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In a recent lecture, celebrated author Neil Gaiman discussed among other things why libraries are so important to the future, how important it is to read for pleasure, and how there is no such thing as a bad children's book.

"... Libraries are about freedom. Freedom to read, freedom of ideas, freedom of communication. They are about education (which is not a process that finishes the day we leave school or university), about entertainment, about making safe spaces, and about access to information."

Read the transcript in its entirety here. Search for Neil Gaiman in the Catalog

Tom Clancy (April 12, 1947 – October 1, 2013) was an American author best known for his technically detailed espionage and military science story lines that are set during and in the aftermath of the Cold War ¹.

Clancy's books were made into several successful films, including The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games, and Clear and Present Danger.

Click here for a list of titles by Tom Clancy in the Catalog.

Life at Myron Stratton Home ignited Colorado Springs poet laureate's passion

The Pikes Peak Poet Laureate recently joined forces with the Pikes Peak Library District Lobby Stop Van to visit various senior centers throughout Colorado Springs.

"Two residents approached as we were leaving and said, 'thank you so much for bringing poetry to us!'"

The love that soars out from you,
Returns on the arms of the singing wind
       Price Strobridge - Boomerang

Pikes Peak Library District wants to preserve the record of the historic Black Forest Fire and its effects on our community. We are doing this in a couple of ways:

• We are collecting images for an online photo gallery, which you can send to photos@ppld.org. Feel free to include any personal accounts associated with the image, which we will use as a caption. Please note that we cannot receive email attachments larger than 8 megabytes at a time. If you have multiple images, please send them individually. Please limit your submission to five photos total.
• In addition, we are seeking video and high-resolution photos for our Special Collections archives for the use of future researchers. If you have video or high-res pictures you would like to donate to our collection, please email us at photos@ppld.org with “Archives” in the subject line so that we can arrange acquisition of your photo or video. Do not email your high-resolution images, but you can send samples. Keep in mind we have an 8 megabyte attachment limit. Please do not email video files, but links to online streaming (YouTube, etc.) of your video footage are okay.

PPLD would like to thank Major General Mike and Elinor Ingelido, Carnegie Society Members, for their gift to the children of Cheyenne Mountain Library.

What do you get when you give "kindie" musician Steve Weeks and PPLD TV producer/director Dave Franklyn access to paper, glue, scissors, cardboard, paint, and string? Watch the new music video for Steve’s latest single “Change of Heart” and you’ll find out!

The video, directed and edited by Franklyn, is a colorful romp through an arts and crafts world filled with dancing home-made puppets. This simple approach provides the perfect backdrop to the new single, an up-tempo bluegrass tune about a greedy pig, a grumpy hound dog and Little Miss Fuddy Dud, who all discover that it’s never too late to turn a new leaf over. “When Dave started talking about paper pigs and cardboard clouds, I thought maybe he’d lost his mind”, says Weeks, “but I’ve learned to just trust his artistic vision.”

Weeks has already made his mark on the national music scene with four critically acclaimed CDs, multiple #1 hits on Sirius XM satellite radio channel 78 (Kids Place Live), and a first place award in the USA Songwriting Competition children's music category.

Franklyn, who produces films for the Telly Award-winning PPLD Video Production Center, also directed the live action music video to Steve’s hit single “Bartleby Finkleton Will Not Take a Bath.”

Greedy Pig, an accomplished paper puppet and star of the film claims to be an Oscar contender for his role, although few believe that he is cut out for it.

The Louise (Lacey) and Allen Simpson Heritage Corner at Fountain Library contains information on the history of the Fountain Valley area and genealogy reference materials. We are collecting family histories from those who have lived in the area for at least fifty years, as well as other items of interest. The Heritage Corner also contains information on Fountain’s Fairview Cemetery, and some historic maps of the area.

The Heritage Corner was made possible by a generous donation from the Lacey-Simpson family.

If you are interested in learning more about the Heritage Corner or donating family histories, please call the Fountain Library at (719) 382-5347. We also have monthly genealogy classes for those interested in learning more about their family roots!

