Lafayette Public Library brings community, information,
and ideas together to inspire literacy, learning, and discovery.

This month we feature things to do, books to read, films to watch, and tools to use. Visit our To Do page, featuring special events, drop-in fun, and opportunities to create and make!

School begins again this month, and of course we will be here to help at the Homework Center, starting Monday, August 26, 2:45 - 6:30 pm. The Homework Center is a free, bilingual, safe space where kids and teens in grades 3-12 can drop in for homework help Monday-Thursday afternoons when Boulder Valley School District is in session. Drop by, say hi, and check us out!

The Library will be closed all day and the book drops locked on Sunday, September 1, and Monday, September 2, in observance of Labor Day. No books are due on September 1, 2, or 3. We reopen on Tuesday, September 3.

We LOVED Summer Reading!

Photo of smiling dog, wording "Thanks for a great summer"

Thanks to everyone who has made this year's Summer Reading filled with fun, reading, and sharing good times.

Thanks to you who played and read with us; to our many teen volunteers who ran the day-to-day mechanics of the program; to the Friends of the Library who worked hard and long to completely fund the program; and to the flexible and good-humored Library staff who shepherded our community through another summer of serious fun!

Have something to say about the program or your experiences? We're listening:

Summer Reading Survey in English

Encuesta de Lectura de verano en Español

In Memory of Karen Andrews

This month we remember a great friend and dedicated librarian, Karen Andrews. Karen passed from breast cancer on June 29, surrounded by her loving family and friends. She worked at the Library for 10 years, and leaves a legacy of dedication and creativity as a library innovator, a devoted manager and an architect of many programs, including LafayetteREADS! and the Death Café.
Karen's moving artwork, The Arena Series, is on display in the Upper North Gallery through the end of August. We miss Karen, who was our co-worker and friend, and we remember all she brought to our community.

City of Lafayette Comprehensive Plan

A Comprehensive Plan is the backbone of a community’s planning efforts. It outlines challenges, helps identify solutions, and provides guidance to appointed and elected officials on planning-related decisions.

The City of Lafayette is working to complete a new, overhauled Comprehensive Plan that will guide the City’s evolution through 2040.

Legacy Lafayette

Honoring our heritage, shaping the future.
Honrando nuestro pasado. Formando el futuro.
The planning process, Legacy Lafayette, will create a roadmap for the future of our community - an opportunity to see where we are, where we are heading, where we want to go, and how to get there.
Our community will be stronger with your ideas and opinions; we need the involvement, input, and support of the entire community. Take the survey and share the link with your family and friends.

Find new Library resources, services, and reminders for existing resources you might not know about yet. Stay tuned each month for valuable Lafayette Library information!

Wait … My Library Card Expires?!!

No matter how often you use your library card, it will expire every two years, allowing the library to make sure we’ve entered everything correctly into your account.

We can update your info in the event you’ve moved, changed phone numbers or want to use a new email address. When your account expires it prevents you from checking out, renewing your items, or placing items on hold, so renew your card promptly; just give us a call or stop by. We'll update things, then you’ll be on your way, able to use the library for another two years!

LET'S TALK! Want to talk to us, check out or register for events, or reserve a study room or event space? Use the colorful round buttons in the middle of our homepage (and at the bottom of every page) to quickly launch these functions.

Contact Us - go to our contact hub, which includes our survey link, main Contact form, and other ways to share your materials requests or comments.

Check out the new Calendar!

When you visit our new Library Calendar, you'll see a fresh, more modern look, and here are tips to view the calendar on mobile or desktop:

Do you visit our site on a mobile device? The default Events view plays well on a small screen!
On a desktop or to see the whole month, toggle to a calendar by clicking on the calendar icon above the search filters.
In calendar mode, click on the "Date" search to navigate to a new month.
Screenshots and a list of more features we love

Reserve Rooms – go straight into our new room booking system for study rooms or to request and hold an event space. Full details about all spaces, rates and policies are available at the click of that button!

Screenshots and more features

These tools are designed to help you easily accomplish what you want to do, and we encourage you to give them a try.

COWBOYS - COWBOYS - COWBOYS at the Library

On The Same Page 2019

Our Fall choice for Lafayette READS! always coincides with On the Same Page, the one-book program we share with Louisville Library and the community of Superior. The 2019 selection is The Last Cowboys - A Pioneer Family in the New West, by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist John Branch.

