New Library Events Calendar 2024

Library Calendar2/29/24:

The library’s new online calendar and registration system is now live! Patrons may now browse and register for upcoming programs and events online. As always, staff are happy to help you register for events and answer any questions you may have.

2/26/24:

Please note that the library will be transitioning to a new online calendar and registration system. To facilitate the process, online registration for events through the current calendar system will close at 5 p.m. on February 27. Patrons who wish to register for events after online registration is temporarily closed on February 27, but before February 29, may contact the library at 309-699-3917. The new online calendar and registration system is expected to be available on the library’s website by 9 a.m. February 29. 

2024-03-01T14:56:15-06:00February 26th, 2024|

Library Memories Instagram Photo Contest

Fondulac District Library is celebrating our 10th Birthday in our current location! Our building at 400 Richland Street hosted its grand opening November 2, 2013. In honor of this big anniversary, we’re inviting you to take part in our Instagram library memories photo contest!

Rules:

Contest runs October 4-November 1, 2023.

Winners will be announced November 4.

Pictures must feature some aspect of Fondulac District Library.

Any person featured in an image must provide consent before the picture is taken.

Post photos to Instagram using the hashtag #fondulaclibrary10 in your caption.

Make sure your profile is public OR follow Fondulac District Library (@fondulacdistrictlibrary) on Instagram so we can see your entry.

Three winners will be determined by our library board president, Ellen Hanks.

Join us in celebrating 10 years of supporting your freedom to read!

2023-10-18T15:05:53-05:00October 18th, 2023|

400 Richland Street’s 10th Birthday Celebration!

400 Richland Street has hit the double digits! Mark your calendars for the library building’s 10th birthday open house celebration on Saturday, November 4, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Join us for fun activities, a special story time, treats, a sculpture dedication in the Reading Garden for long-serving Trustee Colleen Cole, and more. Watch the library’s webpage and social media pages for more information about the upcoming festivities!

It’s hard to believe that an entire decade has passed since the opening of the new location. This chapter of the library’s history has been filled with innovative programs, community events, and the addition of numerous modern resources and services for library patrons. All of us at FDL are excited to see what is on the next page of this adventure, and we hope that you will be a part of the story. Stop by to check out the party – and some new books, music, games, equipment, and other materials too!

2023-10-12T09:39:42-05:00October 11th, 2023|

Speak: A Panel Discussion

This week, during 2023’s Banned Books Week and as we wrap up the Central Illinois Reads: Freedom to Read initiative, the library is proud to share this video displaying intellectual freedom in action.

On May 4, 2023, Fondulac District Library hosted a panel discussion with East Peoria Community High School students about the book Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. The book,  about a teenage girl’s journey through her trauma after a sexual assault, is often challenged and/or banned due to its portrayal of lived experience and mature content. The eight participating students spoke thoughtfully, eloquently, and maturely in sharing their insights about the book and the complex issues it includes, as well as the challenges it often receives.

We thank EPCHS’s Jill Dawson for organizing this group of students and Ben Diggle for videotaping this event.

(Please note that microphones were not used for this event, and volume adjustments will be necessary throughout viewing.)

2023-09-13T12:37:04-05:00October 5th, 2023|

Banned Books Week 2023

“This is a dangerous time for readers and the public servants who provide access to reading materials. Readers, particularly students, are losing access to critical information, and librarians and teachers are under attack for doing their jobs.” – Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of the ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom

Banned Books Week celebrates the freedom to read and spotlights current and historical attempts to censor books in libraries and schools. For more than 40 years, the annual event has brought together the entire book community — librarians, teachers, booksellers, publishers, writers, journalists, and readers of all types — in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular. The books featured during Banned Books Week have all been targeted for removal or restriction in libraries and schools. By focusing on efforts across the country to remove or restrict access to books, Banned Books Week draws national attention to the harms of censorship.

In a time of intense political polarization, library staff in every state are facing an unprecedented number of attempts to ban books. ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom ALA documented 1,269 demands to censor library books and resources in 2022, the highest number of attempted book bans since ALA began compiling data about censorship in libraries more than 20 years ago. The unparalleled number of reported book challenges in 2022 nearly doubles the 729 book challenges reported in 2021. Of the record 2,571 unique titles targeted for censorship, most were by or about LGBTQIA+ persons and Black, Indigenous, and people of color.

When we ban books, we’re closing off readers to people, places, and perspectives. But when we stand up for stories, we unleash the power that lies inside every book. We liberate the array of voices that need to be heard and the scenes that need to be seen. Let freedom read!

