Other - Fondulac District Library | East Peoria, IL

Clean Your Smartphone

It’s a good idea to clean up your smartphone regularly — both inside and out! Here’s how:

Back It Up

Run a backup to the cloud on your phone, or connect it to your computer and follow the backup prompts.
- Do this first to avoid losing anything precious.
- Update if needed.

Delete Apps

Get rid of any applications you haven’t been using. You can reinstall them later if a need arises.
- Apps take up storage space and deleting them will make your phone run faster.

Transfer Photos

Use an online storage service — such as Google Photo or Amazon Photo (fees may apply) — to save your images automatically.
- Then delete them from your phone.
- Amazon Photos: Amazon Photos offers unlimited full-resolution online photo storage and 5 GB free video storage to Prime members.
Print photos from the Walgreens or CVS apps, then delete the digital copies.
Go through and periodically delete photos you no longer need.

Kill Old Texts

Change the settings to auto-delete any messages older than a year.

Make History, History

In the browser settings, clear your history and web cookies.
- Clearing web data will free up temporary space in your phone and make apps and other processes run faster.

Give It A Wipe Down

A study in the journal Germs found that some phones had 17,000 bacterial bugs lurking on the outside of smartphones.
Viruses and bacteria can survive on surfaces for hours, days, or even weeks depending on the strain, and can transfer from a phone onto your hands and then onto new surfaces in your home and office.
Do not use bleach or spray anything directly on your phone, and remember to remove and disinfect the case.

CDC Guidelines

The CDC recommends the following:

For electronics such as cell phones, remove visible contamination if present. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for all cleaning and disinfection products.
Consider use of wipe-able covers for electronics.
If no manufacturer guidance is available, consider the use of alcohol-based wipes or sprays containing at least 70% alcohol to disinfect touch screens. Dry surfaces thoroughly to avoid pooling of liquids.
To prevent the spread of COVID-19, the CDC recommends cleaning and disinfecting high-touch surfaces like cell phones daily. Visit cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/cleaning-disinfection for more information.

Repeat Regularly

Completing these steps regularly will keep your phone running smoothly and reduce the number of microbes and possible pathogens you come into contact with.

– Susie, Reference Specialist

Beth Weimer2020-07-30T16:55:36-05:00July 30th, 2020|

Digital Escape Room – The Library of Alexandria

When the fire was raging through the precious Library of Alexandria, one of the Pharaoh’s magicians cast a spell that transported the library into the digital future. Everything within it – scrolls, books, tables, walls – were transformed into a digital place of learning! But the magician believed that only the most worthy could access the knowledge of the library, and what better way to have them show their worthiness by passing his tests? Seek, knowledge-hunter, and find the name of the magician who protects the library …

While this escape room is recommended for tweens and teens, it can also be fun for families and groups to solve together!

Ready to get started? Click on the image to begin!

Want more mysteries to solve? Check out these YA books!

Hoopla

Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson

A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro

The Dewey Decimal System by Nathan Larson

Jackaby by William Ritter

FDL (In-House) Catalog – Place a hold to pick these up at our drive-thru!

The Diviners by Libba Bray

Dreamland Burning by Jennifer Latham

The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Canon Doyle

One Of Us Is Lying by Karen McManus

– Katie, Reference Specialist

Katie Smith2020-06-22T15:08:50-05:00June 24th, 2020|

Digging Deeper: Family History

Would you like to try to find out a little more about your family’s genealogy, or have you begun to research your family tree and hit a wall? Join us for a virtual program discussing some essential tips and tricks to learn more about your family history. Genealogist Amber Lowery joins us form Peoria Public Library’s Local History department to help us learn new ways to learn about our families and where we come from. She also gives some great ideas about how to keep this information safe and easily accessible.

FDL cardholders can access HeritageQuest Online, which combines digital, searchable images of U.S. federal census records with the digitized version of the popular ProQuest Genealogy & Local History collection and other valuable content, including city directories, military and immigration records, and more.

During the COVID-19 crisis, FDL cardholders have temporary remote access to Ancestry Library Edition, courtesy of ProQuest and its partner Ancestry. FDL cardholders may request the password by email (reference@fondulaclibrary.org) or by chat during scheduled chat hours. Please provide your full name and FDL card number with your request to received additional instructions and the password.

Beth Weimer2020-06-22T17:01:15-05:00June 23rd, 2020|

#BLM and Civil Liberty (for Teens!)

Here are some great reads for young adults (on Hoopla, Libby, & Axis360!) that discuss racism, inequality, civil liberty, and activism within our community. #BlackLivesMatter #WeStandInSolidarity

Stamped: Racism, Anti-Racism, and You: A Remix of Stamped From the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds

Things that Make White People Uncomfortable by Michael Bennett and Dave Zirin

Black Lives Matter by Sue Bradford Edwards

Racism in America by Meghan Green

Exposing Hate by Michael Miller

Race Relations by Barbara Diggs and Richard Chapman

Racial Profiling and Discrimination: Your Legal Rights by Corinne Grinapol

Coping with Racial Inequality (Coping Series for Teens) by Tamra Orr

Coping with Racial Profiling by Del Sandeen

Coping with Hate and Intolerance by Avery Hurt

Girls Resist! A Guide to Activism, Leadership, and Starting a Revolution by Kaelyn Rich

Student Rights in the New Age of Activism by Anna Collins

– Katie Smith, Reference Specialist

Katie Smith2020-06-04T20:42:00-05:00June 4th, 2020|

Books for Stranger Things Fans (on Hoopla!)

