Penrose Library
Address:
20 N. Cascade Ave
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
Phone: (719) 531-6333
Hours:
Monday - Thursday: 9 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Friday and Saturday: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Sunday: 1 - 5 p.m.
Holiday Hours and Closures
Metered Parking:
$.25 for 30 min. Mon. - Sat., 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
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Friends of East Library
Penrose Library operates a staffed bookstore in the lobby during Library hours.
Click here to learn more about the Friends of the Pikes Peak Library District.
What's New!
Beginning in June, and continuing for the next eighteen months, PPLD’s Special Collections will be releasing a free postcard featuring notable women who have made important contributions to the city of Colorado Springs and the Pikes Peak region.
Each card will contain a small biographical description inviting you to learn more about these extraordinary women. You can drop by Special Collections in the 1905 Carnegie at Penrose Library to receive your postcard.
The images on the postcards are all from PPLD’s Photo Archives, housed in the 1905 Carnegie. Photographs constitute one of Special Collections’ most valuable resources. Numbering more than 500,000 items, the archive contains images depicting Colorado Springs, the Pikes Peak region, Colorado, the Rocky Mountain West, and the Southwest. Collections include a wide variety of formats and processes including glass plate negatives, stereo views, postcards, albumen prints, and cyanotypes, as well as negatives, slides, silver gelatin prints, and born-digital images.
Over 11,000 of these images have been digitized and can be easily searched through our Digital Photo Archives at photos.ppld.org.
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That’s News to Me! A Current Events Contest for Kids 9 - 14 is a new program created by three partner organizations: Pikes Peak Library District, Chapel Hills Mall, and The Gazette. The program, which will run from June 3 - July 26, is designed as a supplement to Summer Reading to get kids excited about reading the newspaper and learning about current events.
The game concept involves youngsters identifying key facts in news articles by visiting kiosks in Chapel Hills Mall, completing a weekly entry form, and turning it in at any PPLD location. PPLD will draw six winners from correct forms weekly, notify the winners, and direct them to Chapel Hills Mall to collect their prizes.
At the end of the game, Chapel Hills will host a party where winners will be drawn from the cumulative ballots to win one of five grand prize eReaders.
HOW THE GAME WORKS
Each Sunday, The Gazette will develop one question from an article in each of six different sections of the paper – local news, national news, international news, sports, business, and life.
Each Monday, Chapel Hills Mall will produce entry forms containing the six questions. Entry Forms and Game Maps can be picked up at Chapel Hills Mall Guest Services (between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m.) or at a game kiosk.
Throughout the week, participants will locate the six news kiosks set up in the mall and complete their entry form. Completed forms can be dropped off at any PPLD location by the weekly deadline, Friday at 6 p.m.
Each week, Chapel Hills Mall Guest Services will award the weekly prizes ($10 Gift Cards).
At the end of the game, Chapel Hills Mall, The Gazette, and PPLD will host a party to select five grand prize winners from among all entries.
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Talking It Out: Getting to Agreement is a unique photo and story exhibit that features Coloradans working together to solve problems. The exhibit tells the stories of people and communities who have made a choice to solve their problems constructively. It gives evidence of the changes that can be made when we deliberately choose collaborative conflict resolution methods.
Penrose Library will host a panel discussion program on Thursday, June 6 at 7 p.m. in conjunction with the display. Mike Maday, Mediator and Legislative Chair for the Mediation Association of Colorado and Monica Lichtenbeger, President of Phoenix Strategies, Inc. will talk about how conflict resolution professionals fit the fix to the fuss, helping people resolve conflicts in ways that save time, money, and heartache.
Exhibit Display Schedule
- May 25 - July 25 at Penrose Library, 20 N. Cascade Ave.
- August 1 - September 25 at East Library, 5550 N. Union Blvd.
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What: Children’s Summer Reading Program 2013 - Dig Into Reading
When: June 1 - July 31
The Library’s Summer Reading Program is fun, free, and builds reading skills. Read with us this summer and win cool prizes! Register online or at your local library starting June 1.
Here's how to play:
- Go to your nearest library and register for Dig Into Reading, our free summer reading program, or register online at ppld.org starting June 1.
- Read books!
- Record your reading on our Dig Into Reading game card!
- Win prizes, prizes, prizes!
- Enjoy our special free programs – performers, stories, crafts, live animals, and more.
Happy Reading!
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Get ready for the Teen Summer Reading Program! Registration starts on June 1!
Program runs June 1-July 31
Grades 5-12 welcome to participate!
Read books and earn prizes!
How the game works: For each level, read 3 books or 9 hours (teens can combine number of books and number of hours to complete each level). To complete the program, teens need to read a total of 9 books or 27 hours by July 31st.
