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Friends of the Pikes Peak Library District - What's New
Do you know everything your Library has to offer? Visit one of our Library Open Houses during National Library Week from April 7 – 13 and discover everything you have access to with your library card!
We will have Open Houses at eight of our libraries where you can take a tour, enjoy local refreshments, participate in family fun activities, and win prizes. Enjoy a scavenger hunt and self-guided tour to help you explore what the Library has to offer. Each location will also offer unique prizes and activities for all ages, so feel free to join us for multiple Open Houses and get to know more libraries around the District.
After seeing all the great offerings of your Library District you’ll want to make sure to get a library card before you leave. The Friends of PPLD have cool swag for the first 25 people who sign up for a library card at each open house location.
Open House Schedules
- East Library – Mon., April 8 from 10 a.m. - noon
- High Prairie Library – Mon., April 8 from 4 – 6 p.m.
- Monument Library – Tue., April 9 from 6 – 8 p.m.
- Penrose Library – Wed., April 10 from 4 – 6 p.m.
- Cheyenne Mountain Library – Thu., April 11 from 5 – 7 p.m.
- Sand Creek Library – Sat., April 13 from 10 a.m. - noon
- Fountain Library – Sat., April 13 from 2 – 4 p.m.
- Library 21c – Sat., April 13 from noon – 2 p.m.
Details about each open house are listed below!
East Library
Mon., April 8 from 10 a.m. - noon
Located at 5550 N. Union Blvd. (Colorado Springs, CO)
East Library is notably one of the best locations for working, studying, and reading with a view. Grand floor-to-ceiling windows in the reading bay provide a stunning view of Pikes Peak. This location also offers access to a park right behind the building that you are welcome to enjoy during your visit. Among this library’s features are a makerspace, a teen center, the Education Resource Center (ERC), meeting rooms, two computer labs, and a large children’s area. Near the entrance, you will find the Donald Stratton exhibit honoring U.S. Army service members, and one of the Friends of PPLD’s Library bookstores.
As one of our Family Place Libraries, East Library has developmental toys in the children’s area, Family Place Play Group programs, materials and resources for parents, and family support services, as well as access to our Family Place Toy Library.
Enjoy refreshments and the following activities:
- Performance by Mountain Harmony in the reading bay
- Eclipse Viewing Party (11 a.m. - 2 p.m.)
- Guided and self-guided tours
- Library card sign-ups (the first 25 will receive a special swag from the Friends of PPLD), scavenger hunt (win a prize!), bookmark craft
- Children’s Area: Children’s scavenger hunt, passive art activity, Family Place play area,
- Homeschool Art Show (on display)
- Teen Center: Video games - Mario Kart/Super Smash Brothers on projector, Blue Spruce Award voting
- Makerspace: Button-making activity, laser engraver, and 3D printer in action
- Reading Bay: Puzzles, board games, bookmobile coloring sheet, PPLD Foundation, and popcorn!
Complete our scavenger hunt for a chance to win great prizes including a $100 family four-pack movie pass complete with popcorn and arcade games at Roadhouse Cinemas or one of three $50 gift cards at Muse Comics + Games.
High Prairie Library
Mon., April 8 from 4 – 6 p.m.
Located at 7035 Old Meridian Rd. (Peyton, CO)
High Prairie Library is a cornerstone of its community that connects people to the resources they need for work, school, and fun. Thanks to an environmental grant, there are geothermal tubes in the ground behind the building that heat and cool the building efficiently. A convenient drive-through window located on the south side of the building makes curbside pickup and book drop-off a breeze. This location also offers ample outdoor space for patrons to enjoy. Stop by and discover the meeting rooms, seed library, computers, and other resources this location has to offer.
Enjoy refreshments and the following activities:
- Performance by Falcon High School Jazz Band
- Library card sign-ups (the first 25 will receive a special swag from the Friends of PPLD)
- Refreshments
- Scavenger hunt (win a prize!)
- Self-guided tour
- Community art activity
- Seed Library display
- Library of Things and Discovery Kit display
- Friends of PPLD book sale
- Bookmark craft
- Children’s area: Rainbow scratch art, children’s scavenger hunt
Drawing for a chance to win a $30 gift card to La Mission Restaurant.
