DENVER — The Denver Public Library system is asking the public for help in naming its newest branch.
The branch, located at the "ArtPark" in Denver's Five Points neighborhood, officially opened Feb. 15 of this year, but without a name.
The branch — which the library says will serve the Five Points, Cole, Globeville, and Elyria-Swansea neighborhoods — is part of a new “Community Hub.”
“The Community Hub is a unique partnership between Denver Public Library, RiNo Art District, the City of Denver, RedLine Contemporary Art Center and Focus Points Family Resource Center,” DPL said. “The shared space will provide collaborative programming and services celebrating art, innovation, education and small business. This hub will also have a public plaza off the Platte River Bike Path and green space that will be an active hub for the community.”
Denver residents were asked to submit their ideas for the new branch’s name last fall. A selection committee led by Denver City Councilmember Candi CdeBaca selected these four finalists:
- Bob Ragland Branch Library
- Lorraine Granado Branch Library
- South Platte Branch Library
- ArtPark Branch Library
You can vote for the new branch’s name here.
The branch name has to meet a certain criteria. For example, if the library branch is to be named after a person, that person must be deceased and have a history of “significant civic service and contribution to the local neighborhood/area surrounding the new branch or Denver proper.”
Bob Ragland and Lorraine Granado each meet that criteria. Ragland, who once hosted a program on Rocky Mountain PBS, passed away in 2021. Granado, an activist who has a park named after her in Elyria-Swansea, died in 2019.
You can read more about them in this information about the four finalist branch names provided by DPL: