Memorial Day is a day to remember those who have fallen in service to our country. It was originally called Decoration Day from the tradition of decorating graves of the fallen with flowers, wreaths, and flags. While it was first widely observed on May 30, 1868 to commemorate the service of Civil War soldiers, after World War I it was expanded to honor those who had died serving the U.S. in any war. Congress designated the last Monday of May as Memorial Day as part of the Uniform Monday Holiday Act passed in 1971.

Booklists

• Honoring Our Military booklist (Overdrive/Libby)

PPLD Resources

Books

Books about the military can be found in our nonfiction and juvenile nonfiction sections. Look for these call numbers to find where these books are located:

• 355 – Military Science
• 623 – Military Engineering
• 973 – U.S. History
• Gale In Context: Elementary: Memorial Day
  Explore facts and history about Memorial Day with the kids in your life. (Must have a library card that starts with a 4 to access outside of a Library location.)
• Gale In Context: U.S. History: Memorial Day
  Experience Memorial Day in new ways through videos, articles, biographies, images, and more in this history database. (Must have a library card that starts with a 4 to access outside of a Library location.)

Websites

• Memorial Day (Visit Colorado Springs)
  Find out about Memorial Day events and activities coming up in Colorado Springs and the surrounding area.
• 9 Things You May Not Know About Memorial Day (History Channel)
  What do modern Memorial Day celebrations have in common with ancient traditions? Who organized one of the earliest Memorial Day commemorations? What town was the real birthplace of Memorial Day? Read this article to learn more! 
• Celebrating America’s Freedoms (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs)
  Explore the origins of Memorial Day and find out how different states celebrate.
• The History of Memorial Day (PBS)
  Learn about the origins of Memorial Day, and visit the Wall of Remembrance to share memories about service members in your life or view memories left by others. 
• Memorial Day: A Commemoration (National Archives)
  View videos, articles and blogs, and more about Memorial Day from the National Archives.
• The WWI Origins of the Poppy as a Remembrance Symbol (History Channel)
  The poppy hasn’t always been a symbol of remembrance. Learn the WWI origins of this well-recognized symbol.  

Free Comic Book Day on Sat., May 4 wasn’t the only way for you to enjoy comics at no cost. Use your library card to access hundreds of comics, graphic novels, and manga on Hoopla! From superheroes and literary adaptations to kid favorites, both new and long-time comic and manga readers can find something to enjoy in this digital collection. Check out what’s available from anywhere using the Hoopla app or by visiting Hoopla using your internet browser. 

Hoopla’s digital comics collection is always growing. They added manga in 2023 and continue to add new content each month. The collection offers comic issues, comic volumes, graphic novels, manga, and audiobook adaptations of some graphic novels.  

Hoopla’s digital comics collection is always growing. They added manga in 2023 and continue to add new content each month. The collection offers comic issues, comic volumes, graphic novels, manga, and audiobook adaptations of some graphic novels.

Whether you’re new to comics or a longtime fan, Hoopla’s comics section is easy to navigate. You can search for a comic by title or enjoy browsing a wide variety of categories to help you find what you like to read. If you aren’t sure what you want to read, browse through categories like Popular Comics, Featured, Media Tie-In, Fantasy, Historical, and other categories. There’s something for everyone.  

Help celebrate the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and Team USA with a limited-edition U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum (USOPM) library card! This beautiful commemorative card will be available starting Fri., May 31 just in time for Pikes Peak Library District’s (PPLD) 2024 Summer Adventure presented by Children’s Hospital Colorado reading program.

The card features artwork by LeRoy Neiman, the official painter for five Olympic Games, and now PPLD cardholders can enjoy his artwork on their library card.

As a special bonus, the limited-edition library card can be used this summer for free children’s admissions at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum. From May 31 – July 31, Library cardholders may present the limited-edition card upon entry at the museum for free admission for a child 12 years of age and younger with a paying adult. The card will be available on a first-come basis, while supplies last.

Don't miss this special library card that will help get you in the spirit of the games this summer! 

The Shivers Concert Series has been raising funds to support local culture and arts for 31 years. These concerts benefit the Shivers Fund started by Peggy and Clarence Shivers, which contributes to the African-American collection at Pikes Peak Library District (PPLD), awards grants and scholarships to students, and encourages young people to pursue their interests in the arts. 

The Spring Concert, the first of three concerts this year, features baritone Shyheim Hinnant, mezzo soprano Stephanie Brink, and violist Solomon Leonard, as well as a Tuskegee Airman reenactment by John Thomas. Join us for this celebration of the arts and support the Shivers Fund in providing opportunities for our community to celebrate diversity in history, culture, and the arts. This concert takes place on Fri., May 17 at 6 p.m. at the Fine Arts Center at Colorado College. 

