Massive renovation of Rawlings Library is almost done. Here's what's new at the library
The Pueblo City-County Library District is nearing an official end to years of renovations at the Robert Hoag Rawlings Public Library, its main branch.
The library district expects to hit that official mark at some point next week, said Nick Potter, its community relations director, though minor updates such as adding signage will last into April. The library district plans to commemorate the completion of renovations at that time with a weeklong set of activities, including self-guided tours on Monday and a ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday.
Renovations to Rawlings Library, which opened in 2003, started in August 2021 to keep the facility “up to date” and viable for the next 20 years, said Jon Walker, the executive director for PCCLD at that time.
The library district kicked off a fundraising campaign before it started renovations to help supplement the $12.5 million cost of the project. It had raised about $10 million through public and private funding before the launch of that campaign.
The four-phase renovation led to an overhaul in each of the branch’s four floors with a focus to provide accessibility, information and flexibility for library patrons.
“Our plan is to create a library that meets people’s needs now and into the future,” Potter said.
Most of the renovations centered on the interior of the facility, but some of the exterior was reworked, in part to address ADA needs.
The Mobility Plaza near the branch’s entrance now allows vehicles to drive straight up to the library's entrance in a roundabout-like area where people with mobility limitations can be dropped off and picked up.
There had previously been a wall in that area, adjacent to which was Bates Lane, which ran under the library. But that lane was also removed. That space now has an outdoor amphitheater, additional handicap parking spots and provides a safer opportunity for people with ADA needs to access the entrance, Potter said.
The facility also has loop systems that are present in meeting rooms to assist patrons who have hearing impairments, Potter said, and the library district is trying to identify other areas where it can make the branch more ADA accessible.
The fourth floor, which is expected to be accessible to the public next week, is now a grand event space.
Info and community zones on revamped first floor
Previously home to the Youth Services Area, the first floor now has multiple meeting rooms, an “Infozone” that taps into media literacy with a bevy of information on newspapers and other forms of media and a community zone where people can complete their work or relax after grabbing a beverage from PJ’s Coffee, which is a few feet away.
Next to that area is the first of multiple laptop vending machines, which were installed to reduce waiting lines that were prevalent when people tried to access computers. Patrons can check out those laptops with their library card and take them anywhere within the facility and access the Wi-Fi.
The Makerspace area, previously known as the Idea Factory, is also part of the first floor and is now much larger than before. It will be host to community classes and programming such as crafting or learning methods that help with gardening, among other skills.
The Friends of the Library and technology training rooms next to the Makerspace area and Infozone are free to reserve by community organizations or groups seeking a quiet and sufficient space for meetings or classes.
“Libraries are all about access to information and information literacy,” Potter said. “The meeting rooms are a community hub to share ideas and the Makerspace is great to train people on new ways to create things. The training (community) rooms provide digital and technical literacy.”
That literacy meshes with media through a virtual exhibit within the Infozone that shows the history of Pueblo newspapers, some of which are in Spanish and German, among other languages.
Youth service, teen areas part of updated offerings on second floor
HBM Architects, an interior design and architecture firm based in Cleveland, overhauled the branch’s second floor with larger windows and higher ceilings. That design allowed the library district to move the children’s area to that floor and create a “bright, colorful and voluminous space,” Potter said.
There was a bank of computers on the second floor, but those were relocated to make way for the Sandy Graham Rawlings Youth Services Area, which features a youth installation that’s interactive and gives kids an opportunity to creatively craft separate stories and hear them back. There are other interactive islands within the youth space for different age groups that offer other activities.
Not too far from that area is a “story time circle” that’s a dedicated space for children to read books or engage in crafts. Next to that is a sensory room for kids with special needs who require a space that’s less noisy or better fits their needs. That room was designed after parents within the library district’s focus and outreach groups expressed a desire during the master planning process for a space that could accommodate kids with those needs, Potter said.
The adult study rooms that were in this area of the library were converted to family study rooms that can serve as a place where a parent or child can complete their homework, Potter said. The rooms can conceivably benefit some Pueblo families who lack access to Wi-Fi in their homes.
Across from the youth services area is a teen area with space for teenagers to complete group projects or play board games. Next to that are the Pueblo NAACP, Arc of Pueblo and Jeff and Paula Chostner study rooms. Those two organizations and the Chostners secured naming rights for those rooms, and the library district worked with those organizations to develop book collections for each that can be found next to those rooms.
The Pueblo NAACP collection has books that highlight African American history and the Arc of Pueblo collection has materials on people and children with intellectual or developmental disabilities.
More:PJ's Coffee starting a new chapter at Pueblo's Rawlings Library
“We worked with those groups to make sure that we have library materials that people can use as a resource to learn (more about each topic),” Potter said.
The adult nonfiction and fiction collection is now on the southeast portion of the floor, next to a seed library that also offers patrons an opportunity to check out gardening tools.
Hispanic Resource Center, genealogy intertwine
To capitalize on the wealth of some of Pueblo’s Hispanic roots, the library district dedicated a space for the Hispanic Resource Center that offers Spanish reading and viewing materials. Previously, the center was on the second floor and without a designated home, Potter said.
The center also contains a mural that “tells the history of the Chicano movement and Spanish culture” in Pueblo, Potter said, and that mural is paired with a legend that can help patrons understand that movement and culture.
“The important thing is that we connected the (Hispanic Resource Center) to genealogy and local history,” Potter said. “That makes it a better fit for the layout of the building and what people use it for.”
Genealogy resources and collections are on the same floor, which also features a digitization lab that patrons can rent to convert older items into a digital format.
“We can’t guess where we’re going to be 20 years from now, but that’s why you’ll experience such a flexible space at (Rawlings Library),” Potter said. “It could be easier for us to add new technology and bring in new (additions).”
Chieftain reporter Josue Perez can be reached at JHPerez@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @josuepwrites.
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Renovations of Rawlings Library nearing completion in Pueblo
