What's New!

Join Pikes Peak Library District in celebrating Black History Month! Black History Month is a time to celebrate the contributions and achievements of African Americans throughout history. This month-long observance is an opportunity to recognize the impact that Black Americans have made on our society. Browse this page to explore Library resources and links to other websites where you can explore this history in-depth. 

Virtual Author Visit

Join us for a Virtual Author Visit with award-winning author Jason Mott about his recent novel Hell of a Book on Tue., Feb. 20 at 2 p.m. This magnificent work of fiction is deeply honest, at times electrically funny, and is a book that goes to the heart of racism, police violence, and the hidden costs exacted upon Black Americans and America as a whole. Register to get the link.

• Online: Tue., Feb. 20 at 2 p.m.

Virtual Genealogy Class: Researching African American Ancestors

Researching your African American ancestors can be a challenging, yet rewarding, process. In addition to research strategies, this class will cover how to use both traditional and unique resources to explore your family tree. Register for the access link.

• Online: Tue., Feb. 13, 7 - 8:30 p.m.

Resources

• Hoopla Audiobooks
• Hoopla Resources
• 50 Songs to Honor Black History Month - Freegal 

Education Resources

• The Shivers African American Historical Cultural Collection
  • Explore the Shivers African American Historical Cultural Collection to find a wide variety of materials for all ages that celebrate African American culture.
• Biography in Context 
• National Archives: African American Heritage 
• Reading Rockets: Celebrating and Learning about Black History and Culture 
• ProQuest: Black Freedom Struggle in the United States 
   

Regional History & Genealogy Resources

• The Invisible People of the Pikes PeakRegion: an Afro-American Chronical by John Stokes Holley 
• Everybody Welcome: a Memoir of Fannie Mae Duncan and the Cotton Club by Fannie Mae Duncan 
• Negro Historical Association Newsletters and Yearbooks (available in Special Collections reference stacks) 
• African Americans in Colorado Springs in PPLD Digital Collections 
• Lew Tilley Photographs in PPLD Digital Collections 
• Black History Scrapbooks (Archival collection MSS 0387, available in Special Collections) 
• Colorado Springs Branch National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) (Archival collection MSS 0256, available in Special Collections) 
• African American Historical and Genealogical Society of Colorado Springs 
   

Websites

• Biography in Context 
• National Archives: African American Heritage 
• Black History Month 
• Black History Month - History Channel 
• ProQuest: Black Freedom Struggle in the United States 
• Celebrate African American History Month – Library Of Congress 
• National Museum of African American History and Culture 
• Black History Month – National Parks Service 

In collaboration with Who Gives a SCRAP Creative Reuse Center, we are hosting an arts, crafts, and hobby material exchange! Bring in your new, clean/gently used, and unwanted craft materials and exchange them for "tickets" to exchange for new-to-you craft supplies!

Please refrain from bringing items that can be recycled (plastic food containers), bedding, and building waste. Check the Who Gives a Scrap Donation Guidelines for a full list of items that can and cannot be donated.

We will also have a fun up-cycling craft going on, so you can take your time and check for new inventory! No registration required. 

For more information about each event, check our events calendar

• Sat., March 16 from 1 - 4 p.m. at Sand Creek Library – Calendar
• Sat., April. 27 from 1 - 4 p.m. at High Prairie Library – Calendar
• Sat., May 11 from 1 - 4 p.m. at Manitou Springs Library – Calendar
• Sat., June 15 from 1 - 4 p.m. at Library 21c – Calendar
• Sat., July 20 from 1 - 4 p.m. at East Library – Calendar
• Sat., Aug. 31 from 1 - 4 p.m. at Rockrimmon Library – Calendar
• Sat., Sep. 14 from 1 - 4 p.m. at Penrose Library – Calendar
• Sat., Oct. 19 from 1 - 4 p.m. at Monument Library – Calendar
• Sat., Nov. 2 from 1 - 4 p.m. at Banning Lewis Ranch – Calendar

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!