The Library Channel

Pikes Peak Library District established a Multi-media Center and Video Production Studio in 1988 to document local history and provide promotional support for the District. Access to its own cable channel, Adelphia Channel 17 - The Library Channel, was provided in 1991. With the new franchise agreement approved by voters in November 2000, Pikes Peak Library District obtained a full-time channel and access to a state-of-the-art fiber network that will connect the Library with the city and various educational institutions in the area. The Library Channel reaches 120,000 households in El Paso County and can potentially be seen by more than 250,000 people. The Library Channel Schedule is located on the Library's website and in the Happenings event calendar published monthly by the District.

Since the Multi-media Center opened, several of its award-winning documentaries have been made available for purchase. Some of these documentaries have been shown on the History Channel and have received national and regional awards, including an Emmy nomination. The programs listed below are available for purchase.

For more information about these titles, or to obtain a complete list of available titles, please call Palmer Divide Productions at (888) 635-6663 or (719) 481-3963. For more information about the PPLD Multi-media Center and Production Studio, please email us or call (719) 531-6333, x1170.

• How to Produce Video Portraits. This informational video about Pikes Peak Library District's program to document and preserve local history by producing video portraits.  The instructional tape covers the step-by-step process of producing video portraits from the initial interview to the final edit. It was presented at the 1990 American Library Association Conference in Chicago, and samples of several video portraits are included.  A "must see" for anyone interested in doing their own video portraits! (22 minutes, ISBN 1-56735-000-3, $19.95)

• Everybody Welcome: The Story of Fannie Mae Duncan and the Cotton Club. Colorado Springs businesswoman Fannie Mae Duncan was a leader in the African-American community and a successful restaurant and nightclub owner during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.   Her nightclub, "the Cotton Club," was open to both black and white patrons in an era when segregation was practiced. Duncan let all know that they were welcome in her club by placing a sign in the window that read: "Everybody Welcome." She serves as a role model for young people by showing that they can be successful in whatever endeavor they may pursue.   The video won a first place in the Athens (Ohio) International Film and Video Festival, was nominated for a Heartland Emmy, and was one of four finalists for the prestigious Robert M. Bennett Award from the American Film Institute. (29 minutes, ISBN 1-56735-004-6, $29.95)

• Effective Answers to Overcoming Learning Problems.  This program, presented by Steven Shapiro of the Learning Connection, cover the causes, symptoms, and prevention of learning problems.  Shapiro shows how visual perception is the key to learning potential and offers practical answers for solving learning disabilities and dyslexia.  (ISBN 1-56735-058-5, $24.95)

• Shapeup: An Alternative to Scared Straight.  This juvenile diversion program, similar to the Rahway, New Jersey "Scared Straight" program, depicts prison life in a powerful, clear, and understandable way. Its purpose is to make young people aware of the harsh reality of prison life, with the hope of helping juveniles make proper choices. The video won first prize at the American Correctional Annual Film Festival in 1987 and was nominated for an Ace Award for Outstanding Program Achievement. (28 minutes, ISBN 1-56735-022-4, $24.95)

• Homeschooling 101 Part 1 (Getting Started) and Part 2 (Nuts and Bolts). Part 1 covers the legalities, styles of teaching, and the advantages/disadvantages of starting a home school. Part 2 deals with curriculum considerations and testing, followed by a panel discussion with parents who homeschool their children. (2 VHS tapes, ISBN 1-56735-039-9, $49.95)

• Homeschooling the High School Student. Topics covered include: what it takes to graduate, giving credits and diplomas, career guidance, life skills and socialization versus apprenticeships. The first tape is a presentation by Linda Stahnke, the second tape features a panel homeschooling parents sharing the methods and practices that work for them. (2 VHS tapes, ISBN 1-56735-120-4, $49.95)

• Scenes of War.  Sergeant Technician Jim Bates, a member of General Eisenhower's newsreel team, photographed the war in northern Europe from D-Day until the fall of Berlin.  Bates jumped with the 82nd Airborne on June 6, 1944 as part of the D-Day invasion and almost drowned when his parachute went into a canal.  Bates survived several brushes with death to photograph some of the amazing motion picture film and still photography of the European conflict. History is told in this documentary. (56 minutes, ISBN 1-56735-042-9, $19.95)

• Jails, Institutions or Death. Current statistics show that nearly 80% of all crimes committed in the United States are drug and alcohol related. This program features prison interviews with felons who have engaged in illicit activities stemming from drug and alcohol abuse. These men are not role models; some have committed murder, kidnapping, and robbery to support their drug and alcohol habits.  For many of these inmates, their addictions started at an early age.  They agreed to be videotaped to share their unique perspectives with young people. (27 minutes, ISBN 1-56735-044-5, $24.95)

• The Bill of Rights and Beyond. Thomas Jefferson scholar Clay Jenkinson, who appeared in Ken Burns' recent PBS series on Jefferson, portrays the third president of the United States in this program that focuses on the Bill of Rights from a historical perspective. (81 minutes, ISBN 1-56735-049-6, $24.95)

• Citizen Responsibility: Patriotism or Allegiance. Scholar Clay Jenkinson shares insights and anecdotes from Thomas Jefferson's perspective in this presentation.   Jenkinson then takes questions from the audience and answers in Jeffersonian style. (117 minutes, 1-56735-129-8, $24.95)

• Thomas Jefferson "On Trial."  Thomas Jefferson, as portrayed by award-winning humanities scholar Clay Jenkinson, returns in this program and is challenged to a debate by Yale University history professor Dr. Joanne Freeman.   (ISBN 1-56735-085-2, $24.95)

• Kind Nature's Scenery to Portray: The Life and Work of William E. Hook. William E. Hook came to Manitou Springs, Colorado in 1885 to establish a successful tourist photography business. Hook was more than a tourist photographer, though.  He documented the early years of the Canadian Northwest Mounted Police, the Manitou and Pikes Peak Railway, and Cripple Creek. His passion for Native Americans, railroads and mining was evident in his work. Hook's life and work is the story of family and photography in the 19th century.  (29 minutes, ISBN 1-56735-111-5, $24.95)

• Near Death Awareness.  End-of-life issues are complex and difficult.  This videotape, presented by the Pikes Peak Hospice in cooperation with the Plains and Peaks Regional Library Service System, cover a wide range of topics related to death.  Help is offered for understanding the physiological processes of dying, the grief process, and empowering families and friends to give needed care, as well as legal issues such as living wills, CPR directives, ethical choices about care, and medical/durable power of attorney.  (ISBN 1-56735-122-0, $24.95)