What's New!

New PPLD Website Coming Soon

It has been over a decade since Pikes Peak Library District’s (PPLD) website launched. Since then, the site has been updated as needed within the constraints of its build. We are excited to announce that on Mon., Jan. 13, we will launch a newly designed website! The new website offers access to the same great services and resources you currently enjoy, now with an improved user experience and an updated look. Don’t worry, our URL is not changing, so you will still find us at PPLD.org.

When you visit the new homepage, you will find your Library essentials. Find information about highlighted programs and services in the improved What’s New section. Below that, find links to our catalog, library card information, Library locations, and room reservations.

Easily find information on accessibility, Library hours and locations, the catalog, and your Library account with new links at the top of every web page. We are also thrilled to roll out an all-new accessibility and translation tool (under Translate) at the top of the page that allows you to:

Translate each page into the language of your choosing
Change the background or font color
Have text read to you
Increase text size
Enable a magnifying glass or reading ruler
Change the website font
...and more

We reimagined the menu at the top of the page as well. Each tab now includes a link where you can get help from a librarian, a link to our library card page, and curated links to pages related to the tab name. Here’s a preview!

Under Books & More, you will find things like:

Information about borrowing books, games, music, movies, and other materials
Access to print and digital newspapers
Details about makerspace and studio equipment
Pikes Peak Culture Pass information
Upcoming Book Groups at the Library

Check Events & Happenings for:

Our program calendar (with a new search experience to help you find the programs you want)
A list of major annual programs

Explore Research & Learn to discover:

All of PPLD’s databases (which include both academic sources and useful tools for career searching, hobbies, book recommendations, and more)
Pages of resources organized by topic (from art and art history to Colorado to college and business, and beyond)
Our Regional History & Genealogy collection (which includes awesome historic photos from our region)
Online learning
In-person classes at the Library
Educational resources for children
Homeschool resources
Adult learning opportunities

Click the Using the Library tab to find:

Information grouped by age group (kids, tweens, adults, seniors)
Library location information
Our Mobile Library Services schedule and information
Room reservations
Details on using computers, printers, makerspaces, and studios
Interlibrary loan and borrowing materials
Community resources
PowerPass

Our dedicated web team has been hard at work building and testing the website over the past year and can’t wait for you to start using it.

Never Stop Learning written on a chalkboard

Check This Out: Peterson’s Test Prep, CultureGrams

Your library card gives you access to a world of possibilities at Pikes Peak Library District (PPLD). In addition to a wide selection of physical and digital items you can check out, you also have access to a variety of online resources and databases. This month, take a closer look at CultureGrams and Peterson’s Test Prep.

You will need a library card that starts with a 4 to access some of the resources on this page outside of a Library location.

CultureGrams Online

What holidays do people celebrate in Nigeria? What recipes are very Colorado? What famous person came from Saskatchewan? Satisfy your cultural curiosity or explore the world from home with CultureGrams Online. This colorful database includes in-depth information about states, provinces, and countries. The database is user-friendly and laid out in a way that makes it easy to enjoy on your own or with any curious young people in your life.

On the map, click the place you want to learn about, and off you go! Each entry includes basic information such as climate, wildlife, geography, and economics, or you can read up on famous people, significant history, and other interesting cultural notes.

Country pages include infographics and audio clips of national anthems or other cultural sounds. You will also find helpful information on cultural gestures, basic greetings (which you can listen to), and other details.

As a fun bonus, U.S. state and Canadian province entries include recipes!

Did we mention that there is a kids’ section? Kids will enjoy additional information about schools, holidays, what games and sports people play, what life is like for children, and other details they can relate to.

Peterson’s Test Prep

You might be aware that Peterson’s Test Prep supports students, but do you know about its uses outside of academics? This resource helps you achieve both your academic and career goals.

Learn key skills in bookkeeping and cosmetology, or find the study guides you need for vocational tests in postal work, teaching, real estate, the food industry, emergency services, law enforcement, and other careers. Additionally, there are courses where you can brush up on your foundational computer, science, math, reading, and writing skills for work. If your employer uses ACT Workkeys tests, you can also find study guides for those here.

English language learners and people preparing for the U.S. Citizenship test will also find helpful study guides.

If you are on a job hunt, check out the career advice, online resume, and job searching tools

For students, Peterson’s Test Prep offers study guides for a variety of school subjects (including Advanced Placement), college test prep guides, and graduate school test guides (GRE, LSAT, GMAT, and others). Other handy tools include school search, scholarship search, and financial aid information.

Virtual Author Visits

Pikes Peak Library District (PPLD) is excited to bring you Virtual Author Visits in partnership with the Library Speakers Consortium. Join us and hear from bestselling authors and thought leaders on a range of topics, from puzzling science to epic fantasy to decluttering your home. Whether you are an avid or occasional reader, there is nothing quite like listening to insightful talks by authors you have read or new ones you are just discovering. You never know what will catch your interest. Attend these events at no cost from the comfort of home.

In January’s lineup, have a magical moment with New York Times bestselling author TJ Klune on Wed., Jan. 15 at 5 p.m. Hear about his Cerulean Chronicles, with special emphasis on the newest entry in the series, Somewhere Beyond the Sea. The first book in the series, The House in the Cerulean Sea, is an enchanting love story, masterfully told, about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place―and realizing that family is yours. Register for the access link.

Then, join us on Thu., Jan. 23 at noon for a chat with New York Times bestselling author Amanda Montell about her newest book, The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality. In a blend of cultural criticism and personal narrative that explores our cognitive biases and the power, disadvantages, and highlights of magical thinking, Amanda Montell now turns her keen eye to the inner workings of the human mind and its biases. Register for the access link.

If you are writing a book (or thinking about it), you won’t want to miss the last Virtual Author Visit in January. Join us for an inside look at the publishing industry with a literary agent. Delve into working with an agent and the beginning stages of the publishing process with Seth Fishman, vice president and literary agent at The Gernert Company. This extended 90-minute presentation includes 30 minutes of Q&A. This is the year to make your publishing dreams a reality. Register for the access link.

Learn more and see upcoming authors on our Virtual Author Visits page or check out past Virtual Author Visits here!

More Upcoming Virtual Author Visits