By JENNIFER DAVIS
of Peoria Public Library

March 2 was Read Across America Day. Started in 1998 as a way to get kids excited about reading, the National Education Association’s ‘Read Across America’ is now the nation’s largest reading event.

But developing a lifelong love of reading takes more than one day, which is why we — the library — are here to help.

The consequences of low literacy can have lifetime impacts, from lack of access to higher education and higher-paying jobs to multi-generational illiteracy. Further, research shows us that the first three years of a child’s life are critical for brain development, and having books in the home are one of the largest indicators of academic success for children.

Adults also benefit from reading:

• Reading for a brief period at night can lead to longer sleep duration and better sleep quality in adults. (2022, Aging & Mental Health scientific journal)
• Reading reduces your risk of burnout. (2019, Annuals of Palliative Medicine)
• Reading fiction improves social cognition and critical thinking. (2021, Journal of Librarianship and Information Science)
• Reading reduces mild symptoms of depression and anxiety. (2022, PLOS ONE, peer-reviewed journal of primary research from any discipline in science or medicine)

So, we’ve established that reading is good and good for you. But did you know that providing access to more than a million titles — books, movies, magazines, music, etc. — in our physical and digital collections is just a small part of what we do.

Peoria Public Library offers more than 100 programs every month — from author events to arts and crafts to live concerts. All for free. We have something for all ages.

We subscribe to newspapers and magazines so you don’t have to. Access hundreds of newspapers worldwide from our website — from our hometown newspaper to the New York Times and The Times of London — all from the comfort of your couch. All you need is your library card.

Each of our five locations across Peoria have public computers, study rooms and meeting rooms which you can reserve via our website. Again, for free. Main Library and Lincoln Branch also have recently updated computer labs open to the public. Whether you need a quiet space, a collaborative space or a community gathering place, we have it.

The Local History & Genealogy Department at Main Library is where you can time travel into our area’s past, or find your family tree. Peoria Public Library is a FamilySearch affiliate library, one of just a few hundred in the U.S. As such, we have access to records not available otherwise. FamilySearch, created by the Church of Latter-day Saints, is the largest collection of free genealogy records in the world.

Learn a new language. Get live career coaching and a custom resume. Find peer-reviewed research. Take up a new hobby. Start a business. Join a book club. Visit our gallery. Check out a free pass to the Peoria Riverfront Museum or discounted passes to other regional attractions via Explore More Illinois.

All this, but if we don’t have the book, journal, movie, etc., then we’ll use inter-library loan and find someone who does. So, in essence, every library across the U.S. is yours with your Peoria Public Library card.

At Peoria Public Library, it doesn’t matter who you are, what you do, how much you earn, what language you speak or what religion you practice. We’ll never tell you what to read, what to think or who to be. In 2020, we broke down the final barrier to access our multimillion-dollar collection by going fine free.

Our doors are open to all, and everything we have is yours. We hope you come visit this Read Across America Day!

— Jennifer Davis is Peoria Public Library Manager of Public Relations.