"Rumor has it that the old train depot pictured above is to be torn down...The Recorder doesn't know whether it is true or not. For years... ownership of the building has been clouded. Last year it was offered for sale, but no definite answer could be found about the land under the building. The depot reportedly sits half on railroad and half on state highway land. Isn't there some group, organization or individual who would try to find out the facts?...The old depot is definitely a landmark, approaching one-hundred years in age. We think it would be a shame to see it torn down. Just think of the things it could be used for: a museum, library..."

The people of Lyons responded wholeheartedly. In an endeavor that took more than four years, scores of volunteers and donors pooled efforts to turn the abandoned building into our community's Lyons Depot Library. The town council helped resolve the complex ownership dispute, while the Lyons Historical Society spearheaded a fund-raising drive.

Once the depot had been purchased, adults and children together donated their enthusiasm, time, and skills to clean up the site, obtain grants, do restoration work, make a new sign for the outside of the depot, and plant trees and a lawn. Even the Longmont Pioneer Museum got involved by returning the original station identification sign which now hangs inside the library.

The stone depot, which was built in 1885, is a classic example of early red sandstone craftsmanship. The restoration committee made an admirable effort to remain true to the original flavor of the depot, even preserving some now nearly 100 year old graffiti.

Later, the original wooden luggage annex, which had been moved off site, was donated, moved back, and attached to the depot, doubling the size of the library. It houses the children's collection, adult fiction, and A/V materials.

In 2005, an original Lyons railroad depot bench was returned to the library by the Tisone family and rests against the exterior north wall, and in 2006 the family of F. LaVerne Johnson donated a railroad baggage cart from the time period when Lyons was an active depot.

The library, which began with a 1,500 book collection in 1977, now offers ten-times that number in print volumes, as well as video, DVD, books-on-tape or CD, music CDs, periodicals, six regional newspapers, games and puzzles. Services include interlibrary loan, public access to internet, Art-4-Art art card trading, Foreign Film Club, Summer Puppet Theatre, Depot-Home ConneXion for home-bound patrons, Kids Only Story Time, and free one-on-one Internet Instruction Classes.

Ghost Story
There are no ghosts at the Lyons Depot Library, but the echoes of history permeate. In the miniscule co-ed restroom, on rough-tucked walls are the ‘graffitied' names of railroad workers. The old ticket window sports a laser-jet printer for the public computer. Where eager travelers once stood in the bay window to watch for approaching trains, there is now a cushioned box seat for readers.

An interior sandstone wall near the checkout desk bears the marks of the masons' tools, and still functional rolling doors in the children's area allow for special indoor-outdoor programs.

Sandstone heats and cools slowly, but once it does complete the process, the building interior can be very, very cold, or suffocatingly hot. Just a couple years ago, the Town was able to afford central heat and air-conditioning for the library. Up to that time, staff had no difficulty imagining what it was like living in the 1880's. It was a process of layering, clothes piled on in winter, and peeled away in summer. Patrons too, adjusted their winter and summer habits, rushing in from the cold to the cold, or from the hot to the hotter. In fact, patrons used to put off visiting the library in summer because of the heat. Now, temperature-controlled, staff find that people have started hanging-out at the library. Imagine that!

From the days of steam-driven locomotives into the 21^st century, the Depot has provided a focal point for many generations. Even though library collections have far out-paced the space available within its walls, the library community jealousy guards against any suggestion that it should be moved into a more modern, and banal accommodation.

It is the ‘ghost of history' , the comfortable shoe, the human-sized proportions of the Depot, which act as a mute call-and-response. In helter-skelter society; there is one place in town where ‘silence is indeed golden', where echoes of times past merge seamlessly with the present.

Staff
Way back when the Lyons Depot Library first opened, the Town could afford only a part-timelibrarian. While the budget of the library has risen and fallen with the fortunes of the town, at present it enjoys its highest level of staffing: a full-time library director, and a full-time clerk

Even with this historically high level of staffing, it would not be possible to run a smoothly functioning library without the aid of dedicated volunteers, all of whom have been lending their hands for years: four, five, even twelve years! They accession materials, clip news items of local interest, make one-of-a-kind bookmarks in quantity, and maintain records required by the Colorado State Library. They are a truly appreciated, integral part of the Depot family.

The Library Board and Friends of the Lyons Depot Library Board are also unsung contributors. Their perspective and accessibility to the community aid library staff in making decisions about policy and future direction. They give of their time selflessly in fundraising events, and provide a stable structure for bureaucratic interactions.

By now you may be asking yourself that question "What can I do to get involved in my community in some meaningful way?" If you are able, give freely to national efforts, but don't forget about others nearby who need help. If money is tight, give of your time by serving on a community committee or becoming involved in a local charity.

While your local library may seem to be ‘above the fray', do you really know? How much better could it serve your community if you stepped into the role of volunteer or contributor?

The Legacy ... The Future
The Lyons Depot Library exists because citizens (you, me, the folks next door) saw a treasure about to slip from their grasp. They seized the moment, and although it took years of effort to effect that moment, they had a vision from which they would not be deterred. Money for the purchase of the building came from bake sales. Bake sales!

How many brownies are you willing to eat?