Aspen police arrested a local teen Wednesday and charged her with stealing “a large bundle of items” from the women’s locker room at the Aspen Recreation Center
Colby Kalamaya, 6, searches for her books in the lobby of the Pitkin County Library in Aspen on Thursday, May 6, 2021. The library will be reopening to the public on Monday, May 10. (Kelsey Brunner/The Aspen Times)
The Pitkin County Library is opening to the public for the first time in five months, ending its second extended closure due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The building will open Monday for in-person browsing, pickups and checkouts as the county loosens public health restrictions. Masks are required; reservations are not. Meeting rooms will remain closed for the time being and all seating has been removed from the interior.
The Pitkin County Library launched its new Read Wider program this month, aiming to build empathy through curated books, movies and music that might help local readers walk some miles in other peoples’ shoes.
Building from the “own voices” movement, the monthly program will focus on stories told about the experiences of diverse communities by their members. February’s Read Wider is inspired by Black History Month. The library recently released voluminous resource lists online for reading, listening and viewing as well as interactive tools and virtual discussions on Zoom.
The library has Read Wider programs planned through November, which will honor Native American Heritage Month. In between, the series will highlight women’s history, Arab Americans, Jewish Americans, Asian American and Pacific Islanders, LGBTQ stories, immigrants and refugees, Hispanic heritage and people with disabilities.