What's New!

by Jeanne Davant

Veronica Bélanger hosts meetings of the Mompreneur Network every second and fourth Monday morning at East Library. While the members of the business development group are hearing presentations, pitching their businesses, and referring client opportunities, their children romp and read in the Children’s area, attended to by a childcare provider. Bélanger also uses the MacLaren Hall adjacent to Penrose Library to introduce prospective members to the network.

The Mompreneur Network is just one of dozens of small businesses, nonprofits, garden clubs, theater groups, and other community organizations that utilize Pikes Peak Library District’s (PPLD) facilities for meetings, classes, study groups, and events of all kinds. Nearly 70 spaces across the District are available for groups to reserve and use at no cost. Most libraries have at least one meeting or study space; Penrose Library, East Library, and Library 21c all have large and multiple spaces. Through a partnership between PPLD and the El Paso County Clerk and Recorder’s Office, some locations are also voter service and polling centers for upcoming primary and general elections.

Hosting groups like the Mompreneur Network, or discussion group Socrates Café, and tutoring services Love to Learn is one way PPLD fulfills its mission of cultivating spaces for belonging, personal growth, and strong communities. From young children to retirees, the Library District encourages people to gather and to learn. (Find out more and reserve a meeting space!)

On a recent Friday evening, Bélanger arrived early at The Hall at PPLD (formerly known as Knights of Columbus Hall) to prepare for an introductory meeting. There to help her were Dustin Booth and Nawal Shahril of the Library District’s Creative Services team, who set up an audio-visual system for the meeting.

“MacLaren Hall is used for a variety of events including club meetings, concerts, theater performances, and dances as well as business presentations and classes,” Booth says. “It can accommodate 195 people; tables and chairs, a PA system, stage, projector, laptop, and screen are available for groups to use. The hall’s mezzanine, which serves as a coworking and networking space, has a capacity of 17 people, and the lower-level classroom can host presentations or meetings for groups up to 21 people.”

Bélanger, a former salesperson and social media consultant, founded the Mompreneur Network after years of feeling like she was penalized for being a mom.

“Being a parent and an entrepreneur combine to form a lifestyle and shouldn’t be treated as separate,” she tells the women who have come to learn about Mompreneur. “What if having a family doesn’t have anything to do with how professional you are?”

She started out having meetings in her home but approached the Library District after the network’s growth required more space.

“Having this space has made a big difference for us,” says Nancy Moore, Mompreneur Network’s president. “Everyone has really grown, and some have started new businesses.”

Lively Debate

Most Tuesday afternoons, Joe and Elizabeth Davis travel from their Flying Horse home to Monument Library to take part in lively but respectful discussions of thought-provoking subjects that range from philosophy and religion to politics, morality, and other timely topics at the Socrates Café.

“We’ve been attending the Socrates Café for about 12 years,” Joe says.

The Davises retired to Colorado Springs after serving with the International Health Office of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Joe had been a member of the library board in their previous hometown in Tennessee. After they retired, they were looking for a place where they could continue to pursue their interest in international topics and where they would be welcomed.

“The Library was one of the things that led us to move here,” he says. “We were impressed with the services offered and the range of personnel. We found staff to be very helpful.”

Shortly after they arrived, they visited Monument Library — the closest facility to them — and discovered a welcoming environment and a particularly interesting group.

They met some of their best friends through the Socrates Café, which attracts about 20 participants each session. Moderated by Hans Post Uilerweer, the group recently discussed topics including border security, immigration, and emigration; Russia and Ukraine; post-modernism; and gender and identity.

The Library making space available for these conversations “is an extraordinary service,” Joe says. “It’s part of the openness of the community as a whole that is well exhibited by the Library, and I suspect most people go away from these discussions having profited from them, having learned something, and seeing something in a different light.”

Helping Kids Learn

Stroll through the second floor of Library 21c on Monday evenings, and you are likely to see students ranging from kindergartners to adults working one-on-one with tutors to reach their academic and personal goals. Love to Learn, a nonprofit network of tutoring professionals, families, and kids, moved to East Library in 2020 after outgrowing its previous facilities at a church, and a year later moved to Library 21c. The summer session runs until two weeks before school starts and picks up again after the semester begins.

