Peoria Public Library
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Find hours and information for Main Library
Find hours and information about North Branch
Find hours and information about Lincoln Branch
Find hours and information about Lakeview Branch
Find hours and information about McClure Branch
Find the current Bookmobile schedule and routes
Everything you need to know about how to get and use your library card
Find out how long you can keep library materials.
From the bookmobile to the home-bound, Outreach has special services to bring the library to the community.
Find resources and records for genealogy and Peoria-area history
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Download the forms you need and read information about how to reserve a room.
Get quick answers about everything from renewing books to applying for a library card.
Use this form to have library staff find an answer for you.
View the art owned by Peoria Public Library.
From birth up find resources for youth as well as parents and educators.
Information about how to request books from outside the RAILS library system.
This page highlights resources at Peoria Public Library available for educators
Find information on how to get a pass to Peoria Riverfront Museum from Peoria Public Library.
The history of Peoria Public Library
Find links to verified research students can use to complete assignments and help them study
Find helpful resources to prepare for a job search from resume writing to practice tests and interviews with a coach
Here are links to research helps for those working on family history
Links to all databases Peoria Public Library offers.
These resources will help those in business to create a mailing list, find investment information, learn another language, locate small business assistance and more
Health insurance information and resources
Find library events for all ages.
Download the library newsletter and read library news as well as the complete calendar.
See what book clubs are available, when they meet and what they are reading.
Music in the McKenzie offers a free concert monthly at North Branch. Find out who is playing.
Find out how to participate in our yearly Summer Reading program.
The Mayor's Community Coalition Against Heroin is providing information and discussion about the heroin epidemic in Peoria, Illinois.
This page contains information about the events planned at Peoria Public Library for The Great American Read
Find links to news stories featuring Peoria Public Library
A newspaper created by kids, for kids!
Find animated storybooks, games and more that can be used by children alone or with a teacher or parent.
Tumblebooks Ebooks, read-alongs, graphic novels, educational videos, and audiobooks for ages 8 to 12 and 12 to adult.
Download e-books and audio books for all ages.
Audiobooks for children and adults you can play on your computer or tablet.
Download e-books and audiobooks for all ages.
link to the Freegal streaming and downloadable music service
Here are links to help you download digital books, audiobooks and music.
Listen to our staff experts talk about various topics like genealogy and graphic novels.
This page links to the Kanopy streaming movie service. Use your Peoria Public Library card to watch eight movies a month free.
Buy used books from the Friends at any of these locations. Sales support programming at Peoria Public Library.
Help the Friends support the library through a variety of volunteer opportunities.
Donate your books, music and movies the Friends to receive a tax deduction and help the library.
Join the Friends and support Peoria Public Library.
Contact library staff
August 2020
Volume 29, No. 8
Back to school? Yes.
Back to normal? Maybe not.
Whatever kind of teaching style your school has adopted – in school, online or a hybrid – we believe Peoria Public Library has digital resources to make studying easier and your research projects better. From Brainfuse, which offers live tutoring help, to ProQuest’s SIRS Issues Researcher, which includes thousands of reputable articles on both sides of controversial topics, to Britannica Library, which makes it easy to find anything you need and even offers a pre-research planning guide.
These are just a few of our resources available to Peoria Public Library patrons. Many of them can be accessed online, from your home. Visit www. peoriapubliclibrary.org, then use the Research tab and click on Students. You will find a downloadable flyer near the bottom of that page or find hard copies at our libraries. You can also watch tutorials of many of these resources on our YouTube channel.
Call us and we can help too.
Yes, we are open for brief browsing, computer appointments and access to our genealogy and research databases.
We will not, however, allow access to our community spaces (meeting and study rooms) through at least Aug. 31 due to the rising cases of COVID-19 in our region.
So feel free to visit us, but please wear your mask and practice social distancing.
We are also continuing to offer curbside pickup for anyone who prefers contact-free service. Curbside pickup is available at all locations anytime they are open, except between the hours of noon to 2 p.m.
Call in to place up to five holds on items per household or place multiple holds online anytime.
Call the branch you wish to pick up from:
Main Library – 497-2000
Lakeview Branch – 497-2200
Lincoln Branch -- 497-2600
McClure Branch -- 497-2700
North Branch – 497-2100
Patrons will be called when their order is ready to pick up. Staff will place items in vehicle trunks, preferably, or through backseat car windows. Staff will not take returning items from the public. All returning items must go in book drops.
Thank you to all who participated in our first-ever virtual Summer Reading program.
We found escape in some great new novels. We hope you did too whether you were reading Dr. Seuss or Doctor Zhivago. In addition to earning weekly prizes, we also entered everyone who read for at least six of the seven weeks into our random Grand Prize drawings. Each age group had at least two winners.
Many thanks to Friends of Peoria Public Library, the Peoria Riverfront Museum, Thirty-Thirty Coffee, Wheels O' Time Museum, McDonald's, CEFCU, Zen Nail Lounge, Galesburg Sewing Center and Smoothie King for contributing to our prizes.
Here are our Grand Prize winners. Since the majority of them are minors, we are only using first names:
Pre-K:
Nuha
Kate
Caleb
Grade School:
Addie
Jack
Dean
Teen:
Zamar
Anthony
Delaina
Adult:
Julie
Nicki
We miss all our programs as much as you do, but you can see us – many of us – on our YouTube channel.
From storytimes to arts and crafts, our staff has been working to keep you entertained -- virtually -- since we can't yet bring back our regular program schedule.
We have hosted a few outdoor programs, including Yoga On the Lawn at Lincoln and McClure branches.
We look forward to adding more outdoor programming and would LOVE to hear your ideas for both virtual and outdoor, socially distant programs. Send us an email at programming@ppl.peoria.lib.il.us
Our virtual library has digital bookshelves bursting at their bytes – nearly a million titles of ebooks, audio books, graphic novels, movies, television and music. During the shutdown, many of you have explored our offerings and increased usage of our digital services by double digits. If you haven’t yet explored our virtual library, here are three popular services, but find all we have to offer at www.peoriapubliclibrary.org
Hoopla. We like to think of it as Netflix on steroids because in addition to movies and television, there are about 300,000 ebooks, 80,000 audio books, 270,000 albums and thousands upon thousands of movies and television episodes. During this time, we have increased your monthly checkout limit to 8 items per patron per month. Hoopla has also added a selection of “bonus borrows,” which includes about 1,500 titles that you can access for free without impacting your checkout limit.
Freegal. This music service allows you to download or stream music from your digital device for free and without ad interruptions. More than 15 million songs from over 40,000 labels across 200-plus genres, including Sony Music’s catalog of legendary artists.
Kanopy. Movies, documentaries, children’s programming and The Great Courses. Peoria Public Library patrons have 8 checkouts per month, but Kanopy is currently offering unlimited access to its children’s programming, including numerous PBS programs like Sesame Street, Daniel Tiger and more. Kanopy also offers more than 30,000 movies and documentaries, including foreign films, independent films and classic movies as well as The Great Courses, where you can learn life skills or about topics that interest you.
For more information, check out our virtual library at www.peoriapubliclibrary.org
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