In an historic election on November 6, 2012, Manitou Springs residents voted to have their local library become part of Pikes Peak Library District. The approved Issue 2B will raise property taxes by up to 4 mills in Manitou Springs, generating $240,000 in 2013 and allowing Manitou Springs Public Library to join PPLD and its 14 other facilities serving El Paso County.

“The positive election results for the Manitou Springs Public Library to join Pikes Peak Library District means that we are combining over a hundred years of service in each of our two library systems together,” said PPLD Executive Director Paula Miller. “With the passage of this issue, we have literally made history together. We are excited to welcome Manitou Springs into the Pikes Peak Library District. This will provide better and more consistent library service for all residents within both of our service areas.”

The Manitou Library was among proposed budget cuts in Manitou Springs before citizens petitioned to place Issue 2B on the ballot. MSPL was excited to hear that library service to Manitou Springs residents would not only continue, but be expanded.

“This is an exciting time in the life of our library and we’re thrilled to become a part of Pikes Peak Library District,” said MSPL Executive Director Margaret Morris. “This merger into such a progressive, nationally-recognized library district allows us to not only provide an abundance of additional library services to the Manitou Springs community, but to keep those services in place for many years to come. This ballot initiative always has been about sustainable library services in Manitou Springs, and the citizens recognized and showed their support with a favorable outcome.”

While the transition will not be officially effective until 2013, PPLD will soon begin issuing cards to all Manitou Springs library patrons who wish to begin using PPLD services immediately. Manitou patrons will still need their MSPL card to check out materials from the Manitou Library until the end of the year.

A celebration of this historic transition will occur at MSPL in January.

The American Library Association's (ALA) Virtual Read-Out is a great opportunity for people to share their favorite banned book. During Banned Books Week (Sept. 30 to Oct. 6, 2012) we had a few of our teens read for us! Check it out!

High School

• First Place - Cecilia Lee for "Flooding Gifts"
• Second Place - Helen Stritzel for "Sisters and the Scent of Cloves"
• Third Place - Kristen Hernandez for "Trapped"

Middle School

• First Place - Mariah Mayhugh for "Blind Friendship"
• Second Place - Emily Ford for "The Attic's Secret"
• Third Place - Hannah Kaupp for "I Love Him, Not You"

Pikes Peak Library District employee Vincent Colicchio never considered himself an artist, but he became one nonetheless, through the curiosity and caring he exhibited at his job in Circulation at PPLD’s downtown Penrose Library. According to Colicchio, “It began by me saying, ‘That’s a treasure. That shouldn’t be thrown out.’ " Colicchio handles books for a living, so he sees a lot of them on a daily basis. But he recently found his love of books extending to damaged books that were being discarded. “I, like other people who work in libraries, get heartbroken when I see books in the recycling bin. I think it’s a waste,” he said.

When Colicchio turned his eye to the bare shelves behind the checkout desk at Penrose Library, the altered book project began to take shape. “I was telling my supervisor, ‘You know we could jazz it up back there.’ I said, ‘We’ve got this space, we should do some displays.’ “Then around Christmastime, my supervisor said, ‘I like your ideas. Go ahead and make a display and let me know if you need anything.’ “I hadn’t really intended to do anything myself, so I was like, ‘Oh no! Now I actually have to do something!’ So I did some altered books around the holidays in a matter of just a few days just to have something there.” Colicchio said he found books in the Library’s Catalog on how to make altered books, and then he found “quotations by writers that I liked and really reflected the spirit of a book and its relationship to a reader. And those became the focal point. By just contemplating that quote, vague visions and imagery would come up, and I would try to follow it and let it grow as I was creating each altered book.” “It just lends itself to being at the library. It’s recycling and it’s creativity inspired by books we have in our catalog that have the techniques on how to do it.”

Colicchio recently donated two of his altered books to the Colorado Library Education Foundation for their upcoming silent auction to raise funds for scholarships for Colorado library employees to attend Colorado Library Association and division workshops and the annual CAL conference. Colicchio’s art speaks to the great potential of books -- even discarded books--to enrich and change lives. The images below show the extreme care and detail Colicchio brings to his work. The work is even more impressive in person and is currently on display in the Friends Bookstore in East Library.

