On Wednesday, Dec. 3, community members braved the snowy weather to attend a town hall at the Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library. Attendees learned about this year's progress made to the museum, community cases, programming, and our efforts to connect with the community. Find presentation slides from the town hall here and read on for a recap of the discussion.
Denver Public Library officials updated the community about HVAC issues affecting the third floor and the museum. These issues led to larger programming and Blair-Caldwell staples, such as the Black History Month Art Exhibit, being moved to Central Library. No time frame is available at the moment for when HVAC issues will be resolved. Stay tuned to this page for updates.
Fresh in the news was the newly passed Vibrant Denver Bond initiative. Staff shared how $12.3 million is now set aside for the Blair-Caldwell Library, thanks to Denver voters. Funds will be used to renovate the second and third floors of the library. It will also address HVAC issues. Bond funding discussions are in their early stages, with many steps ahead before more details become available within the next couple of years.
An update on community cases informed attendees that they had been restored in June. Denver Public Library has been working to continue building community relationships and to share the stories behind each display. Staff also shared exciting projects on the horizon that feature interactive displays featuring oral histories, which would take advantage of some new tech upgrades installed in the museum.
Lastly, a Blair-Caldwell Community Advisory Committee was announced. The library is looking for community members to join and share their input on how our Black history collections should be preserved, accessed, and presented to the community. Community members interested can submit their interest forms by Tuesday, December 23, at denlib.org/bcl-community.
In attendance was District 9 Councilmember Darrell Watson, who will be co-chair of the committee alongside the library's Special Collections & Archives Director, Rachel Vagts. The Councilman stressed the importance of community feedback and the value of diverse voices in the committee.
Keep checking here for future updates on all things Blair-Caldwell museum!
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