Special Collections and Archives at Denver Public Library

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Special Collections and Archives at Denver Public Library History of the American West, genealogy, and so much more. Digital collections at digital.denverlibrary.org http://history.denverlibrary.org

10/22/2026

People may come and go, but the Denver Public Library Special Collections and Archives is always here for you. We're open to the public 7 days a week (excluding holidays). You can also email questions to us at [email protected]
any time!





Join us for this fun event at Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library this Saturday!
10/20/2026

Join us for this fun event at Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library this Saturday!




to Lilli Russell, a pioneering women's apparel store located on Colfax Avenue in Denver that was founded in 1946. The ...
10/17/2026

to Lilli Russell, a pioneering women's apparel store located on Colfax Avenue in Denver that was founded in 1946. The store carried fashionable clothing designs in a wide range of sizes for women. It was in operation for almost 40 years.

Denver architect Richard Crowther designed the storefront located at 4990 E. Colfax Ave. featured in the first photo.

Ads for the shop were featured throughout the years in the Rocky Mountain News, which you can access for free on coloradohistoricnewspapers.org




to yesterday, which was day! Did you know you can send us questions any day of the year by emailing us at history@de...
10/16/2026

to yesterday, which was day!

Did you know you can send us questions any day of the year by emailing us at [email protected]

If you have questions about what an Archivist does, how to do research, or what resources you can find in our Special Collections and Archives, please contact us! You can also ask your questions in the comments on this post.



10/09/2026

Interested in UFOs in Colorado? Our Special Collections and Archives has some materials about UFOs available for you to view on the 5th floor of Central Library.

You can also find free digitized Colorado newspaper articles on the
Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection website coloradohistoricnewspapers.org about UFOs, like the ones you see in the background of this reel.





10/08/2026

To celebrate we are featuring a behind the scenes look at a paper tear repair. Patching up tears helps preserve the items in our Special Collections and Archives by preventing further damage.

We use archival quality heat-set tissue made from Japanese mulberry paper that has a heat-activated adhesive to seal up rips in the paper. We tear off pieces of the tissue to ensure fibers are exposed on the edges, which helps the repair adhere better.

The tiny heat press iron activates the adhesive once it reaches around 120 degrees C. A special paper called hollytex or reemay acts as a protective layer between the iron and the paper, which prevents burning and discoloration on the original document.

If needed, the heat-set tissue can be removed using a solvent and reheating.




A spooky map of ghost towns in the Gunnison region of Colorado from 1991.
10/05/2026

A spooky map of ghost towns in the Gunnison region of Colorado from 1991.




From the Lloyd Rule Papers, children posing in a classroom holding toys, including a jack-in-the-box Snoopy!!, circa 196...
10/04/2026

From the Lloyd Rule Papers, children posing in a classroom holding toys, including a jack-in-the-box Snoopy!!, circa 1965-1968.

October 4th marks Snoopy's debut anniversary. He first appeared in Charles M. Schulz's Peanuts comic strip on October 4, 1950.





Happy International Raccoon 🦝 Appreciation Day! Here are some vintage raccoons at the Denver City Park Zoo behind some c...
10/02/2026

Happy International Raccoon 🦝 Appreciation Day!

Here are some vintage raccoons at the Denver City Park Zoo behind some chain link fence, circa 1910-1930.







A sweet raccoon peaking from behind a tree from our born digital Rocky Mountain News photo collection.

09/30/2026

If you've ever wondered what life looked like in the past, our illustrated historical atlases in our genealogy collection can give you an idea.

We have illustrated atlases for various cities around the U.S. available to view in-person on the 5th floor of Central Library in our Special Collections and Archives.





Address

10 W 14th Avenue Pkwy
Denver, CO
80204

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 6pm
Tuesday 10am - 6pm
Wednesday 10am - 6pm
Thursday 10am - 6pm
Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 11am - 5pm
Sunday 11am - 5pm

Telephone

(720) 865-1821

Website

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