With the summer nearly in full swing, would you like to go back and relive the excitement of Stranger Things? If so, then check out these titles — they’re filled with 80’s nostalgia, childhood friendship, and survival against all odds (especially supernatural)!

Click on the title to be taken to Hoopla — just use your library card # and PIN to get started!

Paper Girls by Brian K. Vaughan and illustrated by Chiff Chiang and Matt Wilson

In the early hours after Halloween on 1988, four 12-year-old newspaper delivery girls uncover the most important story of all time. Suburban drama and supernatural mysteries collide in this series about nostalgia, first jobs, and the last days of childhood.

My Best Friend’s Exorcism by Grady Hendrix

1988. Charleston, South Carolina. High school sophomores Abby and Gretchen have been best friends since fourth grade. But after an evening of skinnydipping goes disastrously wrong, Gretchen begins to act — different. She’s moody. She’s irritable. And bizarre incidents keep happening whenever she’s nearby. Abby’s investigation leads her to some startling discoveries — and by the time their story reaches its terrifying conclusion, the fate of Abby and Gretchen will be determined by a single question: Is their friendship powerful enough to beat the devil?

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

A carnival rolls in sometime after the midnight hour on a chill Midwestern October eve, ushering in Halloween a week before its time. A calliope’s shrill siren song beckons to all with a seductive promise of dreams and youth regained. In this season of dying, Cooger & Dark’s Pandemonium Shadow Show has come to Green Town, Illinois, to destroy every life touched by its strange and sinister mystery. And two inquisitive boys standing precariously on the brink of adulthood will soon discover the secret of the satanic raree-show’s smoke, mazes, and mirrors, as they learn all too well the heavy cost of wishes — and the stuff of nightmare.

The Lost Girls of Camp Forevermore by Kim Fu

A group of young girls descend on Camp Forevermore, a sleepaway camp in the Pacific Northwest, where their days are filled with swimming lessons, friendship bracelets, and camp songs by the fire. Filled with excitement and nervous energy, they set off on an overnight kayaking trip to a nearby island. But before the night is over, they find themselves stranded, with no adults to help them survive or guide them home.

Let The Right One In by Anne Billson

It is autumn 1981 when inconceivable horror comes to Blackeberg, a suburb in Sweden. The body of a teenager is found, emptied of blood, the murder rumored to be part of a ritual killing. Twelve-year-old Oskar is personally hoping that revenge has come at long last — revenge for the bullying he endures at school, day after day — but the murder is not the most important thing on his mind. A new girl has moved in next door — a girl who has never seen a Rubik’s Cube before, but who can solve it at once. There is something wrong with her, though. Something odd. And she only comes out at night …

Post by Katie Smith, Reference Specialist

Katie Smith2020-05-26T17:23:30-05:00May 28th, 2020|

Bookish Trivia — YA Lit or Classic Lit?

Katie Smith2020-05-26T14:24:07-05:00May 26th, 2020|

East Peoria Community Branding Survey

The East Peoria Community Partners branding team (East Peoria Chamber of Commerce, City of East Peoria, Eastside Centre, East Peoria Community High School, East Peoria School District 86, Fondulac Park District, and Fondulac District Library) is seeking input from individuals across the greater Peoria area, including current and former residents of East Peoria, non-residents, visitors, and business owners, in order to identify and more effectively communicate the existing distinction of our community. The overall goal is to develop a unifying community brand that will deepen engagement of current residents and stakeholders, attract new visitors and residents, and enhance growth and economic development to benefit the entire East Peoria community, as well as the greater Peoria region.

To access the survey, simply scan the QR code or visit https://arcg.is/05uKSX The survey should take approximately 10-12 minutes to complete and will be available until midnight May 31, 2020.

Beth Weimer2020-05-12T17:33:28-05:00May 12th, 2020|

Fake News!

This overview explains what Fake News is and what we can do about it, based on a presentation by Reference Specialist Jessica Reeves. Learn how to identify fake news and avoid spreading misinformation.

Fact Checking Resources:

FactCheck.org

FactCheck.org is a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, a nonpartisan, nonprofit “consumer advocate” for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics.

Hoax-Slayer

Debunks email and social media hoaxes, thwarts Internet scammers, combats spam, and educates web users about email, social media, and Internet security issues.

PolitiFact

A fact-checking website that rates the accuracy of claims by elected officials and others who speak up in American politics. PolitiFact is run by editors and reporters from the Tampa Bay Times, an independent newspaper in Florida, as is PunditFact, a site devoted to fact-checking pundits.

PunditFact

A project of the Tampa Bay Times and the Poynter Institute, dedicated to checking the accuracy of claims by pundits, columnists, bloggers, political analysts, the hosts and guests of talk shows, and other members of the media.