Monument Library
Tue., April 9 from 6 – 8 p.m.
Located at 1706 Lake Woodmoor Dr. (Monument, CO)
Monument Library, nestled on the north side of the Woodmoor Center shopping mall, offers literacy and resources where there used to be a hardware store. Inside, the library’s Madagascar Day Gecko named Ruby is ready to greet visitors alongside Library staff. Despite its smaller size, this location often lands third or fourth for overall checkouts among all Library locations. On good weather days, people enjoy stepping out behind the building to visit the geese and ducks in Serenity Pond. This location offers a meeting room, computers, art exhibits, and other resources.
Enjoy refreshments and the following activities:
- Performance by the Rose County Academy of Irish Dance
- Scavenger hunt (win prizes!)
Button-making activity - Board games for all ages
- Palmer Divide Quiltmakers Quilt tour
- Self-guided tour
- Library card sign-ups (the first 25 will receive a special swag from the Friends of PPLD)
- Paws to Read activity
- Bookmark craft
- Behind the Bookdrop: Processing holds
- Backdoor: Duck feeding station, sidewalk chalk
- Children’s area: Children's scavenger hunt, process art, bookmobile coloring sheet
Complete the scavenger hunt for a chance to win a Dave & Busters Family Four-Pack of game cards totaling $100.
Penrose Library
Wed., April 10 from 4 – 6 p.m.
Located at 20 N. Cascade Ave. (Colorado Springs, CO)(There is paid parking. Library cardholders can get two hours of free parking in the parking lot by scanning their library cards at the parking kiosk.)
Penrose Library was recently closed for two months while we shortened and reconfigured the bookshelves. The Open House will include remarks from Library leadership commemorating its reopening. This library, located in the heart of downtown Colorado Springs, features a computer lab, study rooms, a teen center, a large children’s area, and a Law Collection. The attached historic Carnegie Library houses our Regional History & Genealogy department, as well as the Herbert Hilbert Nonprofit Resource Center with resources for small businesses and nonprofits.
As one of our Family Place Libraries, Penrose Library has developmental toys in the children’s area, Family Place Play Group programs, materials and resources for parents, and family support services, as well as access to our Family Place Toy Library.
Enjoy refreshments and the following activities:
- Performances by Pikes Peak Region Poet Laureate Ashley Cornelius and Colorado Springs Conservatory
- Library card sign-ups (the first 25 will receive a special swag from the Friends of PPLD)
- Scavenger hunt (win a prize!)
- Community art project
- Mini-golf course
- Green screen photo activity
- Bookmark craft
- Teen Area: Coloring activity, Blue Spruce Award voting, Mario Kart video game (teen only)
- Children’s Area: Family Place toys, face painting, Name the Dragon activity
- Upper Parking Lot: Mobile Library Services, bookmobile coloring sheet
Complete our scavenger hunt for a chance to win great prizes including a $100 family four-pack movie pass complete with popcorn and arcade games at Roadhouse Cinemas or a $50 gift card to spend at Downtown Colorado Springs businesses.
Cheyenne Mountain Library
Thu., April 11 from 5 – 7 p.m.
Located at 1785 South 8th St., Suite 100 (Colorado Springs, CO)
Cheyenne Mountain Library is one of our shopping complex libraries. It is beloved by its patrons, who know that what it lacks in size, it makes up for with cozy vibes and friendly and knowledgeable staff. Stop by to learn about the meeting room, computers, art exhibits, and other resources that this location has to offer.
As one of our Family Place Libraries, Cheyenne Mountain Library has developmental toys in the children’s area, Family Place Play Group programs, materials and resources for parents, and family support services, as well as access to our Family Place Toy Library.
Enjoy refreshments, visit our staff table where staff will tell you about our various programs and offerings, and the following activities:
- Performance by the Free Time Quartet
- Library card sign-ups (the first 25 will receive a special swag from the Friends of PPLD)
- Life-size Candy Land game
- Scavenger hunt (win a prize!)
