WE LOVE OUR LIBRARY
We’re passionate supporters of the Boulder Public Library.
WE LOVE OUR LIBRARY
We’re passionate supporters of the Boulder Public Library.
Our Library is shaping our future.
Like all Libraries, the Boulder Public Library began with books. But it’s evolved into so much more—a space that inspires creativity, empowers innovation, and encourages life-long learning.
Our Library is continually reinventing itself to best meet our community’s needs, and Boulderites clearly love it:
- 96% of households have a Boulder Public Library card—that’s 55% growth over the past decade.
- More than 1 million people visit our Library every year, and in the past 10 years, there has been a 33% increase in program participation.
- Library patrons check out more than 1.5 million items every year—an increase of 32% in the past 10 years.
- Last year, more than 12,000 new members signed up for Library cards, and volunteers contributed more than 18,000 hours of their time to Library programs.
Our Library is the cornerstone of our community. And programs are the cornerstone of our Library. By funding programs like BLDG 61 Makerspace, Lego Story Club, and Computer Science Education Week, the Boulder Library Foundation is working to ensure our Library’s remarkable work continues far into the future.
90%
The Boulder Library Foundation funds nearly 90% of our Library’s events, activities, and programs.
$4 million
Our donors have made it possible for us to invest more than $4 million in Library programs over the past decade.
Our Role
Contributors
We support and resource our Library’s staff.
Collaborators
We nurture community partnerships.
Co-Creators
Together with our partners, we make it possible for our Library to offer meaningful programs.
Our Commitment
The Boulder Library Foundation commits to supporting a community of lifetime learning and participation where all people have a sense of belonging. We continue to grow strong as a community thanks to all the races, ethnicities, languages, nationalities, religions, ages, genetic dispositions, neurodiversity, abilities, genders, sexual orientations, economic and housing statuses, veteran status, backgrounds and ideas that enrich our city and our library system.
Our Plan
In the summer of 2022, the Boulder Library Foundation board and staff embarked on a process designed to develop and adopt a three-year strategic plan. To undertake an extensive, inclusive and thoughtful process, the Foundation engaged a third-party consultant – Jennie Arborgash Consulting. Read the Executive Summary here.
Board Members
Like you, our Foundation board members care deeply about our community. We’re fortunate to have such passionate Library advocates in Boulder! Since we began our work, dozens of Boulderites have given their time, energy and expertise to our board.
Kitty deKieffer – President
- Fundraiser
- Friendraiser
- Business Person
Kitty has been very involved in non profits in the local, state and national level. She owns a farm, enjoys her non profit work and loves her son, Hunter. Libraries have been her nourishment from an early age. Sadly, she has an (un)healthy love for shoes.
Jenny Slade – Vice President
-
- Writer
- Learner
- Birder
Jenny is a lifelong learner, reader, writer, and marketer. Her first job was shelving books in a DC library, she fell into literature at the UPenn library, learned Spanish in the library of Valencia, Spain, and frequents the Audubon library online to learn about birds.
Sharon Bloom – Secretary
- Friend
- Enthusiast
- Connector
Sharon is a creative connoisseur – of fiction, theater and music. A marketing professional, Sharon is a mother to two teens (both avid readers) and wife to a sci-fi loving husband. When not working Sharon can be found planning their next adventure.
Marc Levinson – Treasurer
- Educator
- Entrepreneur
- Innovator
An independent schools consultant with many years of governance experience on a variety of nonprofit and for-profit boards, Marc understands and appreciates libraries. He has lived in the Boulder area for 45 years and loves tennis, gardening, cycling and hiking.
Alice Brown
- Open
- Enthusiastic
- Supporter
Alice is a lifelong helper, volunteer, and friend who dreams of touring the most beautiful libraries in the world. She loves spending time in the sunshine, arts and crafts, coffee chats, and living room gatherings with loved ones and her dog, Alfie.
Kristin Centanni
- Nature-lover
- Entrepreneur
- Learner
As an experienced management consultant and business owner, Kristin brings a keen strategic perspective to the library foundation. Her love of libraries as a safe space that is open to all, runs deep and it’s no surprise that she even formed her own business concept during brainstorming sessions at the Boulder Library!
Adriana Farmer
- Operator
- Optimist
- Connector
By day, Adriana brings innovative new products and ideas to market and scale. She loves reading fiction and enjoys playing outside with her husband and dog, “Champ.” She strongly believes in the library’s role of providing equal access to education.
Doris Hass – Founder
Board member since 1974.
Kavita Sienknecht
- Entrepreneur
- Ideator
- Collectivist
Kavita’s connection to libraries goes back to her childhood in India and the library her grandmother ran from a spare bedroom in her home. She frequents the library during the week to grow her own consulting business, and on the weekend with her daughter, passing along her love of libraries to the next generation.
Julie Yates
- Learner
- Strategic thinker
- Outdoorsperson
Shaped significantly by libraries and librarians as a child, Julie is a lifelong supporter of public libraries. She has enjoyed more than three decades of work in education, fundraising, and nonprofit governance, always with the goal of making the world kinder, more inclusive, and full of wonder.
Andy Sayler – Library District Representative
- Hacker
- Helper
- Engineer
Andy is a computer scientist and hacker who has long loved the Boulder Public library for all it provides. When not working his day job in information security, he can be found tinkering with his house or canning fresh tomatoes.
Sylvia Wirba – Library District Representative
- Lawyer
- Organizer
- Synthesizer
Books and libraries have always been a special part of Sylvia’s life. She loves reading, writing, traveling, and spending time with family and friends. As an attorney, she advocates for indigenous peoples, including tribal and national housing issues.