Durthy Washington will be selling and signing her books at the event. 

Thank you to the Fine Arts Center at Colorado College for hosting this event. Also, at the Fine Arts Center right now is the Clarence Shivers: Experiments with Form exhibit, showcasing more than 30 works of paintings, prints, and sculpture that offer an expansive view of Clarence Shivers’ prolific career. 

Purchase your tickets today!

May is Mental Health Awareness Month – a time to learn more about and recognize the importance of taking care of our mental health and well-being. With so much focus on physical health, it’s easy to forget that our minds require love and attention, too. This month also serves as an important reminder for everyone to check in with friends and family who may need additional support. 

Booklists

• Mental Health Awareness Adult Nonfiction Titles
• Mental Health books on Overdrive and Libby 

PPLD Resources

• Tough Topics guide for teens: Mental Health and Suicide
  The resources in the Tough Topics guide are organized into a page for youth seeking support, as well as parents and caregivers.
• Tough Topics Bookmark
  A printed resource for teens available at Library locations. These bookmarks have book call numbers that can help anyone find books on the shelves dealing with mental health-related topics. Phone numbers for local resources are also listed. 
• Community Resources at PPLD
  We have all found ourselves in a difficult situation and we aren’t always sure where to turn. Pikes Peak Library District offers community resources information across the District. Our Community Resources Specialists are here to help you navigate and connect with services by providing referrals and information to get the help you need for your specific situation. Please note that these are not mental health services.
• Helping Hands El Paso County Community Resources 
  Discover mental and behavioral health resources available in El Paso County.
• Psychology & Behavioral Sciences database 
  This database contains full text information from more than 560 journals. It covers topics on emotional and behavioral characteristics, psychiatry and psychology, mental processes, anthropology, and observational and experimental methods. (Must have a library card that starts with a 4 to access outside of a Library location.)

Websites

• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
  The 988 Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals in the United States.
• Pikes Peak Suicide Prevention
  The mission of Pikes Peak Suicide Prevention Partnership is to unite the community in addressing suicide in the Pikes Peak region through education, intervention, and postvention.
• Colorado Crisis Services
  Colorado Crisis Services provides free, confidential, and immediate support from trained professionals and peer specialists, available 24/7/364 by calling 844-493-8255 or texting TALK to 38255.
• May is Mental Health Awareness Month (American Hospital Association)
  As Mental Health Awareness Month, May is a time to raise awareness of and reduce the stigma surrounding behavioral health issues, as well as highlighting the ways that mental illness and addiction can affect all of us – patients, providers, families, and our society at large. 
• National Alliance on Mental Health 
  The National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI) is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness.
• Mental Health America 
  Mental Health America is the nation’s leading national nonprofit dedicated to the promotion of mental health, well-being, and illness prevention. Visit their Taking Good Care of Yourself page for tools to aid you in your mental health journey.
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
  The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is the agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that leads public health efforts to advance the behavioral health of the nation.
• National Institute of Mental Health
  The National Institute of Mental Health is dedicated to transforming the understanding and treatment of mental illnesses. Visit their Caring for your Mental Health page for helpful tips and tools for caring for your mental health. 

In 1890 and 1891, prospectors in the Pikes Peak region discovered the rich gold ore that touched off the legendary Cripple Creek & Victor Gold Rush. With the modern comforts we enjoy today, it can be difficult to imagine what the gold rush was like for people living it. For an authentic gold rush experience of your own, visit our Pikes Peak Culture Pass partner Victor Thomas Lowell Museum in Victor, Colorado. Pikes Peak Library District (PPLD) cardholders can check out a no-cost entry pass to this piece of regional history through the Culture Pass program.

Located in the heart of the town of Victor, the Victor Lowell Thomas Museum features displays exploring the historic gold mining days, as well as the miners and pioneers, some of them millionaires, who made the town famous. Victor’s history is one of exploration, ranching, gold mining, and railroading. The museum showcases two floors of artifacts, books, exhibits, and photographs depicting life in Victor from its beginnings to the heyday of gold mining. Among the exhibits you will find a diamond dust mirror, a large collection of mining artifacts, themed-rooms, and an old-fashioned doctor's office!  

The 1899 building the museum calls home is a historic experience of its own, boasting its original wood floors, tin ceilings, and many fixtures dating back to the gold rush era.

While you are there, be sure to check out the newly renovated Lowell Thomas room. The exhibit is dedicated to sharing the life of famous journalist, author, and world traveler Lowell Thomas after whom the museum was named.

Victor Thomas Lowell Museum joined our Culture Pass program in June 2023 to increase awareness about the museum, the Town of Victor, and life in the gold rush era among PPLD patrons. What a great opportunity for library cardholders to experience a taste of the gold rush while enjoying a short drive out west!