- Self-guided tour
- Bookmark craft activity
- Nintendo Switch video games (all ages)
- Friends of PPLD mini book sale
- Children’s area: Family Place toys, bookmobile coloring sheet
Complete the scavenger hunt for a chance to win a $50 gift certificate to Caffeinated Cow.
Sand Creek Library
Sat., April 13 from 10 a.m. - noon
Located at 1821 South Academy Blvd. (Colorado Springs, CO)
We often hear people say that Sand Creek Library is much larger on the inside than it looks on the outside. This location is home to our state-of-the-art audio recording studio and one of PPLD’s three makerspaces. It also has a teen center, children’s area, meeting rooms, and a computer lab.
As one of our Family Place Libraries, Sand Creek Library has developmental toys in the children’s area, Family Place Play Group programs, materials and resources for parents, and family support services, as well as access to our Family Place Toy Library.
Enjoy refreshments and the following activities:
- Performance by Ballet Folklórico de la Raza at 10 a.m.
- Library card sign-ups (the first 25 will receive a special swag from the Friends of PPLD)
- Scavenger hunt (win a prize!)
- Self-guided tour
- Bookmark craft
- Art Aloud art display
- Community resources info and Friends of PPLD info table
- Makerspace: 3D printer and laser engraver observations, lasered watercolor pages
- Studio 916: Karaoke, playing with instruments, experimenting with various equipment, and listening to music samples from Studio916 patrons
- Teen Zone: Comic book crafts, superhero trivia, LEGO activity
- Children's Area: Harrison School District 2 student art show, bookmobile coloring sheet
- Meeting Room A: Giant Connect 4, coloring and craft, giant Lincoln Logs
Complete our scavenger hunt for a chance to win a $100 family four-pack movie pass complete with popcorn and arcade games at Roadhouse Cinemas.
Fountain Library
Sat., April 13 from 2 – 4 p.m.
Located at 230 South Main St. (Fountain, CO)
Fountain Library’s building was designed by Elizabeth Wright Ingraham, a well-known Colorado Springs architect and granddaughter of Frank Lloyd Wright. The History Wall inside offers a panoramic look at Fountain’s history dating back to its founding. Fountain Library also offers the only Community Room in the entire Library District that patrons can reserve before and after library hours. This location offers a children’s area, a meeting room, a teen center, art exhibits, computers, and other resources.
As one of our Family Place Libraries, Fountain Library has developmental toys in the children’s area, Family Place Play Group programs, materials and resources for parents, and family support services, as well as access to our Family Place Toy Library.
Enjoy refreshments and the following activities:
- Performance by Ballet Folklórico de la Raza at 2:15 p.m.
- Library card sign-ups (The first 25 will receive special prizes)
- Scavenger hunt (win a prize!)
- Self-guided tour
- Friends of PPLD
- Reading Area: Refreshments, puzzles, chess
- Teen Area: Mario Kart Game (all ages), button-making activity
- Children's Area: Toy Library test-drive, window activities, bookmobile coloring sheet
- Display: Fountain-Fort Carson School District 8 art display
- Patio: Birdwatching, Library backpacks display
Complete the scavenger hunt for a chance to win great prizes including a $50 Walmart gift card or a portable Bluetooth speaker from SCHEELS.
Library 21c
Sat., April 13 from noon – 2 p.m.
Located at 1175 Chapel Hills Dr. (Colorado Springs, CO)
Library 21c offers plenty of space for patrons to work and relax with a beautiful view of the Front Range, including Pikes Peak and Cheyenne Mountain. This location is home to a large event venue and PPLD’s test kitchen classroom. Its gallery hosts different exhibits each month. Library 21c also has the Library’s audio-video studio, a makerspace, and an edit bay for video projects. Stop by to discover the large computer lab, teen center, large children’s area, meeting rooms, gaming room, and other resources. (Check out a virtual tour of Library 21c on our website!) Right now, Library 21c is undergoing a process to replace the turf grass in an effort to create a lawn with more sustainable, water-friendly native grasses.
As one of our Family Place Libraries, Library 21c has developmental toys in the children’s area, Family Place Play Group programs, materials and resources for parents, and family support services, as well as access to our Family Place Toy Library.
