The Eastern Plains Chamber of Commerce held a meeting June 1, with about 30 people in attendance. After members introduced their businesses, the chamber welcomed the guest speaker, Lance M. James, chief development officer and foundation executive director with Pikes Peak Library District.James moved to Colorado Springs in 1996 from North Carolina. He began working with the Pikes Peak Library District about four years ago. ìOur goal is to affirm some things you know about your public library and also help open your eyes and create some aha! moments about programs, services and spaces we offer our patrons that maybe you are not aware of,î James said. About two months ago, the Board of Trustees approved the library’s new vision and mission, which includes a process of redoing the strategic plan. ìWe will have some public sessions of engagement within the next couple months,î he said. ìWe want as much engagement from the community as possible so this plan is representative of the people we serve in El Paso County.î In El Paso County, PPLD covers 55 ZIP codes, has 16 locations, 290,000 cardholders, and about 680,000 people in the service area. In 2019, PPLD had about 3.1 million visitors and is the second largest library system in Colorado, behind Denver. James said PPLD has been consistently on the star library list for a number of years and is rated a four-star library. Of 10,000 libraries, about 250 make this list. It is a taxpayer funded institution, primarily by residential and commercial property taxes, with a small portion from special ownership taxes. About 5% is from philanthropic funds, grants and corporate sponsorships. ìWe invest the largest portion of our budget in our people. They are our most valuable resource,î James said. ìThe librarians are what make the library system work. What they do everyday is extraordinary in the way they serve the public.î Innovation and leadership have been a cornerstone for decades, where other library systems look to follow. In the 1970s, PPLD was the first library in the world to use a computerized catalog system and one of the first libraries to offer a floating collection, which is the option to pick up at one library and drop off at another.James said library staff from all over the county visit PPLD because of its unique programs.The most recent accomplishment is Library 21C, an innovative facility with spaces for all kinds of programs and opportunities. A person can achieve a high school diploma, take English as a second language classes, citizenship classes ó and they also offer naturalization ceremonies and programs like workforce development. The signature program is a food industry training program that includes a commercial kitchen and cooking programs. Business owners can take advantage of a full production studio for creating commercials, and everyone has access to modern technology, including computers, laptops, Wi-Fi, hot spots and more. One of PPLD’s core programs is called Summer Adventure, which takes place from June 1 to Aug. 15. PPLD anticipates 15,000 participants will sign up this summer, and about 35,000 others will participate in other summer-related programs. Other programs include Lena Start, a free, early literacy program for infants through age 3. The Power Pass program is for children who register for school ó they receive a library card that allows access to tools to help with schoolwork. Teachers can work with librarians to incorporate library resources to enhance lesson plans.The Create and Make space offers items like 3D printers, laser cutters, a kiln for pottery, looms and much more. Meeting rooms in all 16 library locations are open to the community for one person or groups of up to 300 people. Those interested can book online at https://ppld.org Hard copy and digital resources exceed about two million digital checkouts per year. ìWe punch way above our weight in that category,î James said. ìOur patrons really love this option. We were one of the first in the country to offer this.î The Library of Things program allows people to check out board games, tools, culture passes for free admission to a number of organizations in El Paso County such as the Fine Arts Center, the Western Museum of Mining and Industry, Rock Ledge Ranch and the U.S. Olympic Training Center. The Regional History and Genealogy provides an avenue to research Colorado history; with photos that often appear in The Colorado Springs Gazette. Visitors can access ancestry.com at no charge.James said military families have said the Colorado Springs library system is one of their favorites in the entire United States. ìWhatever you’re looking for is probably at PPLD. Just about anything you can think of, we may have it. So check with us.îVisit https://ppld.org for more information.The Eastern Plains Chamber of Commerce holds its monthly meetings the first Wednesday of the month; breakfast and coffee is from 7 a.m. to 7:30; the meeting is from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30.
