Libraries Today: Dodie Ownes

Rolling Out Resources

by Dodie Ownes

Adult Service Librarian Books & Borrowing, Central Library, Denver Public Library

Dodie Ownes joined Denver Public Library in 2016 as an Adult Service Librarian at the Central branch. She has worked in a variety of library-related positions in the past, including advertising sales, webcast production, and product development. Dodie lives in beautiful Golden Colorado, "Where the West Lives."

I know we shouldn’t spend much time looking in the rearview mirror at 2020, but when I think about all the resources and services that Denver Public Library (DPL) was able to provide when our physical doors were closed, I am amazed. Our Outreach Services department jumped into action in May 2020, deploying bookmobile and library staff to give away books, movies, and craft kits at schools providing free meals, food banks, shelters and community centers. Community Resources staff fanned out across Denver, working to connect those in need with food, housing, and medical care. Reassurance calls were made to older adults, story times went online and book clubs were Zooming. At our Central Library, the Community Technology Center moved outdoors, and CTC staff ran pop-up computer labs across the city. Like many other towns and cities across the country, the Denver community discovered that even when our buildings were closed, we could still deliver the goods!

Did the pandemic closure mean innovation stopped at DPL? It certainly did not. There was a lot of learning done along the way, and just as much informed judgement being practiced. How long should books, movies and audiobooks be quarantined? The definitive answer for that one was hard to pin down, to say the least! Will anyone attend an online Memory Cafe? You bet, many times more than would be able to attend in person. How cold is too cold to staff an outdoor computer lab? We settled on a “feels like” temperature of 42 degrees, and now that summer is upon us, 92 degrees is our top limit. A major renovation of the Central Library began mid-2020 and is expected to continue through 2022, making us rethink what “basic services” are, and how we can provide those. DPL added 300 Chromebooks (thanks to some nifty grant writing) for checkout, and added more hot spots as well. The Personalized Reading List service was expanded to include children and teens, Saturday afternoon online matinees were added, curbside pick-up proved to be wildly popular and three seed libraries were set up.

In early March 2021, nine branches opened, followed by another 13 in April. Three branches were undergoing renovation at the time and have since opened. The Central Library, at this writing, is still closed to the public due to construction delays (“supply chain issues”) but expected to open in a limited capacity very soon. Work continues on a new branch, Art Park, adjacent to the historical Five Points neighborhood and the new-ish River North area. It’s really like we never stopped pushing ahead! And the local press has noticed−303 Magazine recently ran an article titled “Five Hidden Gems at Denver Public Library,” and Westword declared DPL’s Personalized Reading Lists ”the best free service” in Denver!

Everything Denver Public Library is working toward providing this year speaks to our 2021 Commitments, focused on Collection Access, Technology Access, and Access to Public Space, with an emphasis on priority populations−BIPOC, Vulnerable Youth, Digitally Isolated, Unemployed, Unhoused, Immigrants, Refugees and Older Adults. These commitments, now in writing, are a continuation of what my fellow staff work hard to put into practice every day, no matter the hurdles and challenges ahead. I’m feeling optimistic about the future of public libraries (and our customers), and think you should as well!