Food for Fines 2021

If you or you children have late fees (overdue fines)
don't miss out on the opportunity to get them
forgiven while also helping others in our community.

FY2021 Annual Report

LME Library Receives Grant Funds

Secretary of State and State Librarian Jesse White awarded $530,104 in 2022 Project Next Generation (PNG) grants to 28 public libraries statewide. PNG is a mentoring program administered through Illinois public libraries. Project mentors work with middle and high school students as the participants develop skills to use various technologies, achieve success through project-based learning and gain life skills, such as effective communication, goal setting and conflict resolution.

“I am committed to improving the lives of at-risk youth in Illinois,” said White. “I established this innovative program when I first became Secretary of State to give students an opportunity to receive hands-on experience with the latest technological tools at their local library.”

PNG Grant recipients include two local libraries. The Lillie M. Evans Library District (Princeville) was awarded $12,838 to introduce field research, encourage scientific discovery, and develop interest in the natural sciences. The  Brimfield Public Library District was awarded $36,230 to support collaborations with the local schools by ensuring equitable access to technology workshops and related career exploration opportunities.  

Projects were awarded grants from the Illinois State Library using federal Library Services and Technology Act funds provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Grants are awarded to public libraries serving culturally diverse, low-income and underserved populations. For more information, visit https://www.ilsos.gov/departments/library/grants/png.html.

Music in the Square Concert series in June 2021

The Lillie M. Evans Library District will be hosting our free concert series on the first 3 Fridays in June 2021. This is our fourth year providing these family-friendly concerts in Princeville’s Stevens Square. The Princeville to Peoria St. Jude Run will provide a water and soda concession (sponsored by the Princeville State Bank) and local food vendors will provide food options in the Square before and during the concerts. Food will be available starting at 6pm and the concerts will start at 7pm. The only exception is on June 11 when the Lion’s Club will start cooking at 5:15pm. Please bring your own lawn chairs for your seating comfort or feel free to stay in your vehicle.

The Aristocrats will be leading off the concert series on June 4th. The Aristocrats are an eight piece band playing all of the "Big Band" favorites of yesterday and today. They have a repertoire of arrangements made famous by the big bands of the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s which is supplemented with contemporary jazz and popular tunes.

On June 11th, we will be hosting P.S. Jazz. This Peoria area duo performs adult contemporary and jazz music for a variety of venues and settings. The smooth sounds of P.S. Jazz will help the audience appreciate the importance of jazz as an important bridge between our nation's identity, our shared history, and our communities. Understated, smooth and sophisticated, they are perfect for providing an intimate musical experience.

Music in the Square will feature the New Cats on June 18th. The band members encompass a wide mixture of music backgrounds from jazz to punk and each bring their own unique flavor to the bluegrass genre. They fuse a mixture of high energy and up-tempo new and traditional bluegrass & folk music, along with a handful of their own finely crafted tunes.

For those interested in seeing the Central Illinois Banjo Club again, they will be back in Princeville on Thursday, June 24th to perform during Princeville Heritages Days. That concert starts at 6:00 pm. The Central Illinois Banjo Club is a group of music enthusiasts who love to get together to play and share music with others. An important part of the Club’s culture has been that they try to expand and encourage other people to play the banjo. The Club gives everyone the opportunity and a place to play. If you’re interested in joining the Club, talk to one of the Club members after the concert.

Steven’s Square is located on the corner of West Evans Street and IL-91 in Princeville. In case of inclement weather, the concert will be moved to the Lillie M. Evans Library at 207 N. Walnut in Princeville. More information about this and other library programs can be found on the Lillie M. Evans Library website at lmelibrary.org.

Community engagement meeting on May 4th @ Princeville Library

The Lillie M. Evans Library in Princeville is planning a community engagement meeting on Tuesday, May 4th at 7pm at the library. LME Library recently was awarded a grant from the American Library Association (ALA) to help establish a Library of Things. A Library of Things is any collection of objects that are outside the traditional items loaned by libraries. Objects can include items such as electronics, science kits, craft supplies, and equipment.

The meeting on May 4^th will be an opportunity to discuss the circulation of equipment we already own as well as consider items that the LME Library can purchase that could assist local residents, businesses, and organizations. We would like as many local organizational representatives as possible to attend this event. The grant discussion will allow us to better engage our community and execute our plan.

 

The Library of Things movement has expanded in the last decade and it makes sense to base it at the public library. Our library has established hours convenient to our community and is a safe and reliable place to pick up and drop off items. We have a powerful circulation system in place that can be adapted to circulate equipment and we have the ability to track a variety of statistics. People are familiar with borrowing materials from libraries so a Library of Things has the advantage of being both innovative and familiar at the same time.

The grant from the American Library Association (ALA) is part of the association’s Libraries Transforming Communities: Focus on Small and Rural Libraries initiative. Since 2014, ALA’s Libraries Transforming Communities initiative has re-imagined the role libraries play in supporting communities. Our award includes facilitator training and $3,000 in grant funds. The initiative is part of ALA’s longtime commitment to preparing library workers for the expanding role of libraries.

“Through community engagement, libraries are continuing their important work on literacy and access, while also working to fill gaps in other areas that may not have fallen to libraries in the past,” said ALA President Julius C. Jefferson. “We are excited to provide the resources for hundreds of libraries to take on new challenges in their communities and look forward to seeing the great things they accomplish.”

Libraries Transforming Communities: Focus on Small and Rural Libraries is offered in partnership with the Association for Rural & Small Libraries (ARSL). Please contact the LME Library at 385-4540 for more information or visit our website at lmelibrary.org.