Enjoy refreshments made by the students of the Food Industry Training program and the following activities:
- Performance by students from Victoria’s School of Harp
- Library card sign-ups (the first 25 will receive a special swag from the Friends of PPLD)
- Staff guided tours
- Scavenger hunt (win a prize!)
- PPLD Foundation info table
- Friends of PPLD
- Bookmark craft
- Family fun video games
- Cornhole lawn game
- Western Window Bay: Coloring and craft activities
- Teen Area: Board games
- Children’s Area: LEGO build, bookmobile coloring sheet
- Kitchen: Adult Education info
- Studio 21c: Green screen activity
- Make 1: Button-making activity
- Make 2: Watch the makerspace in action!
Complete the scavenger hunt for a chance to win a Dave & Busters Family Four-Pack of game cards totaling $100 or a board game.
A big thank you to our sponsors!
Colorado is fortunate to have many talented published authors that are willing to share their stories and provide insight into their lives. Every quarter, the Friends are pleased to bring one of those authors to East Library.
December 17th
12:30 - 2:30 p.m.
Join us to hear from celebrated Children's Author
Dian Curtis Regan
This family friendly event is sure to dazzle all who attend - from the young to the young-at-heart! Light snacks will be provided.
Free for all Friends of the Library Members and only $5 for non-members. Children 17 and under are free. Ms. Regan will have a selection of her books for purchase and to autograph; she is kindly donating 100% of the proceeds to the Friends.
A nationally known Latina opera singer will headline the 11th annual “Latina Voices” program, sponsored by Friends of the Pikes Peak Library District at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 24 at Library 21C, 1175 Chapel Hills Drive.
Cecilia Violette López is the artistic advisor for Opera Idaho and has performed with the Minnesota Opera, Opera Colorado, Opera Tampa, Opera Idaho, Ash Lawn Opera, The Northern Lights Music Festival, Madison Opera, Pacific Symphony, and Virginia Opera, among others.
López has been named one of “Idaho’s Top 10 Most Influential Women of the Century” by USA Today and has been identified as one of opera’s “25 Rising Stars” by Opera News.
The daughter of Mexican migrant workers, she now is on the roster of the Metropolitan Opera in New York. She will tell her success story and perform selected works.
She will be accompanied on piano by Eric Osman, who performs with the Colorado Army National Guard band and teaches piano.
A second accompanist, Ana Santeliz, has played musical instruments since she was a child.
She has served in the Illinois National Guard Army Band and transitioned into the Army Band in 2014. In 2015, she moved to Colorado where she was stationed at Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora. In 2017, she discharged from the military and began studying Music Education at Colorado State University – Pueblo. She now works for the Community Partnership for Child Development as the Outreach Coordinator.
Another presenter will be Keeley Griego, a Colorado Springs native, now living in Pueblo. She graduated magna cum laude from the University of Colorado with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Women’s and Ethnic Studies, a minor in anthropology, a certificate in Gender and Sexuality Studies, and a certificate in Global Studies.
Griego graduated from Leadership Pikes Peak’s Leadership Now! program for young professionals in 2018, served on the steering committee for Leadership Pikes Peak’s 2019 Women’s Community Leadership Initiative class, and was hired to manage both programs in 2020. Griego was selected as part of the Colorado Springs Business Journal’s Rising Stars Class of 2021 and is currently serving for a second year on the Women’s Foundation of Colorado’s first Women and Girls of Color Fund Advisory Council. She is now the Digital and Community Educator for Inside Out Youth Services.
The program’s emcee will be Amy Sanchez-Martinez. A graduate of Mitchell High School and UCCS, she became a teacher at Mitchell, where she taught world history, U.S. history, constitutional and criminal law, and student government. After earning her Masters of Science in Organization Leadership with graduate honors from Regis University, she also served as social studies department chair for six years before becoming a master teacher for the System for Teacher and Student Advancement. She also served as dean of students and taught a student leadership class at Mitchell while studying for her principal’s licensure. As assistant principal at Mitchell, she oversaw instruction and professional development. Amy is currently campus director at Sand Creek High School, serving staff, students, and her community.
