Beth Weimer - Fondulac District Library | East Peoria, IL

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So far Beth Weimer has created 395 blog entries.

A Holly Jolly Writing Contest

FDL is hosting another Flash Fiction Writing Contest – and this one has a Holly Jolly winter theme! Three winners will be selected by our judges to win prizes. All entries must be 1000 words (or less) and a work of original fiction that uses the theme of winter in some regard. Entries must be submitted to Jeremy at jeremy@fondulaclibrary.org by 01/20/23. Please contact Jeremy with any questions.

Prizes

First Place: $50 Gift Card

Second Place: $30 Gift Card

Third Place: Swag Bag

The winners will be announced in February, and the three winning stories will be published on the library’s website and/or social media.

Submission Guidelines

In the email, please write in the subject area: “A HOLLY JOLLY WRITING CONTEST.”
Attach your manuscript to the email in a .doc or .docx file.
Manuscript should be typed, double-spaced, with one-inch margins and in 12 pt. Times New Roman font.
Include your name and phone number in the message section and whether you give the library permission to post your short story if you win.
Only original materials may be entered.
Use the theme of winter in some regard. This could be about the holidays, the weather, or just a story that happens to take place in winter.
Entries must be in good taste and refrain from profanity.
On the last page of your story, below the ending write: “THE END”
Limited one entry per person.
Deadline is January 20, 2023.

Beth Weimer2023-01-24T12:32:14-06:00November 30th, 2022|

Celebrate the Friends of FDL!

Join us in celebrating the Friends of Fondulac Library during National Friends of Libraries Week, October 16-22! The Friends of FDL provide crucial support to the library through advocacy, financial support, and volunteerism. Our Friends are an amazing group of volunteers who dedicate countless hours of their time to the library. The Friends of FDL maintain our ongoing Book Sale and host the annual BIG Book Sale, volunteer for events like Star Wars Day and the Big Rig Petting Zoo, sponsor our summer reading programs and babysitting classes, and more! We’re so grateful for all they do!

The best way to support the Friends is to join them (annual dues are only $5), but there are many others ways to support them throughout the year. Donations of gently used books are always needed to keep the book sale stocked. Visit the library on October 27 to sign holiday cards for members of the U.S. military and watch for them in the Veterans Day Parade on November 5. After the parade, they’ll pass out book sale coupons and give free books to veterans.

The Friends always bring some holiday cheer to the library with their Holiday Basket drawing in December – enter for the chance to win one of three amazing family baskets! And find wonderful treats, gifts, stocking stuffers, and handmade items at their annual Holiday Craft and Bake Sale on December 1-3. Proceeds from the sale support the library and its programs.

Beth Weimer2022-10-24T16:46:36-05:00October 14th, 2022|

Books with a Twist!

Sometimes you’re reading a book, and you think you know what is going to happen. Then, all of a sudden, WHAM! Plot twist!

A plot twist is a surprise development that can change the direction of the story and things that the reader thinks they have already figured out. Readers learn to look for clues in the story or try to anticipate the ending, but a good plot twist will provide a big surprise that fits with the beginning of the story when you look back. Here’s a list of plot-twisting books your children may enjoy.

Picture Books

Eat Pete by Michael Rex

Interrupting Chicken and the Elephant of Surprise by David Ezra Stein

I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen

The Bear Ate Your Sandwich by Julia Sarcone-Roach

Finders Keepers by Keiko Kasza

This Book Will Not Be Fun by Cirocco Dunlap

Juvenile Fiction

The Boy, the Boat, and the Beast by Samantha M. Clark

The Boundless by Kenneth Oppel

Cogheart by Peter Bunzl

The Night Gardner by Jonathon Auxier

The Shadow Cipher by Laura Ruby

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

– Jackie, Youth Services Assistant

Beth Weimer2022-10-12T16:46:09-05:00October 12th, 2022|

Banned Books Week 2022

Every September, FDL joins the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries across the county in celebrating Banned Books Week.

Banned Books Week, September 18-24, celebrates the freedom to read, and brings awareness to the current and historical attempts to censor books in libraries and schools and the harms of censorship. ALA’s Office of Intellectual Freedom (OIF) has already recorded 681 attempts to ban or restrict library resources in schools, universities, and public libraries, seeking to remove or restrict 1651 different titles so far in 2022, putting it track to reach the highest numbers since recording began more than 20 years ago.

