Connecting People and Communities Through the Library of Things

Games, gardening tips and tools, museum passes, and more now available!

It’s likely that you’ve checked out bestselling novels, blockbuster movies, a CD or an album or two by your favorite musician from Pikes Peak Library District (PPLD). The modernday lending library in the United States has made printed materials like books accessible to the public since the mid-1800s, and PPLD’s history itself goes back not that far, but a good 60 years.

You’ve maybe even jumped on the much more recent electronic library bandwagon, and utilized PPLD’s apps, eBooks, audiobooks, web resources, and more. But when was the last time you visited PPLD to check out “Exploding Kittens” for a family game night, a Kill a Watt meter for testing home electricity usage, or a garden spade for planting projects?

One of PPLD’s latest ventures has been to consolidate non-traditional items like these that take up a different kind of physical space than books and the like into a central hub, known as the Library of Things.

Though libraries across the country have been starting up similar hubs like this for a while now, Community Partnership Coordinator Elyse Jones says PPLD launched the Library of Things at the same time it kicked off Pikes Peak Culture Pass in March 2020. When items were scattered all over the catalog, she says, patrons may not have known they existed, and even if they knew these items existed, they didn’t know how and where to access them.

“We decided to group everything and have it all in a central place so it's easier to find,” says Jones.

That central place? Online at ppld.org/things.

From Games to Gardening

Some of the more popular items in the Library of Things are the board games. There are more than 125 currently available, ranging from classics like “Clue” to the popular “Settlers of Catan” and “Ticket to Ride.” Jones says, “There's really something for all ages, all kind of levels.” One that's really fun, she adds, is “Bring Your Own Book.” Players pair books from their bookshelves (or PPLD’s) with this fast-playing card game, draw questions, and search for out-of-context text to fulfill a prompt.

“If you go to purchase some of these games, they're not cheap,” says Jones. “Board games are expensive and this way you get to try them before you decide, ‘Hey, I want to purchase this.’” Or, she adds, for people who host board game nights with friends or family, the Library of Things lets you try a different option each time without any financial investment.

Of course, if you prefer to get outside for your gaming, the Library of Things also offers yard games. Available for check out at Library 21c, games include badminton, bocce ball, disc golf, and even everybody’s favorite cornhole.

“We have a travel-size cornhole,” says Jones. “Especially for Memorial Day weekend or those summer barbecues or backyard birthday parties, these are really great to take out and try.”

While you’re tossing bean bags in an attempt to one-up your friend, you might notice that your yard could use a little care. Head back to the Library of Things to check out a spade and a mattock — the result of a unique partnership with another local nonprofit, RAWtools.

What will your next adventure be? ppld.org/Things

Founded in 2013, after the devastating shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn., RAWtools takes unwanted firearms donated by individuals, purchased through buybacks, or confiscated by law enforcement, and transforms their parts into garden tools.

Founder and Executive Director Mike Martin explains that through this process, RAWtools creates visual symbols for change. “Then we also … connect people to conflict resolution resources like mediation, de-escalation, mental health first aid, other organizations or resources that might be helpful in the time of crisis — essentially helping people to gain skills to help deal with conflict, whether that's between them and another person or within themselves.”

In other words, he says, RAWtools focuses on “turning swords into plowshares and offering different tools to help people navigate conflict.”

Getting involved with PPLD’s Library of Things was a natural fit, says Martin.

“I think it's great to have shared tools like this, that you can cultivate life together as a community. We often have our tools donated to community gardens, and libraries have a lot in common with community gardens — having shared spaces and being together with your community and offering resources in that community setting as well.”

‘Third Space’ and Beyond

Community connection and resources could actually be the theme for many of the Library of Things items — from Colorado State Parks passes and Junior Ranger packs to wireless hotspots and book club sets. And especially Jones’ personal favorite (admittedly a program she developed), Pikes Peak Culture Pass.

“Museum pass programs have been in place in other libraries in Colorado and around the country, so we were really happy to be able to bring that to the Pikes Peak region and partner with local museums to offer those experiences beyond books,” she says, adding, “Something that's more experiential and gets our patrons out in the community beyond the four walls of the library.”

As of March 2022, PPLD's Culture Pass partners include the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, Glen Eyrie, the Money Museum, the ProRodeo Hall of Fame, Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site, the Space Foundation Discovery Center, Pikes Peak Children's Museum, the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, and the Western Museum of Mining and Industry. The pass gives families and individuals the opportunity to visit these locations for free — and, of course, Jones adds, if they really like a particular museum, to support it by purchasing a membership or simply encouraging their family and friends to visit as well.

One of the organizations that’s been involved since the pass program’s inception is the Space Foundation Discovery Center, an interactive, education-focused museum that, according to Director Rachel English, “focuses on the ways that space impacts our everyday lives and how space history can teach us about where we're going into the future.”

English says when she was approached by PPLD about getting involved with Culture Pass, the answer was simple.

“The Discovery Center has been having conversations for a long time about how we make the museum and what we do here as accessible to our community as we possibly can,” she says. “It was just the perfect partnership to fall into our lap at the perfect time, and we are so excited to be a part of it.”

She adds, “I think libraries are so important as that third space that we're all so happy to have, where we can access all kinds of resources. What I really admire about Library of Things, and the way that PPLD has grown and expanded, is that they are really thinking about what the current resource needs of their community are. And that is always going to extend to more than just books and movies and things like that.”

So has English used the Library of Things herself?

“I have checked out a Culture Pass for myself,” she says, then laughs, and adds, “It’s a great program.”