Pine River Library
🏢 Pine River Library District · Bayfield, Colorado
Pine River Library
Named for the volunteer librarian who served Bayfield for sixty years, Pine River Library — Library Journal's 2014 Best Small Library in America — pairs a 12,000-square-foot facility with a geodesic greenhouse, community garden, and Library Park that has become one of La Plata County's most-loved gathering places.
🕑 Library Hours
| Monday | 8:30am–6:30pm |
| Tuesday | 8:30am–6:30pm |
| Wednesday | 8:30am–6:30pm |
| Thursday | 8:30am–6:30pm |
| Friday | 8:30am–6:30pm |
| Saturday | 10am–5pm |
| Sunday | 1pm–5pm |
Hours may vary on holidays; check the library site before visiting.
📍 Location, Contact & Directions
Address: 395 Bayfield Center Drive, Bayfield, CO 81122
Phone: (970) 884-2222
Website: prlibrary.org
Plus Code: 859J6CM3+MJ (Bayfield, CO)
📱 Scan for directions
Point your phone camera at the code to open turn-by-turn directions in Google Maps.
👋 Use the Library Online
📖 About Pine River Library
Pine River Library has served the Bayfield community since 1934, when six local women founded the Bayfield Public Library in a repurposed bank building on Mill Street. The library district was formalized in 1972 to enable tax-funded operations, and a voter-approved mill levy led to construction of the current 12,000-square-foot facility, which opened in March 2004. The library was renamed in 2005 to honor Lavenia McCoy, a teacher and librarian who volunteered there for sixty years and championed creation of the library district. In 2014, Library Journal and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation recognized Pine River as the Best Small Library in America, citing its Living Library initiative — a community garden with a geodesic greenhouse, raised beds, and beehive adjacent to the building. A 1-acre Library Park completed in 2017 completes the campus.
⭐ What makes this library special
- Named Library Journal & Gates Foundation Best Small Library in America 2014, with a $20,000 prize — honoring its Living Library outdoor campus
- Living Library campus: geodesic dome greenhouse, 24 raised garden beds managed by the Pine River Garden Club, beehive, fruit orchard, and straw-bale tool shed
- Library of Things — tools and specialty equipment for cardholders 18+ who have held a card for 90+ days, one-week checkout
- Local History Corner with specialist Rachel Jenkin and the Pine River Valley Digital Archives (yearbooks 1950–1986, oral histories, Missionary Ridge Fire 2002 collection)
- U.S. passport acceptance facility on-site and notary public service at no charge
📱 Digital Resources — Free with Your Library Card
Pine River cardholders access Colorado's digital collections free with their library card:
📚 Services
- U.S. passport acceptance facility (bring completed DS-11 form, citizenship proof, ID, photo, and fees)
- Notary public services at no charge (appointment recommended)
- Hunting and fishing license sales
- Exam proctoring for distance learners
- Media Hub — digitization of old home movies and photographs
- Copy, print, scan, and fax
- Community Room and two smaller meeting/conference rooms
- Library of Things — tools and specialty equipment (18+, 90-day card required, 1-week checkout)
- Community garden plots managed by the Pine River Garden Club
- In-library Ancestry Library Edition and Heritage Quest access
🎸 Programs
- After Hours Lit, BookMarks, Cookbook Club, and Killer Reads mystery book clubs
- Kids' storytimes and children's programs
- Teen programming
- Veterans' Story Project — documenting military service narratives of community members
- Local history and genealogy research assistance (specialist Rachel Jenkin, ext. 513)
- Community garden workshops via the Pine River Garden Club
- Free film and documentary screenings
📍 Other Southwest Colorado Libraries
Distances are approximate straight-line miles from this library.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Library of Things at Pine River Library, and who can borrow from it?
The Library of Things is a lending collection of physical tools and equipment — from power drills to specialty hobby kits — that cardholders can borrow for one week. You must be at least 18 years old and have held your card for 90 or more days. A $1-per-day late fee applies, and items must be returned clean. Check the current inventory linked from prlibrary.org.
Can I apply for a U.S. passport at Pine River Library?
Yes. Pine River Library is an accepted passport application facility. Bring your completed DS-11 form, proof of U.S. citizenship, a government-issued photo ID, a passport photo, and the applicable fees. Contact the library at (970) 884-2222 to confirm appointment availability before visiting.
What local history resources does the library hold for research on Bayfield and the Pine River Valley?
The library maintains the Pine River Valley Digital Archives (prlibrary.cvlcollections.org), which includes Bayfield High School yearbooks digitized from 1950 to 1986, the Pine River Valley Heritage Society Oral History Collection, and a dedicated collection on the 2002 Missionary Ridge Fire. On-site, researchers can use Ancestry Library Edition and Heritage Quest. Local History Specialist Rachel Jenkin (ext. 513, rachel@prlibrary.org) assists with genealogy and regional history questions.
What is the Living Library outdoor campus, and what won Pine River the 2014 Best Small Library award?
Library Journal and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation selected Pine River Library as the Best Small Library in America 2014, citing its Living Library initiative — an outdoor campus adjacent to the building with a geodesic dome greenhouse used for educational programming, 24 raised garden beds managed by the Pine River Garden Club, a beehive, a fruit orchard, and a straw-bale tool shed. The adjacent Library Park, completed in 2017 with support from GOCO and the Colorado Health Foundation, adds play equipment, a walking loop, and multi-use courts.
🛂 This library offers U.S. passport services. See how library passport acceptance works — requirements, fees and appointments — and find other passport acceptance libraries by state.
📋 This library offers notary services. See what a library notary can do — what to bring, fees and appointments — and find other libraries with a notary notary services by state.
📜 This library has genealogy & local-history resources. See how library family-history research works and find other libraries with genealogy collections genealogy libraries by state.
🧰 This library lends a “Library of Things.” See what you can borrow besides books and find other libraries with a Library of Things Library of Things by state.
✎ Notice something out of date? Suggest a correction and we’ll verify and update it.