“Banned books” have not been banned by law, but have been challenged in an attempt to remove them from a collection or from distribution. When a book is challenged, it means an individual or group is trying to restrict access for other people, usually because they find the material personally offensive.

Chances are, a book that you love has been challenged at some point. (At least 46 of the Top 100 Novels of the 20th Century have been the targets of ban attempts, including classics like Lord of the Rings, Brave New World, Where the Wild Things Are, The Bible, etc.)

A common reason given for challenging a book is that it is “unsuited/inappropriate for an age group.” Only parents or guardians have the right and the responsibility to restrict the access of their children—and only their children—to library resources.

Currently, the majority of books being challenged contain diverse content, meaning they’re written by or about people of color, LGBTQ people, and/or people with disabilities. We believe that representation matters, and our collection reflects the diversity within our community.

FDL supports intellectual freedom. Inclusion of a controversial item in the collection does not constitute library endorsement or approval of an expressed opinion.

Books and stories unite us. Censorship divides us.

Please join us in reading a banned or challenged book this week, and support everyone’s right to read what they choose! Learn more at bannedbooksweek.org!

Beth Weimer2022-09-16T16:45:39-05:00September 18th, 2022|

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 an Amazon HD 8 tablet! Already have an FDL card in good standing? Use it to check out materials from FDL in September, and you could win an Amazon HD 8 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

Main: #10 Forrest Hill, #11 Western, #12 Heights, #14 Wisconsin
Lincoln: #15 Lincoln
McClure: #10 Forrest Hill
Lakeview: #1 University
North: #1 University

Fondulac District Library

#8 East Peoria Sunnyland

Peoria Heights Public Library

12 Heights

Pekin Public Library

#18 Pekin South

Beth Weimer2022-10-04T13:11:51-05:00August 31st, 2022|

Family Fun for August

With summer winding down and kids gearing up return to school, families might be looking for some quiet fun. What’s better than a night in with board games or card games? Besides being a fun way to bring your family to the table, playing games together helps children develop important skills like problem solving, communication, and socialization. The library has board games for all ages to check out and play at home. You can check out two games per library card, and each game has a loan period of one week.

FDL has lots of board games for children, including classics like Candyland, Trouble, Checkers, Chutes and Ladders, and Battleship. We also have a variety of family-favorite card games, including Uno, Skip-Bo Junior, Monopoly Deal, Old Maid, and Memory. We have lots of new games, too, with new titles added regularly. Try a few out and let us know which ones are your family favorites!

Some of our most popular games include:

Ticket to Ride: First Journey
Players collect cards of various types of train cars and use them to lay claim to railway routes throughout North America. The first person to claim 6 routes is the winner.

Catan Junior
Thos game takes place on a ring of tropical isles, including the mysterious Spooky Island, home of the Ghost Captain. Each island generates a specific resource: wood, goats, molasses, gold or cutlasses. Players use resources to build and expand their network of pirate lairs. The first player to control seven pirate lairs wins the game.

The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel Game!
The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel Game helps preschoolers master matching skills, develop fine motor skills including pre-handwriting skills, social skills like taking turns, and strategic thinking skills.

Munchkin Treasure Hunt
Explore the dungeon! Roll the die, move, fight the monster, get the most gold, and win!

Professor Noggin’s Extraordinary Women Card Game
Professor Noggin’s series of educational games encourages kids to learn interesting facts about their favorite subjects. Each of the thirty game cards combines trivia, true or false, and multiple-choice questions. A special three numbered die is included which creates interaction and promotes communication between players. Easy and hard levels keep kids interested and challenged – while of course having fun!

Monopoly Deal
The purpose is to assemble property sets, charge rent, swap cards, demand birthday money, and debt collection by drawing cards from the deal pile. Action cards are played into the center only on players’ turns; payment demands can be paid from other players’ banks, their properties, or cancelled by a “just say no card.” The first player to collect three complete card sets of different colors wins the game.

Annotations from the FDL Library Catalog

– Kris, Youth Services Specialist

Beth Weimer2022-08-15T17:35:34-05:00August 15th, 2022|

Summertime Fun!