"The Last Cowboys is a grand and compelling work of reporting that, like Buzz Bissinger’s Friday Night Lights, offers deep insight into American ritual and tradition. And in telling the Wright family’s story, from branding days to rodeo nights to annual Christmas gatherings, Branch captures something vital of the grit, determination, and integrity that fuel the American Dream." - Library catalog

You can read about the book, check out our Last Cowboys "read-alike" recommendation s, and enjoy our Cowboys in the Library blog.
Reserve your copy; add our book discussion to your calendar, here on Monday, September 16, at 6 pm; and stay tuned for ticket information to our visit with author John Branch on September 26.

The Story of the American Cowboy

An Active Minds Seminar

Join us on Wednesday, August 14 at 6:30 pm at the library for The Story of the American Cowboy, the third of four seminars presented by Active Minds.

Explore the story of the American Cowboy; go beneath the mythology, and learn the origins of the Cowboy. Trace the development of the American Cowboy and its influence upon this part of the country.

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE READING!

Explore all our blog posts this month for ideas on what to read and watch. We love to share what we come across, so try a few recommendations. You can access any of the books, CDs, and DVDs through our catalog.

We're looking for folks who want to make an impact on our community! Here are a couple of our current volunteer openings - if you see an opportunity you'd like to try, just fill out the form and contact us!

Homework Center Tutor
As a volunteer Homework Center Tutor, you will help students, individually or in small groups, work on homework assignments in a variety of subjects, including elementary and middle school math. We ask that you commit to 1-2 hours a week for the school year. Bilingual Spanish skills are a plus, but not required! Apply now.

Computer Coach
Share your tech talent: be a Computer Coach! You don’t have to know everything to be a computer coach in the Library’s computer lab. We are looking for volunteers who want to explore and learn as they help people with computer and technology questions. Apply now and put your curiosity and capabilities to excellent use!

The Friends of Lafayette Public Library

Join us at the next Friends of the Lafayette Library book sale, Saturday, September 7 - Sunday, September 15 during regular library hours in the main lobby. Find the children’s books in the second floor lobby.

Adult and children’s books are priced between .50? - $4. CDs, DVDs, and donated non-book items, including jigsaw puzzles, note cards, and small gift items are also available. *Be an "early bird"! Donate $10 for exclusive early sale entry from 9-10 am on the first day of the sale, September 7.

By the way, the June book sale brought in more than $4,000, all of which goes directly to supporting the Library. Thanks for your continuing support!

LIBRARY TOOLS FOR EASY ACCESS

We offer an assortment of tools to simplify your Library life. Try out a few of this ever-growing list, and enjoy the advantages of easy access.

RB Digital eMagazines - Stream or download magazines for free.
Museum passes - Free admission to area cultural institutions-restrictions apply.
Text messaging with the Library - Manage renewals and holds by text message.
iPads - Enjoy the use of an iPad in the Library, for up to 2 hours.
Libby helps you find and reserve library materials, from anywhere!
Lucky Day - On display in the lobby - avoid long hold waits on popular titles.
Consumer Reports WEBSITE - free access to the member content of the Consumer Reports website!
We have new foldout Boulder County Bike Maps placed in various places around the library - enjoy and ride safe!
GET A HANDLE ON YOUR ENERGY USAGE Power Check Meters help you make your home more energy efficient! They are available for check out; watch the video tutorial.
State Park Backpacks/Passes
It’s STILL summer, so take advantage of it and get outside into nature! Your Lafayette Library card can be used to check out a State Parks Pass and an accompanying backpack for seven days, good at any (or multiple) state parks during that period. Check it out!

ART @ THE LIBRARY

We offer several art galleries throughout the library featuring local artists, community art, and local school art projects. Check out what exhibits are here, and scheduled in the future by using our library art calendar.

Upper South Gallery - August

Rodeo with the Last of the Cowboys by RoseMarie London

Upper North Gallery - August

Body-Water-Politic: The Arena Series by Karen Andrews

North and South Lobby Galleries - August
A Close Look at the Flowers by May Lowry

DATABASE COLLECTION

We continue to expand our database collection in order to offer easily accessible, comprehensive information on a wide range of subjects. See something on our list that you forgot was available? Try it - our librarians are happy to help.

Explore your Family History with Ancestry
Search billions of genealogy documents; access this resource at the Library.
Explora Easy-to-use and reliable content from leading publications.
Novelist Fiction readers, find new authors and titles based on what you like! Try Novelist Good Books Alerts to help you figure what to read next.
Novelist K-8 Kids and young adults find books similar to those they love.
ReferenceUSA gives you instant, real-time access to accurate, in-depth information on U.S. businesses and U.S. residents. Learn more!