Editing Fort Collins, Colorado (section)

=== Public libraries ===

The [[Poudre River Public Library District]] operates three branch locations in the city of Fort Collins—Old Town, Harmony, and Council Tree.<ref name="Poudre River Public Library District">{{Cite web |last=Poudre River Public Library District |title=About Us |url=https://www.poudrelibraries.org/about/ |access-date= |website=poudrelibraries.org}}</ref> The Library District was established in 2006 by voter approval, and aims to serve the more than 207,000 people in northern Larimer County, Colorado.<ref name="Poudre River Public Library District" /> The district is governed by a board of volunteer trustees, jointly appointed by the city of Fort Collins and Larimer County.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Poudre River Public Library District |title=Board |url=https://www.poudrelibraries.org/board/ |website=poudrelibraries.org}}</ref>

The library participates in cooperative projects with the local [[Poudre School District]] and [[Colorado State University]].

==== Facilities ====
The Old Town Library (formerly, the Main Library) is a 43,000 square foot facility that has served the Fort Collins Community since 1976.<ref name="Poudre River Public Library District-1">{{Cite web |last=Poudre River Public Library District |title=Facts |url=https://www.poudrelibraries.org/about/facts |website=poudrelibraries.org}}</ref> It is located in the Fort Collins Old Town Historic District at 201 Peterson Street.<ref name="Poudre River Public Library District-1" />

The Harmony Library is a 30,000 square foot joint-use facility located on the [[Front Range Community College]] campus, at 4616 South Shield Street in Fort Collins.<ref name="Poudre River Public Library District-1" /> Since its opening in 1998, the facility has served both the Community College (students, faculty, and staff) and the general public.<ref name="Poudre River Public Library District-1" />

The Council Tree Library is a nearly 18,000 square foot facility that opened in 2009 in the Front Range Village (a retail commons) and is located at 2733 Council Tree Avenue in Fort Collins.<ref name="Poudre River Public Library District-1" /> The facility has a unique neighborhood atmosphere with an emphasis on families with young children.<ref name="Poudre River Public Library District-1" />

The Webster House Administration Center opened in 2011 and houses the administration, collections, systems administration, maintenance, communications, and outreach staff.<ref name="Poudre River Public Library District-1" /> The center's opening freed up 3,000 square feet in the Old Town Library, space that is now used for library materials and services.<ref name="Poudre River Public Library District-1" />

==== History ====
The library as an institution in Fort Collins dates back to the late 19th century, where reading rooms were established in churches or other rented locations.<ref name="Fort Collins Museum of Discovery, Poudre River Public Library District">{{Cite web |last=Fort Collins Museum of Discovery, Poudre River Public Library District |title=The History of Public Libraries in Fort Collins |url=https://history.fcgov.com/visit/library-history |website=Fort Collins History Connection, an online collaboration between Fort Collins Museum of Discovery and Poudre River Public Library District}}</ref> In 1882, for example, a reading room was established in the back of a Presbyterian Church on Whitton Block.<ref name="Fort Collins Museum of Discovery, Poudre River Public Library District" /> The [[Fort Collins Public Library]] was officially established in 1900, the sixth public library in the state.<ref name="Fort Collins Museum of Discovery, Poudre River Public Library District" /> The city received $12,500 from philanthropist [[Andrew Carnegie]] to build the library, with the condition that it would be maintained as a free public library. It was completed in 1904 at a total cost of approximately $15,000.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hansen |first=James E. |title=Democracy's college in the Centennial State: a history of Colorado State University |publisher=Colorado State University |year=1977 |location=Fort Collins |pages=230–231}}</ref> When the Library opened, there were 2,770 books on hand.<ref name="Fort Collins Museum of Discovery, Poudre River Public Library District" /> In 1937, the Library was awarded a grant from the [[Works Progress Administration|Work Projects Administration]] for an annex to the building that would double its space, allowing for the construction of an auditorium/community room that opened in 1939.<ref name="Fort Collins Museum of Discovery, Poudre River Public Library District" />

As the Fort Collins community grew, so too did the need for more library space. In 1973, the City Council adopted a seven-year master plan which included a new library building.<ref name="Fort Collins Museum of Discovery, Poudre River Public Library District" /> Voters approved a one percent tax increase to fund the plan.<ref name="Fort Collins Museum of Discovery, Poudre River Public Library District" /> The new library building, named the Fort Collins Public Library (now, the Old Town Library), opened in 1976 and remains to this day in Library Park at 201 Peterson Street in Fort Collins.<ref name="Fort Collins Museum of Discovery, Poudre River Public Library District" />

In 2006, with ongoing city budget cuts impacting library services, residents voted to create and fund a library district with a 62% majority.<ref name="Fort Collins Museum of Discovery, Poudre River Public Library District" /> This initiated a transition period in 2007 of separating the library from the city, for example, transferring finances, staff, and property to the Library District.<ref name="Fort Collins Museum of Discovery, Poudre River Public Library District" /> The library was also given a temporary name, the Fort Collins Regional Library District.<ref name="Fort Collins Museum of Discovery, Poudre River Public Library District" /> An intergovernmental agreement was finally signed in December 2007, that detailed each party's responsibilities during the transfer.<ref name="Fort Collins Museum of Discovery, Poudre River Public Library District" /> In 2009, after asking for ideas from the public, the Poudre River Public Library District was approved as the library's permanent name.<ref name="Fort Collins Museum of Discovery, Poudre River Public Library District" />