Ahead of the busy summer season, the Mancos Public Library plans to install new public and staff computers with enhanced security and reliability.
The Mancos Friends of the Library provided $9,000 to purchase a new set of HP ProDesk computers for the town’s library patrons and staff.
“Our computers will be quite a bit faster, more secure and reliable,” said Mancos Public Library Director Jared Boudreaux, who added that in addition to providing better technology for the public, the computer upgrade will aid staff in creating event flyers and editing videos for historical projects.
Library staff have been interviewing town residents for oral histories, and the improved speed of the new computers will make the editing process much easier, Boudreaux said.
“The dream is to have a section in the library to listen to peoples’ accounts,” he said, a goal that is now more accessible.
The library hopes to install the computers by the end of April, before the summer rush of young students who come to enjoy the library during their break. Boudreaux expressed his appreciation for the Mancos Friends of the Library, which organizes auctions and sells memorabilia to fund library activities.
“They’ve been fantastic for us and I was happy to ask,” Boudreaux said.
On its website, the Mancos Friends of the Library is currently selling signed and unsigned prints from the late, acclaimed local artist Stanton Englehart to raise money.
“They’re kind of extraordinary,” said organization president Anne Benson. “They’re very different.”
She also mentioned the upcoming auction of a one-night stay in a historic fire tower in the La Plata Mountains, courtesy of the Jersey Jim Foundation. The annual online auction typically generates a few hundred dollars for the library. The date of the auction has yet to be announced.
