Ruth Holley Library will be temporarily closed for approximately one week starting Mon., Dec. 2 to complete roof repairs.
Adventure Begins at your Library with the 2024 Winter Adult Reading Program!
Log 30 days of activities from Thu., Feb. 1 - Sun., March 31 to earn prizes! Activities such as attending Pikes Peak Library District (PPLD) activities listed below and reading for 30 minutes or more a day.
To register, sign up for Beanstack or stop by the Library to register in-person (curbside services available). When you register in-person or at curbside, you will receive a Winter Adult Reading Program tote bag (while supplies last).
Click here to sign up for Beanstack.
Winter Adult Reading Program Game Card
You can also use the Beanstack app, available for Android and Iphone.
Winter Adult Reading Program Registration Kick-Off!
Join us as we kick off the 2024 Winter Adult Reading Program on Thu., Feb. 1. Register beginning on Feb. 1 and pick up a limited-edition registration tote bag while supplies last. Bags will be available on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last.
Prizes
Log 30 days of activities from Feb. 1 – March 31 to earn the annual limited edition Winter Adult Reading Program mug, a certificate for a free piece of chocolate from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, and an entry into the grand prize drawing. Activities include reading for 30 minutes or more a day, attending a PPLD program, or any of the activities listed below. You can complete the program through a combination of activities and reading.
Handwashing is recommended for the mug to preserve the logo.
Grand Prize Drawing.
Complete your challenge for an entry into the Grand Prize Drawing to receive one of five Colorado Springs Downtown Partnership Gift Cards! Take an adventure in Colorado Springs and explore over 170 Downtown shops, restaurants, salons, and venues where the Downtown Partnership Gift Card is accepted. Click here to see a list of participating locations.
For every additional five days of reading or activities you log, you will receive one additional entry into the Grand Prize Drawing for a total of up to six additional entries.
PPLD employees are not eligible for the grand prize.
Programs
Adventure Begins at Your Library with one of the following fun and informational programs. Each program is being offered as a part of the Winter Adult Reading Program.
Birds of the Pikes Peak Region
Join wildlife biologist and author Joe LaFleur for an audio-visual presentation about how to identify local raptors, hawks, and owls by sight and sound. After the presentation, Joe will have his books and DVDs available for purchase.
The Great American Solar Eclipse in 2024
This talk will discuss the historical and modern cultural context of the solar eclipse in society, what solar eclipses are, the basic science of why eclipses occur, and where to see one of these exciting celestial events. We will also demonstrate safe observing practices using common household objects. The Colorado Springs Astronomical Society will have 100 solar eclipse viewers to hand out at the conclusion of this presentation. Weather permitting, we will also have solar telescopes set up to provide safe, amazing views of the Sun.
- Rockrimmon Library: Wed., Feb. 21 at 1 p.m.
- East Library: Mon., March 4 at 6 p.m.
- Black Forest Community Church on Sat., March 9, 1:30 p.m.
The Astronomer's Guide to the Universe
Join the Colorado Springs Astronomical Society for an introduction to astronomy and what we can see in the night sky.
- Fountain Library: Fri., Feb. 9 at 3 p.m.
- Cheyenne Mountain Library: Tue., Feb. 27 at 10:30 a.m.
- Library 21c: Wed., Feb. 28 at 3 p.m.
Preserving the Night Sky
Join the Colorado Springs Astronomical Society to learn more about why the stars in the night sky seem to be disappearing. The cause of this phenomenon is also affecting both wildlife and human behavior. This talk presents the challenges of light pollution, what they're doing about it, and how the community can help.
The Search for Extraterrestrials: The Real-Life Search for Life Elsewhere in our Solar System
Everywhere on Earth that we look, even in the most extreme environments, we find life. Join the Colorado Springs Astronomical Society for a talk that explores how we’re using our understanding of life on Earth to help us in our search for life on other worlds. We’ll also discuss the Drake Equation and Fermi’s Paradox and how they factor into the possibility of life out there.
How Telescopes Changed our Understanding of the Universe
Join the Colorado Springs Astronomical Society to learn how telescopes have helped us understand more about the mysteries of the universe.
DIY Book Nook
Every book is an adventure; make your bookshelf an invitation to adventure with this DIY Book Nook! Use materials and LED string lights to create a work of art to add to your personal bookshelves.
Handmade Adventure Journals
Make a fabric-covered journal to take on your next adventure. You will learn some basic sewing ideas too!