Patrons can check out a Culture Pass to the Victor Museum in the summer months, and some weekends in the fall, weather permitting. Victor Thomas Lowell Museum will celebrate its 65th anniversary on June 26, 2024. Learn more about the celebration and the museum on their website. 

Announcing an upcoming gallery exhibit at the Library! The exhibit will be at Penrose Library for the month of May, starting on Fri., May 3. 

On the day that the gallery opens, join us for a workshop with Asay from 4 – 5 p.m. at Library 21c. During the workshop, Asay will explore his inspiration, his career as a cartoonist, and the pieces featured in the gallery. Asay, who worked at the Taos News, the Colorado Springs Sun, and briefly for The Denver Post, was the featured political cartoonist for The Gazette for more than 20 years, from 1986 to 2007. He retired from The Gazette in March of 2007.

After his retirement, Asay’s art and commentary lived on in syndication for six more years, reaching audiences worldwide through hundreds of newspapers. In 2013 Asay put aside his pens, pencil, and paper after drawing a final cartoon in his lauded style announcing his full retirement in June of that year. 

Colorado Springs entrepreneur Jon Medved and the Medved Family Charitable Fund approached the Library about bringing Asay’s art to the Pikes Peak region. The exhibit highlights his work, applauds his talent, and fosters discussion about the artist’s commentary as a retrospective on the time nearly 40 years ago.

The exhibit will feature more than 30 of Asay’s cartoons through the end of March in the galleries at both Library 21c and East Library. It will be on display at Penrose Library later in 2024.

Stop by to browse the exhibit, and view much of Asay’s work online in our Digital Collections. Over the last few years, Pikes Peak Library District has worked with The Gazette to digitize more than 10,000 cartoons that Asay drew for the paper, archiving them in our digital photo archive housed by our Regional History & Genealogy department. 

2025 Pikes Peak Regional History Symposium - " Histories: Beyond the Written Word" 

Pikes Peak Library District (PPLD) invites scholars, historians, researchers, and history enthusiasts to submit proposals for the 2025 Pikes Peak Regional History Symposium in the theme of "Histories Beyond the Written Word." This year's symposium will explore the rich tapestry of history told through non-traditional sources, shedding light on the diverse and dynamic ways we can understand our past.

We seek proposals that explore history through oral histories, traditions, art, photographs, movies, architecture, geography, and other nontraditional materials. Our goal is to celebrate and highlight the invaluable contributions of these sources to preserving and interpreting history. 

As part of the 2025 symposium, PPLD Regional History & Genealogy staff are exploring the experiences of Jim Bates, a wartime photographer and Palmer High School graduate who worked for the Alexander Film Company. Through the lens of his camera, we will delve into Bates' unique perspective, focusing on his artistic choices and techniques. By critiquing his work, we will also gain insight into what his experiences must have been like as a filmmaker at war. This project is just one example of the many types of non-textual submissions we are seeking. 

Submissions could include a short film, a presentation with paper, or a PowerPoint presentation to be presented online (20 minutes, 10 minutes for students). 

Compensation payment will be $500 for selected participants, $150 for students.  Selected submissions will be included in PPLD’s first annual online journal entitled, “Online Journal of Pikes Peak Regional History.” 

Send proposals by Sat., Jan. 11, 2025. 

By email: jjarrell@ppld.org

By mail: Pikes Peak Library District 
P.O. Box 1579
Colorado Springs, CO 80901 

Proposal Guidelines

Please include all six of these requirements in your submission. 

Theme: Beyond the Written Word 

1. TITLE (5 – 15 words):
   A descriptive title for your proposed presentation/film.
2. SUMMARY (500 – 1,000 words)
   A brief summary of the topic covered in your proposed presentation/film.
3. ABSTRACT (1,000 – 1,500 words)
   A summary that includes your thesis and all of the supporting arguments and conclusions for your proposed presentation/film.
4. SOURCES (50 – 100 words)
   A general list of primary and secondary research sources supporting your proposed presentation/film.
5. SHORT BIOGRAPHY (75 – 100 words)
   A brief description of you.
6. RESUME (one page)
   A resume with relevant educational and research accomplishments, mailing and email addresses, and phone number. 

Throughout May, the Library is celebrating Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, recognizing the cultures, experiences, and contributions of the AAPI community. Join us in celebrating with the booklists and resources on this page. 

