For almost two years we have endured an ongoing pandemic, in addition to other upheaval in our lives and communities. Yet, during such trying times, I’m reminded again and again how much community matters – and how public libraries play such an important role in connecting people with what they need, when they need it.
Pikes Peak Library District (PPLD) has been a staple in our community for many years, and we welcome everyone to visit and use our 16 physical locations, three mobile libraries, and ever-expanding online hub (with many resources accessible anywhere and anytime). Whether it’s to succeed at school or work, explore new ideas, connect with others, enjoy some entertainment, or do something else not mentioned here, you can most likely find it through your Library.
But PPLD wouldn’t be able to offer all of these spaces, resources, services, and opportunities without your continued support. It is because of taxpayers like you that we’re able to reinvest your dollars back into the community. Your investment in the Library District bolsters innovation and progress, improves academic success and childhood development, strengthens our workforce and local economy, and reinforces a healthy, thriving community.
With your help, we have been able to do so much for the community this past year. The Library District added equity, diversity, and inclusion as a new public service area to ensure every resident in El Paso County feels that the Library has something for them. The Manitou Springs Library and Manitou Art Center joined forces with a new co-location partnership, giving Library cardholders access to tools and resources unlike anything that we have been able to offer before. We also expanded our offerings in Adult Education, which now include a career navigator on staff as well as use of a new Library kitchen that hosts our food industry training program. Plus, the Library’s annual summer reading program for kids and teens was immensely popular, and we continued to strengthen existing partnerships and forge new ones to better serve the many residents in our growing community.
In looking ahead, our Library team is ready to do even more for our community this year. For example, we plan to continue expanding our PowerPass partnership to more school districts across El Paso County, so even more students can access Library resources and services that further their success in and out of the classroom. The Pikes Peak Culture Pass will add more museums and attractions, meaning more passes will be available for checkout for individuals and families. And the Palmer Lake Library will soon reopen to the public.
All of this would not be possible without the community’s continued support for PPLD and investment in improving the Pikes Peak region for everyone. We are grateful for your trust and help in fulfilling our mission of “providing resources and opportunities that impact individual lives and build community.” The Library team looks forward to serving you throughout this new year!
A newly-forged partnership with Pikes Peak Library District (PPLD) will enhance Calhan School District (Calhan) students’ access to needed digital resources.
Starting Wed, Jan. 12, every student in the Calhan School District will have a PowerPass, a digital PPLD card just for students. Calhan is the fourth school district in El Paso County to provide this access to each of their students, joining Colorado Springs School District 11, Harrison School District 2, and Academy School District 20.
PowerPass grants access to PPLD’s digital resources, like databases, eBooks, and song and movie downloads, all available at ppld.org. Each PowerPass holder can also check out five physical items at a time from any of the 15 PPLD locations or mobile library services.
“PowerPass will provide Calhan students with unprecedented access to information, literature, art, and educational support, as well as an enhanced ability to explore and prepare for the future they envision for themselves,” said David Slothower, Calhan School District Superintendent.
Students can also use PowerPass for online access to live tutors and foreign language courses, to get help with homework and projects, and to access audiobooks and digital education resources. High school and middle school students can also prepare for their future with practice driving and SAT tests.
“Pikes Peak Library District is excited to add Calhan School District to PowerPass,” said Joanna Nelson Rendon, PPLD’s Director of Young Adult Services. “This is the first partnership with one of the more rural school districts beyond the city of Colorado Springs and is giving us [PPLD] the opportunity to expand PowerPass and serve even more students throughout El Paso County.”
Shirley Martinez’s Road to Becoming PPLD’s First Director of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
When I was a kid, I used to be a "library girl." I used to sit in the library for days during the summer. I would pick out 10 books to read there and then 10 more to take home! Today, my job is making sure PPLD is a welcoming place for everyone.
I was born in my father’s hometown of Waycross, Georgia. My dad joined the Air Force after I was born and through my father’s service, we were afforded the opportunity to see the world. We were stationed in Japan, Hawaii, Delaware, and upstate New York.
My family returned to Georgia in 1967 and this is where I was first made aware of the civil rights movement and racial inequality. I remember there were still restrooms that read “colored” and “white,” and people were marching. Through these experiences, I really got an eye-opening, front-seat lesson in the different racial disparities and the civil rights.
Eventually, my family settled in rural Washington. My dad spent a lot of time overseas as a B-52 mechanic. In high school I had worked to become the head cheerleader and captain of the track team. I had dreams of becoming a nurse. However, I quickly made up my mind that particular career wasn’t for me after a harrowing experience at a military hospital. Instead, I enlisted into the armed forces myself by joining the Navy.
The Navy afforded me the opportunity to see the world, try my hand at several different jobs, and is where I met my husband, Paul. After Paul left the Marines, I decided to join the Army and was a journeyman welder for five years, including two summers spent at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. I did maintenance, I could change your transmission for you. I could cut off the top of your vehicle and replace it. I did body repair and supervised a platoon at the age of 24 and was the only female out of 300 people in my Combat Support Group.
Eventually, the Army brought us back to Washington where we were stationed at Fort Lewis. Here, while pregnant with my fourth child, I joined Judge Advocate General (JAG), the legal branch of the military. I loved working with the JAG department, but once my kid was born, I had to report back to my unit.
Later, my unit was ready to deploy for Desert Storm. I'd gotten all my shots, I was packed up, and then I was pulled out of ranks two days before we were supposed to leave. I had orders to go to court-reporting school. They needed top secret court reporters. So, I had to go tell my husband, “I'm not going to Afghanistan. I’m now going to Newport, Rhode Island!” Just a slight difference…
My work as a court reporter, and also as chief legal noncommissioned officer, took me to Germany, then Fort Irwin, California, and finally to Fort Carson and the Colorado Springs area. Upon leaving the military, I went to work with Colorado Springs Utilities and got involved with the Colorado Springs Diversity Council.
My diverse set of life experiences and time serving our country in the military made me uniquely qualified to become Pikes Peak Library District’s first-ever Director of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI). In a lot of ways, I feel like serving in this role at PPLD has brought my life full circle beginning with those former days of reading at the library!
Click here for more People of the Pikes Peak Region stories!
All you need is your library. But your library needs you, too! Support Pikes Peak Library District by making a charitable gift to the PPLD Foundation. Click here to make your donation today. Thank you!