


Photo from Laurie Halse Anderson
Freedom to Read 2023
Central Illinois Reads: A Freedom to Read partnership
The Freedom to Read is essential to our democracy, but also under attack.
Central Illinois libraries joined together in 2023 to encourage you to exercise your intellectual freedom.
Get a library card. Read outside your comfort zone. Unite against book bans.
For more than 20 years, Peoria Public Library has hosted a citywide literary event inviting all residents to read the same book at once.
But this year, instead of one city and one book, Peoria Public Library joined with sister libraries across Central Illinois to invite everyone to read outside their comfort zone by choosing a banned or challenged book. Instead of Peoria Reads, we are Central Illinois Reads.
Six area public libraries joined Peoria Public Library along with longtime Peoria Reads partners, Bradley University, Methodist College and Neighborhood House.
Our partner libraries include: Chillicothe Public Library, Dunlap Public Library District, Fondulac District Library, Illinois Prairie District Public Library, Morton Public Library and Pekin Public Library.
From April through October, local libraries hosted a number of events to empower you to stand against censorship — from bringing in nationally known authors whose books have been banned to librarians who are pushing back against intolerance, exclusion and censorship.
Our keynote speaker — Laurie Halse Anderson, author of the critically acclaimed yet often censored book, Speak — discussed the dangers of censorship, both to our democracy and educational systems, but also how it will impact future authors.
Find your voice and celebrate your Freedom to Read with us.
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Central Illinois Reads
For more than 20 years, Peoria Public Library has hosted a citywide literary event inviting all residents to read the same book at once.
But this year, instead of one city and one book, Peoria Public Library is joining with sister libraries across Central Illinois to invite everyone to read outside their comfort zone by choosing a banned or challenged book. Instead of Peoria Reads, we are Central Illinois Reads.
Six area public libraries will join Peoria Public Library along with longtime Peoria Reads partners, Bradley University, Methodist College and Neighborhood House.
Our partner libraries include: Chillicothe Public Library, Dunlap Public Library District, Fondulac District Library, Illinois Prairie District Public Library, Morton Public Library and Pekin Public Library.
Peoria Reads! is led by Peoria Public Library with the help of community partners, Methodist College, Bradley University and Neighborhood House.
• Bring our diverse community together in ways to promote better understanding.
• Broaden and deepen readers’ appreciation for books dealing with significant issues.
• Bring more people into libraries, bookstores, and literacy institutions
• Increase opportunities for discussion between youth and adults
• Achieve a better understanding of ourselves and of our own humanity.
Upcoming Central Illinois Reads Events
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