About the Library
Our Mission
Providing resources and opportunities that change individual lives and build community.
Seek. Engage. Transform.
Message from the Executive Director:
Welcome to the future – 2012, that is!
A lot happened in 2011 in our libraries. More than 8.7 million items were borrowed, an increase of 68% over the last decade. And you made 3.6 million visits through our doors, an increase of 38% over the last decade.
Each year, PPLD selects a theme, which many of our internal activities, as well as our public service initiatives, for the year are centered around. In 2010, “The Year of Innovation at PPLD,” we converted to RFID and added self-check machines; we began circulating netbooks; we deployed “Gadget Garages” to familiarize you with new technology; we opened our first library with multiple sustainable features; and we offered streaming video from our new website. In 2011, our theme was “Lights, Camera, Action: Spotlight on You:”
We began to offer downloadable music from our website, more eMaterials than ever, circulating Nooks, a mobile app for your phones, and nearly 60 new public access computers at our libraries. We also opened our first kiosk site, using our first materials dispensing machine. This year, continuing to respond to patron and community needs, our theme is: “PPLD Unbound.” We’re excited about this theme, as “unbound” carries with it multiple meanings and images.
PPLD Unbound: Imagine PPLD crossing geographic boundaries, and providing access beyond physical buildings, through our virtual services. Imagine book bindings letting loose into the cloud, as publishing and reading are revolutionized, changing more than at any time in history since Gutenberg. Imagine our resources for you being wireless and mobile, rather than being fixed, stationery access points. Imagine our staff, empowered to provide you with the best customer service in the region. Imagine our staff, creating 21st century libraries for you through creative rethinking of traditional library services and experiences.
PPLD Unbound: Do not imagine us tethered to traditional library stereotype anymore. Do not imagine us as the quiet, tiny little library, with dusty books that you went to in the Fifties, Sixties, or Seventies. Electronic usage continues to increase each year. You logged 4.3 million visits to our website in 2011. CyberShelf downloads increased 157% from 2010 to 2011. Online databases were used 1.2 million times. Nearly 100,000 wireless sessions were logged on the wireless networks in our libraries in 2011, and a half million usage sessions occurred on our 569 public PCs.
PPLD Unbound: We’ll still have “bound” books, of course! Libraries will always be about reading and learning. We want our libraries to be relevant to you – and your children – for years to come. And that means aligning with the eWorld revolution, rather than dismissing its impact on our libraries and our lives.
PPLD Unbound: The library of the future will provide even more than just reading and learning and the materials within its walls. Future library services will include software, equipment, and instruction in “knowledge creation.” Library users will be able to create written and media products utilizing library resources. We will also focus on the physical library space – space that has inspired us for generations; space within which people can mingle, become informed, exchange ideas, and create; space within which whole families can spend time, or learn in a class, or be entertained at a program, or just hang out together; space that inspires and connects us and facilitates collaboration.
PPLD’s recent building acquisition gives us the opportunity to re-think public space and service in all of our facilities, through a holistic approach. We want to create a “destination” feel to every one of our unique libraries, so that your library experience is enhanced and so that we meet your needs and expectations within our spaces. Watch for opportunities for you to provide feedback throughout this year.
PPLD Unbound: Boundless possibilities for our reading, learning, and creating future. Visit us, both physically and remotely, this year, as we focus on excellent customer service, dynamic service innovation, amazing library spaces, and a thriving library culture that serves you well now and into the future.
PPLD Unbound: Boundless possibilities for you, for our libraries, and for our community.
Seek. Engage. Transform.
Executive Director, Pikes Peak Library District
Comments
Local Author Donations
Hello,
My novel TWISTED ROOTS is being released June 19, 2012. However, I would like to donate copies around to the local libraries, and I'm not sure how to go about it.
The book can be searched on Barnes and Noble's website--listed for pre-sale orders. I do have my pre-release copies to donate if possible. :-)
Thank you for your time.