“Probably 80 percent of our kids are in special education,” founder Linette Weise says. “It is a free community program; no one is turned away. It’s open to the whole community, and that is what PPLD is all about.”

“The Library’s facilities, including accommodations ranging from cubicles, desks, and tables to the large Ent conference room, are ideal for the program,” says Cathy Bessenbacher, who helps Weise run the program. The children and their tutors can work individually for the bulk of the hour-and-a-half sessions and then come together in the conference room at the end for group activities.

Being at the Library has several benefits for the kids, parents, and the program. Students can use their library cards to check out books they need. Parents often stay and use the Library’s facilities as well, and many return with their families for other Library events.

Bessenbacher says the Library supports the program in many ways, such as providing copy services for her sign-in lists and making Love to Learn’s brochures available to patrons.

“It’s bright and open, and the people are very friendly,” she says. “They really want to help us. So, it’s a win-win for both of us.”

This story was originally featured in the fall issue of District Discovery, PPLD’s quarterly magazine.

To our Library cardholders and patrons:

As President of Pikes Peak Library District’s Board of Trustees, I wanted to inform you of a decision that was collectively made by the Library’s governing body during a special meeting yesterday.

PPLD’s Board has withdrawn its intent to participate in the November 2022 general election. We heard from the community, listened to feedback, and decided now is not the time to ask voters for additional funding. But, we must continue such discussions if we want to do what’s right for our growing community and the Library District into the future.

As a Library Trustee since 2019, I’m fully aware of PPLD’s need to address its funding challenges and find sustainable solutions as we look ahead to future years. El Paso County has more than doubled in population size since the last voter-approved mill levy increase in 1986. If we want to keep pace with the sprawling growth and ever-changing community needs, we’ll need to continue exploring and assessing options that may involve going to the voters at another time.

Library Trustees and staff heard from more than 1,000 community members during the public input period of the Library’s strategic planning process last month, and we greatly appreciate everyone’s valuable input and engagement. There were many common themes across El Paso County, as well as amongst Library patrons, community leaders, and staff. Two of them were expanding service hours at existing Library locations and adding new PPLD facilities in areas that lack easy access – and those would only be possible with additional funding for the Library District.

As a public institution that’s here for everyone, PPLD currently provides world-class resources, services, and spaces to nearly 700,000 residents across 2,070 square miles. For the Library to continue offering what the community needs and wants, now and into the future, we must consider opportunities for sustainable funding.
Thank you for being cardholders and patrons of our great library system.

Sincerely,

Dr. Ned Stoll
President, Board of Trustees
Pikes Peak Library District

Library Board approves resolution indicating intent to participate in general election

During their public meeting on July 20, Pikes Peak Library District’s Board of Trustees took their first steps to place an initiative on the ballot for November 8, 2022. They approved a resolution indicating its intent to participate in the general election to ask voters to approve additional funding for Library services, resources, and spaces.

The last time voters approved a tax increase for PPLD was 36 years ago. Since then, the population of El Paso County has nearly doubled, with 400,000 more residents than in 1986 – and what our Library needs to offer to serve those in the Pikes Peak region has changed immensely. This ranges from our Library’s physical and digital collections to access to technology, community spaces, and programs for the youngest learners in our community.

In general, additional funding would allow the Library District to keep pace with providing world-class spaces, services, and resources across El Paso County. Currently PPLD has 16 facilities, three mobile library services, and a large online hub of resources available to more than 700,000 residents across 2,070 square miles. With additional funds, the Library District could better meet the needs and demands of our growing community via our Library resources, services, and spaces. We want to be able to provide what residents need now and into the future – and fulfill our mission of cultivating spaces for belonging, personal growth, and strong communities.

