Poetry creates opportunities for children to explore a variety of topics and emotions through writing, and Pikes Peak Library District’s annual Jean Ciavonne Poetry Contest engages 4th and 5th-grade writers. 2024's theme was Lost & Found: Poems of Importance. Young poets reflected on something they had lost or found in the last few years as they worked with poetic devices like imagery, form, meter, and rich vocabulary to create an original poem for a chance to win a prize. This contest continues Jean Ciavonne’s legacy of connecting children with poetry and writing.
Congratulations to our 2024 winners!
- Elsie Byrne, 5th Grade, Homeschool - "Overlooked"
- Lilia Gerber, 5th Grade, Gerber Homeschool - “Black and Brown Again”
- Enray Liu, 4th Grade, The Classical Academy Central Elementary - “Melody of Courage”
- Clara Pavri, 5th Grade, Colorado International Language Academy - “Figures on a Crinkled Map”
- Sara Schmidt, 5th Grade, Thomas Maclaren School - “My Lost Heart”
- Sienna Shafer, 5th Grade, Monument Academy - “The Best Dream”
Jean Ciavonne Remembered from PPLD TV on Vimeo.
During their monthly meeting in October, the PPLD Board of Trustees voted unanimously to discontinue public use of The Hall at PPLD located adjacent to Penrose Library. Service at the event hall will be phased out over the next six months so that existing reservations can be honored. New reservations can still be made at this time for events that occur before May 1, 2024. Availability is limited.
Pikes Peak Library District’s Special Collections Department, which is located in the historic Carnegie Library building connected to Penrose Library, is changing its name. As of Nov. 1, 2023, this department has been renamed to Regional History & Genealogy.
This section was initially called Special Collections due to the number and variety of “special collections” the department curated – the photo archives, newspaper archives and collections, digital collections, manuscripts, city directories, and genealogy collections, to name just a few. As the genealogy collection and databases grew in number and popularity, the area became more commonly known as Regional History & Genealogy, prompting the name change.
Regional History & Genealogy’s most substantial resource is its knowledgeable, helpful staff who curate the collection and help patrons with their research. The section also houses books, maps, manuscripts and archives, photographs, oral histories, films and videos, government documents, pamphlets, periodicals, a digitized collection of historic regional photographs, and other materials related to the history of the Pikes Peak region. Additionally, it offers extensive family history research materials, covering the entire United States from Colonial times to the present, including books, periodicals, and access to major genealogical databases. Every month, Regional History & Genealogy hosts Virtual Genealogy Basics classes to help anyone interested in compiling their family genealogy to implement successful research strategies and gain familiarity with available research databases and resources.
The official hours of Regional History & Genealogy were recently expanded to better accommodate the needs of our community. Its hours are now:
Tuesday – Saturday: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Sunday and Monday: Closed
Click here for more information about PPLD’s Regional History & Genealogy department and its programs and activities.