The Denver Public Library (DPL) wants your help in naming a new branch in Westwood.
DPL is seeking name recommendations for the branch at the Westwood Redeemer development at 3300 West Nevada Place.
The library system formed a community committee in partnership with District 3 Councilmember Jamie Torres made up of Westwood residents, business owners and community leaders. The committee determined a naming criteria and now it's up to residents to submit the name of their future branch.
The branch can be named after a person or a non-person (geography, etc.).
With a person's name, that person has to be deceased and a Westwood resident or leader who contributed to the neighborhood's values.
Options for a non-person namesakes could be geographical references, words that describe a space or words that convey cultural meaning involving the neighborhood.
Residents can submit their recommendations online or in person at the existing Westwood branch located at 1000 S Lowell Blvd. The submission deadline is Sept. 29.
After the deadline, DPL will vet and research the names. The committee will score the submissions and vote on a name. The final pick will be presented to the Library Commission on Dec. 21.
Here's how DPL has defined its naming criteria:
At about 900 square feet, the existing Westwood branch is the tiniest in DPL's system.
With the 2021 Rise Bond, DPL secured funding to build a bigger and better branch more suited for the neighborhood's needs. DPL partnered with Lifespan Local, a Southwest Denver community service group, to open the new branch at the site of the old Redeemer Lutheran Church on the corner of W. Nevada Place and S. Irving Street.
Lifespan purchased the church in 2021 and intends to turn it into a community hub with an early education center, a community kitchen, mental health services and a law clinic.
The new branch will be about 6,000 square-feet and feature a larger collection, more access to technology and community meeting spaces. DPL said construction is underway and should be completed in 2024.