The event is free and open to the public. Doors open at 9:30 with refreshments. For more information, 719-531-6333, ext. 1461.
For immediate release – The Friends of the Pikes Peak Library District will inaugurate a new series of programs, Meet the Author, at 1 pm Saturday, Sept. 17 at the East Library, 5550 N. Union Blvd.
Green, a Colorado Springs outdoorsman, writer and photographer, has written nearly 50 books on rock climbing, hiking and scenic byways all over the West, and particularly in Colorado, since 1977. His newest book is “Hiking Colorado’s Hidden Gems,” from Falcon Press.
His talk about fall color drives will include recommendations on the best regional routes to consider for leaf-peeping this autumn, and discuss some of the landmarks and historic features along the way.
Green is a former Golden Quill Award winner, an annual honor bestowed by the Friends. After his talk, he will have copies of his books for sale and will autograph them.
Admission is FREE for Friends members, or $5 at the door for non-members. To join Friends in advance of the event, visit this link: https://ppld.org/friends/join
Please RSVP for this event so that we may accommodate all who wish to attend and supply free refreshments for everyone. Do so by e-mailing diehlbev@hotmail.com or by texting or calling (719) 573-4894.
For more information, call 719-531-6333, x1461.
We're celebrating our communities through art! During the month of August, patrons participated in PPLD’s Draw Your Community program and submitted a drawing depicting what they love the most about their community/neighborhood.
Several PPLD locations are now displaying their community's drawings throughout the month of September. Artists have been invited to the gallery open houses to talk about their work with the public and to meet other artists.
Join us to celebrate and appreciate the works of local artists from our communities. Each reception will include a meet and greet with artists and light refreshments. No registration required.
An online gallery is also available to browse.
- Thu., Sept. 1 from 4 - 6 p.m., Rockrimmon Library
- Fri., Sept. 2 from 5 - 7 p.m., Manitou Springs Library
- Fri., Sept. 2 from 4 - 6 p.m., Monument Library
- Sat., Sept. 10, from 2 – 3 p.m., Cheyenne Mountain Library
- Fri. Sept. 16 from 4 - 5 p.m., Old Colorado City Library
International best-selling author Jim Fergus has been named the 2022 recipient of the Frank Waters Award by the Friends of the Pikes Peak Library District. Fergus, a Colorado College graduate, received the award and was the keynote speaker at the annual Literary Awards Luncheon at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 18 at the DoubleTree by Hilton, 1775 East Cheyenne Mountain Blvd.
Fergus’s first novel, “One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd,” was published in 1998. The novel won the 1999 Fiction of the Year Award from the Mountains & Plains Booksellers Association. It has since sold over 700,000 copies in the United States.
Fergus has also published a collection of outdoor articles and essays, titled “The Sporting Road.” In 2005, his second novel, “The Wild Girl: The Notebooks of Ned Giles” set in the 1930’s in Chicago, Arizona, and the Sierra Madres of Mexico, was published. In 2018, he published “The Vengeance of Mothers,” a sequel to his first novel. followed by “Strongheart” in 2021. Fergus divides his time between southern Arizona and France, where he also is a best-selling author.
The 2022 Golden Quill award was also presented at the luncheon. The annual prize, given to a local author or publication, went to John Anderson, former El Paso County sheriff, historian and writer. His works include: “Sherlock Holmes in Little London: 1896 The Missing Year”; “Rankin Scott Kelly: First Sheriff of El Paso County Colorado Territory 1861-1867”; and “Ute Prayer Tees of the Pikes Peak Region.”
Proceeds from the event benefitted Friends, who support library district programs and needs.
The Friends of the PPLD holds two big book sales per year, typically in March and October.
Scheduled dates for 2023 are
- March 10, 11 and 12
- October 13, 14 and 15
Watch this space for details!
The Friends of the Pikes Peak Library District are now selling books online, through Amazon, Ebay and our web store. The Friends growing online collection features an assortment of both non-fiction and fiction, including history, textbooks, best-sellers and more. Purchases benefit Pikes Peak Library District. Now you can purchase books for yourself and help us provide books for others. Contact us if you have questions.