Pikes Peak Library District
Pikes Peak Library District is a library district based in Colorado Springs (El Paso County), Colorado, serving a legal service area of 678,684 residents through 15 library buildings and two bookmobiles. Among profiled systems in Colorado, it ranks second for population served, second for public computers, second for electronic checkouts and third for total visits.
Among profiled systems serving 500,000 to 999,999 residents, it ranks seventh for public computers per resident and eighth for the electronic share of checkouts, but records the ninth-steepest decline in physical checkouts since FY 2019. Against the median system of its size class, it records 38% fewer print volumes per resident and 38% more physical checkouts per resident.
Pikes Peak against the 61 systems of its size class
Pikes Peak, building by building
The 15 buildings cover 354,650 square feet in total, 0.52 square feet per resident against a median of 0.45 for the size class. The largest building is Library 21c at 115,058 square feet; the smallest is Palmer Lake Library at 1,574. The longest hours, 60 a week, are shared by two buildings.
| Building | Type | Town | Hours a week | Floor area, sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penrose Public Library | Central library | Colorado Springs | 54 | 90,819 |
| Calhan Library | Branch | Calhan | 32 | 2,400 |
| Cheyenne Mountain Library | Branch | Colorado Springs | 54 | 8,900 |
| East Library and Info Center | Branch | Colorado Springs | 60 | 70,153 |
| Fountain Library | Branch | Fountain | 56 | 9,582 |
| High Prairie Library | Branch | Falcon | 55 | 6,008 |
| Library 21c | Branch | Colorado Springs | 60 | 115,058 |
| Manitou Springs Library | Branch | Manitou Springs | 48 | 2,391 |
| Monument Library | Branch | Monument | 56 | 7,536 |
| Old Colorado City Library | Branch | Colorado Springs | 56 | 4,909 |
| Palmer Lake Library | Branch | Palmer Lake | 21 | 1,574 |
| Rockrimmon Library | Branch | Colorado Springs | 56 | 8,668 |
| Ruth Holley Library | Branch | Colorado Springs | 56 | 10,469 |
| Sand Creek Library | Branch | Colorado Springs | 56 | 14,060 |
| Ute Pass Library | Branch | Cascade | 30 | 2,123 |
| Pikes Peak Library District Bookmobile | Two bookmobiles | Colorado Springs | 47 |
Pikes Peak in numbers, FY 2024
- Visits
- 1,905,097
- Physical checkouts
- 3,622,006
- …of children's materials
- 1,736,472
- Electronic checkouts
- 3,556,552
- …of e-books
- 1,625,175
- …of e-audio
- 1,572,080
- Registered users
- 305,812
- Program sessions
- 3,881
- Program attendance
- 125,738
- Print volumes
- 519,815
- Audio items (physical)
- 37,876
- Video items (physical)
- 52,197
- Public computers
- 697
- Public service hours, all outlets
- 40,006
- Paid staff (full-time equivalent)
- 384.0
- Operating spending
- $32.9 million
- …on books and other materials
- $6.1 million
- Overdue fines on print items
- not charged
Where Pikes Peak gets its operating money
Operating revenue came to $44.5 million, or $65.63 per resident. The local-government share is close to the combined share for the 101 profiled systems in Colorado. No federal operating revenue was reported.
- Local government
- State
- Federal
- Other (fines, fees, gifts, grants)
Pikes Peak since FY 2019
Visits were 39% below the FY 2019 count of 3.1 million (size-class median: −30%). Physical checkouts moved 42% down over the same span.
- Visits
- Physical checkouts
Who comes to Pikes Peak programs
Programs for children up to age 11 drew 77% of all program attendance, and sessions averaged 32 people each.
Library districts of similar size in other states
Of these six systems, three record more visits per resident than this one. The highest checkout rate in the group belongs to Multnomah County Library in Oregon.
| System | Based in | Residents | Visits per resident | Checkouts per resident | Spending per resident |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint Louis County Library | St. Louis, MO | 863,407 | 4.08 | 8.33 | $70.90 |
| Mid-Continent Public Library | Independence, MO | 840,292 | 2.96 | 5.99 | $82.29 |
| Sno-Isle Libraries | Marysville, WA | 819,554 | 2.99 | 6.94 | $74.67 |
| Multnomah County Library | Portland, OR | 802,464 | 2.19 | 12.35 | $121.00 |
| Pierce County Library System | Tacoma, WA | 665,760 | 2.15 | 3.86 | $65.13 |
| Fort Vancouver Regional Library District | Vancouver, WA | 552,118 | 2.48 | 5.96 | $49.54 |
Nearest in size within Colorado
- Denver Public Library · Denver · 715,636 residents
- Jefferson County Public Library · Lakewood · 576,381 residents
- Rangeview Library District · Thornton · 406,718 residents
- Aurora Public Library · Aurora · 394,380 residents