Fondulac District Library is a proud supporter of Banned Books Week. Let freedom read!

2023-09-30T16:47:23-05:00September 30th, 2023|

Find Your Voice Adult Writing Contest Winners!

We’re excited to announce the winners for the Find Your Voice Adult Writing Contest!

1st Place – Inaudible by Megan McCoy

2nd Place – Cracks by Rachael Stanford

Teen Winner – Finding Your Voice by Ella Headly

Congratulations to each of them, and thanks to everyone who submitted an entry! Follow the links below to read the winning stories. Our judges panel had a hard time selecting from the submissions we received, so keep writing and stay tuned for another writing contest this winter!

Inaudible by Megan McCoy

Cracks by Rachael Stanford

Finding Your Voice by Ella Headly

2023-09-20T11:13:33-05:00September 19th, 2023|

Library Card Sign-Up Month: Fine Free + Fare Free!

Fondulac District Library is excited to partner with Greater Peoria Mass Transit District/CityLink, Peoria Public Library, Pekin Public Library, and Peoria Heights Public Library to celebrate National Library Card Sign-Up Month and our two year anniversary of going Fine Free! September 1-30, show your library card from FDL, Peoria Public Library, Pekin Public Library, or Peoria Heights Public Library to ride CityLink’s fixed bus routes for FREE! Services like public transportation and fine-free access to media, technology, resources, and educational programming are essential to connecting and sustaining vibrant communities. This partnership aims to encourage more people to sign up for a library card, visit their local libraries, and ride CityLink when possible!

Beyond our community, Library Card Sign-Up Month is celebrated in September by the American Library Association and libraries nationwide to remind everyone that a library card is the first step towards academic achievement and lifelong learning. So this September, sign up for a new FDL card, renew your expired card, or replace your lost card to be entered into a prize drawing for a Kindle tablet! Already have an FDL card in good standing? Use it to check out materials from FDL in September, and you could win a Kindle tablet, too! Encourage your friends and neighbors to get their library cards, and discover all of the great resources and programs available at FDL!

For more information about how to sign up for your library card, visit fondulaclibrary.org/library-cards/. To learn about FDL’s fine free policies, visit fondulaclibrary.org/fine-free-faq/. Check out ridecitylink.org to find CityLink’s routes and schedules, or see below for routes directly to the libraries.

Peoria Public Libraries

Fondulac District Library

Peoria Heights Public Library

Pekin Public Library

2023-09-06T11:31:59-05:00September 6th, 2023|

A Library Card is “Elemental”!

Get in Your Element this September—sign up for a library card! From borrowing books, ebooks, and museum passes to getting homework help, learning new skills, or attending story time, a library card helps you do more of what you enjoy. Get a library card and dive into a new hobby. Use your library card to tinker in a maker space and spark your creativity. A library card is your most important school supply—it’s elemental, really—and everyone should have one!
2023-09-06T11:34:06-05:00August 31st, 2023|

Friends of the Library Big Book Sale

Come to find great books at great bargains! Help support the Friends of the Library and the Fondulac District Library with this annual Big Book Sale. Reasonably prices hard backs and paperback books for all ages.

2023-08-31T14:53:28-05:00August 31st, 2023|

Find Your Voice Writing Contest for Kids– Winners!

We’re excited to announce the winners of our Find Your Voice Writing Contest for kids!

A big congratulations to our winners! We had so many fantastic entries for this summer’s writing contest. It was hard to choose. Thank you to all of the talented authors who participated!

Ages 5-7

1st place: Kinley Smith

2nd place: Avery Clarkson

3rd place: Elena Lynn

Ages 8-10

1st place: Cali Rumpel

2nd place: Valerie Lynn

3rd place: Piper Cole

Ages 11-14

1st place: Harlow Sharum

2nd place: Clay Jordan

3rd place: Isabel Bone

Follow the links below to read our winning stories. There’s still time for teens and adults to participate in their writing contest!

The Summer Picnic by Kinley Smith

Daisy’s Lesson by Avery Clarkson

Untitled by Cali Rumpel

Even Circuses Are Hard Work by Valerie Lynn

Where Has Summer Gone by Piper Cole

Harley and the Midnight Dream by Harlow Sharum

Max’s Summer by Clay Jordan

Untitled by Isabel Bone

2023-08-01T09:49:36-05:00August 1st, 2023|
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