At a ceremony on Saturday, July 21 in Denver’s Seawell Grand Ballroom, Pikes Peak Library District Multimedia Producer Jamey Hastings was awarded a 2012 Heartland Emmy Award in the Interstitial Program category for her piece, “Colorado Springs Beat: The News Photography of Stan Payne.”

The short documentary chronicles the work of Stan Payne, a Gazette Telegraph employee from 1947 to 1976, and was based on research by PPLD Special Collections Assistant Manager Dennis Daily. The Heartland Chapter Emmy Awards represent excellence in television and media production.

“This is a huge honor,” Hastings said. “There were a lot of great submissions and I’m so thrilled that our piece was chosen.”

Pikes Peak Library District wants to preserve the record of the historic Waldo Canyon Fire and its effects on our community. We are doing this in several ways:

• We are collecting images for an online photo gallery (see below), which you can send to photos@ppld.org. Feel free to include any personal accounts associated with the image, which we will use as a caption. Please note that we cannot receive email attachments larger than 8 megabytes at a time. If you have multiple images, please send them individually. Please limit your submission to five photos total.
• In addition, we are seeking video and high-resolution photos for our Special Collections archives for use by future researchers. If you have video or high-res pictures you would like to donate to our collection, please email us at photos@ppld.org with “Archives” in the subject line so that we can arrange acquisition of your photo or video. Do not email your high-resolution images, but you can send samples. Keep in mind we have an 8 megabyte attachment limit. Please do not email video files, but links to online streaming (YouTube, etc.) of your video footage are okay.

The 2012 Waldo Canyon Fire is a tragedy, but the response by individuals and organizations has been truly inspiring. PPLD is proud to assist our community during this trying time.

In addition to being an air-conditioned refuge from the heat and smoke, PPLD has extended a helping hand in other ways.

On Sunday, June 24, Penrose Library remained open four hours later than usual to help meet the high demand for Internet usage by people needing to communicate with friends and family.

The Library has also set up mobile Laptop Labs at the Red Cross Shelters at Cheyenne Mountain High School and The Southeast YMCA for evacuees. Clifton Medford, IT Technician at PPLD, said the Library plans to have the laptops available at the shelters until they close.

“My hope is to be here until everything is cleared,” he said.

PPLD and Friends of the Pikes Peak Library District have also donated hundreds of books at each location for evacuees to keep.

PPLD librarian Krista Meier recounted this illustrative anecdote from the Cheyenne Mountain High School shelter: “One young girl I chatted with very calmly stated that the little stuffed animal she had been given might be the only one she has left if their house burns down. She ended up finding a couple of fairy books and her face completely lit up when I told her she could have them.”

In addition, the Library is dedicating public service staff to help evacuees register on the Red Cross Safe and Well website.

Use of the East Library webcam has boomed, as people throughout the world search for a view of the devastation.

“One of the first things I did today was to go to the East Library cam,” wrote Erin Gallagher on PPLD’s Facebook page. “Being in England I'm freaking out over my family and friends in Colorado Springs. Thank you for keeping the live feed up so that I can check it when I need to even across the pond, and thank you for donating everything you are. Keeping people in touch is very important right now, and five minutes of use on a laptop can put many people's fears to rest.”

PPLD has received an outpouring of supportive statements and offers for assistance from other libraries, including the Colorado State University-Pueblo Interlibrary Loan Office, Arapahoe Library District, Jefferson County Public Libraries, and Denver Public Library.

It is heartening to see a community unite, even if it is in the midst of disaster. In times of tragedy, you tend to see the best of human capability: bravery, shared passion, compassion, the opening of doors and minds to strangers. It is times like these we are forced to remember we are all connected in ways more than geographic.

Pikes Peak Library District has set up its mobile Laptop Lab at the Red Cross Shelter at Cheyenne Mountain High School for evacuees of the Waldo Canyon Fire to use. Clifton Medford, IT Technician at PPLD, said the shelter had approximately 250 people at the shelter on Sunday evening and that the Laptop Lab’s 12 computers have been in constant use since they were set up on Sunday.

