Pitkin County Library reports major program and circulation gains, unveils strategic plan

Genevie Smith, library director for the Pitkin County Library, told county trustees that the library saw substantial usage gains in 2025 and has adopted a new strategic plan shaped by extensive community engagement. Smith said the system offered 93 programs this year — a roughly 38% increase in program offerings — and recorded nearly 27,000 program attendees, which she described as a 44% jump over the prior year.

The library attributed growth to expanded outreach and partnerships. Smith cited off‑site programming in Redstone, the Crystal River Valley and Snowmass Village, and collaborations with local organizations including Aspen Words, the Aspen Historical Society and the Aspen Music Festival. She said staff have focused on offering higher‑quality programming and teaching digital literacy to help patrons use e‑resources such as Libby and Hoopla.

The new strategic plan was developed with Library Strategies consultants and informed by a yearlong public process. Jennifer Patterson and consultant Jimea Breton summarized the engagement: a staff survey with about 85% participation, 20 focus‑group participants, six targeted stakeholder interviews (including Spanish‑language interviews), and a community survey with more than 400 responses, roughly 2.5% of Pitkin County residents. The consultants said that feedback and a data‑mapping project guided the plan’s six themes — access and community connection; culturally responsive services; spaces and technology; awareness and visibility; trust and welcome; and organizational capacity — and that the plan aligns with the county strategic plan.

Trustees and commissioners asked about funding and operational priorities. Smith said the library’s primary funding is property tax revenue and that recent state grant levels have been steady; she noted federal library funding debates but said Colorado receives a relatively small portion of those dollars and many small rural libraries depend on them. The board also pressed on teen services; Smith described staff efforts to reach middle and high school students, a teen advisory board, and targeted programming that remains a strategic emphasis going forward.

On facilities and access, staff reported nearly 184,000 visits to the main building in 2025 (an ~11% increase year over year). Since a 2016 remodel the library added small meeting rooms, a large community room and, most recently, three pods for two‑to‑four person meetings; small meeting rooms were used 2,700 times in 2025 and the Dunaway community room 405 times. Off‑site and outreach efforts — story times at Theater Aspen, tech classes at the senior center, presence at farmers markets and parades — were lifted up as reasons for growing engagement.

Smith and trustees also flagged programs tied to the Americans in the Holocaust exhibit, which the library will host in partnership with a museum in Washington, D.C.; the library is one of two Colorado institutions awarded the loan to host the exhibit, with an opening reception and public programming planned.

Board president John Wilkinson closed the library segment by praising staff and trustees and urging continued stewardship of the library as a community anchor. The board did not take a formal vote during the presentation; staff said the strategic plan will guide priorities and implementation tasks that will be tracked over the coming year.

What’s next: the library plans to use the strategic plan to prioritize actions over the next one to three years, including continued outreach to remote hamlets within the district and refinement of teen programming based on the teen advisory board’s input.