What is Bike the Trail Library to Library?
Bike the Trail Library to Library utilizes one of our area’s most prominent assets—the Rock Island Trail. There are currently five participating libraries on the trail system—Toulon Public Library, Wyoming Public Library, Lillie M. Evans Library, Dunlap Public Library, and Peoria Heights Public Library—and we are cooperating to:
- Provide bike repair stations at or by all five of the participating libraries
- Educate Trail users about the resources our libraries have to offer
- Develop online resources for trail users
Bike repair stations and air pumps have been installed at the Toulon Public Library, the Lillie M. Evans Library in Princeville, Peoria Heights Public Library, and the Dunlap Public Library. The Wyoming repair station has been installed at the Rock Island Depot. These repair stations were provided through our generous sponsors. Sponsors include: the Friends of the Rock Island Trail, Bike Peoria and Zeller Electric.
May 2021 - Read the article, Recreational Trails Make Good Neighbors, in the May 2021 edition of Peoria Magazine.
In February 2019 - Bike the Trail Library to Library was selected to receive a RAILS Partnership Grant! This grant was from Reaching Across Illinois Library System (RAILS) and provided through the Illinois State Library and the Secretary of State from revenue appropriated by the Illinois General Assembly or granted under the federal Library Services and Technology Act. Bike the Trail connects bikers and libraries in a unique partnership, and the grant helped promote library resources including the recently installed bike repair stations along the trail. Trail signage and the brochure were also created using grant funds. Printed brochures are available at each bike repair station.
All of the participating libraries offer free wi-fi and several of us are the only free wi-fi location in the community. All are a safe place to recharge electronic devices. We all have clean indoor facilities with drinking fountains and are located within easy access to the Trail. Our buildings are heated and air-conditioned and we can accommodate many visitors. Each of the Trail libraries is open an average of 50 hours/week. In addition, all are members of the Resource Sharing Alliance which makes it easy for our users to search and to borrow materials from 138 libraries in central Illinois.
We have also developed this website at RITlibraries.org. The website provides information about the program and links/resources on biking and using the Rock Island Trail. In the future, we’d like to work on the development of a Rock Island Trail app for iOS and Android.
Click on this link for more FAQs on Bike the Trail Library to Library
