Denver Public Library
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The Denver Public Library is the public library of the city of Denver, Colorado in the United States. As of 2004, the library had 2,519,977 items in its collection, and a library card base of 417,616 local residents [1]. In addition to its Central facility, it has 22 branches and a bookmobile program.
[edit] History
The library was established in June 1889 by City Librarian Joseph Cotton Dana in a wing of Denver High School. In 1910 the library acquired a building of its own, called the Central Library, a Greek revival design funded by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie that was located in Civic Center Park in downtown. Between 1913 and 1920, Carnegie also underwrote construction of the first eight branches of the city library. Previously the city relied on traveling trunks of books. In 1956 the city commissioned a new structure that was located on Broadway and 14th street and built by the firm of Fisher and Fisher/Burnham Hoyt. In 1990 75% of Denver voters approved a $91.6 million bond issue to add on to the Fisher and Fisher/Burnham Hoyt building. The 540,000 square foot structure was designed by architect Michael Graves and the Denver firm of Klipp Colussy Jenks DuBois and is located adjacent to the Denver Art Museum.
[edit] Collections
The Denver Public Library is world renowned for its Western History collection which began under the direction of City Librarian Malcom G. Wyer and includes 600,000 photographs, 3700 manuscript archives, 200,000 cataloged books, pamphlets, atlases, maps, and microfilm titles as well as a collection of Western fine art and prints.
The Genealogy department includes 60,000 books, 75,000 pieces of microform, and hundreds of magazine and newsletter titles, charts, clippings, atlases and manuscripts.
The Western History and Genealogy departments merged in 1995 and are located on the fifth floor of the Michael Graves library building.
The Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library serves as an educational and cultural resource for the people of Denver, Colorado, and the world, focusing on the history, literature, art, music, religion, and politics of African Americans in Colorado and throughout the Rocky Mountain West. The Library opened in 2003 and houses a full service branch library, research archives and the Western Legacies Museum, an exhibition space that spans more than 7,000 square feet and includes an African American Leadership Gallery, a replica of the Office of Denver Mayor Wellington E. Webb, and rotating exhibits which highlight historical periods, notable individuals and local Denver history.
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