Level one: read 3 books or 9 hours
You get a pack of coupons:
• Brunswick Zone: free daily game pass June- August
• Sky Sox: 2 free tickets
• Academy Mini-Golf: free round of golf
• Sertich Ice Center: free session + skate rental
• Wendy’s: free value fry
• Chick-fil-A: free milkshake
• Plato’s Closet: $5 gift card
• Yo Yogurt: free 3 oz. frozen yogurt
• Del Taco: free chicken taco, small fry and drink
• Louie’s pizza: free lunch special (slice of pizza and drink)
Level two: read 3 more books or 9 hours
You get a book or journal!
Level three: read 3 more books or 9 hours
You get a cool Summer Reading t-shirt!
Complete the program by July 31 and you will be entered into a drawing to win an eReader!!
Thanks also to our sponsors at Laser Quest, CityRock and 98.9 Magic FM
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In response to feedback from patrons, statistical data and observation, and the integration of Manitou Springs Community Library, the PPLD Board of Trustees voted unanimously to increase the District's operating hours by 52.
The changes, effective Monday, April 15, will be:
- All PPLD facilities, with the exception of Ute Pass, Palmer Lake, and Manitou Springs libraries, will open at 9 a.m., Monday through Thursday.
- Manitou Springs Community Library will add eight hours of service. The new hours at Manitou Springs will be 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. from Monday - Thursday, and 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
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Can’t find the information you need? Have a research project? Pikes Peak Library District has a brand new program to help you.
Professional librarians at the East and Penrose Libraries are available to assist you with your information needs, whether you are looking for a great book to read, starting a business, or researching local history.
Research topics include, but are not limited to, finding materials for children or teens, locating health and wellness information, beginning legal research, and finding grant information for nonprofits. If you would like to learn how to search the library’s catalog or subscription databases more efficiently, we can help you with that too.
Begin by completing the online form on our website. From our home page (ppld.org), click on Research and select Book a Librarian. You can also locate the service by clicking on the dropdown arrow under "How do I?" on the left side of the home page and selecting Book a Librarian.
Fill out the form with your information, including your library card number. If your research request differs from the options provided, describe your question or research need in as much detail as possible.
We’ll look at your request and determine the best person on our staff to meet with you based on expertise and availability. We’ll get back to you as soon as we can to schedule your appointment. Appointments may be scheduled for up to one hour at either the East or Penrose Library.
The Book a Librarian service is open to any PPLD cardholder. We cannot offer advice (e.g., medical, legal, investment) except to advise users of reputable sources of evaluative information. Also, we cannot offer troubleshooting or maintenance help with personal computers or devices. However, computer classes are available at several PPLD locations.
For questions, you can contact PPLD by email, chat, phone, or in person at any of our fourteen locations.
By Delaina Massie, PPLD Librarian
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At a special event held at Penrose Library on Wednesday, February 13, El Pomar Foundation announced it had approved a challenge grant of $750,000 to support the Library’s Tri-Building Project to create a 21st Century library system, which will bring significant improvements to Pikes Peak Library District.
The funds from El Pomar are earmarked for use at PPLD’s Penrose Library, but the funds will allow for wider District-wide improvements at PPLD, including renovations and upgrades at PPLD’s East Library and the opening of a new facility in 2014 at 1175 Chapel Hills Drive as well. PPLD’s new facility will feature content creation areas for creative professionals, business incubation and hoteling space for small businesses and nonprofits, enhanced areas for job seekers to find career assistance, and much more!
El Pomar’s generous grant will allow the Library to move forward on construction and renovation in 2013, with a projected opening of the new facility in 2014. The challenge grant is contingent upon The Pikes Peak Library District Foundation raising $3.15 million by January 1, 2016.
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Beginning on Monday, December 3, 2012, all PPLD self-check machines will require the use of your patron PIN.
Why do I need a PIN?
A PIN (Personal Identification Number) protects your library card from unauthorized use. In the event that your card is lost or stolen, we have provided you with an extra layer of protection. The Library enabled this feature to help ensure the privacy of your Library account.
Your PIN is required when you:
- Login to My Account on the Library’s web page
- Check out items at a self-check station
- Login to reserve and use a Library computer
- Place holds on items
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An Assistive Technology Station is an area set aside with equipment and software designed to help patrons who are blind, visually impaired, or those who have limited or no use of their hands to assist them with reading and writing tasks and accessing other resources on a personal computer. Pikes Peak Library District has two such stations: at Penrose and East libraries.
A typical station is equipped with an adjustable table, a large-print keyboard, a track ball mouse, headphones with attached microphone, and speakers. The computers are loaded with specialized software.
Although Library staff have a general knowledge of what is available at each location, it is the patron who becomes the expert user. The applications are so specialized with numerous hot keys and set-up requirements, they are mastered only as one spends time using each program.
For more information about these stations, you can watch the PPLD TV video above, email dmassie@ppld.org, or call (719) 531-6333, x1371 or x2309.
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