Location Spotlight: Monument Library - A Community Connector

By Jeremiah Walter

For nearly 50 years, Monument Library has been serving the ever-growing population of the Tri-Lakes area just north of Colorado Springs, which is named after Monument Lake, Palmer Lake, and Lake Woodmoor.

The Woodmoor neighborhood began development in 1971, and by 1975, area residents expressed the need for their own library because the nearby Palmer Lake Library could not adequately serve the neighborhood’s growing population. Lewis-Palmer Middle School filled that need by providing a room with its own entrance, and on April 5, 1975, Pikes Peak Library District opened Monument Hill Branch Library in that location. However, as the area’s population continued to increase, the library returned the room to the school to accommodate a growing number of students.

In 1979, the library moved to a small, rented space in Woodmoor Center in the town of Monument, but by 1999 the community outgrew this location as well. The library relocated to a larger facility in the same shopping center and dropped “Hill” from its name. Monument Library’s grand reopening on June 19, 1999, featured llama petting, Native American flutes, and fire trucks. The library was soon expanded again and reopened with “Check Out Our Roots,” a 1970s-themed celebration, on Feb. 22, 2003.

Monument Library has become an integral part of the community. It was named Colorado Association of Libraries

Library programming is also popular, especially for young patrons and seniors.

“Storytimes and Toddler Times are really popular,” says Senior Library Assistant Kate Pangelinan, “as are Paws to Read dog visits. Rex – an enormous, bearlike dog, soft as silk and twice as gentle – is always so friendly when he comes by.”

“I think Monument Library is especially important to the senior citizens in our area,” says Library Supervisor Mary Nash. “The Tri-Lakes area is a popular place to retire, so we offer programs for seniors to attend and connect with new friends. Our book clubs and Socrates Café are very well attended, as are our historical programs.”

For all its popular programs, Monument Library might be best known for the duck pond on the west side of the facility.

For all its popular programs, Monument Library might be best known for the duck pond on the west side of the facility.

“It is home to several dozen mallard ducks and often visited by Canada geese,” says Library Assistant Harriet Halbig. “Because the west wall of the library is almost completely glass, patrons and staff can watch the wildlife outside. In the spring, we enjoy watching for ducklings and goslings. We also offer wild bird food so that patrons can feed them.”

There is also a popular duck inside the library: Daisy Quacker.

“Daisy is a ceramic duck that lives at our circulation desk,” says Nash. “She has an extensive wardrobe of hats created by one of our library patrons. Daisy has a hat for every occasion, and kids can stop by the desk and ask to change her outfit. She loves to dress up!”

“The library is a community connector,” says Monument Library Manager Jean Carrier. “Our meeting room space is well used. [We are] one of the few places in the community that has such a space.”

Real, non-ceramic animals have also welcomed patrons over the years.

“For many years, we had an aquarium with a beta fish and others named Dewey and the Decimals,” says Halbig. “We even gave Dewey an annual birthday party!”

Eventually, Dewey was moved to a nearby high school and in came Ruby.

“Ruby is our resident Madagascar Giant Day Gecko,” says Nash. “She spends her days hunting crickets, slurping up papaya paste, and carefully climbing the walls of her tank. Her toes are amazing! Kids often make a beeline to her tank to see her and say hello.”

“She is our beloved tiny dragon,” adds Pangelinan, who cleans Ruby’s tank every few weeks. “She is feared by crickets, mealworms, and papayas throughout the land.”

Although their reasons may vary, patrons definitely love coming to Monument Library.

“We see a lot of smiles when people walk through our doors,” says Nash. “Our regulars know us well, and I love when new visitors are excited about all that PPLD has to offer them and their families. Monument also sees some of the highest circulation numbers in the Library District. Our patrons are voracious readers!”

Once inside the library, patrons are served by a staff that is “caring, silly, supportive, curious, kind, funny, knowledgeable, strong, and inventive,” says Nash. “We also have 23 regular library volunteers that help us every week, many of them senior citizens who have been giving us their time for years,” says Nash.

“Some of them have been here longer than I have,” says Halbig, who has worked at Monument Library for 16 years. “They enjoy the atmosphere at the library and feeling as though they are a part of the action. Many former volunteers go on to be employed at this location or other libraries.”

The library also works to connect with the community outside its walls.

The library also works to connect with the community outside its walls. “We try to participate in outreach events in the local community as much as possible,” says Carrier. “Our biggest outreach is the Monument Street Festival and Parade. Last year we talked to more than 800 people! We are trying to bring the library to where the people are.”

And when those people visit Monument Library, they will be greeted by friendly staff, helpful volunteers, and some adorable animals.