Shelly
Thank you for letting us know
Thank you for letting us know about your book.
To find information about getting your book added to PPLD, go to our website. On the left side of the screen use the pulldown menu under "How do I?" Click on "Get my book added to PPLD". Donations are subject to the same criteria as items considered for purchase.
Interlibrary loans unavailable to me
I feel like a third-class citizen. I have lived in this community for twenty-five years, and I have used various branches of the Pikes Peak Library, but this is the first time I have tried to get a microfilm loan from another state. I was informed in no uncertain terms that I am not allowed to ask for an interlibrary loan because I live in Widefield. Why am I able to use the library at all, if I don't pay taxes for it? El Paso County takes their share, Security takes their share, Widefield School District Three takes their share, but I can't look at microfilm? Even if I pay for it? This is ridiculous. Why do you even have a branch in Fountain? They aren't in Colorado Springs. They are always friendly and helpful, but I won't be patronizing them anymore - wouldn't want to use someone else's tax dollars. Andrew Carnegie is probably rotating in his grave.
Interlibrary Loan
Dear Ms. Treat,
When the Pikes Peak Library District was formed in El Paso County, two communities elected not to join -Widefield Security and Manitou Springs. The Pikes Peak Library District does not receive funding from the County or from the City. The library is supported by the tax payers who are part of the District. Citizens from Widefield Security and Manitou Springs pay taxes to support the Manitou Public Library and the Security Widefield Public Library. You may use your 700 card to check out items from PPLD. That is part of a statewide library card initiative. However, Interlibrary Loan and the databases each library purchases are not covered under the state wide library card. The Security Widefield Library can obtain the Interlibrary materials that you need. I am sorry for the inconvenience.
Care of Books
Since my kids were little, I have taught the value of treating books with care so others might enjoy them. As a baby boomer before there was so much electronic media we needed to make them last. Now they are teens and have integrated this value into their actions. So to my surprise, as we were leaving the Rockrimmon library one day, we observed a PPLD employee, possibly in her 20's, tossing books and media between the return bins, with little care of possible damage or awareness others might see this as wrong. My thought and response to my kids was PPLD probably needs to train the new younger generation of employees what a precious recource books are. PS-You're library system is still number one on my list!
I am sorry that you saw an
I am sorry that you saw an employee not taking care of library materials. People who work in a library also share your values of taking care of our books and other items. In fact that is why many of us decided we wanted to work in a library. We wanted to share the joy of reading, and we value the importance of preserving information for future generations. When we are looking at large volumes to process, we can at times forget about the care that is needed when trying to get to the bottom of the stack. Thank you for your comments and reminder that we need to take care of our materials so that they may be enjoyed by all for a long time. I will be reminding staff about the proper treatment of materials.
Julianne Rist
Library card catalog
I use PPLD's library resources daily and enjoy putting items on hold. One of the problems I have experienced is not getting a good description of a book when considering what to put on hold or to recognize whether I have read that particular title already. I will go to another library's web-site and look up the title there to get a good description. Is there any improvements that can be made to PPLD's card catalog to achieve this?
Hi there. We're sorry our
Hi there. We're sorry our descriptions are substandard for your needs. Unfortunately we purchase this data from a third party vendor and have no control over the content. What library website are you visiting aside from ours, may I ask? If they use a different vendor I could pass that information along to the staff in charge of the Catalog. Thanks!
Ms. Miller's Message
Thank you for addressing this subject. You are so correct that "reading" is changing. But change is inevitable in any era. However, collecting, storing and dispursement of information is for all time. The library in any community serves so many needs. It would take a "book" for me to list them all. In just my family, our entire life would be completely different and much less rich without the library. Our past 30 years have been spent in many of the PPLD branches for activities, reading, listening, studying, socializing(oops!), cuddling, learning, caring, and growing. The concept of the library enriches a society and makes us better citizens. We can always depend on going to the library and finding a friendly helper/clerk/librarian. In PPLD we have always found every research help and any activity we wanted or needed. I personally know it does not have to be this way. Thank you, thank you so much. Please be encouraged and know we NEED the library and appreciate every single person who does anything to keep it stay active!
