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On Thursday, November 13th, 2025, the Peoria County Genealogical Society will hold its monthly member meeting at the Peoria Public Library North Branch to hear from Sue Kaufman, PPL Local History & Genealogy Librarian. Her program is entitled: Peoria Public Library Local History & Genealogy Room Overview. She will be joining us in person. Participants may attend via Zoom or in person.Join us for a unique evening of discussion as we learn about the Peoria Public Library Local History & Genealogy Room. Sue will cover what is hiding in the basement of the Downtown Peoria Public Library. Genealogy GOLD! She will also cover how to learn how PPL can help you supplement, and possibly revolutionize, your research. She will be joining us in person. Participants may join via Zoom or in person, as well.
Located on Lower Level 1 of the Main Library, the Local History and Genealogy Room is a vast and growing collection highlighting the history of Peoria, reputed to be the oldest European settlement in Illinois.
Established in 1691 by the French explorer Henri de Tonti, Peoria has had a distinctive past. The Illinois River and the World’s Most Beautiful Drive. Whiskey. Vaudeville. Penicillin. Caterpillar. Every facet of our past has a home in Peoria Public Library’s archives.
An Illinois native, Susan has more than 35 years of experience as a genealogy librarian and in Special Collections, having started her career in Peoria, IL (1987), then moving to the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana, (1999 – 2004) then moving to Texas in 2004, returning to Illinois in 2023 to Peoria.
Sue was born in Illinois, growing up in Chicago. Her undergraduate degree is from Southern Illinois University in Criminal Justice. She has graduate work in Sociology, receiving her Masters in Library and Information Sciences from Dominican University in Chicago, IL in 1999. She did not start out to be a genealogy librarian. There were two jobs in Peoria when she was hired there, Children’s Librarian and the Genealogy / Reference Librarian. She took the Genealogy Librarian job and learn the research process on the job. She loves working with people and customer service, which is why she is a librarian.
A presenter at local, state and national genealogy conferences and meetings, she also has held numerous genealogical society board positions in Illinois, Indiana, and Texas and at the national level with the Federation of Genealogical Societies.
Free and open to the public.
No registration is needed if you attend in person.
Zoom registration:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/xKbne8ihQzGiYbCu43DsDA
Event information on our website:
https://www.peoriacountygenealogy.org/event/peoria-public-library-resources/
Their Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/ppllocalhistory/
Their website:
https://peoriapubliclibrary.org/about-ppl/local-history-genealogy/
Recorded Presentations:
https://www.peoriacountygenealogy.org/passport/recorded-presentations
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Peoria Public Library North Branch, Peoria Public Library, Peoria, IL 61615, United States
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