Pikes Peak Library District

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Pikes Peak Library District
PPLD Logo 2020 Official.jpg
Pikes Peak Library District
Location El Paso County, Colorado, United States
TypePublic Library
Established1975  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Branches14
Collection
Size1.1 million items
Access and use
Circulation8.5 million
Population served669,874
Other information
Employees460
Website ppld.org

Pikes Peak Library District (PPLD) is a nationally recognized system of public libraries serving a population of more than 650,000 across 2,070 square miles in El Paso County, Colorado. Pikes Peak Library District has resources for children, teens, adults, and seniors. Library resources are available in multiple languages, large print, audio, video, and electronic formats.

Contents

History

The first public library in the area was opened by the Colorado Springs Social Union in downtown Colorado Springs in October 1885. [1] The Colorado Springs Free Reading Room and Public Library began as a subscription library and housed about 8,000 volumes by 1903. [2] In 1903, the Free Public Library of Colorado Springs was established to hold its growing collection. [3] In 1905, the city of Colorado Springs opened a new free public library with the support of $60,000 in Carnegie funds and property donated by the city's founder, General William J. Palmer. [4]

In 1904, a new branch opened in Colorado City. In 1954, the library began providing its bookmobile service. In March 1955, the Friends of the Pikes Peak Library District formed to advocate for the library, operate bookstores in the libraries, and host events. [5] In 1962, a regional library district was approved, prompting the building of additional branch locations throughout the county in subsequent years.

In 1996, the historic 1905 Carnegie library was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The Carnegie library received a grant for renovation and preservation purposes in 1997; renovations were completed in 2002. In 2004, District circulations exceeded six million items. In 2006, PPLD started eBranch (now called the eLibrary), enabling patrons to download eBooks and audio materials to their electronic devices. In June 2014, Library 21c opened, "the first of its kind in the country, with makerspaces, a video and recording studio, business and entrepreneurial center, cafe, and performance venue in addition to traditional library materials such as books and movies." [3]

In November 2024, Manitou Springs Library began its move back to its historic Carnegie Library building following completion of ADA accessibility updates. The library collocated with the Manitou Arts Center from 2021 - 2024. The library will reopen in early 2025.

In November 2024, the PPLD Board of Trustees voted not to renew the lease on Rockrimmon Library.

Also in 2024, Old Colorado City Library celebrated its 120th anniversary of serving patrons on the West Side. The Library is housed in its original 1904 Carnegie Library building, which has had restorative updates over the years to preserve the building for future generations.

Annual Programs

Locations

The Pikes Peak Library District provides services at 14 physical locations and through its mobile library.

Pikes Peak Library District
LocationsAddress
Calhan Library600 Bank Street, Calhan, CO 80808
Cheyenne Mountain Library1785 South 8th Street, Suite 100, Colorado Springs, CO 80905
East Library5550 N. Union Blvd., Colorado Springs, CO 80918
Fountain Library230 South Main St., Fountain, CO 80817
High Prairie Library7035 Old Meridian Rd., Peyton, CO 80831
Library 21c1175 Chapel Hills Dr., Colorado Springs, CO 80920
Manitou Springs Library701 Manitou Ave., Manitou Springs, CO 80829
Monument Library1706 Lake Woodmoor Dr., Monument, CO 80132
Old Colorado City Library2418 West Pikes Peak Ave, Colorado Springs, CO 80904
Palmer Lake Library66 Lower Glenway, Palmer Lake, CO 80133
Penrose Library20 N. Cascade Ave, Colorado Springs, CO 80903
Ruth Holley Library685 North Murray Blvd., Colorado Springs, CO 80915
Sand Creek Library1821 South Academy Blvd., Colorado Springs, CO 80916
Ute Pass Library8010 Severy Rd., Cascade, CO 80809

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">El Paso County, Colorado</span> County in Colorado, United States

El Paso County is the most populous county located in the American state of Colorado. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 730,395, surpassing the City and County of Denver. The county seat is Colorado Springs, the second most populous city in Colorado. El Paso County is included in the Colorado Springs, Colorado, Metropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manitou Springs, Colorado</span> City in Colorado, United States