Snopes.com

The snopes.com website was founded by David Mikkelson, who lives and works in the Los Angeles area. What he began in 1995 as an expression of his interest in researching urban legends has since grown into what is widely regarded by folklorists, journalists, and laypersons alike as one of the World Wide Web’s essential resources.

TruthOrFiction

Get the truth about rumors, inspirational stories, virus warnings, hoaxes, scams, humorous tales, pleas for help, urban legends, prayer requests, calls to action, and other forwarded emails.

Beth Weimer2020-05-11T16:32:08-05:00May 11th, 2020|

FDL Game Review: Ticket to Ride

In the latest FDL Game Review, Jimi dives into the train-themed game Ticket to Ride. If yo u haven’t tried this best-selling strategy board game, get on board! Check it out from FDL when we reopen, or try the First Journey edition for younger players! A huge thank you to Jimi for volunteering his time and expertise!

Beth Weimer2020-05-09T11:57:00-05:00May 9th, 2020|

Staying Home with FDL

As we all navigate this unprecedented time and do our part to stay home to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, we thought it might be fun to share what FDL staff are doing to pass the time. While most of us are still working from home, we definitely have more time on our hands for reading, creativity, hobbies, and more. So here’s what some of us have been up to this week – we hope you enjoy!

Homemade Dog Treats – “I made these doggie treats on a Saturday afternoon.”

– Deb, Circulation Assistant

Ingredients
1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
3/4 Cup Dog Safe Creamy Peanut Butter
1 Medium Ripe Banana

Directions
Combine ingredients in a bowl and smash with fork.
Once mixed, switch to using your hands to knead dough.
Place dough ball on a flat, floured surface and roll it out to about 1/4 inch thick using a rolling pin.
Using a 3/4 inch cookie cutter, cut out as many pieces as possible with whatever shape you desire.
Place on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper.
Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for 12 – 15 minutes or until hard.
Let cool before serving to dogs.

Runescape – “I’ve been spending my free time getting back into a game I’ve been playing on and off for years — Runescape. It’s very nostalgic for me, plus I get to explore new locations, try my hand at quests, solve puzzles, and just put all the craziness that is happening outside on the back burner. There’s a paid membership, which I finally decided to try for the first time, but it’s also free to play and there’s still plenty to do. Definitely a game that is a long-term investment!”

– Isaac, Reference Assistant

Chicken Tacos – “I’ve been experimenting with new recipes and this week I tried out crock pot chicken taco meat. It’s so simple and only three ingredients, definitely worth trying out!”

– Katie, Circulation Assistant

Ingredients
1 package boneless skinless chicken breast
1 can of Rotel (diced tomatoes and green chilies)
1 package taco seasoning

Directions
Mix the Rotel and taco seasoning in the crock pot, then add chicken.
Cook on high for 3-4 hours, or low for 6 hours.
When meat is cooked, shred and let simmer on low for 1 hour.
Enjoy!

Villainous – “At my house we have been insulating the attic in preparation to make it a bedroom, working on school work, playing Villainous, working on a WordPress website and blog, making a netted lariat necklace (hopefully I won’t run out of beads!), making tortillas from scratch, and going on walks!”

– Cassie, Youth Services Assistant

The Anthropocene Reviewed – “I’ve been listening to this podcast by author and vlogbrother John Green. In each episode, he reviews different experiences or objects from the current geological age on a five-star scale. His reviews range from air conditioning to penalty shootouts to the song “Auld Lang Syne.” You never know what he’ll review next! John Green is one of my favorite writers, and these audio essays are just as beautifully written as his books. I find each episode calming and interesting, and listening always makes me want to review everyday objects or activities on my own five-star scale. John Green also has a “dubious advice” podcast called Dear Hank and John with his brother, Hank Green, which is funny, lighthearted, and equally as enjoyable.”

– Laura, Youth Services Manager

Stardew Valley – “Besides planning for summer reading, I’ve been spending a lot of time playing Stardew Valley. I downloaded it a couple weeks ago, and it definitely lives up to the hype. I’m also video chatting with family pretty regularly, and we tried out the Houseparty app a week or so ago. The trivia questions start repeating really quickly, but it’s worth checking out. If anyone wants recommendations for TV shows, the new season of One Day at a Time has been playing in POP TV, and it’s just as good as it was when it was on Netflix.”

– Cindy, Youth Services Assistant

Morel Hunting – “I love hunting for morel mushrooms in the spring, and I’m grateful to have more time to do that this year. There are so many good spots in the Peoria area if you know where to look. I don’t find them every time, but hiking and being in the woods — seeing everything come back to life — is so relaxing and refreshing. If you’re new to foraging, make sure you look up info on what is safe to eat (be careful to avoid false morels!) and harvest them sustainably. To eat morels, soak them in salt water for at least 30 minutes and rinse them clean. Slice them up and saute in butter, or make a simple batter by dipping them in egg and panko before frying in butter. So good!”

– Beth, Communications Specialist

Beth Weimer2020-05-01T14:02:25-05:00May 1st, 2020|