What's New!

Since the end of April 2023, the OverDrive company has discontinued their OverDrive app and has transitioned to the Libby app. Everyone who uses the OverDrive app on mobile devices will need to transition to Libby in order to continue accessing eBooks, eMagazines, and eAudiobooks. Don't worry, switching is easy (and you'll even be able to keep your book wish lists from OverDrive)! 

Click here to learn more about the transition to Libby

What will be the same:

• The OverDrive website will still be available
• Most of the content in Libby is the same as in OverDrive
• Your loans and holds will transfer to Libby
• Your wish list can be imported to Libby
• Loan periods are the same in Libby as in OverDrive
• You will still get hold notifications in Libby

What to be aware of:

• Your reading history from the OverDrive app will not transfer to Libby
• Reading progress for your current loans will not transfer to Libby
• You can search for titles not yet in PPLD's collection and indicate your interest using the Notify Me feature.
• At the end of April, OverDrive discontinued the "Recommend to Library" feature. This was the method that allowed users one purchase request to the library each month. 
  This feature has been replaced with Notify Me tags in Libby. Users may tag any items of interest, to be notified if the library purchases the title. When notified, users may place a hold on the item.

Libby for Kindle

• Learn how to install Libby on a Kindle Fire here.

Download Libby App

• Libby, by OverDrive - on Google Play for Android
• Libby, by OverDrive - on the App Store for Iphones/Ipads

Announcing the launch of our new Toy Library! This collection opens opportunities for young children to explore toys that help develop their motor skills.  

Pikes Peak Library District’s six Family Place Libraries (Cheyenne, East, Fountain, Penrose, and Sand Creek libraries, as well as Library 21c), will begin checking out toys beginning in April. Family Place Libraries promote the importance of play through their library play spaces and playgroups, and this new collection allows us to continue to grow in this area. This is an opportunity to expand our services and emphasize the importance of play while accommodating our library patrons in their homes.  

The Toy Library offers large motor skill toys available for families with children ages 0 - 5 to check out with their library card. Large motor skills toys support child development and are important because they help young children learn how to coordinate and control their body movements. These motor skills help lay the foundation for the development of fine motor skills such as writing.  

We recognize that young children need to practice their large motor skills daily, and through the Toy Library, families will have access to these types of toys for three weeks at a time. Children grow rapidly in the first few years of life, so the ability to swap out toys by borrowing them through the Toy Library will help children practice their large motor skills at various stages of development. 

Check out information and procedures 

Toy Library items: 

• Check out for 3 weeks (21 days)  
• Not available for holds or renewals  
• Only available at these libraries:
  • Cheyenne Mountain Library
  • East Library
  • Fountain Library
  • Penrose Library
  • Sand Creek Library
  • Library 21c
• Must be returned to the location where they were checked out

Checkout information

• One item at a time from the Toy Library may be checked out to patrons who:
  • Are age 18+
  • Have a valid Library account in good standing – user privileges are not blocked or expired (ACCESS cards and PowerPass are not eligible)
  • Have a completed and signed Toy Library Waiver on file

Learn more about checking out toys from the Toy Library here. 

Throughout history poetry has inspired cultures around the world. April is National Poetry Month, celebrating poetry in all of its forms. This diverse art form imaginatively conveys human emotion and experience, captures both epic and quiet moments in concise snapshots, and creates a channel for us to understand the world around us in new and meaningful ways. Songs, poetry epics, haiku, pastoral poems, sonnets, and limericks are just a few poetic forms that you might already be familiar with and enjoy. Discover new poems, poets, and poetic forms while exploring the resources on this page, and don’t miss the special poetry events we have coming up in April!

Programs

Poetry Summit – Sat., April 22, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

The 2023 Pikes Peak Poetry Summit theme is: "Art is a Bridge to New Perspectives." This year we are celebrating poetry across Colorado with features from all over the state. Join our summit and open yourself up to new ideas through powerful artistry.     
April is National Poetry Month, and this summit is the perfect way to celebrate whether you are a seasoned poet, exploring the art form, or just a lover of poetry. Get inspired, improve your craft, share your words, and learn more about poetry locally and across the state. Engage with our poetry workshops, share your work on the open mic, and experience amazing poetry and music performances.

Workshops include:

• How to Rhyme?: Songwriting 101 with Dominique Robbins
• Poetry, Pop Culture, and Social Justice with Michael Ferguson
• Building Community, Building a Poem with Poetry Heals
• Becoming Poetry writing workshop.

Shop our art market to support local poets, authors, and artists. The poetic experience in the Pikes Peak Region is phenomenal and we look forward to celebrating with the community. Be curious about the bridge poetry will create for you. All ages are welcome!

The workshops are provided at no cost. All workshops are 45 minutes in duration. Please be aware that you will need coins for the metered parking.   
Registration opens soon for all workshops.

Enjoy celebrating Poetry Month with the Library!

Jean Ciavonne Poetry Contest Awards Ceremony – Sat., April 29, at 10:30 a.m.   
Celebrate the winners of Jean Ciavonne Poetry Contest, who wrote on this year's theme: "Be the Hero: Empowered and Impactful." Please RSVP to Christa Funke, cfunke@ppld.org, by Tue., April 25.

For 4th and 5th graders and their families and friends

Sat., April 29, at 10:30 a.m.

Booklists

• Children's Poetry and Novels in Verse
• Poets to Read for National Poetry Month
• Poetry Books for Teens

Resources

• Poetry and Shorty Story Reference Center  
  A full-text database containing thousands of classic and contemporary poems, short stories, and more. It also includes high-quality videos and audio recordings from the Academy of American Poets.
• PPLD Literature LibGuide  
  A starting place for discovering literature resources within our collection at Pikes Peak Library District, including information on poetry and poets!

Recommended Website

• Shell Silverstein website  
  Lots of fun for Shel Silverstein fans, including videos of his poems and activities to try!
• The Children's Poetry Archive  
  Listen to poems read aloud, some by the poets who wrote them. Discover a new favorite poem and learn all about different poets who write for children.
• StoryBlocks  
  Poetry for the very young! Find all sorts of songs and nursery rhymes in multiple languages to share with your child.
• The Poetry Archive  
  The internet’s largest collection of poets reading their work.
• Poetry Foundation  
  The website of Poetry Magazine includes learning resources for multiple age groups, information on poems and poets, and a large variety of podcasts for connecting with poetry. 
• Writer's Digest University's Write Better Poetry  
  Looking for inspiration for your next poem? Writer’s Digest has a variety of challenges, writing prompts and articles to help you get started.