staff member Charlie Westerink put their heads together one dreary afternoon and a spark happened that would touch thousands of lives, and pull together two of the most beloved aspects of the Nederland area: community and music.

Local musicians were invited to come to the library stacks during closed hours and, with Westerink’s technical skills, Sivcovich’s personable interview style, and financial support from the Library Foundation, a series of music videos based loosely on National Public Radio’s “Tiny Desk” concerts was born. The high level of production and the generous sharing of their talent and skills by the musicians, created a series that received a whole lot of love (and views) from a population of viewers that ended up actually larger than the library’s service area.

Now, the Nederland Library has been awarded the “Project of the Year” Award from the Colorado Association of Libraries, Colorado’s professional association for libraries of all types and sizes, for the ingenuity of the program and its success in bringing the community together during a time of hardship and social isolation.

Musician Eric Stone was one of the most fervent advocates of the #Songs from the Stacks program. His musical career was built around extensive out-ofstate travel, and that was cut short by the pandemic. On #Songs from the Stacks he noted: “At a time when so many artists were struggling to reach audiences, this was the perfect way to reach new listeners, show our support of our library and our community, and support the arts during this difficult time.”

Stone goes on: “...I want to emphasize that this need will continue after the pandemic is over. For those of us who live in small, rural and ‘far flung’ regions like Nederland, providing art through live-streamed events is the future of our craft...”

And indeed, just as the pandemic begins to hopefully fade into history, #Songs from the Stacks will not fade along with it. The program experienced a setback when the highly-skilled Westerink left the area to pursue a career in filmmaking, but before his departure he took time to pass the videography torch to new staff member Shayna Beckham who is honing her skills and bringing fresh perspectives to the program.

In September, Sivcovich will be in attendance at the Colorado Association of Libraries annual conference to receive the Project of the Year award on behalf of the Nederland Library Community. “We hope to continue this program and maintain the highest quality. We can’t replace Charlie, but we can re-mold this program that is so true to the Library’s mission as a community institution.”

#SongsfromtheStacks videos are available through both our website and YouTube, and any musicians interested in being featured in #SongsfromtheStacks should contact Mike Sivcovich at msivcovich@nedlib.org.