Booklists

• Asian Pacific chapter books
• Asian Pacific picture books

Resources

• Kanopy 
  Enjoy films and documentaries by or celebrating AAPI people.
• Hoopla 
  Explore Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with movies and TV shows on Hoopla.
• CultureGrams 
  Experience the world through cultural information on more than 200 countries with CultureGrams and other resources in our Countries & Cultures Guide. In CultureGrams, explore all the U.S. states in colorful, engaging reports.
• Colorado Springs Chinese Cultural Institute 
  Learn about opportunities to connect with Chinese culture here in Colorado Springs with the Colorado Springs Chinese Cultural Institute.
• Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Resources for Teachers 
  This collection of lessons and resources for grades K – 12 social studies, literature, and the arts will help educators explore AAPI heritage with their students.
• National Park Service 
  Planning a vacation? Take in some of these historical sites from the National Park Service.
• Asian Art Museum 
  Find activities for kids and families and explore AAPI heritage in creative ways.
• Hmong flute/qeej 
  Learn about Asian and Pacific Island Instruments in this video.
• Japanese taiko drumming 
  Watch professional Japanese taiko drummers perform.
• Traditional Korean music 
  Jump into the world of traditional Korean music with this video from the Musical Instrument Museum of Brussels.  
   

Regional History & Genealogy Resources:

• Books from the Carnegie Library - Special Collections (Some titles are available for checkout from other library locations)
  • Voices from Colorado: perspectives of Asian Pacific Americans by Nestor J. Mercado
  • Asian American genealogical sourcebook by Paula K. Byers
  • Asians in Colorado: a history of persecution and perseverance in the Centennial State by William Wei
  • Chinaman's chance: the Chinese on the Rocky Mountain mining frontier by Liping Zhu
  • The road to Chinese exclusion: the Denver riot, 1880 election, and rise of the West by Liping Zhu
  • Chin Lin Sou: Chinese-American leader by Janet L. Taggart

Celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month with Pikes Peak Library District! Explore the resources on this page recognizing the culture, experiences, and contributions of the Jewish American community. 

Programs 

Getting Started with Jewish Genealogy

Get started on your Jewish genealogy! Attend this in-person class to learn how to work with the unique challenges and advantages associated with tracing Jewish ancestry. Complimentary coffee will be provided, and an optional guided tour of the Regional History & Genealogy department resources will follow the class. Register here.

• Penrose Library: Sat., May 11 from 1 – 3 p.m. 

Resources

• Hoopla
  Explore Jewish stories and experiences in eBooks, music, movies, and more.  
• American Jewish Desk Reference
  Learn more about Jewish heritage with this reference book from the American Jewish Historical Society.  
• Kanopy
  Discover films and documentaries celebrating Jewish Americans on Kanopy. 

Regional History and Genealogy Resources (18+) 

• Archival Collections:
  • Mohl Family Photographs (Digital Photograph Collection)
    Leo and Hertha Mohl were long-time residents of Colorado Springs, small business owners, dairy farmers, and world travelers. They were also some of the first European war refugees to live in Colorado Springs.  
    
    Hertha Mohl was born in Vienna, Austria, and worked as a dressmaker until, after almost getting caught passing out anti-Nazi literature, she smuggled herself into England. While living in London, Hertha served in the British Air Raid Precaution Service. Also born in Vienna, Leo Mohl served as secretary of the trade union movement. Leo was taken to concentration camps in Dachau and Buchenwald for his political activities. In 1939, he was released and immigrated to England, where he met Hertha.
    
    The Mohls immigrated to the United States in 1940, eventually making their way to Colorado Springs. They raised dairy cows on farmland that is now owned by the Air Force Academy, operated a bookstore called The Book Home, and owned a reweaving shop called Master Weavers of America.
     
• Various Photographs (from PPLD’s Digital Photograph Collection) Photographs of the Colorado Springs Jewish Community. 
   
• Books from Regional History and Genealogy (Books from Regional History and Genealogy)
  • Exploring Jewish Colorado by Phil Goodstein
  • A Colorado Jewish family album, 1859-1992 by Rocky Mountain Jewish Historical Society
  • A history of Jewish life in Colorado Springs (DVD – also available for checkout)
  • Getting started in Jewish genealogy by Gary Mokotoff
  • L'chaim: a guide to Jewish genealogical research by Zoe Henry
  • Dr. Charles David Spivak: a Jewish immigrant and the American tuberculosis movement by Jeanne E. Abrams
  • Jewish women pioneering the frontier trail: a history in the American West by Jeanne E. Abrams
  • A guide to the Jewish Rockies, Colorado, Montana, Wyoming by Amy Shapiro

Websites

• Jewish American Heritage Month – Library of Congress
• Jewish American Heritage Month – National Archives
• Jewish American Heritage Month – National Parks Service (National Register of Historic Places)
• Jewish Americans - PBS.  
  Watch clips and outtakes from the 3-part PBS documentary series The Jewish Americans. This collection includes resources for further investigation, lesson plans for high school educators, and opportunities to share your own story. Recommended for high school and older. 
• Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History  
  Go on a virtual tour of many of the fascinating exhibits now available online.