Manitou Springs is a home rule municipality located at the foot of Pikes Peak in western El Paso County, Colorado, United States. The town was founded for its natural mineral springs. The downtown area continues to be of interest to travelers, particularly in the summer, with many shops and restaurants, as well as a creekside city park. The main road through the center of town was one of the direct paths to the base of Pikes Peak. Barr Trail, which winds its way up Pikes Peak, is accessible from town. The subdivision Crystal Hills was added to the municipality in the 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monument, Colorado</span> Town in Colorado, United States

Monument is a home rule town situated at the base of the Rampart Range in El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Monument is one of the three communities that make up the Tri-Lakes area, along with Palmer Lake and Woodmoor. Monument is bordered by Pike National Forest on the west, Colorado Springs and the United States Air Force Academy to the south, Bald Mountain, True Mountain, and Spruce Mountain to the north, and Black Forest and rolling plains to the east. Monument was first settled as a stop along the Rio Grande Railroad in 1872, and the area was incorporated as a town called Henry's Station in 1879, but the name was later changed to Monument. The town population was 10,399 at the 2020 United States Census, a 88% increase from a population of 5,530 in 2010 and a 528% increase from a population of 1,971 in 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pikes Peak Cog Railway</span> Tourist cog railway to Pikes Peak, Colorado

The Broadmoor Manitou and Pikes Peak Cog Railway is a cog railway that climbs one of the most iconic mountains in the United States, Pikes Peak in Colorado. The base station is in Manitou Springs, near Colorado Springs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cascade, Colorado</span> Unincorporated community in Colorado, United States

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Colorado Springs, Colorado</span> Place in Colorado, United States

Before it was founded, the site of modern-day Colorado Springs, Colorado, was part of the American frontier. Old Colorado City, built in 1859 during the Pike's Peak Gold Rush was the Colorado Territory capital. The town of Colorado Springs was founded by General William Jackson Palmer as a resort town. Old Colorado City was annexed into Colorado Springs. Railroads brought tourists and visitors to the area from other parts of the United States and abroad. The city was noted for junctions for seven railways: Denver and Rio Grande (1870), Denver and New Orleans Manitou Branch (1882), Colorado Midland (1886–1918), Colorado Springs and Interurban, Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe (1889), Rock Island (1889), and Colorado Springs and Cripple Creek Railways. It was also known for mining exchanges and brokers for the Cripple Creek Gold Rush.

Austin Bluffs is a summit in the Pikeview area of Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, at 6,673 feet (2,034 m) in elevation. It is also a residential area, that was once a settlement and the site of a tuberculosis sanatorium. The University of Colorado Colorado Springs campus was moved there in 1965. The summit also lends its name to a principal arterial road of the Colorado Springs area which traverses the southern and central sections of the corridor. It divides the Austin Bluffs open space from Palmer Park, and the Templeton Gap is located here as well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Colorado City Branch Carnegie Library</span>

The Old Colorado City Library is a currently operating branch library of the Pikes Peak Library District. It is housed in a 1904 Carnegie Library that has been in continuous service as a library since opening December 7, 1904. The library is located at 2418 West Pikes Peak Avenue, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 80904, in the historic district of Old Colorado City. Current hours of operation, policies, and programming can be found through the Pikes Peak Library District website.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manitou Incline</span> Hiking trail rising above Manitou Springs, Colorado, United States

The Manitou Springs Incline, also known as the Manitou Incline or simply the Incline, is a popular hiking trail rising above Manitou Springs, Colorado, near Colorado Springs. The Incline ascends on the east slope of Rocky Mountain which is itself on the eastern flank of Pikes Peak. The trail is the remains of a former 3 ft narrow gauge funicular railway whose tracks washed out during a rock slide in 1990. The Incline is famous for its sweeping views and steep grade, with an average grade of 45% (24°) and as steep as 68% (34°) in places, making it a fitness challenge for locals of the Colorado Springs area. The incline gains 2,011 feet (613 m) of elevation in 0.88 miles (1.42 km) horizontal. Currently the Incline has approximately 2,768 steps from the bottom to the summit, although the top step is numbered "2768". The number of steps changes occasionally with trail maintenance and deterioration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manitou Springs Historic District</span> Historic district in Colorado, United States