Best Library in all my Military Travels
I often tell each library and I use many that it is the best I've ever seen and I have been to many. Your user friendliness from computers, to e-mail reminders, to being able to do business interchangebly all over town--PPLD is made for the mondern lifestyle.
My home library is Rockrimmon--just a small matter but I am sure easily fixable. While my home computer has been in the shop I have been using the library computers. Their new placement near the employees desk is very distracting with all the loud employee conversations with each other and customers throughout the whole day. Could someone look at this arrangement.
Again, thank you for all you do for me and my kids!
Thanks for the kind words.
Thanks for the kind words. I'll let Rockrimmon know about your comment.
eHold 72 hour requirement doesn't work
Went to check out eHold title at 70 1/2 hours . . . no longer available. If 72 hours isn't sufficient, then it shouldn't be used as the minimum. Why is there a difference between regular shelf holds (7 days) and eHolds (3 days)?
library webpage
Your webpage is unusable. The page is set up so that when you try to click and find out when branches are open, the information, including the phone number for the branch is covered by a box with icons for Kids Web, Teen Zone and Senior Connection. Your web people are not doing a good job. What is the point in having a web page if there is no way to access the information posted in it?
We are sorry to hear you are
We are sorry to hear you are experiencing problems viewing the library website. We spoke with our IT department, and we have some suggestions for how to make the site properly viewable on your computer screen.
In Internet Explorer:
Click on the View menu
Hover the mouse over Zoom, and you should see different settings for how to view your screen.
Set the zoom to 100%.
While on this menu, you may also need to check the text size. Medium is the recommended size for the text.
In Firefox:
Click on the View menu
Point to Zoom, you can either zoom in or out until you can see the website properly, or click on Reset, which should reset your view screen to 100%
Both of these settings are easily changeable if you should like to change them back afterwards.
Finally, the computer screen resolution could be affecting the way the website appears on your screen. If the resolution is set for 640x480, the website will not display properly. Any higher resolution should work properly.
This information is all we are able to suggest because we do not know the configuration of your computer. You may want to consult your owner's manual or online help for further screen resolution information.
Location of meeting rooms
Dear Ms. Miller,
I am passing along the following comment that I received after I emailed the local Great Books that I knew the name of our meeting room in the downtown library for but not its location within the library.
A member of the group wrote: "Isn't it strange that the PPLD web site does not have a diagram of each branch library, especially East and Penrose? They even list the meeting rooms at the Penrose branch but do not give the dimensions and layout and location of each. But, they do have lots of rules, like what you can't do...."
Please consider remedying this omission. After all, you're the information place!
Many thanks for all you do,
Wendy Demandante, longtime patron
summer reading program
From the ppld.org homepage, if you click on PPLD/TV there is a (very cute) short summer reading promo spot that gives information about the summer reading program. Take a look! Let's get all our kids reading this summer!
I LOVE PPLD and Summer Reading
As a fellow librarian, I am always amazed and thrilled to see that the East parking areas are always so full, and people line up outside to get in in the AM. What a wonderful service you provide to the community!
If I were to buy all of the books that I read, I wouldn't have any space in my house to move around, AND I would bankrupt myself. :) So, I turn to PPLD to see if you have the titles that I am interested in, and you almost always do--thank you so much!
On another note, I find the new interface very cluttered and without much contrast, so I wasn't able to find any info about your summer reading programs. I would like to put links on my school library page, if possible, and have my Reading teachers talk about them. I hope you can help!
Lorna Stiefvater
Hi Lorna. Summer Reading
Hi Lorna. Summer Reading will run from June 1 to July 31. We should have some info up on ppld.org soon. Sorry for the delay.
PPLD rocks!
PPLD rocks!