The District 150 Board voted to sign an Intergovernmental Agreement with Peoria Public Library at a recent board meeting, an action taken by the Peoria Public Library Board on April 16.

The agreement recognizes that Peoria Public Library and District 150 have a shared vision and common goals and calls upon administrators, decision-makers, staff and the general public to commit to planning and evaluating shared activities, among other goals.

Some common suggested goals include: creating an awareness of the importance of reading to success and quality of life; promoting information and literacy skills of youth; creating lifelong learners and library users; creating a network of libraries, resources and personnel between District 150 and Peoria Public Library; and establishing a network of people within the community and region of those interested in working with youth.

“When two organizations share common goals, more residents and children are impacted and have the potential to succeed because of the collaboration and overlapping resources,” said Peoria Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Grenita Lathan. “We appreciate the library’s support and their willingness to collaborate to help reach as many students and parents as possible within our community.”

Immediate concrete actions resulting from those goals could be providing computer labs and meeting rooms for Compass Learning for use by District 150 students at Peoria Public Library and creating partnerships between professional librarians at Peoria Public Library and library managers at District 150 schools.

Linda Daley, President of the Peoria Public Library Board of Trustees said that the agreement makes the best possible use of taxpayer dollars while enhancing the education of our students and community.