By Jeanne Davant
For 70 years, a dedicated group of volunteers has been sponsoring events, raising funds, and donating materials and equipment to Pikes Peak Library District (PPLD). This group is known as Friends of the Pikes Peak Library District. “Pikes Peak Library District is a cornerstone of the city’s and county’s civic life,” says Rita Jordan, board president and liaison to the Ute Pass, Monument, and Palmer Lake libraries. “Friends’ vision is to expand and enhance Pikes Peak Library District’s ability to positively impact our community and to support PPLD in providing programs and spaces that cultivate belonging, personal growth, and strong communities.” District Discovery asked Jordan to tell us about the Friends’ formation, activities, and impact.
How and when was Friends of the Pikes Peak Library District formed?
Friends of the Pikes Peak Library District was established on the 50th anniversary of the Colorado Springs Public Library (March 11, 1955) and incorporated in 1969 as a nonprofit organization. In 2024, Friends had 1,308 individual members. In 2025, Friends moved to household memberships, defined as up to two adults and their dependent children under the age of 18. As of December 2025, we had 595 household memberships in addition to 189 lifetime members.
When and why did you join?
I am retired military, and I went into Monument Library in October when it was national Friends of the Library Week. Friends had a table to inform people, and the lady who was sitting at the table was very persuasive! Right then, I joined as a lifetime member and started to help out with the Friends in that area. Hearing at a larger scale what the Friends did in the District and the other branches, I got more and more interested and eventually applied to become a director on the Friends board. I have been a director for six years and have been president for four years.
What do Friends do?
Friends are best known for their volunteerism, their bookstores of previously read books and magazines in each library and, of course, Friends Big Book Sales held twice each year in March and October. Friends holds our premier event, the Literary Awards luncheon, each June, presenting the Frank Waters and Golden Quill Awards.
What activities do the Friends sponsor?
Friends contributed $167,362 to PPLD in 2025, helping to support the following programs and initiatives:
- Programs: Winter Adult Reading Program, Regional History Symposium, Mountain of Authors, All Pikes Peak Reads, and the Summer Adventure reading program.
- BookBrowse, an online free resource for PPLD cardholders that provides read-alike lists, book reviews, lists of books by genre and theme, articles and interviews, book club resources, and more.
- Staff recognition and support during Summer Adventure, the Integrated Library System (ILS) implementation, and events throughout the year.
- Specific library location needs, staff support, and appreciation.
We are also supporting all those programs in 2026. Since 2000, Friends financial support for PPLD totals $1,898,381.
How can patrons become a Friend and why would you suggest they do?
The Library has been such an influence in my life, my kids’ lives, our grandkids’ lives. If you love books, reading, and libraries, and have considered becoming involved in your community – one step covers it all! Join Friends! The Friends are always looking for individuals who can volunteer their time and talents to help us continue our support of PPLD and spread the word about the Friends and what we do. We need people to sort books, to organize our shelves so that they look appealing to people. Library patrons come in and look through those books; we constantly need folks to keep things neat.
Friends members get early entry to the book sales and year-round 20% discounts at all Friends locations. Join online at friendsofppld.org, or by filling out a membership form available at all Library bookstores.
