What's New: General

Celebrating the Shivers Fund Contributions

Given our stand against racism, along with the continued national and local conversations, we want to highlight and celebrate the Shivers Fund. Clarence and Peggy Shivers created the Shivers Fund at Pikes Peak Library District, in concert with PPLD, in 1993. They introduced the Shivers African American Historical and Cultural Collection at PPLD, which continues to expand annually thanks to the Shivers Fund and its many supporters. In addition to the collection, the Shivers Fund at PPLD also provides opportunities for our community to celebrate history, culture, and the arts. The Fund hosts concerts and other events, as well as helps expands educational and cultural opportunities for young people to encourage tolerance and diversity. Our Library District and Foundation applaud the Shivers Fund for its continued investment to create more tolerance, diversity, and community in the Pikes Peak region. Learn more about the history and work of the Shivers Fund.

Statement on Racism and Inequity

PPLD commits itself to join the efforts of all who share its mission of building a community free of racism, hatred, and intolerance. Our full statement is below: Providing resources and opportunities that impact individual lives and build community – that is the mission of Pikes Peak Library District. Our community, like others across the nation, is hurting. Just as it is our mission to build community, it is our duty to speak against the forces that would tear us apart. The killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery have reminded all of us once again that the battle against racism and intolerance is not over. For many individuals, those forces are a constant in their lives, and that battle is waged on a daily basis. For those of us who do not experience the burden of systemic racism, events such as these may briefly ignite an urgent desire to seek justice and true equality for Black members of our community. All too often, though, we allow that sense of urgency to gradually disappear until the next horrific act of violence occurs. This cycle must stop. PPLD stands with those in El Paso County and throughout our country who are exercising their Constitutional rights to protest against systemic racism, inequity, and violence against the Black community. As a public library, we stand for the innate equality of all we serve. We pledge to do our part to help our community realize that diversity, inclusivity, and equity are pillars of a strong and thriving community and that if even one individual is harmed through injustice or racism, our entire community suffers. This is not the time to simply move on until the next act of violence jars us from our complacency. PPLD commits itself to join the efforts of all who share its mission of building a community free of racism, hatred, and intolerance. - John Spears, Chief Librarian & CEO, and Debbie English, President of PPLD’s Board of Trustees (June 5, 2020)

Pikes Peak Library District stands with our Asian American and Pacific Islander community and remains committed to building a community free of racism, hatred, and intolerance. (March 19, 2021)

For kids:

PPLD has curated a list of resources for our community. Click here to find links to national and local news coverage, deeper background on the issues, books, and other items here.

Let's Talk about Racism: Digital Book List The African American Historical and Cultural Collection, funded by the Shivers Fund at PPLD Let's Talk about Racism: Teen Collection Let's Talk about Race and Racism: Children's Collection Celebrating Black Voices: Picture Books

Social and Systemic Injustice Movies on Kanopy

Catalog links from booklist below:

Additional Resources For Adults:

For Kids:

2020 Jean Ciavonne Poetry Contest Winners Announced!

Pikes Peak Library District is pleased to announce the winners of the 2020 Jean Ciavonne Poetry Contest for Children:

Bricks of Wheat
By Cooper Alvin

As I come home from school, filled with resent,
I see cold cream of wheat, hard as cement!
I thought what could be built with such hard a material,
Build skyscrapers out of this rock-hard cold cereal.
A new way of building! Who would of thought evolution
Could lead to such a disgusting solution.

Cream of wheat bricks! Now that’s something new!
Guess the trick to construction is edible goo!
Someone says: “The tallest building is inside Dubai.”
“That’s nothing! Build it with soup!” I reply.
We’d build it high and we’d build it wide.
Why would we do it? ‘Cause nobody’s tried.

A cream of wheat pool? No, that’d be just gross.
A cream of wheat coaster? (sigh) That’d be shunned on by most.
A cream of wheat car? Something no one would borrow.
Well, I’m out of ideas! Come back tomorrow!

Chocolate Peppermint Delight
By Emily Lunsford

One day during lunch,
My friend and I chatted.
She asked,
“If you could invent a dessert,
ANY dessert,
What would it be?”
We started sharing,
And worked together to imagine…
The Chocolate Peppermint Delight!

A chocolate lava cake,
But with peppermint bits in the lava!
Sweet, creamy vanilla ice cream,
With chocolate chip cookie crumbled in
On top of the cake.
A peppermint shell,
For the luscious ice cream.

Topping it off,
Caramel sauce,
And don’t forget
The flavorful peppermint sauce!
Whipped cream generously deposited
Around the plate,
And up the cake.

Coming out from our dream
Of heavenly desserts,
We smiled, thinking about
The luxurious treat.
Our mouths watering,
We looked down at our trays of cafeteria food.
And our otherwise fine tacos,
They didn’t seem nearly as good anymore.
Nor did our fruit cups,
Or our milk.
With the Chocolate Peppermint Delight on our minds,
Everything else faded in comparison,
To a dull gray.

It’s funny how a daydream,
A vision of succulent delicacies,
Can bleach perfectly fine food,
Leaving only the fantasy,
Bright and colorful.
That day I learned
That pure imagination
Can achromatize
Reality.

Bitter and Sour
By Azul Padilla

I’m grabbing a mango
Dancing like a weirdo
Cutting the mango
Nice and yellow
I ask my mother
Can you pass me the chili powder
I sprinkled it all over
Bitter and sour

How to Make a Pot of Rhino Stew
By Avery Pilkington

How to make a pot of rhino stew:
Add these five things to your Crockpot
Slice up some carrots
Chop up some potatoes
Dice up some worms
Add one huge RHINO
Add a dash of ground herbs
Put the lid on
Cook for SEVEN HOURS

The Life of a Cupcake
By Maya Rebugio

They put me in the oven to bake.
Me, a depressed and miserable cupcake.
Feeling the heat, I started to bubble.
Watching the others, I knew I was in trouble.

They opened the door and started my life.
Frosting me with a silver knife,
Decorating me with candy jewels.
The rest of my batch looked like fools.

Lifting me up, she took off my wrapper.
Feeling the breeze, I wanted to slap her.
Opening her mouth with shiny teeth inside,
This was the day this cupcake died.

I Love Pasta That’s No Doubt
By Madison Smith

Hear it boil from the pot
Crunch munchy from the box
I love pasta a whole whole lot

Short, fat, long, tall, just ask me I’ve got them all
Slippery, slimy, spaghetti
Whirly, twirly, colored noodles
Cheesy, wheezy, macaroni

Spiraled, curved, rigid, smooth, pasta makes me really groove
Pesto perfecto green and grand, even beefaroni from the can.

Rigatoni in my tummy
Amazing alfredo hot and yummy
With veggies or without
I love pasta that’s no doubt.