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Get happy: volunteer

For some 50 years or so, generations of college students participated in psychological testing. It was easy money for goofy tasks: sort silverware, look at images with your left eye, then your right. But then all that science, because that’s what it was, started to yield results. Here’s one of the experiments that stayed with me. First, you go to the park by yourself and have an ice cream. Second, you get a visit from someone who drops off a sandwich and stays to chat for a while. Third, you make a bunch of sandwiches, drop them off at a senior center, and stick around to chat with the folks there. After each of these, you are asked how you feel a half hour later, a day later, a week later, a month later. Here’s the surprising finding. All of these things make you feel a little happier. But the third task, where you do something for someone else, had enduring results, up to six months later. Science has confirmed that it is literally better to give than to receive. In a world where we ...
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Substance abuse has solutions

Back in March of this year, a Rifle library patron reported to our security guard that a man was apparently sleeping in the bathroom. The guard contacted our staff, and they went carefully to investigate. The man was not asleep. But he was unresponsive and drooling. There are people reading this that are already nodding. They’re thinking with despair, “This is my son.” Or, “My grandson.” Others are thinking, “This could be my wife.” Or, “Me.” Fortunately, library staff had received Narcan training just weeks before from High Rockies Harm Reduction. They called 911 then used the Narcan and by the time medics arrived, they had already prepared our defibrillator. The EMT told us, “If you hadn’t stepped in, the man would have died.” Libraries save lives. At the end of 2023, library staff interviewed almost 100 community leaders. The top issue in our county was housing. But the second issue was mental health, encompassing everything from anxiety to substance abuse. Since 2023, fentanyl has ...

Wildfires and wind currents: air quality in western Colorado

Imagine that you drive north from Montrose, Colorado to Grand Junction. Air quality starts out pretty good, gets worse. You take I-70 east to Glenwood Springs, then angle southeast, but higher, to Aspen.    It looks like the smoke and ash of regional fires (Lee and Elk) flow up both Colorado and Roaring Fork rivers. Upvalley. I felt it in my lungs which is what got me interested. Here's the key to my slapped together chart.     0 to 50 = Good 51 to 100 = Moderate 101 to 150 = Unhealthy for sensitive groups 151 to 200 = Unhealthy 201 to 300 = Very unhealthy 301+ = Hazardous     I suspect this random bit of citizen science (data points from public resources) is no more than that. But wildfires move fast and fire isn't the only concern.

The Vanishing Reporter

For over 25 years I was a weekly newspaper columnist. That doesn’t make me a journalist. Writing personal essays isn’t the same thing as reporting on the news. But I hung around with a lot of real newspaper professionals. I grew to respect them. I also saw what’s happened everywhere. Newspaper editions got thinner, not only in number of pages, but in the width and height, too. Mainly that’s because the business model for newspapers used to be based on advertising. Now most of that has shifted to the internet. Subscriptions don’t replace the lost revenue. Smaller papers are cheaper. Even big papers with international reputations were struggling. The Washington Post was one of them. In their case salvation came in the surprising form of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. He bought the paper from the Graham family in 2013 for $250 million. At first, Bezos seemed content to mostly leave it alone. In 2017, the Washington Post adopted a new slogan: “democracy dies in darkness.” In February of this y...

Spotlight on Glenwood Springs Branch Library

One of the standard segments of our library board meetings is the Branch Manager Report. In July, our director of branches, Nancy Barnes, filled in for vacationing Abraham Korah. Their comments were so good I thought them worthy of wider dissemination. I have lightly edited them, adding my own intro and conclusions. Intro Our board meetings move around the district. The last board meeting at Glenwood happened in April of 2025. Concluding in May was the art show we held with the Glenwood Art Guild. We currently have some informative displays from the Glenwood Historic Preservation Society of notable buildings as well as information about how Glenwood residents can landmark their homes for preservation. We also have a “Join the Conversation” display and cards for community participation in conjunction with the One Small Step Storycorp grant that Adult Services Coordinator Trary LaMee secured earlier this year which aims to foster civil and civic community engagement. If you walk by the f...

Locals' Choice Award for Librarian

I forgot to record this when it happened. Back in April. the Post Independent posted their winners of the 2025 Locals' Choice Awards. Garfield County Public Library District won twice: I edged out New Castle Branch Manager Ana Gaytan for the #1 Librarian; she came in at #2. They even gave us a plaque, on display at our HQ. Thank you, Garfield County!

Building Community in New Castle and Parachute

Garfield County has some wonderful libraries, most of them built about a decade ago following a successful public vote on a bond issue. But 10 years is long enough to call for a second look and to freshen things up. Our first building refresh is the New Castle Branch. Branch manager Ana Gaytan cut the ribbon on May 28, 2025. Jenn Cook, former New Castle branch manager (now Technical Services Director for the district) held one end and I held the other. Just beyond was a couch, chairs and Spanish materials for all ages. I recommend a visit. The project, completed on time and on budget, reflects the changing use of the public library. We still check out a lot of books — over half a million a year. And just try to get through our displays without grabbing something. The book will endure. But these days just over 50% of our checkouts are virtual. That includes ebooks, audiobooks, and movies. It also includes electronic research tools: a vetted list of information sources for anyone from st...