Douglas County Libraries celebrated the opening of the new Castle Rock Library with hundreds of patrons exploring the new 62,000-square-foot building on Aug. 26.

Every section of the new library was packed with patrons, browsing through books, blowing bubbles on the patios, playing on the ranch-themed playground, and enjoying story time.

Amid the crowd, Sadie Madrid and her daughter Indigo, 9, took advantage of an empty bench to read “No Snowball!” together. Madrid said she appreciates that the new library has something for everyone.

“(Indigo is) looking forward to the kids' area and I’m looking forward to the upstairs for some peace and quiet,” she said. “Plus, the views are amazing.”

The $26.5 million library houses around 160,000 titles and offers multiple upgrades to meet the growing demand for library services, such as a dedicated first floor for kids, youth, and family space with a ranch-themed play area, an indoor-outdoor fireplace, and a storytelling room.

The second floor of the library houses the adult collection, a second-hand bookstore, the Archives and Local History Department collections, and the Sjostrom History Lounge reading room. There are also 10 study rooms and a few large conference or event spaces, as well as the Douglas County Libraries staff offices. 

Outdoor amenities include an amphitheater-style seating area for storytime events, a drive-thru book drop, and two patio spaces. The previous library building was demolished to make space for the parking lot, which will have 220 spaces for visitors and staff.

Douglas County Libraries Executive Director Bob Pasicznyuk said it was exciting to see all the community support for the library. Compared to other library districts of the same size across the country, Pasicznyuk said Douglas County has the most used collection. 

“Every once in a while, I run into someone who says libraries aren’t relevant because of tech, but they still seem pretty relevant,” he said, looking around at the hundreds of patrons celebrating the opening. “This is definitely a community of readers and reading is part of their lives.”

Expanding the children and youth section was a focus of the new library because they make up a significant portion of library users, Pasicznyuk said. 

“Kids learning to read will never go out of style,” he said. 

Now that the new library is open, the Douglas County Library Board of Trustees will discuss naming the library at its Sept. 27 meeting. The former library was named in honor of Philip S. Miller, a Castle Rock icon who donated significantly to the library and the town. 

CAPTIONS (Photos by McKenna Harford)

Thousands of patrons celebrated the opening of the new library in Castle Rock on Aug. 26. The new building offers a dedicated first floor for children, youth, and family collections and services. 

Sadie Madrid and her daughter Indigo, 9, read “No Snowball!” after getting their faces painted at the grand opening of the Castle Rock Library. Madrid said she is excited about the new library amenities.

Douglas County Libraries staff reads to a packed room of children and their parents. With the Castle Rock Library officially open, library story time is back in swing. 

Littleton resident Diane Pierce looks at a book about the Cherokee Trail in the Sjostrom History Lounge. Pierce said she used to live in Castle Rock and had to come to celebrate the library’s opening.