Doris Hass – Founder
Board member since 1974.
Jenny Slade – Vice President
-
- Writer
- Learner
- Birder
Jenny is a lifelong learner, reader, writer, and marketer. Her first job was shelving books in a DC library, she fell into literature at the UPenn library, learned Spanish in the library of Valencia, Spain, and frequents the Audubon library online to learn about birds.
Marc Levinson – Treasurer
- Educator
- Entrepreneur
- Innovator
An independent schools consultant with many years of governance experience on a variety of nonprofit and for-profit boards, Marc understands and appreciates libraries. He has lived in the Boulder area for 45 years and loves tennis, gardening, cycling and hiking.
Sylvia Wirba – Library District Representative
- Lawyer
- Organizer
- Synthesizer
Books and libraries have always been a special part of Sylvia’s life. She loves reading, writing, traveling, and spending time with family and friends. As an attorney, she advocates for indigenous peoples, including tribal and national housing issues.
Kitty deKieffer – President
- Fundraiser
- Friendraiser
- Business Person
Kitty has been very involved in non profits in the local, state and national level. She owns a farm, enjoys her non profit work and loves her son, Hunter. Libraries have been her nourishment from an early age. Sadly, she has an (un)healthy love for shoes.
Adriana Farmer
- Operator
- Optimist
- Connector
By day, Adriana brings innovative new products and ideas to market and scale. She loves reading fiction and enjoys playing outside with her husband and dog, “Champ.” She strongly believes in the library’s role of providing equal access to education.
Sharon Bloom – Secretary
- Friend
- Enthusiast
- Connector
Sharon is a creative connoisseur – of fiction, theater and music. A marketing professional, Sharon is a mother to two teens (both avid readers) and wife to a sci-fi loving husband. When not working Sharon can be found planning their next adventure.
Andy Sayler – Library District Representative
- Hacker
- Helper
- Engineer
Andy is a computer scientist and hacker who has long loved the Boulder Public library for all it provides. When not working his day job in information security, he can be found tinkering with his house or canning fresh tomatoes.
Alice Brown
- Open
- Enthusiastic
- Supporter
Alice is a lifelong helper, volunteer, and friend who dreams of touring the most beautiful libraries in the world. She loves spending time in the sunshine, arts and crafts, coffee chats, and living room gatherings with loved ones and her dog, Alfie.
Kristin Centanni
- Nature-lover
- Entrepreneur
- Learner
As an experienced management consultant and business owner, Kristin brings a keen strategic perspective to the library foundation. Her love of libraries as a safe space that is open to all, runs deep and it’s no surprise that she even formed her own business concept during brainstorming sessions at the Boulder Library!
Julie Yates
- Learner
- Strategic thinker
- Outdoorsperson
Shaped significantly by libraries and librarians as a child, Julie is a lifelong supporter of public libraries. She has enjoyed more than three decades of work in education, fundraising, and nonprofit governance, always with the goal of making the world kinder, more inclusive, and full of wonder.
Kavita Sienknecht
- Entrepreneur
- Ideator
- Collectivist
Kavita’s connection to libraries goes back to her childhood in India and the library her grandmother ran from a spare bedroom in her home. She frequents the library during the week to grow her own consulting business, and on the weekend with her daughter, passing along her love of libraries to the next generation.
Foundation Staff
Chris Barge – Executive Director
- Catalyst
- Adventurer
- Writer
Chris draws energy equally from meeting new people, mountain biking through pine forests and settling in with a new book. He joined the Boulder Library Foundation team after 10 years in newspapers and 13 years with Community Foundation Boulder County.
Lisa McClellan – Administrative Assistant
- Learner
- Singer
- Mother
Lisa brings over 10 years of nonprofit and for-profit administrative experience to the Boulder Library Foundation team. She is passionate about lifelong learning and supporting inclusive spaces and experiences. She enjoys singing, reading and exploring the great outdoors with her family.
Chris Barge – Executive Director
- Catalyst
- Adventurer
- Writer
Chris draws energy equally from meeting new people, mountain biking through pine forests and settling in with a new book. He joined the Boulder Library Foundation team after 10 years in newspapers and 13 years with Community Foundation Boulder County.
Lisa McClellan – Administrative Assistant
- Learner
- Singer
- Mother
Lisa brings over 10 years of nonprofit and for-profit administrative experience to the Boulder Library Foundation team. She is passionate about lifelong learning and supporting inclusive spaces and experiences. She enjoys singing, reading and exploring the great outdoors with her family.
Partners
We believe in the power of partnerships to support our community. As we grow our programming, we’re excited to welcome new organizations and groups as partners.
Our promise to our Library and community.
We’re invested.
Our volunteer Board of Directors invests their own time and money into our Library.
We’re committed to collaboration.
Our Library belongs to Boulder, not to our Foundation. So, we work with a variety of partners to best leverage each other’s valuable assets for the benefit of our community.
We’re focused on our Library’s legacy.
We want to see new generations fall in love with the Library and what it contributes to our community.
Our promise to our Library and community.
We’re invested.
Our volunteer Board of Directors invests their own time and money into our Library.
We’re committed to collaboration.
Our Library belongs to Boulder, not to our Foundation. So, we work with a variety of partners to best leverage each other’s valuable assets for the benefit of our community.
We’re focused on our Library’s legacy.
We want to see new generations fall in love with the Library and what it contributes to our community.
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