Peoria Public Library main branch

The Peoria Public Library is throwing open its doors and inviting the public to share in its 135-year history at an anniversary celebration called “What’s Your Story” on Oct. 12 at the library’s main branch at 107 N.E. Monroe.

Scheduled from 5:30 to 8 p.m., the event will feature a New York Times bestselling author, a historical portrayal of one of the first librarians and “book reports” by well-known local citizens.

Entertainment, an art display, cash wine bar and a birthday cake will also be included in the fundraising event. Tickets range from $35 to $60.

Author Melanie Benjamin will kick off the event with a talk about Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh, the subjects of her book, “The Aviator’s Wife.”

Also on the program, Jim Fassino from the Experimental Aircraft Association will discuss the history of aviation while Vic Burnett, a former weatherman and longtime community theater actor and director, will portray Erastus Willcox, author of the Illinois library law that established tax-supported libraries.

Willcox had been librarian of the Mercantile subscription library in Peoria and later took the top spot at the Peoria Public Library in 1891.

A few artifacts from the original library, which was dedicated in February 1897, will be on display, including an ornate podium, the doorknob from the original front door and a hygrometer that measured the humidity.

“It’s a great big thing that would have been very important in caring for those books in the early days,” Trisha Noack, the library’s public relations manager, said of the hygrometer.

Between 6 and 7 p.m. a few well-known Peorians will talk about books that have influenced them. Among those presenting “book reports” will be Peoria Mayor Jim Ardis, Peoria County State’s Attorney Jerry Brady, Police Chief Jerry Mitchell and retired newscaster Tom McIntyre.

A view of the original Peoria Public Library building during its construction in 1896. The library officially opened in February 1897 and served the community for 70 years until the current library was built in 1968. (Photos courtesy Peoria Public Library).

They are among 135 Peoria citizens who were asked to write about their favorite book or one that influenced them the most. The responses are being published in a program book that will be available at the event, and some of the responses will be part of the table centerpieces.

“It’s an astonishing variety of books, including some you never heard of, as well as books you know well,” Noack said. “It’s meant to inspire people to read something new and to demonstrate the power of literature and the power of reading.”

One publication the library hopes people will explore is a “Historical Sketch of the Peoria Public Library,” originally written by William Bryan, who led the library from 1955 to 1974, and revised by Noack in 2005 and 2014. It can be downloaded at http://issuu.com/peoriapubliclibrary/docs/ppl_history_book.

The original library building served the community for 70 years until a new one was built in 1968 after a tax referendum to fund it was passed on the third try, said Noack.

“One thing people don’t realize is how many library branches have opened and closed over the years, because we’re always trying to meet the community’s needs. At one point they had branch libraries in Kroger’s grocery stores as they tried to go to where people were,” Noack said.

“It’s also important to know that we’ve always had outreach for the folks who couldn’t get to the library since the early days with hospital service to going to the Peoria Sanitarium and then the advent of the Bookmobile.”

The library also has offered a summer reading program continuously since 1946, expanding in recent years to include adults as well as children.

“Another interesting thing to look at is how we added phonograph records early on, then expanded to the AV department with reel-to-reel movies and then, of course, moved on to computer systems,” Noack said. “In 2016 we will mark 20 years of offering free public Internet access. That’s pretty startling.”

A view inside the original Peoria Public Library, which was built at a cost of $67,852 and opened in 1897. The Peoria Public Library is hosting a 135th anniversary celebration Oct. 12 at its main branch at 107 N.E. Monroe. Tickets are currently on sale for the event, which will run from 5:30 to 8 p.m. (Photo courtesy Peoria Public Library).

Noack noted that the Friends of the Library paid for the original public Internet access, as well as funded the original Bookmobile. Founded in 1995, the Friends group continues to raise funds for everything from programming to furnishings to carpeting.

“We recently figured out that three million people have come through the doors since we opened after remodeling five years ago in December,” Noack said. “That’s a lot of people, which is why we’re trying really hard to keep the furnishings and the carpeting nice. That’s not in the budget in these times of restricted funding, nor is there money in our budget for programming. That all comes from the Friends.”

While the library has seen many changes in its 135-year history, what has stayed constant is its mission to provide information the community wants, Noack said.

“(The library) levels the playing field. It gives everyone in the community access to the same information. And the information, books and programs we have here are a reflection of our community. We have always been a strong partner with our educational system, and we now have an intergovernmental agreement with District 150 that allows every student to have access to a library card,” she said.

The event includes hors d’oeuvres from Cracked Pepper, a cash wine bar, birthday cake, art displays, the Peoria Jazz AllStars and a silent auction.

“It will be a very interactive evening with a lot of things going on,” said Noack.

TICKET INFORMATION

Single admission tickets are $35. A $60 ticket includes a hardbound copy of “The Aviator’s Wife” by Melanie Benjamin, who will speak at the event, and a “book club” set of 10 tickets can be purchased for $300. Sponsorships that include special incentives are also available.

Silent auction items include a 30-minute flight in a Vintage Warbird Trainer; a $1,000 gift card to Good’s Furniture in Kewanee; and a tour of the Gen. Wayne A. Downing International Airport, followed by dinner at the Hangar Too eatery.

All funds raised will go to the Friends of the Peoria Public Library to benefit the library.

Tickets can be purchased by calling (309) 497-2137 or emailing programmingdept@ppl.peoria.lib.il.us. Ticket orders may also be mailed with a check made out to Friends of Peoria Public Library to the Programming Department at 107 NE Monroe, Peoria, 61602.

More information and order forms are available on the library website at http://www.peoriapubliclibrary.org/135-years-what-s-your-story.

— Fundraiser helps Peoria Library celebrate 135th anniversary —