- Monument Library: Fri., March 8 at 12:30 p.m.
- Library 21c: Thu., March 14 at 2 p.m.
- Manitou Springs Library: Sat., March 16 at 1 p.m.
- Cheyenne Mountain Library: Mon., March 25 at 10:30 a.m.
- Calhan Library: Wed., March 27 at 3:30 p.m.
- Sand Creek Library: Wed., March 27 at 5 p.m.
- Fountain Library: Sat., March 30 at 10 a.m.
Activities
Need some suggestions for activities? We’re here to help!
- Join a PPLD Book Club
- Explore a new genre or author
- Adventure into a new skill or hobby
- Write a book review for our website at ppld.org
- Read a book set in winter or a book filled with adventure
- Check out these recommended adventure reads on OverDrive
- Watch the movie version of a book you read using Hoopla or Kanopy
- Visit a Little Free Library in your neighborhood
- Join the Peak Readers Club
- Checkout Colorado State Park Passes from PPLD
- Explore museums and other attractions in the Pikes Peak region with a Pikes Peak Culture Pass
Reading Resources
Pick up your copy of the winter 2024 issue of the Library’s District Discovery magazine to track your progress, read stories, and more!
Have Questions?
Check out our FAQ for more information on our Adult Winter Reading Program
- View our Winter Adult Reading Program FAQ (Online Version)
- View our Winter Adult Reading Program FAQ (Better for Print)
Across cultures and generations, the fine arts uniquely capture our imagination in unforgettable ways. The Library’s Pikes Peak Culture Pass program connects Library users with the arts with no-cost passes to the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College (FAC). For over 100 years, the FAC has been a popular cultural attraction in the Pikes Peak region, offering world-class art, Broadway-worthy theater, and arts education for all ages and abilities. The FAC, as it’s fondly called, has partnered with PPLD to share arts and culture through Pikes Peak Culture Passes since the program first began in March 2020.
Culture Pass holders can explore an array of permanent and travelling exhibits at the museum but there is so much more under the roof of this 132,286 square-foot facility. The Fine Arts Center is one of the only multi-discipline arts institutes in the nation, offering a museum, theatre, and art school all in one location. The FAC regularly hosts programs throughout the year such as artist talks, First Friday music and events, and annual cultural celebrations such as its Día de Muertos celebration. This spring, the Library is collaborating with the FAC on a local exhibition as well.
“We are excited to partner once again with PPLD this spring for our upcoming Clarence Shivers: Experimenting with Form museum exhibition,” said Kim Sweeney, membership manager at FAC. The exhibition will showcase work by local artist Clerence Shivers. This is a well-suited collaboration, as PPLD has a deep connection to the Shivers Family, hosting many concerts by jazz legend and philanthropist Peggy Shivers over the years. This exhibit opens on Fri., Feb. 2 and will feature over 30 works, paintings, prints, and sculptures that offer an expansive view of Clarence Shivers’ prolific career.
The FAC offers Museum Free days twice a month on the second Saturday and third Friday of each month. If you want no-cost entry on another day that they are open, check out a Culture Pass and enjoy your time exploring this cultural attraction.
Pikes Peak Library District library cardholders have made great use of the Culture Pass program, checking out 3,192 no-cost passes in 2023 alone! The Fine Arts Center is one of 12 Culture Pass partners that you can explore. Use your library card to check out a pass today!
What does a region’s history look like through the lens of people who are often left out of a community’s archived history? Come find out with We Have a Story: Homelessness in Colorado Springs. This powerful documentary project showcases in a gallery the unique perspectives of three young adults experiencing homelessness and a caseworker who serves them through photography that captures this complex and diverse community. Join us at East Library for the reception of the gallery on Sat., Jan. 20 from 10 – 11:30 a.m. Light refreshments will be provided.
Over the course of one month in the Summer of 2023, participants took photos from their perspectives. They learned digital photography skills from a professional photographer and came together to critique and evaluate their photographs. They also met with a historian to conduct oral interviews capturing their experiences.
Each participant selected their four best photographs for the gallery, which will be on display at different PPLD locations each month. A written artist story accompanies each photo to delve more deeply into each individual’s perspectives.
The We Have a Story traveling exhibit will continue traveling in 2024, starting at East Library in January, Rockrimmon Library in February, and finishing at the Manitou Arts Center (MAC) in March.