PALMER LAKE, Colo. (KOAA) — Beginning at the end of August, the Palmer Lake Library will begin offering hybrid hours to eligible El Paso County residents; these hours will allow access to the library from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. each day, even when staff is not present in the building.
"It's something that patrons have been asking," commented Amy Gillentine, director of public relations, marketing, and promotions for the Pikes Peak Library District (PPLD), "for more hours, for Sunday hours; they've been asking for more access, and this is one of the ways we're working to provide it."
The new hours will be available to residents in El Paso County (with the exception of Security-Widefield, which has its own library) who are over the age of 18, have had a PPLD card for at least 90 days, and are in good standing with the library.
If you meet the above criteria, all you need to do is visit PPLD.ORG and complete the requisite training and then take a brief test.
Following the completion of the training and the test, you will receive an email, followed by an access card in the mail.
While the hybrid hours are set to start on August 31 for Palmer Lake, PPLD cardholders can go online right now and take the training.
Similar hybrid hours are planned for Calhan Library in September and Ute Pass Library in December.
"We have a training video that will be unique to each location telling you how to get in, where the phones are, if there's an emergency, those kinds of things," said Gillentine, "and then you pass a test, it's about 12 questions, and fill out the application for your badge. It's just that easy."
For those meeting the criteria, the new hybrid hours at the Palmer Lake Library will allow access to all library amenities and activities that would otherwise be available during regularly staffed hours. Hybrid access card-holders can invite guests into the library; however, PPLD says that the card-holder is responsible for their guests.
PPLD says that any violations of the library's code of conduct will result in the termination of their hybrid hours access privileges.
Security will be monitoring the library via security cameras.
"Our goal," stated Gillentine, "is always patron access and giving patrons the availability to use library resources, at no cost to them, when it is convenient for them."
If the hybrid hours are successful at the Palmer Lake Library, PPLD is considering adding hybrid hours to additional locations.
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