Hello everyone! My name is Genna Buhr, and I’m proud to serve as Director of Fondulac District Library.
On behalf of the library staff and Board, I hope this message finds you safe and well.
This week marks National Library Week. For a week each April, National Library Week is an annual celebration highlighting the valuable role libraries and their staff members play in transforming lives and strengthening our communities.
Fondulac District Library is an important part of our community, and we are dedicated to not only keeping you informed, entertained, and inspired, but also helping to keep you, your family, and our employees safe.
This year, while the library building is currently closed, I can assure you that many library materials and services are still available to you.
While we aren’t in the library building, our staff is still working, still learning, and still responding. We love to see our patrons in person, but for the safety and health of everyone, we are using other methods to bring the library to you. Digital ebooks and audiobooks, expanded access to streaming media and research databases, and creative content online are just some of the virtual services we offer. The talented staff even rethought the library’s annual Star Wars Day celebration to help bring some of that galactic magic to your home. If you didn’t have a chance to get your Fondulac library card before the building closed, we are issuing temporary virtual library cards to residents of the district to allow for fast and full access to the library’s digital collections and online research resources. Additionally, the library’s WiFi is still available to the public; no library card or password is needed. The signal typically extends beyond library walls and into the closer parking lot spaces, so you don’t even have to leave your car!
If you have questions about services during the closure, please visit our website at fondulaclibrary.org. Keep an eye on our social media announcements on Facebook and Instagram, too, for the latest from the library. Staff also are available to answer questions through online chat Monday through Friday from 10 am to noon and 4 to 6 pm.
And while we don’t know exactly when we will be able to, we are looking forward to gradually reintroducing in-person and in-building library services to East Peoria. We’re investigating methods to do this in a safe and effective manner that is in coordination with guidelines and recommendations from public health officials, state and local authorities, and professional library organizations. Until that time, staff will continue to work hard to be here for you, to bring the library to you in new and creative ways, and to plan for future services for our community. I am so proud of the work they do and all that they have accomplished quickly – and from home! – in this difficult time.
Thank you for your support and understanding. Please take care to stay healthy and to help others remain safe so that we all may enjoy the library together again soon.
– Genna Buhr, Director