What's New!

Get ready for a weekend of epic sports history! PPLD and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum have teamed up to offer a discount weekend at the museum for library cardholders. Share your library card (or card number) to enjoy interactive exhibits and an immersive and accessible look into the journey of Team USA’s Olympic and Paralympic athletes.   

When:  

• Sat., Jan. 28 from 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.  
• Sun., Jan. 29 from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m

Present your library card at the museum for $10 admission. The PPLD Bookmobile will be on-site for library card registration and will also put on a special Storytime Saturday morning at 9 a.m. 

Bookmobile on-site: 

• Sat., Jan. 28 from 9 a.m. – noon  
• Sun., Jan. 29 from 10 a.m. – noon 

From a small reading room established 136 years ago, PPLD continues to evolve to meet the ever-changing needs of our sprawling community. Our service area covers 2,070 square miles of El Paso County with a population of nearly 700,000 – people of all ages and backgrounds with varying views and interests.

Thanks to taxpayer funding, we can continue to provide residents with access to 16 facilities, three mobile library services, and a large online hub of resources and services, all of which are inclusive and welcoming to everyone. The Library team strives to make its physical and digital spaces safe and respectful for diverse voices, perspectives, and pursuits; to foster community dialogue and connections; and to help people achieve their goals and dreams in life.

Overview and Process

In the winter and spring of 2022, our Board of Trustees and staff revisited PPLD’s mission statement and developed a vision statement and organizational values that best reflect our public library system and growing community in El Paso County.

This became our starting point to develop our new strategic plan for 2023 - 2025. After months of input from the public through surveys and in-person meetings, PPLD staff, Library patrons, and other community members and government officials, PPLD used the rich qualitative data it received from more than 1,600 responses to develop a new strategic plan for 2023 - 2025. Below are the six areas of focus the team identified that became the foundation of the plan.

Strategic Plan: Areas of Focus

PPLD publicly released this plan in detail on Dec. 6, 2022, so everyone could see where, why, and how PPLD will reinvest taxpayer dollars back into the community through 2025. We look forward to using our new strategic plan to fulfill our mission, uphold our values, and aim to achieve our vision for this great community.

View the complete plan here:

Free materials for this Take and Make will be available at area PPLD libraries beginning Dec. 9, 2023.

Materials provided:
Spool
Washer
Rubber Band
Toothpicks
Materials you provide:
Scissors
Tape
Markers, if desired
Directions: (see additional pictures in the pdf link below)
1. Use markers to decorate the spool, if desired.
2. Push the rubber band through the center of the spool. Use a toothpick to help poke it through if needed.
3. Break a toothpick, slide it through one rubber band loop, and secure it to the spool with tape.
4. Slide the washer onto the rubber band loop at the other end of the spool.
5. Insert a toothpick through the loop.
6. Wind the toothpick.
7. Set it down on a smooth surface and let go. Watch it race or spin!
8. Experiment with how you can adjust it to make it go straighter or farther. You can also race your friends.