For most kids, summertime means family, friends, fun and a much-needed break from school! What is your favorite summer time activity? Baseball? Camping? Swimming? Whatever you like, FDL has a book for you!

Here are just a few of the books we have that celebrate the golden days of summer. Some titles are also available as eBooks and audiobooks in our digital collection.

Baseball Buzz by C.C. Jovan

Baseball Genius by Tim Green

Bubbles… Up! by Jacqueline Davies

The Camping Trip by Jennifer K. Mann

Dino-Swimming by Lisa Wheeler

Eva’s Campfire Adventure by Rebecca Elliot

Fatima’s Great Outdoors by Ambreen Tariq

I am Brave by Suzy Capozzi

Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall

Llama Llama Disfruta Acampar by Anna Dewdney

Mia Mayhem Rides the Waves by Kara West

Peppa Pig and the Great Vacation by Neville Astley

Pool Party by Wanda Coven

Quacky Baseball by Peter Abrahams

– Sharon, Youth Services Specialist

Beth Weimer2022-07-13T17:16:03-05:00July 13th, 2022|

Flash Fiction Writing Contest Winners!

We’re excited to announce the winners for the Flash Fiction Writing Contest!

1^st Place – A Sunny Day by Hilary Vissering

2^nd Place – The Ghosts of Us by Daniela Barzallo

3^rd Places – Pro(An)tagonist by Kylie

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 20 submissions we received, so keep writing and stay tuned for more contests!

A Sunny Day by Hilary Vissering

The Ghosts of Us by Daniela Barzallo

Pro(An)tagonist by Kylie

Beth Weimer2022-07-06T13:51:48-05:00July 6th, 2022|

We’re Hiring!

The library currently has two employment opportunities available. We’re seeking a part-time Reference Assistant as well as a part-time Youth Services Assistant to join our team. Please visit fondulaclibrary.org/about-us/jobs for more information, including job descriptions and qualifications.

Beth Weimer2022-10-06T14:09:54-05:00July 6th, 2022|

Robots at FDL!

Maybe you were here last month for the Robot Invasion? Well, there are robots at the library all the time!

Many people do not know that the library has STEAM Kits and activities available to check out and take home, but these kits are SO cool. I’ll share below about some of the robot kits, but you can learn about the rest of the STEAM kits at fondulaclibrary.org/stem-kits/. All items can be check out from the Youth Services department and can be kept for one week.

For beginning programmers, we have the Code and Go Robot Mouse, perfect for ages 4+. Follow maze cards to set a course of walls and tunnels for the mouse to find the cheese. Figure out the steps the mouse needs to take, then use buttons to program those directions for the mouse. If the mouse make a wrong turn, you’ll need to figure out what to change. Creative kids can challenge the mouse by designing their own mazes on or off the included grid system.

Next is the Ozobot Bit. This tiny robot will follow a marker-line and can detect color pattern codes that tell it what to do. Direction, speed, and special moves can be performed based on lines drawn with the thick edge of a basic marker. The challenge is thinking through WHAT you want to tell your robot and giving it the right directions to consistently perform those steps. For more advanced users it can also be used with programs created in the Ozoblockly website. Great for grades K – 12.

Another type of robot you can program is the Star Wars BB-8 Sphero. With this app you can program various movements, sounds, and actions. Then run your program and watch BB-8 follow the commands! It’s easy to change the programs and instantly run them using Bluetooth connection between your own device running the Sphero EDU app and the droid. You’ll want to check edu.sphero.com/d to see if your device and operating system are compatible with this app.

Virtual programmers can check out some of the Playaway Launchpad tablets. Each Launchpad is preloaded with 10 different activities related to the Launchpad theme. STEAM is Code for FUN! (ages 5+) includes a critical thinking game called Kings and Queens and a Turtle programming game which are great ways to develop sequencing skills, trial and error, and have fun while doing it. On the Programmed to Think Launchpad (ages 8+) the Kidbot game is similar to the Code and Go Mouse – where you give directional steps to the robot to complete a challenge.

– Julie, Youth Services Assistant

Beth Weimer2022-06-16T17:49:08-05:00June 20th, 2022|