Peoria Public Library Starts Limited Curbside Pickup

Press release from the Peoria Public Library:

May 7, 2020

Starting Wednesday, May 6, Peoria Public Library will begin limited curbside pickup at three locations – Main Library, Lakeview Branch and North Branch.

Patrons will be able to place holds online anytime or call every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and place orders of up to five items per household. Patrons will then be called and told when their items are ready to collect.

“We’ve been eager to find a way to serve the public while still keeping everyone – our patrons and ourselves – safe. We feel confident the protocol we’ve set up for curbside pickup does that. At the same time, this is new to us so we are rolling this out in stages,” said Peoria Public Library Executive Director Randall Yelverton. “We hope the public can continue to be patient as we try this new service. Everyone has been absolutely wonderful in their support thus far, and we’ve been thrilled to see double digit increases in usage of our digital collection.”

Yelverton stressed that all library locations will remain closed to the public until further notice.

“We cannot in good conscience reopen our buildings yet. We take this very seriously. When we were open, we used to see about 1,800 people a day through our doors. Even if we limited occupancy, we still wouldn’t be able to offer proper social distancing at our public computers or know every book someone has touched. It would be impossible to police with the staff we have, and we would be putting our staff and the public at unnecessary risk,” Yelverton said.

Although our doors remain closed, Peoria Public Library has been promoting its digital services and online databases as well as adding new virtual programming to its YouTube channel every day – everything from Storytimes and craft how-tos to book recommendations, tutorials and sneak peeks into our Local History collection. Staff has also been answering questions and issuing temporary library cards via our website.

Due dates on all materials have been extended to June 12, and patrons must use the library’s book drops to return materials. Staff will not take items directly from patrons.

Even with the addition of curbside pickup, Yelverton encourages patrons to explore our virtual library, which includes nearly a million titles – ebooks, audio books, comics, movies, music and more.

“Our digital collection is nearly as robust as our physical collection, and so easy for people to access from home. When you check out something digitally, you never have to worry about late fees,” Yelverton said.

For updates, please visit www.peoriapubliclibrary.org or check the Library’s social media.

Curbside Pickup Details:

Call in to place up to five holds on items per household. Calls will be answered between 9-11 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Online holds can be placed anytime.

Call the branch you wish to pick up from:

Main Library – 497-2000

Lakeview Branch – 497-2200

North Branch – 497-2100

** To place a hold in Spanish – 497-2000

Patrons will be called when their order is ready to pick up. Staff will place items in vehicle trunks, preferably, or through backseat car windows. Staff will not take returning items from the public. All returning items must go in book drops.

This press release was produced by the Peoria Public Library. The views expressed here are the author’s own.