The mission of CONNECTING VECINOS is to establish Byers Branch Library as a place for making positive and creative connections. Byers Branch Library is located within the Art District on Santa Fe of Denver and primarily serves the population of the surrounding La Alma/Lincoln Park and Historic Baker Neighborhoods. Currently, it seems there are not many opportunities for the population living in these neighborhoods to connect with the Art District community. CONNECTING VECINOS hopes to serve as an access point for our customers to connect with the artists and creative projects that are taking place in our very own neighborhood. Implicitly, the library becomes a platform for creative individuals and organizations to share their talents with their neighbors. CONNECTING VECINOS gives the Byers Branch Library a manner in which to stay abreast and connected to the creative resources in the Art District. And more importantly, CONNECTING VECINOS in an opportunity for the neighborhood population to have a presence and artistic identity within the Art District.

Neighborhood Participation – Byers Library seeks to celebrate the talent and creativity in our local communities by specifically working with individuals and organizations that are active in the areas that Byers Library serves, which includes: La Alma/Lincoln Park Neighborhood, Historic Baker Neighborhood and the Art District on Santa Fe. When promoting each event, we strive to reach beyond the library’s doors and out to our neighbors by personally inviting people while out and about in the area, handing out flyers while attending other local events, and utilizing social-networking sites specific to our neighborhoods such as Nextdoor.com and Artdistrictonsantafe.com. Fostering Community Relationships – The invitation to collaborate in CONNECTING VECINOS does not promise monetary compensation, but it offers the option to be listed in the Denver Public Library Database, which gives the artists and organizations an opportunity to be hired by any DPL branch to provide programs to library customers on future occasions. Engaging Programming - We strive to provide hands-on, interactive, and accessible programs through art-workshops, performances, readings, and creative projects. Every event is unique as the activities are determined by the nature our collaborator’s artistic style, identity, or mission. Literacy Components - To support the Denver Public Library’s effort to provide literacy-rich environments, we write a blog about each collaborator. During the event, we provide handouts listing relevant resources that can be found in DPL’s catalog.

CONNECTING VECINOS launches April 2014. The following events exemplify the nature of engaging programming and collaboration we hope to achieve with every event we organize: MOVE FREELY BICYCLE EVENT (05/17/14) Bring your bicycles for a basic bike maintenance workshop presented by the 411 BIKE PIT!, a bicycle collective, free bike shop, and community hub. DPL CONNECT, a pedal-powered mobile library, will join the fun! Activities close with a neighborhood bike-ride. STREET ART (07/19/14) Josiah Lopez will lead a tour of an exhibition at Museo de las Americas featuring artwork of Denver Graffiti Artists, including himself. Then return to library for a hands-on workshop exploring the techniques and materials used in making graffiti-style art. As CONNECTING VECINOS develops, we are realizing this program fulfills a greater role beyond offering fun activities. CONNECTING VECINOS reminds us that internet can only go so far in keeping us relevant and in-tune with our community; so we as library staff are called to go out and get to know about great things happening just outside our doors. CONNECTING VECINOS gives us an access point with which to approach new people in the community because we become open to collaborative possibilities with people or organizations we may not have considered before. By building supportive relationships with the individuals and organizations we collaborate with, the library can reach out to the people in their unique social circles; thus potentially reaching out to people who may not have considered coming to the library before.