GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — On July 25, Mesa County Libraries will turn 125 years old, and the party is already underway. What started as a tiny reading room in 1899 has grown into eight branches that serve more than 150,000 people across western Colorado. This summer, the libraries are marking the milestone the best way they know how: by letting the community do the talking.

More than 80 video stories have already been recorded, and new ones keep rolling in. Patrons, staff, kids, seniors, and even people who moved away decades ago are stepping in front of the camera to say what the library has meant to them.

These Are Not Just Videos. They Are Love Letters.

Walk into the Central Library on a Tuesday afternoon and you will probably spot the little recording booth tucked near the genealogy room. A simple backdrop, a ring light, and a sign that reads “Tell us your library story.”

The results are pure gold.

One man talks about finding a safe place to sleep as a homeless teen in the 1980s. A little girl explains how she learned to read with the help of Miss Michelle during story time. A retired teacher tears up remembering the summer reading program that turned her son from a reluctant reader into a book devourer.

“We knew people had stories,” says Tamara Vliek, Senior Communications Manager for Mesa County Libraries. “We didn’t know they would be this powerful.”

The project launched in spring 2023. Library staff expected maybe 30 or 40 videos. They now have enough material to release one story nearly every week for the next two years.

You can watch them all on the Mesa County Libraries Facebook page, and every clip feels like opening a time capsule.

A Timeline That Feels Like Home

1899: A group of women in Grand Junction pools $1 dues to open the Grand Junction Library Association in two rooms above a store on Main Street.

1938: Voters approve the creation of a county library district — one of the first in Colorado.

1970s: Bookmobiles rumble across orchards and mesas to reach kids in Palisade, Collbran, and Gateway.

1990s: The internet arrives. The library becomes the only place many families can get online.

2024: The libraries now circulate more than 1.2 million items a year, host 2,500 programs, and offer everything from 3D printers to seed libraries.

Parties, Prizes, and One Giant Birthday Cake

The official birthday falls on Thursday, July 25, but the celebration stretches all summer.

Here is what is coming up:

• July 25: Big community party at the Central Library with live music, food trucks, and a massive birthday cake
• Through August: Special story times featuring local authors who grew up using the library
• August 10: “Library After Dark” adults-only party with trivia, craft beer, and a silent disco in the stacks
• Ongoing: Limited-edition 125th anniversary library cards (they are gorgeous — get one while they last)

Every branch is hosting its own events too. The Fruita branch is burying a time capsule. Clifton is doing a petting zoo and touch-a-truck day. Collbran is throwing a good old-fashioned ice cream social.

Why This Milestone Hits Different in 2024

Libraries are fighting for their lives in some parts of the country. Book bans, budget cuts, and questions about relevance dominate headlines.

Out here on the Western Slope, the opposite is happening.

Circulation is up. Program attendance is up. The number of people walking through the doors is up 18% over pre-pandemic levels.

The videos prove why.

One woman talks about using the library’s Wi-Fi to apply for jobs after she lost everything in the 2020 wildfires. Another man credits the library’s ESL classes with helping him pass his citizenship test at age 67.

In an era when people feel more disconnected than ever, the library remains one of the last truly public spaces — free, open to all, no questions asked.

The Next 125 Years Start Now

Ask any staff member what they want for the future and the answer is the same: Keep being the living room of Mesa County.

They dream of a new De Beque branch. They want mobile hotspots in every parking lot in the county. They hope the next generation keeps telling their stories in whatever format comes after video.

For now, they are just grateful people showed up to share the first 125 years.

So happy birthday, Mesa County Libraries. Thank you for every book checked out at 2 a.m., every toddler who learned to love stories, every job application printed, every quiet corner that felt like home when home was hard to find.

We cannot wait to see what the next chapter holds.

What is your Mesa County Libraries memory? Drop it in the comments below, tag a friend who grew up going to story time with you, or record your own video and send it to the library. They are still collecting stories — because 125 years is just the beginning.