Posted in June 2026

Who They Are

The Library Advisory Board (the Board) has 11 total members: 7 adult members, 1 youth member, 2 adult alternates, and 1 youth alternate. The Board’s core purpose is to advise the Library Director and Broomfield Council on library matters and priorities, including budget, policies and to promote library services for the residents of Broomfield.

The Board, including its two youth members, is active, engaged and busy diving in and advising on how the library can best serve the community. “Library” is a term that doesn’t fully capture what is truly happening within this COMMUNITY hub. It is a multifaceted local crossroads: a community commons, a connector space and an innovation hub that served 226,526 visitors in-house in 2025. Beyond the library walls, outreach efforts reached 4,761 people through schools, The Refuge, FISH, detention centers and more.

Board members have diverse backgrounds in libraries, entrepreneurship, business and education, including the state Board of Education.

What They've Been Up To

The Board has had significant community impact in the past years.

2021-2024

• 2021 - Studied and recommended to the Broomfield Council that all fees be removed from Children’s materials. Council approved, and Broomfield Public Library became the first public library in Colorado to do so.
• 2023 - Members of the Board led a webinar on behalf of the State Library about the process to remove fees. This process led to Broomfield Public Library winning a service excellence award from the Colorado Association of Libraries. It also led to the State Library updating the Colorado Public Library Standards to include a recommendation to remove late fines and damage/replacement fees to increase access for people disproportionately affected by financial barriers to library service.

2025-2026

• Studied and recommended to the Broomfield Council to remove fees from all library materials. Council approved the ordinance in April 2026, making library materials more accessible by reducing financial barriers. It is anticipated this will save cost of collections as well as saving considerable staff time to spend on other priorities.
• Reviewed Colorado Public Library Standards. Helped staff assess performance relative to the standards and identify priority gaps to address in pursuit of operational excellence for residents, including those in accessibility and communications.
• Recommended development of an annual report to help demonstrate the library’s impact in the community. The first edition of which was published April 2026. This helped fill an identified gap in standards for communications and storytelling. 
• Updated library policies on collection development, code of conduct, and using the Eisenhower Room. The updates to the code of conduct have greatly improved safety for staff and patrons.

The People Behind the Work

New board member Sandy Anderson says “Growing up poor—powdered milk poor, the kind where the milk turned blue when mixed with water—the library became a sanctuary for me. It was a place where everything was free: stories, learning, adventure, warmth, and welcome. Through books, you could go anywhere and become anything. That feeling has stayed with me at every age, and it’s why I wanted to serve on the Library Advisory Board: to help preserve and strengthen a place of refuge, wonder, and opportunity for everyone.”

Board Member since 2020, Dana Inerfeld says, “Our library provides our community with a no cost place to be and way to enrich their lives outside of their homes, workplaces and schools. In the last 5 years, I’ve been so impressed and inspired by the progress our library has made in expanding programs and accessibility given the very limited space available.”

Board Member David Feineman says, "Board members witness library service challenges firsthand. This reinforces the need to invest in welcoming, accessible spaces and sustainable funding so Broomfield residents of all ages can continue to learn, connect, and thrive." 

Board Member Blake Unis says, “The library is one of the few remaining egalitarian third places left in this country, and as such, serves a truly pivotal role in the health and well-being of the community. It has been an honor and privilege to serve in stewardship of the institution. It certainly helps that the work being done by those employed to serve as executors of its functions are supremely talented, reflective and adaptive individuals. Being able to work in an  advisory fashion with them on behalf of the community is a special gift.”

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