Manitou Springs Historic District in Manitou Springs, Colorado is roughly bounded by US 24, Ruxton Avenue, El Paso Boulevard and Iron Mountain Avenue. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, it is one of the country's largest National Historic Districts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manitou Mineral Springs</span> United States historic place

Manitou Mineral Springs are natural mineral springs in Manitou Springs, Colorado and Cheyenne Spring House is on the National Register of Historic Places. The springs are located in one of the country's largest National Historic Districts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colorado Springs Public Library–Carnegie Building</span> United States historic place

The Colorado Springs Public Library–Carnegie Building is a Neo-classical library building in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Funded by the Andrew Carnegie Library Fund. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places. It is associated with the City Beautiful movement.

Roswell, now annexed into the city of Colorado Springs, Colorado, was a coal mine settlement near the northern bluffs of Colorado Springs and a 19th-century railroad junction. The town was located at roughly the present intersection of Fillmore Street and North Nevada Avenue in Colorado Springs.

Englemann Canyon is a valley along Ruxton Creek, in Manitou Springs, El Paso County, Colorado. It is one of three canyons in Manitou Springs, the others are Ute Pass and Williams Canyon.

The town of Colorado Springs, Colorado, played an important role in the history of tuberculosis in the era before antituberculosis drugs and vaccines. Tuberculosis management before this era was difficult and often of limited effect. In the 19th century, a movement for tuberculosis treatment in hospital-like facilities called sanatoriums became prominent, especially in Europe and North America. Thus people sought tuberculosis treatment in Colorado Springs because of its dry climate and fresh mountain air. Some people stayed in boarding houses, while others sought the hospital-like facilities of sanatoriums. In the 1880s and 1890s, it is estimated that one-third of the people living in Colorado Springs had tuberculosis. The number of sanatoriums and hospitals increased into the twentieth century. During World War II, medicines were developed that successfully treated tuberculosis and by the late 1940s specialized tuberculosis treatment facilities were no longer needed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruxton Park</span> Park in Manitou Springs, Colorado, US

Ruxton Park is a park in Manitou Springs, El Paso County, Colorado at 9,078 feet (2,767 m) in elevation. The Manitou and Pike's Peak Railway, which departs from the depot at 6,570 feet (2,000 m) in elevation, climbs into Englemann Canyon along Ruxton Creek. It passes by the site of the Halfway Hotel and then Ruxton Park at mile marker 3 on the 8.9 mile trip to Pikes Peak summit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colorado Springs and Interurban Railway</span> Electric trolley system in Colorado, US

The Colorado Springs and Interurban Railway was an electric trolley system in the Colorado Springs, Colorado area that operated from 1902 to 1932. The company was formed when Winfield Scott Stratton purchased Colorado Springs Rapid Transit Railway in 1901 and consolidated it in 1902 with the Colorado Springs & Suburban Railway Company. It operated in Colorado Springs, its suburbs, and Manitou Springs. One of the street cars from Stratton's first order is listed on the Colorado State Register of Historic Properties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tahama Spring</span> Mineral spring in Colorado

Tahama Spring is a mineral spring in Monument Valley Park in Colorado Springs. Named by the city's founder, General William Jackson Palmer, the spring honors Tamaha, who is mentioned by explorer Zebulon Montgomery Pike in two journal entries in 1805. When the local Parks Board commissioned a pavilion in 1926 to commemorate these early pioneers, the name “Tahama Spring” was selected and inscribed on decorative limestone-carved cartouches above each entrance.

References

  1. "About PPLD | PPLD.org". ppld.org. Retrieved 2019-11-20.
  2. Circular of Information of the Bureau of Education, for ... U.S. Government Printing Office. 1903.
  3. 1 2 "History of PPLD | PPLD.org". ppld.org. Retrieved 2019-11-20.
  4. Burek Pierce, Jennifer (April 2002). "Colorado Carnegie library undergoes massive facelift". American Libraries. 33: 76–78.
  5. "Friends of the Pikes Peak Library District - About Us | PPLD.org". ppld.org. Retrieved 2019-11-20.

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