Medford said that on Sunday evening, “Our laptops helped approximately 20 people register for the Red Cross Safe and Well program that we set as the homepage and easily 40 to 50 others used the laptops to look up fire information for their homes and local areas. There were also plenty of Facebook updates to let their friends and family know they were safe.”

Medford said the Library hopes to have the laptops available at the shelter until it closes. He emphasized that the laptops are free to use and that, “We’re not restricting anybody, but we are encouraging folks do sign up on the Red Cross website,” so that family and friends know they are safe.

“My hope is to be here until everything is cleared,” he said.

The Library has also donated approximately 60 books for evacuees to keep from materials that were recently weeded from the collection to evacuees, with a good balance of materials for children and adults.

“Art is a community force,” asserts Price Strobridge, who currently wears, in his words, the “poet’s tunic.” He was recently named this region’s third Pikes Peak Poet Laureate. His journey there wasn’t textbook, but it would make a great novel. Or at least chapbook.

“My father abandoned us,” he recounts of his early years. He lived for a time at the Myron Stratton Home, making him “the progeny of the gold miner” Stratton, who struck it rich in Cripple Creek in the 1890s and funneled much of his earnings into the formation of Colorado Springs and bequeathed funds to establish the home for the poor that still bears his name.

Strobridge’s high school English teacher assigned a reading of the prologue to The Canterbury Tales, and he can still “feel the music and those syllables rolling around.” He also cites Poem #15 of Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s Coney Island of the Mind as an early influence.

In his 20s, Strobridge watched the film Dr. Zhivago and fell in love with Russian poetry, especially the works of Andrei Voznesensky and Yevgeny Yevtushenko. He has also found inspiration in the work of Emily Dickenson, the essayist Thomas Carlyle, and the scientist Nikola Tesla.

He has driven contracted rural mail routes near Fowler, Colorado and currently lays carpet, proudly “self-employed for 43 years.” Carpet-laying demand is heavy after the recent hail storm and ensuing flooding, so business seems to be good. He fielded several carpet-related calls during a recent interview, and another call from his wife, his “main muse” and “CEO” who illustrated his lone published book Unmasking the Heart.

His tunic comes with the phantom weight of unworthiness. Because he did not attend college, he humbly felt unqualified when he was named laureate, a position normally filled by traditional scholars. “I read here and there and bounce around like a fly. I’m not a real poet.” But advice from local poet Malcom McCollum helped: “Get over it, Price. We are all self-taught.”

Strobridge partly educated himself while “crawling on floors,” laying carpet and listening to audiobooks checked out from PPLD, including works by Robert Graves, W.H. Auden, T.S. Elliott, and Robert Frost. He is fond of reciting “I got my degree / In poetry / From PPLD.”

He also learned from other local poets, who he calls his “professors,” such as previous poet laureates Jim Ciletti (a gardener/chef/poet who conveys “a sensate burst of joy. He paints that plum” with words) and Aaron Anstett (“a real energetic voice” who enlivened the local poetry scene upon his arrival just over a decade ago).

The tunic-wearer now looks to offer similar encouragement to younger writers. “The art’s coming out of their pores! They’re a voice that hasn’t been recognized.”

So what advice does our Poet Laureate offer writers of all ages? For one, write when you are inspired. “If you don’t spear, or bring to earth, or clip its wings,” a poem will be lost. Also, “hear hints of rhythms in a waterfall.”

And how does one become Pikes Peak Poet Laureate? “ ‘Way leads unto way,’ Robert Frost said. ‘Way leads unto way.’ And here I am.”

By words the mind is winged.
~ Aristophanes

Unfledged,
unlaurelled molting heap,
heaped on the leveled ground,
grounded by gravity of self,
he wore no gold-edged tunic,
perched heavily,
like a thick book
on a narrow shelf
unopened,

brooded
on the cliff’s rocky ledge
flightless…

until learning
to line his wings
with lifting lines
(poetry his patagium)

then,
spreading full wings
to the wind in the words
rode up the thermal gust
to soar.