Here’s a snapshot of how the Library could use additional funding to help residents build better lives and strengthen the foundation of the Pikes Peak region:

• Support early childhood literacy and development via Library services, programs, and resources
• Expand community spaces available for use by nonprofits, businesses, and other community groups
• Expand the Library’s physical and digital collections, including books, magazines, movies, music, research databases, online resource centers, and other things like board and yard games, outdoor and sporting equipment, and gardening and other tools
• Improve access to technology for families and individuals across El Paso County like K-12 students, adult learners, jobseekers, and residents in more rural communities
• Expand Library service hours and locations across the county so people can more easily access what they need when and where it’s convenient for them

Public libraries play an important role in every community by welcoming all, fostering connections, enriching lives, and helping people reach their full potential at every step of life. We are grateful to you – our Library cardholders and patrons – for your support of our libraries.

Download the Symposium's program sheet

Art, Artists, & Entertainers

Experience interesting research and knowledge about our local history at the 20th Annual Pikes Peak Regional History Symposium. This year’s theme is Art, Artists, & Entertainers. Artists and their creativity are at the heart of a region’s culture. The Pikes Peak region, with plentiful natural beauty, serves as a rich wellspring of inspiration. Presenters, selected from proposals submitted by academics, researchers, and the general public, will explore the artists and entertainers that have left a rich legacy in the Pikes Peak region.

Film Festival

Sat., May 20 | 11 a.m. - noon

Penrose Library  
Click here to register 

Three short films, "Boardman Robinson: The Teacher", "Henry A. Clausen: The Danish American Wonder”, and "Not Quite Hollywood: The Alexander Film Company’s 'Anatomy of a Psycho'" tell three stories about local artists and their impact on the Pikes Peak Region.

• Boardman Robinson, The Teacher  
  by Jim Sawatzki

  This chapter from the documentary, Rarefied Air: Historic Artists of the Pikes Peak Region looks at the life of Boardman Robinson, cofounder and first instructor at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center. Through interviews with artists, family, historians, and former students of Boardman Robinson, the film brings to life Robinson’s journey from New York to Colorado Springs. The documentary spans his friendship with Elizabeth Hare and Julie Penrose, his rise to become “the thread between the Broadmoor Academy and the new Fine Arts Center school,” and finally to his years in financial destitution. His artwork, much of which can still be seen in Colorado Springs today, is featured throughout the film.

  About the Filmmaker

  Jim Sawatzki is a Telly-Award-winning and Emmy-nominated producer/director. He has been documenting Front Range Colorado history since 1992. His work has been featured on regional PBS affiliates, local cable channels and nationally shown on A&E's Biography channel. A graduate of Michigan State University, Jim offers video and slide presentations to schools, libraries, and organizations.  
   

• Henry A. Clausen: “The Danish American Wonder"  
  by Joanna Gonzalez

  This documentary takes you through the colorful life of Henry A. Clausen through stories shared by his children. He was an influential and intellectual bohemian man that contradicted the stereotype of other professional wrestlers. A true entertainer and man of many talents in the Pikes Peak region, his athletic physique inspired and allowed many artists to bring their artistic visions to life and his appreciation for art & literature brought people together in the community. Later, his bookstore would serve not only as a place to acquire rare and used books but also as a gathering place for local writers, artists, and musicians to have deep philosophical discussions and debates.

  About the Filmmaker

  Joanna M. Gonzalez is a full-time student and works for the Veterans Writing Community as a videographer. She served for six years in the United States Air Force as dental technician and is currently pursuing a degree in Human Physiology and Nutrition at the UCCS (University of Colorado Colorado Springs). She was selected to present her videography work at CSURF (Colorado Springs Undergraduate Research Forum.) She is driven to help others tell their stories and gain experience in historical videography.  
   

• Not Quite Hollywood: The Alexander Film Company’s “Anatomy of a Psycho”  
  by John Jarrell

  This short documentary looks at the history of local success, Alexander Film Company, through the lens of its biggest flop: Anatomy of a Psycho, the only feature film ever produced by the studio. Although Alexander Films had decades of experience in commercial productions, and its technical know-how and studio space translated well to a feature-length film, Anatomy’s direction and script (with credit given to the infamous Ed Wood) ended any chance that the studio would compete with Hollywood, even if we ended up with a local cult classic.

