Aurora Public Library (Central)
🏢 Aurora Public Library District · Aurora, Colorado
Aurora Public Library (Central)
Built into the Aurora Municipal Campus hillside in 1982, Central Library is the flagship of a district born from a 1925 Women's Club grassroots drive — anchored by a diamond-shaped light tower flooding the staircase with daylight, it served as a FEMA disaster-recovery hub after Colorado's 2013 floods.
🕑 Library Hours
| Monday | 10am–6pm |
| Tuesday | 10am–6pm |
| Wednesday | 10am–6pm |
| Thursday | 10am–6pm |
| Friday | 10am–6pm |
| Saturday | 10am–6pm |
| Sunday | Closed |
Hours may vary on holidays; check the library site before visiting.
📍 Location, Contact & Directions
Address: 14949 E Alameda Pkwy, Aurora, CO 80012
Phone: (303) 739-6600
Website: auroragov.org
Plus Code: 85FQP56M+4X (Aurora, 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 Aurora Public Library (Central)
Aurora Public Library traces its roots to 1925, when the Aurora Women's Club launched a fundraising campaign to give the city its first public library — the doors opened on February 10, 1929. The Central branch's current three-story building at 14949 E Alameda Pkwy was designed by Brooks Waldman Associates in association with Warner, Burns, Toan, Lunde and opened in 1982: a buff-brick-and-concrete structure set into the Aurora Municipal Campus hillside, its angled glass-and-metal entrance framed by an abstract metal sculpture, with a multi-pitched roof punctuated by large skylights and a diamond-shaped light tower rising over the central staircase. In October 2013 FEMA designated the Central branch a disaster-recovery center following severe Colorado Front Range flooding, and in 2014 the library's PC center earned a national 'Top Innovator' award for expanding digital access. Today the district operates seven branches and a bookmobile, lending 1.57 million items annually to more than 199,000 registered members.
⭐ What makes this library special
- Founded 1929 by Aurora Women's Club grassroots fundraising — one of Colorado's oldest public library systems, predating Arapahoe Library District by more than 30 years
- Distinctive 1982 building by Brooks Waldman / Warner Burns Toan Lunde: three stories of buff brick with skylights and a diamond-shaped light tower over the central staircase
- Designated FEMA Disaster Recovery Center during Colorado's 2013 Front Range floods
- PC center recognized as national Top Innovator (2014) for expanding digital access
- Monthly Genealogy Walk-In Assistance (Aurora Genealogical Society) plus in-library Ancestry Library Edition access
📱 Digital Resources — Free with Your Library Card
Aurora Public Library District cardholders access these free digital resources anytime:
📚 Services
- Public computers, printing, mobile printing, and free Wi-Fi
- Community/meeting rooms reservable online up to 120 days in advance (max 4 hours, 2 reservations per facility per month)
- Local history and genealogy room with in-library Ancestry Library Edition access and Aurora Genealogical Society walk-in assistance (monthly)
- Study rooms
- Seed library and community seed-saving programming
- Bookmobile outreach serving underserved Aurora neighborhoods (launched 2023)
- Interlibrary loan (ILL) via Colorado's SWIFT statewide courier network
- English conversation and computer-literacy classes in English and Spanish
- Teen space
🎸 Programs
- Storytimes for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers (multiple weekly sessions)
- Summer Reading Challenge for all ages
- Genealogy Walk-In Assistance — Aurora Genealogical Society of Colorado, monthly at Central
- Genealogy 101 classes (beginner, intermediate, and advanced, offered quarterly)
- Book clubs for adults and teens
- English conversation and ESL classes
- Computer-literacy classes in English and Spanish
- Seed Walk — guided tour to Aurora Water-wise Garden for seasonal seed collection
- Writing groups and crafting workshops
📍 Nearby Libraries in the Denver Metro
Distances are approximate straight-line miles from this library.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the Central Library building look so distinctive — what is the diamond light tower?
The Central Library was designed by Colorado firm Brooks Waldman Associates in collaboration with New York-based Warner, Burns, Toan, Lunde, opening in 1982. Architects embedded the three-story buff-brick-and-concrete structure into the Aurora Municipal Campus hillside, creating a walled south courtyard through a sharp prow extension. The multi-pitched roof features large skylights, and a diamond-shaped light tower rises above the central staircase — flooding it with natural light and making Central one of Aurora's most architecturally notable civic buildings.
How long has Aurora had a public library, and how did it start?
Aurora's library grew from community initiative: in 1925, members of the Aurora Women's Club began raising money for the city's first public library, and on February 10, 1929, the first branch opened. The Aurora City Council formally recognized it that October. Today Aurora Public Library District predates the nearby Arapahoe Library District by more than 30 years and serves more than 199,000 registered cardholders across seven branches and a bookmobile.
Did the Central branch really serve as a FEMA shelter, and what happened in 2013?
Yes. In October 2013, following severe weather and flooding across Colorado's Front Range — nearly $4 billion in estimated damage statewide — FEMA designated the Central branch as an official Disaster Recovery Center. Aurora residents visited in person to navigate federal assistance programs. The branch's central location on the Aurora Municipal Campus, combined with its meeting rooms, computers, and trained staff, made it a natural community anchor during the crisis.
Can I research my family history at the Central branch?
Yes. The Central branch hosts monthly Genealogy Walk-In Assistance sessions led by volunteer genealogists from the Aurora Genealogical Society of Colorado — free and open to the public through the Adult Learning program. In-library computers provide access to Ancestry Library Edition (in-library use only), MyHeritage, and the Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection. Beginners can enroll in the quarterly Genealogy 101 series offered at the library.
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