Below him,
the world fell away,
sloughed-off
like fledgling down.

Beloved children's author Maurice Sendak died May 8 at the age of 83. Best known for his award winning book, Where the Wild Things Are, Sendak transformed the face of children's literature.

Here is a list of Sendak's books in PPLD's collection.

Zooglobble, a popular and comprehensive website for kids' music news, reviews, and interviews, has selected a PPLD TV production as one of the Top 10 Kids Music Videos of 2011: "Bartleby Finkleton Will Not Take a Bath”, written and performed by Colorado Springs musician Steve Weeks.

Here is Arjun Gheewala’s film A Lame Story, an entry in PPLD’s 2011 Teen Filmmaker Festival. His movie artfully demonstrates the power of books.

Submissions were required to have the following elements:
Theme: Adventure
Word: Rosebud
Object: Cape with the color red somewhere in it
Place: Library

Each year, the Millibo Art Theatre (formerly Manitou Art Theatre) presents The Six Women Playwriting Festival. The mission of the festival is to present theatre that explores the human experience and the human spirit through the examination and presentation of dramatic work.

PPLD TV captured the 2011 festival performances. Below, you can watch Off to Summer (Written by Tira Palmquist; Directed by LeAnne Carrouth; Performed by LeAnne Carrouth and JaNae Stansbery). To view the other plays, click here.

The Filby Award for Genealogical Librarianship is presented each year to a librarian whose primary focus is genealogy and local history. PPLD’s own Tim Blevins was chosen as the 2011 award recipient for the contributions he’s made to the District since arriving in 2001, including his work with the Pikes Peak Genealogical Society and the popular annual Regional History Symposium. The award is a huge honor for the District and a public recognition of the important work PPLD’s Special Collections Manager has done over his 10-year career with PPLD.

Blevins was also recently featured in The Gazette:
History comes alive, thanks to award-winning librarian – The Gazette, August 13, 2011

How old are your children?
We have three boys. They are 11, 9, and 6 years old.

Why did you decide to homeschool?
Homeschooling was never something I dreamed of doing. Quite the contrary, I dreamed of the day I would send them off to school and lighten my load at home. We moved here after the Kindergarten year had started for my oldest. We didn’t know what neighborhood or school district we would settle in, so we just decided to homeschool Kindergarten, since it’s not even a ‘required’ grade. For first grade, he attended the public school that we intended to be our neighborhood school in Black Forest. Due to delays, we were still commuting the next year, but his brother was in half-day Kindergarten, too. After 2 months of driving to the school 3 times a day, being in the car 3 hours a day, it just became simpler to homeschool until our home was settled, at least. Well, now we’re settled and somewhere along the way we worked out the kinks and frustration of homeschooling, feeling like I didn’t have a clue what I was doing, and we came out the other side committed to long-term homeschooling and loving the flexibility and adventures it allows our family to have.

What curriculum do you use?
I don’t have a single set curriculum. I’ve always used the internet as a huge teaching resource, as well as library resources, and LOTS of good books. I used to follow what the state education standards were for individual grades. With multiple grade levels, though, it has become easier and more enjoyable for our family to combine some subjects, like History, Art, and Latin. We have used “The Story of the World” audio CD’s from the library, as well as Veritas Press for elementary history. After a few years homeschooling, I did a lot of research on homeschooling methods and discovered that I was basically a Charlotte Mason-style teacher with a little bit of Classical method thrown in.

I start formal math in first or second grade using Saxon math. They’ve done well with this program, and my oldest has worked independently with this since 4th grade. Anything that one child can do on their own is a good thing and allows individual teaching time for another child. Before second grade, there are plenty of hands-on math activities that include the standards in the books without the ‘sit still and listen to me lecture’ style of a textbook.

Science is nature journals, gardening, raising animals—we have 3 dogs, 2 cats, a bunny, 14 chickens, 4 goats, and a red golden pheasant, lots of experiments (I have a degree in Biochemistry, from my previous life), and a little bit of Bob Jones University Science workbooks.

