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Project Overview
In 2017, Boulder voters passed a ballot initiative that included funding for the future library, and a North Boulder Branch
library became a primary goal of the 2018 Library Master Plan. Prior to the onset of the pandemic, construction was anticipated to begin in late 2020 or early 2021, with an opening in 2022.
With a $2 million shortfall closed, the library successfully integrated the following: an outdoor maker space, indoor culinary maker space, outdoor playground, outdoor community learning garden, and outdoor plaza. The City utilized opinions and recommendations from citizens of Boulder on how they should design these five components; this library also houses the largest number of Spanish language materials and the largest number of bilingual staff in the Boulder Library system. To learn more about the new library, click here.
View the final report below:
library became a primary goal of the 2018 Library Master Plan. Prior to the onset of the pandemic, construction was anticipated to begin in late 2020 or early 2021, with an opening in 2022.
With a $2 million shortfall closed, the library successfully integrated the following: an outdoor maker space, indoor culinary maker space, outdoor playground, outdoor community learning garden, and outdoor plaza. The City utilized opinions and recommendations from citizens of Boulder on how they should design these five components; this library also houses the largest number of Spanish language materials and the largest number of bilingual staff in the Boulder Library system. To learn more about the new library, click here.
View the final report below:
| nobo_library_final_report.pdf |
How did we engage our community?
We worked closely with the students and teachers of Crest View Elementary and Foothills Elementary to receive youth input on how these spaces should be designed. Through several engagements, students worked hard to design and build models to give to GUB for interpretation and city recommendations.
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In February and March 2020, GUB staff introduced the NoBo Library project to 282 3rd and 5th grade students from Crest View and Foothill Elementary Schools. The presentations included essential library project background information and described the goal of the work: to provide researched design recommendations to the city for five proposed library spaces.
Students viewed the proposed NoBo Library as an opportunity to bring people together in community. An asset to connect, learn, play, celebrate, and develop new talents. Prior to the presentations at each school, GUB prepared several key documents for the students’ inquiry: a detailed lesson plan outline, slideshows for each of the five spaces (including definitions of each space and global precedents), note-taking “packets” to support students’ research, and a series of SketchUp lessons. GUB is proud to have served such a wide range of community partners through this project, and will continue to oversee the library through the completion of construction.
Students viewed the proposed NoBo Library as an opportunity to bring people together in community. An asset to connect, learn, play, celebrate, and develop new talents. Prior to the presentations at each school, GUB prepared several key documents for the students’ inquiry: a detailed lesson plan outline, slideshows for each of the five spaces (including definitions of each space and global precedents), note-taking “packets” to support students’ research, and a series of SketchUp lessons. GUB is proud to have served such a wide range of community partners through this project, and will continue to oversee the library through the completion of construction.
"Libraries provide a safe haven for people of different cultures to express and celebrate their differences through food, art, music and many other ways."
—5th grade student, Crest View Elementary School
—5th grade student, Crest View Elementary School
“Something I want to remember about today is the variety of interactive suggestions from students— the library has the potential to be a national model for all the different kinds of learning that a library can support.”
—Louise Chawla, Professor Emeritus, University of Colorado
—Louise Chawla, Professor Emeritus, University of Colorado
