Up to the age of 3, Sara had no interest in reading books. Instead of reading, she would flip to the last page and say, “the end.” But her parents knew how important reading was to a bright future. They began attending Storytime at DCL in Castle Rock and heard the librarian suggest a goal of 1,000 books before kindergarten. They made that their mission. As a first-grader, Sara was placed on an advanced learning plan as part of a gifted program for reading and writing, and today, as a fourth-grader, she is ranked in the top 1 percent in reading nationwide, based on recent test results.

Second-grader Penelope was not a confident reader, especially when she compared herself to others in her class. Reading Buddies allowed her to grow her confidence in sounding out unfamiliar words in front of others and that, in turn, built her confidence with reading as a whole. Her teen buddy allowed Penelope an opportunity to practice in a safe space and gain more courage with her reading, and that helped her to also find the fun in reading.

Reading Buddies has given David the confidence to read. The enthusiastic, loving environment that the staff and teen buddies exude allow him to have fun while also becoming a stronger reader. David’s mom says it is a highlight of his week and they are so thankful that the library has such enriching programs for the community.

Bob is a resident of the Wind Crest senior living community. He enjoys the independent living environment, but counts on DCL’s convenient book delivery service to satisfy his thirst for reading. Not only are the books Bob requests hand-delivered by library staff, they’re also returned by library staff for him. To Bob, this service is "wonderful." He says, "If the service ever went away, I would be in big trouble."

Miss Mary has been taking Storytime to kids in daycare centers for 12 years through DCL’s Book Start program. When she retired after 34 years as a first-grade teacher, she wanted to stay in touch with kids. She says she always loved teaching kids to read; through this program, she continues to help them develop a real love for books of all types. At 75, it’s still rewarding to her, especially when the kids get so excited to see her each week!

When Opp first came to the U.S., she didn’t speak English. She was an ESL student, and someone took the time to teach her. She says the ESL program provided a pathway for her to interact and socialize with people, and now, most importantly, to have the opportunity to teach.

English fluency is crucial to feeling at home in Colorado. As a former Practice Your English facilitator and now an ESL tutor, Jean has seen how appreciative her students are for the opportunity to learn the language, and practice it, at no cost to them. Jean enjoys her time with these adults who have many competing obligations yet are eager to develop their literacy skills through these wonderful programs.

A few years ago, Raquelle decided to obtain her GED even though she had been out of school for a while. She met with DCL’s literacy specialist, who introduced her to the tutoring program. With the help of two “amazing tutors,” Raquelle passed each GED section on the first try! She says it was the best decision she ever made. Today, she’s enrolled in a university with a 3.7 GPA and is on track to graduate with two bachelor’s degrees.

Soo Mee contacted DCL for help with ESL tutoring last year and connected with a “wonderful” tutor. They met once or twice a week in a quiet, private study room at the library to help Soo Mee prepare for her U.S. citizenship, which she achieved this spring. Now she is preparing to get a job. She says, “The library program is very helpful … and my tutor is perfect. I always feel appreciative of them.”

In the process of putting together a business plan for her design business, Sydney discovered that she needed a lot of help researching trends, articles and statistics. She reached out to the business librarians through DCL for Business, who dug into the research and found information that Sydney felt she couldn't have discovered on her own. Sydney says it "made the process of putting my business plan together 100 percent easier."

David needed help with market research for his cybersecurity business. Specifically, he was looking for geographically targeted information and statistics. He reached out to the DCL for Business team for assistance. A DCL business librarian went to work researching industry data and reports, and even reached out to local government entities for information. David says he is impressed with the thorough report and materials he received for the market research he requested.