My older two children are enrolled in the Cottage School Program at The Classical Academy East one day per week. This gives them the opportunity to experience a classroom setting, participate in a music concert and an art show each year, plus group classes such as Ameritowne that just aren’t possible at home. They are learning very thorough grammar there using Shurley Grammar.

What does your homeschool day look like?
The kids get up at various times, so everyone is on a slightly different schedule. My early riser has on rare occasions had breakfast and completed Math, History, and Grammar before anyone else is even downstairs yet! Generally, we will have breakfast and rotate through individual subjects for a couple of hours, take an outdoor break (or basement if there’s weather), then complete a short assignment or chores while I fix some lunch. After lunch, we do much more relaxed studies together and can include sketching video lessons, reading, building, craft projects, dog training, handwriting, animal care, etc. In the later afternoon, we will all get together in the living room for a snack and tea time along with a good audiobook or audio history lesson. We always keep maps and globes handy for when we are reading or listening about places so we can find them. In the evenings, after dinner we will do a short bible study around the table. Bedtime includes everyone piling in our bed for read-aloud novels, poems, or stories.

Does your husband support/help you in a specific way in your homeschooling efforts?
My husband has warmed to the idea of homeschooling as he sees them thriving and doing well on the state required testing. He travels occasionally for work, so it has been great that we can come along on some of the longer trips. We’ve been coast to coast seeing museums and field trips this way. He is also active in Boy/Cub scouts, 4-H, and occasional soccer & hockey teams with the kids. He’s been supportive by building chicken coops, dog kennels, shelving for homeschooling supplies, and accommodating more chaos and less clean than might be achieved if we didn’t homeschool!

What are your children’s interests and future goals?
They love climbing on anything, building forts, swinging on a rope to reach the sky, playing with creatures big and small, and would all love to become Lego Master Builders someday.

I have 3 children: ages 14, 12, and 9.

When my firstborn child was about 15 months old, I accompanied a friend to a homeschool conference. I'd never even heard of 'homeschool'! I went more to hang out with a girl friend than anything else. While there I heard a speaker talking about how God has given our children to us as a gift. The more he talked about the relationships built with one's children through homeschooling and the equipping done for real life in homeschooling, the more I knew this was something I was being called to do.

I have been what is sometimes referred to as an 'eclectic' homeschooler, using a variety of curriculum to meet the changing needs of my children and our family. I've always felt I should teach a subject in a way that is enjoyable and many times I found unit studies to fit the bill. However, as I now am homeschooling a high school student, a middle school student, and an elementary student, I felt the need to consolidate much of the instruction I give in a 'one-room school house' type setting. I now use 'Tapestry of Grace' as my main curriculum. It is a history based curriculum that adds philosophy, art, geography, government, and writing together. Everyone is learning about the same time periods at their own levels. This enables us all to learn from each other. On top of that, I add Saxon Math, Apologia Science, Easy Grammar, Spelling Power, and foreign language (Latin).

For us, mornings work best to do our harder work. We also try to stick to a schedule so we all work on the same subject at the same time. (That keeps my stress level at a manageable level!) We start with some subjects over breakfast (Bible and History discussions). We move into math, foreign language, language arts (grammar, spelling, and writing) and science before lunch. After lunch we have read-aloud time and more discussions. The day is wrapped up with the kids doing their reading assignments and their household chores.

As my children grow their interests change and it is fun to watch it unfold. My oldest went from a 1st grader who wanted to be a vegetarian children's pastor on a horse ranch...who still ate chicken nuggets (Ha!) to a teenager considering working as a writer or missionary. My second child wants to teach art or choir and be a mommy. My youngest child at one time wanted to be a detective. The problem is, he can't keep up with his own comb! Now he wants to be a wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys...and a singer! (I guess they don't have to comb their hair. Ha!)

On June 14, Bomba Estéreo kicked off World Music Series 2010, brought to you this year by KRCC Concerts. The band, which hails from Bogotá, Colombia, describes its sound as “electro tropical.” You can watch the PPLD TV-produced video of the first song of their performance below.