At least twice a week, James Austin visits the Denver Public Library’s main downtown branch to check out a book, peruse the stacks, browse in the map room — he’s avid about cartography — and in general find some peace and quiet.
So when the library closes Thursday for a week-long, systemwide computer upgrade, the retiree will be somewhat adrift, if only until the Feb. 3 reopening.
“I’ve joked with my wife that I won’t know what to do with myself,” Austin said on a recent snowy afternoon. “It’s just a week, but I’ll still miss coming in. The library is such a part of my routine.”
Austin is not alone in his sentiments.
Each week, the Denver Public Library system gets 78,000 visitors, according to DPL statistics. About one-third of those visitors go to the Central Library, at 10 W. 14th Avenue Parkway; the rest patronize the 22 branch locations.
In any given week, about 15,000 items — books, videos and the like — are in circulation. That’s a lot of use. And it speaks to how we live in a city of readers and to ideas of self- improvement rooted in the very heart of the American experience.
For a library is far more than just a place to borrow books.
Job hunters use the computers to seek work. Kids get a head start on reading in the children’s books sections and outreach programs.
Historians and genealogists use the library for research, notably at the Central Library and Blair-Caldwell African-American Research Library, in Five Points. The library hosts art and photo exhibitions, and the occasional meeting of world leaders, witness the Denver Summit of the Eight in 1997. For the less fortunate, it provides a respite from the cold and stress of the streets.
And once a year, at the Booklovers Ball fundraising gala, the Central Library is transformed into a swank dining hall and dance floor for the tuxedo-and-gown set, complete with martini bars.
Not bad for an institution founded in 1889 in a wing of Denver High School with just a few trunkfuls of books.
“One of our main goals is improving people’s lives by allowing them to acquire the resources and skills needed to prosper and contribute to Denver’s economy,” said City Librarian Shirley Amore. In addition, it provides the forum “where people’s lives can be enriched by reading, learning and engaging in experiences here that make Denver a better place to live.”
Maria Fernández uses the library to enhance her English skills, hoping to get a better job.
“I studied here for my citizenship exam, reading history books and learning about the Constitution,” said Fernández, who grew up in Mexico City. “I drop in once every couple of weeks, get a book, sit down and read.
“I like how it’s quiet, and I can concentrate,” she said. With three children, she added with a laugh, it’s a luxury she doesn’t always get at home.
This notion of self-improvement was one of the bedrock ideas in the creation of American lending libraries. The first was created by Benjamin Franklin in Philadelphia in 1731.
Andrew Carnegie, a 19th-century Scottish immigrant who bootstrapped himself into one of America’s richest industrialists, furthered this concept. He funded construction of hundreds of libraries across the country, including Denver’s original central library and its first eight branches.
John Cleveland began using the Central Library regularly two years ago, when he lost his job as a systems analyst.
“Cutting back on expenses, it wasn’t long before my Internet connection was gone and my purchase of books halted,” he said.
Cleveland discovered that the library provided free Wi-Fi service, which was a boon.
“I found a quiet corner — there are hundreds of these — and could stay online for hours,” he said. “It was a real lifeline.”
Cleveland recently found a job, so he’s back in the 40-hour workweek. But he’s not giving up the library.
“I am now hooked on using the library’s regular services,” he said. “I keep track of my readings and in the last year I have checked out over 150 books ranging from classics like ‘The Virginian’ to current best sellers like ‘All the Devils Are Here,’ ” an account of the 2008 Wall Street meltdown that indirectly cost him his job.
Although Cleveland understands the need for the computer upgrade, he’ll miss the library during its closure.
“Being down a week will be a huge inconvenience for many of us,” he said. “It’s a great institution.”
William Porter: 303-954-1877 or wporter@denverpost.com
Denver library closure details
Here are a few things you’ll need to know about the Denver Public Library’s systemwide closure from Thursday through Feb. 2, while a new Polaris computer system is installed. The library reopens Feb. 3.
• No items will be due between Thursday and Feb. 14. Please do not return any items during the one-week closure.
• During the closure, patrons can access downloadable media and research databases, but the online catalog will be unavailable.
• The new system will offer improved My Account functions, the option to retain reading history and personal lists and receive text notifications.
• DPL will offer classes to those who want to learn more about the Polaris system. It will also have video tutorials online at .
