These Denver Public Library locations are generously offering both guided and self-guided tours during the conference! Thanks to the PLA 2016 Local Arrangements Subcommittee and the library staff for arranging these tours. And each library is within 15–20 minutes of the Colorado Convention Center via public transit.
Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library
Welcome to the Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library, a branch of the Denver Public Library. Omar D. Blair and Elvin R. Caldwell are the two shared namesakes of the Blair-Caldwell Library. Located in the historic neighborhood of Five Points and the only library of its kind between Detroit and Oakland, it focuses on the history, culture, literature, art, music, religion and politics of African Americans in Colorado and the Rocky Mountain West. The museum highlights the historic Five Points neighborhood, African Americans in early Denver (including the city’s earliest arrivals), the Black West, and the African American leadership corridor and gallery. A rotating art gallery featuring local artists and traveling exhibits also share space with the museum.
https://history.denverlibrary.org/about-blair
Self-guided tours are available during regular business hours: Mondays and Wednesdays, 12:00–8:00 PM; Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, 10:00 AM–6:00 PM; Saturdays, 9:00 AM–5:00 PM
Blair Guided Tours will be offered:
Monday, April 4, 1:00 PM and 4:00 PM
Wednesday, April 6, 1:00 PM and 4:00 PM
Friday, April 8, 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM
Saturday, April 9, 10:00 AM and 1:00 PM
Please sign-up for a guided tour in advance at http://goo.gl/forms/okVsu7yZEi.
Denver Public Library – Central Library
Denver’s Central Library is the largest library between Los Angeles and Chicago, and each year over a million people visit to view the Michael Graves building, see the unique departments, and look at the art and sculpture exhibited in the building. The PLA Lounge, where attendees visiting the library can hang out and chat with each other and library staff, will be inside the west side entrance of the Central Library and open during regular business hours.
https://www.denverlibrary.org
Self-guided tours are available during regular business hours: Mondays and Tuesdays, 10:00 AM–8:00 PM; Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, 10:00 AM–6:00 PM; Saturdays, 9:00 AM–5:00 PM
Central Guided Tours will be offered:
Monday, April 4, 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM
Tuesday, April 5, 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM
Wednesday, April 6, 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM
Thursday, April 7, 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM
No guided tours on Friday, April 8, or Saturday, April 9
Please sign-up for a guided tour in advance at https://www.denverlibrary.org/general-tour.
The ideaLAB on the 4th floor will host an open time 12:00–1:00 PM on Monday–Thursday and Saturday, but not on Friday. There is no need to sign up for the ideaLAB during these open times.
Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzales Branch Library
“One of the primary goals of the project is to celebrate the diverse and culturally rich community of West Denver,” said architect Joseph Montalbano. “To emphasize the spirit of this diversity, the building façade is highlighted by a series of brightly colored horizontal ‘threads.’ Each thread is a symbol for the unique members of the community. In this way, the building exterior showcases the transformational power of the neighborhood.”
https://www.denverlibrary.org/blog/james/gonzales-branch-library-grand-opening
Self-guided tours are available during regular business hours: Mondays and Tuesdays, 12:00–8:00 PM; Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, 10:00 AM–6:00 PM; and Saturdays, 9:00 AM–5:0 PM
Gonzales Guided Tours will be offered:
Friday, April 8, 11:00 AM
Saturday, April 9, 1:00 PM
The Gonzales Branch doesn’t have a current tour sign-up sheet, but attendees can e-mail senior librarian Edmund Ye Kiang at ekiang@denverlibrary.org to set-up a guided tour.