  About the Filmmaker

  John Jarrell is the Regional History & Genealogy Program Coordinator at Pikes Peak Library District (PPLD). He earned a M.A. in American History with a focus on political and social history. John moved to Colorado Springs in 2013 when he began working as a math interventionist in Harrison School District 2. John has worked at PPLD since 2017 and is involved in various forms of community organizing throughout his residence in the city  
   

In-person Symposium

Sat., June 10 | 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.

East Library | *Doors open at 9:30 a.m.  
Click here to register

Schedule

• 9:30 a.m. | Doors open
• 10 a.m. | Welcome and introduction
• 10 - 11:15 a.m. | Presentations (3) Each presentation is scheduled for 20 minutes
• 11:15 - 11:45 a.m. | Coffee Break Coffee and refreshments provided
• 11:45 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. | Presentations (2) Each presentation is scheduled for 20 minutes 12:30 - 1 p.m. | Questions and Answers  
   

• Loo’s Artists: The Talent Behind the Designs of Current, Inc. and Looart  
  by Hillary Mannion  
  
  The Loo Collection at the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum documents the Loo family of Colorado Springs and the growth and success of Looart Press and Current, Inc. over the span of nearly seven decades. Through original art, ephemera, photographs, oral histories, and correspondences from this important collection, this presentation will share stories of the artists behind the success of Current, Inc. and Looart.

  About the Presenter

  Hillary Mannion is the Archivist at the Starsmore Center for Local History, the archives, and special collections department of the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum. She graduated with a B.A. in History from the State University of New York at Fredonia and an M.A. in Museum Studies with a concentration in American Studies from George Washington University. Hillary has worked within a diverse set of archival and object collections throughout her career. This includes work at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, the White House Historical Association, Colorado College’s Southwest Collection, and the Bob Moog Foundation.  
   

• Mid-Century Tensions in the Art of Larry Heller  
  by Rhonda Goodman-Gaghan

  The art of Larry Heller (1905 - 1983) exemplifies the American West of the mid-twentieth century. Through an examination of his landscapes, portraits of women, and World War II posters, this essay illustrates how Heller was influenced by his studies on artistic movements such as the Hudson River School, the Rocky Mountain School, and Modernism, as well as by his association with the Broadmoor Art Academy and his work with the Alexander Film Company. The paper argues that Heller’s art conveys a tension between an idealized past and the rocky reality of the middle decades of the 1900s.

  About the Presenter

  Rhonda Goodman-Gaghan is the Assistant Director and Curator at the UCCS Heller Center for Arts & Humanities. She holds a Master’s in Early American Culture from the Winterthur Program, a Master’s in History from Villanova University, and a Bachelor’s from Williams College. Her current research highlights Pueblo Revival Architecture, the Indigenous People of Colorado Springs, and local, state, and regional history.  
   

• Peter, James, John, Rose, and Dorothy: The Palmer Families' Transatlantic Artistic Friendships  
  by Susan Fletcher

  William, Queen, Elsie, Dorothy, and Marjory Palmer cultivated relationships with writers and painters in Colorado and Europe. These friendships had a profound impact upon the cultural life of the Pikes Peak region. The presentation will examine these friendships through the lens of four works of art that have ties to the region: Rose Kingsley’s book, South by West; John Singer Sargent’s portrait, Miss Elsie Palmer; Peter Harrison’s painting, The Garden of the Gods; and watercolorist Dorothy Comyns Carr’s diary from her visit to Glen Eyrie in 1902.

  About the Presenter

  Susan Fletcher is a local historian and award-winning writer. She serves as the Director of History and Archives for The Navigators and Glen Eyrie. She is also the founder and CEO of History Joy Consulting, an archives and museum consulting firm. Fletcher earned her M.A. in History from Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis. She is the author of Exploring Childhood and Play Through 50 Historic Treasures, one of Booklist Magazine's top ten sports books of 2020. It was also a winner in the 2020 Colorado Authors League Awards of Excellence. She is also the author of Light and Life: First Presbyterian Church at 150, and the co-author of The Glen Eyrie Story and Dawson Trotman in His Own Words.  
   

