New Web site for childrenPikes Peak Library District will launch a new Web site for children on its home page, ppld.org, on March 1.The site was designed to make online explorations safe, interactive and fun for children, said Vicki Fox, children’s section manager at PPLD. Kids Web features resources for school reports and homework, as well as links to local historical information and biographies of people of interest in the Colorado Springs area.”Our goal was to make the new Kids Web fun for everybody, but especially kids. Colorado Springs is a fun place to visit and live, so we made the new Kids Web a fun, exciting postcard for anybody who visits,” said children’s librarian Betty McDonald.Kids Web also has links to Tumblebooks, free online read-along books; a children’s blog; You Tube videos of storytellers; library program and event information; and book reading lists. On the site’s Fun & Games link, children can access a variety of free online games and learning activities, coloring book pages and summer reading program information.A link for parents and teachers provides information about local school districts, home-schooling and more.To access the new site, go to ppld.org and click on Kids Web.Mobile library service for seniorsPikes Peak Library District introduced El Paso County’s first mobile library delivery service for seniors on Feb. 14.The new mobile library services van will deliver library materials and programs to residents in assisted living centers throughout El Paso County. The new initiative, Lobby Stops, promotes healthy aging by engaging seniors in lively, informative programs, while making library materials accessible to residents of assisted living centers who are not able to access the library.PPLD received a $240,000 grant from the Colorado Trust’s Healthy Aging Initiative to purchase a specialized van, hire staff and develop the service. The custom built van is equipped with removable book carts that can be taken into assisted living facilities by library staff. The carts are stocked with large print and regular print fiction and nonfiction books, audiobooks, VHS and DVDs, CDs and magazines. Residents at the facilities may request materials from the library’s collection and it will be delivered to them at their lobby stop.Mobile Library Services staff can access patron records, the PPLD card catalog and databases, and the Internet through their wireless Internet connection. Staff will also provide a 30-minute interactive program for the residents at each visit.The new delivery service will make 15 lobby stops twice per month. All assisted living facilities within PPLD are eligible for the service.
