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The Main Library is open with limited onsite services including self-service holds pickup. The Meadows Branch Library continues to offer holds carryout appointments. Materials returns are accepted at Main Library and Meadows Branch Library.

Published August 2, 2020

Library Reopening Information

Main Library, Arapahoe Entrance

Main Library, Arapahoe Entrance

Welcome back — we’ve missed you! We are so excited to be opening our Main Library and expand more services to you during this time. Explore all the ways we’re working to meet your needs using the links below. Check back often and subscribe to our mailing list for the latest updates.

Limited Reopening of Main Library, Aug. 3, 2020 

Main Library and Call Center Hours

  • Monday through Thursday: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
  • Friday through Sunday: noon to 5 p.m.
What can I expect?  
Due to the financial impacts and safety concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, library staffing, budgets and services have been reduced to meet theses constraints. Services, like opening the library, are now more costly to provide due to the added expense of PPE and cleaning. Thank you for your understanding and patience in these unprecedented times.

  • Self-service holds pickup (up to 5 holds per account)
  • Self-service checkout
  • Limited access to building through Arapahoe Ave. entrance
  • Occupancy limits apply, please be prepared to wait for entry
  • Mandatory face covering and social distancing required
  • Access to computers, printing and copying with limited staff support; No food is allowed at the computers at this time due to COVID health and safety precautions.
  • Limited collection access; Children’s area and the Adult collections are closed.
  • All-gender restrooms open on the first floor only
  • Meeting and study rooms remain closed
  • No public seating (other than computer use)
  • Material returns accepted at outdoor book drops only
  • All materials are quarantined for 72 hours
  • For expedited service please bring library card, library card number or photo ID
  • Frequently Asked Questions about the library
Available Collections

  • New Fiction
  • New Non-fiction
  • New Science Fiction & Fantasy
  • New Mysteries
  • DVDs
  • Staff Picks for all ages

All other collections are available by placing a hold on them through our catalog.

Safety Information

The health and safety of our patrons is our number one priority. Those who are considered high risk should remain at home. We are proactively cleaning at all times. We reserve the right to close and reopen at any time due to potential health risks.

  • Please respect the safety of staff and other patrons; do not enter buildings if you are sick or experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or have recently been in contact with someone who has a confirmed or suspected case.
  • All patrons age 11 and older must wear a face covering when in buildings.
  • Patrons are expected to respect 6 feet of physical distancing between parties.
  • Patrons are expected to adhere to all signage and staff requests as related to new requirements.

For more information on what the City of Boulder is doing, please visit bouldercolorado.gov/coronavirus

Learn more about COVID-19 at:
• Boulder County’s COVID-19
• Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment
• Centers for Disease Control
• World Health Organization
• Call CO-Help at 303-389-1687 or 1-877-462-2911 or email [email protected], for answers in English and Spanish

Thank you for your understanding and for working with us to keep the community safe.

Other Available Services

  • Holds Carryout Service by appointment at the Meadows Branch Library
  • Material returns accepted both the Main Library and Meadows Branch Library.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you have more questions, contact us through our Ask a Librarian service and library staff will be happy to help.

We are now accepting returns at outdoor book drops at both the Arapahoe and Canyon entrances of the Main Library and the outdoor book drop at the Meadows Branch Library.  Please do not return items to the other locations. They are unable to accept returns until further notice.

Returned items will be quarantined for 72 hours before they are checked in and removed from your account.

Because of our required three-day quarantine of all returns, and because we are processing a large number of returned items, it may take several days for returned items to be removed from your account. Thank you for your patience as we work through our backlog! Due dates for all materials have been extended, including Prospector and Interlibrary loans. We do not have late fees/fines. Please check your account for the most up-to-date due dates for your materials and call us if you have questions.

We are accepting new requests for holds on items. Due to limited staffing, the Main Library and Meadows Branch Library are the only locations. Each patron is limited to 5 items on hold at this time.

If your holds are available at the Main Library, you do not need an appointment.  Simply grab your mask and visit during regular hours. Please be aware that occupancy limits apply, be prepared to wait for entry to the building.

If your holds are at the Meadows Branch Library, please make a hold carryout appointment when you receive notification your holds are ready.

If you receive an additional hold ready notice after scheduling your appointment, you do not need to make an additional appointment. All items that are ready for pickup by your appointment date will be waiting for you.

Due to impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, library staffing and budgets have been reduced. This has limited our capacity to purchase and process new materials as quickly as we have in the past. Additionally, publishers and distributors are working hard to meet their own budget and supply challenges. Our regional library partners and couriers are also working on phased approaches to move requested library materials to hold pickup locations. Please know that we are working hard to make new and existing materials available to our library patrons as quickly as possible, but delays are expected.

Yes, if you live in Boulder County you can sign up online for a library card to access our streaming, downloadable items or ebooks. Once the library reopens, please contact the library to upgrade to a full-access library card. At that time, both county and non-county residents are asked to visit a Boulder Public Library location. Please bring picture identification and documentation of a current Colorado mailing address. Children under 12 years of age must be accompanied by a parent or guardian at the library to receive a library card.
Send us an email with your library card number, current address, and phone number to our Ask A Librarian service and we will renew your card. If you have misplaced your library card, please email us a photo of yourself holding your photo ID to [email protected] and we will send you your library card number.
To prevent the spread of COVID-19, all library meeting rooms are closed for public use until further notice. The return to normal, in-person library operations and services may not be feasible for an indeterminate period of time due to a sustained need to maintain social/physical distance. The library, in consultation with the City of Boulder, county and state will determine when library services will resume normal operations. We will update the library website and other informational resources accordingly.
Yes! Public WiFi is accessible in the library’s parking lots, as well as the Boulder Civic Area, Boulder Reservoir (beach area), Scott Carpenter Park/Pool, and on Pearl Street from 8th to 20th Streets. Begining, Aug 3, access to public computers, printing and copying with limited staff support will be available at the Main Library.

At the Main Library, all-gender restrooms are open on the first floor only. View a full map of all City of Boulder Buildings, Facilities, Parking and Restrooms with opening and closure information. To learn more to visit the City of Boulder’s COVID-19 information page.

Yes! New 15-minute virtual storytime storytimes are published daily at 10 a.m. on our YouTube Storytime. You can watch previously recorded storytimes created by library staff and Boulder 8 TV. Watch Read With Us and sing, play and read. These programs are made possible by the generous support of the Boulder Library Foundation and the City of Boulder’s Library & Arts.
The City of Boulder is working with local, county and state partners to help prevent the spread of coronavirus and protect the well-being of our community. The City of Boulder has declared a local disaster emergency in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic and the effects it is having on the city. The latest information can be found at bouldercolorado.gov/coronavirus.
City Housing and Human Services staff are working with countywide partners to plan care and prevention for people experiencing homelessness during COVID-19. Those who are experiencing homelessness should call Coordinated Entry at 303-579-4404 to discuss year-round programs and shelter options. A separate shelter called the COVID-19 Recovery Center (CRC) is open for those who are symptomatic or positive with COVID-19. The CRC is a 24-hour facility that provides proper distanced space. For more information please visit the City’s website.
We are not currently accepting donations. We expect book donations to be welcome again once the library fully re-opens. We will have strict occupancy limits for staff, volunteers, and the public, and it takes many volunteers to process donations.