• Reframing Colorado Springs:  
  The Pikes Peak Lavender Film Festival and the Memory of Amendment 2  
  by John Jarrell

  The Pikes Peak Lavender Film Festival was an LGBT film festival hosted from 2000 - 2011. Film Festival Director Alma Cremonesi’s vision was to supplant Amendment 2’s influence on outside perspectives of Colorado Springs. The presentation will cover LGBTQ+ activism in Colorado Springs from the 1980s, Amendment 2, its aftermath in the 1990s, and finally, the rise and fall of the film festival beginning in 2000.  
  
  About the Presenter  
  John Jarrell is the Regional History & Genealogy Program Coordinator at Pikes Peak Library District (PPLD). He earned an M.A. in American History with a focus on political and social history. John moved to Colorado Springs in 2013 when he began working as a math interventionist in Harrison School District 2. He has worked at PPLD since 2017 and is involved in various forms of community organization throughout his residence in the city.

• Ernestine Parsons: More Than the Artist You Didn’t Know You Knew  
  by Doris McCraw

  Ernestine Parsons is best known to most as a teacher of history at Colorado Springs High School, later known as Palmer High School. What people may not remember is her work on behalf of women’s rights and her work with the arts community and as an artist.

  About the Presenter

  Doris McCraw has always been intrigued by the stories of others. From an early age she was always an eager listener. She started performing for audiences at the age of two and a half and has continued since that time. Her passion for history and historic characters began when she was writing her one-woman show, based on the history of her family and the region where she grew up. After the premiere of that show, Doris began telling the stories of Colorado, the Pikes Peak region, and Colorado Springs.

Virtual Symposium

Mon., June 12 | 7 p.m.  
Zoom link will be provided after registration

Click here to register

• The Colorado Springs Civic Players: When Broadway Met Our Town  
  by Katherine Scott Sturdevant and Rick W. Sturdevant

  In the mid-twentieth century, Colorado Springs hosted a remarkable, colorfully-theatrical population who, with the Fine Arts Center and other venues, developed a respectable representation of Broadway at the base of Pikes Peak. This presentation will share the earliest colorful origins of this city’s Broadway roots and glory days, as well as the rich, social history that its historical collection represents.

  About the Presenter

  Katherine Scott Sturdevant is Senior Professor of History at Pikes Peak State College, where she has taught and served in many roles for more than 30 years. Rick W. Sturdevant, PhD, joined the U.S. Air Force History & Museums Program in 1984 and has been Space Force Training and Readiness Command (STARCOM) Director of History since November 2021. Both have participated in the Pikes Peak Library District Symposia and contributed to most of the resulting Regional History Series publications since their inception.

• The Flapper became the Life of the Party: The Jazz Age in Colorado Springs  
  by Chris Nicholl

  “Dancing in the high school building will not be tolerated in the future, according to an order posted in the building yesterday morning by Prof. William S. Roe. Students have been in the habit of using the cafeteria, spending their idle hours mastering new steps," it is said.” From its earliest days, Colorado Springs’ society enjoyed dances and dancing but suddenly new, troublesome, steps were being introduced in the High School. Whether Professor Roe knew it or not, his order announced that the Jazz Age had come to Colorado Springs.

  About the Presenter

  Chris Nicholl holds an M.A. in history. She was a Senior Library Associate in the Special Collections Department of Pikes Peak Library District and served as a co-organizer of the Pikes Peak Regional History Symposium since its founding in 2003.

• Original Jewelers of Colorado Springs 1895 - 1910: Their Titles and What They Offered  
  by Lyndsey Rieple

  During the Pikes Peak Gold Rush, Colorado Springs flourished and grew dramatically. This presentation details the original jewelers of the area and what they were selling. Rieple will address questions like: Did they make the jewelry? Did they use gold from the Rush? Were they reselling goods manufactured in Rhode Island and New York?

  About the Presenter

  Lyndsey went full-time with her jewelry business in August of 2021 after nine years of working for other jewelry retailers while pursuing her business on the side. In her original work as an illustrator, drawer, and mural artist, she replicated a Works Progress Administration (WPA) mural for the Denton County Courthouse Museum. She also worked in the archives at Alfred, NY, as well as the Bayless-Selby House in Denton, Texas. She particularly values context which comes through story, community, and history.