A Brief History of PPLD

1903 – The Free Public Library of Colorado Springs was established. The former Reading Room and Library Association had outgrown its facilities and transferred its books and property to the newly organized Board of Directors for the Public Library.

1905 – March 11: the Colorado Springs Public Library at 23 West Kiowa is dedicated and opens. It was built on land donated by General William Jackson Palmer using $60,000 from Andrew Carnegie. The collection had 12,000 volumes.

1917 – Colorado Springs annexes Colorado City. The West End Carnegie Library at 2418 W. Pikes Peak Avenue becomes a branch library.

1954 – Library begins to provide bookmobile service.

1955 – The Friends of the Library organizes with 73 charter members.

1962 – Voters approve a regional library district.

1968 – July 15, the Penrose Public Library is dedicated and opens. The facility is built with funds from the El Pomar Foundation during H. Chase Stone's tenure as president.

1974 – The Jail Branch opens.

1975 – Monument Hill Branch opens and Ute Pass Library becomes a part of the Pikes Peak Library District (PPLD).

1977 – Broadmarket Square branch opens on South 8th Street.
Calhan Branch in Calhan, Colorado, opens; closes in 1982.

1979 – Fountain Branch in Fountain, Colorado, opens.

1981 – PPLD offers public access to the library's computer system, Maggie's Place.

1987 – The East Library and Information Center opens on January 11th. The district's second major facility is constructed with a $10 million bond issue approved by the voters in 1985.
Also, the Ruth Holley Branch in the Murray Plaza Shopping Center opens.

1988 – The Sand Creek and Criminal Justice Center branches open.

1989 – The Rockrimmon Branch Library opens.

1993 – The Cheyenne Mountain Branch library opens, expanding services and replacing the Broadmarket Square Branch.

1994 – District sells Antlers Garage to the El Paso County Retirement Plan and purchases Sand Creek Branch.

1995 – Voters turn down request for mill levy increase from 4 to 5 mills for operations and capital improvements.
Renovation on the 32 year-old Penrose Public Library begins.

1996 – Antlers Garage is purchased from El Paso County Retirement Plan.
The 1905 Carnegie Library building is placed on the National Register of Historical Places.

1997 – A grant from the Colorado History Fund allows the library to develop a Comprehensive Preservation Master Plan for the restoration of the historic 1905 Carnegie Library building with an appropriate environmental setting for preservation and use of important historic materials.

1998 – Criminal Justice Center branch libraries close. The Board of Trustees, staff, and citizens develop the library’s Strategic Plan to include a library Vision Statement, Mission Statement, Goals, Objectives, and Activities. It was designed to be flexible and to measure progress towards goals and accountability to the patrons and taxpayers of the district.

1999 – Renovation of Penrose Public Library is completed with a new floor plan, west window reading bays, a new Children’s Section, Internet stations, and expanded Reference and Nonfiction sections.
Penrose Public Library opens on Sundays.
The Monument Branch Library is relocated to a facility five times its original size.
In response to patrons’ requests for more hours in the branch libraries, hours are increased by 9 percent.

2000 – The Gates Computer Lab, with 11 computer stations, is opened at Penrose Public Library with a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The library continues the Long-Range Facilities and Technology planning process to develop plans for additional facilities.
Branch hours are increased by 7 percent.

2002 – Renovation of the 1905 Carnegie Library is completed. 

2003 – Events and programs were planned throughout the year to celebrate 100 years of libraries in the Pikes Peak region, to heighten awareness of the District’s 11 locations and 2 Mobile Libraries, as well as to encourage patrons to become familiar with the District’s numerous resources. More than 50 businesses, organizations, and government entities were involved in partnerships and cooperative events to enhance community participation. Due to these events, the District experienced notable increases in program attendance and media coverage.
In November, voters defeated two ballot issues seeking funds to build and operate six new libraries, expand six existing libraries, and improve the remainder.