LinkedIn Learning is one of our new databases. It is part of the Library Business Assistance Program. LinkedIn Learning is available to anyone with a Davenport Public Library card to use at home. If you don’t have a Davenport Public Library card, you can use LinkedIn Learning at one of our three locations.
So, what is LinkedIn Learning? It provides video courses taught by industry experts in software, creative, and business skills. All the courses on LinkedIn fall into four categories: Business, Creative, Technology, and Certifications. You have access to 20,000+ expert-led courses.
The Learning Paths are video courses or audio courses. Some are as short as a few minutes; others are over 40 hours. The courses are sorted for beginner, intermediate, and advanced. They detail introductions to a particular job, develop and advance your skills, essential training, etc.
You can also earn certifications! Earn a professional certificate from top brands on LinkedIn Learning or prepare for off-platform certifications and CEUs with prep courses and assessment options available for over 175 different credentials.
Each month, we release a new episode of Checked In: A Davenport Public Library Podcast. In this blog post, I will give you helpful links to area resources, Library resources, and links to the books discussed in our episode!
Nostalgia Reads
We’ve talked a lot about what books we read when we were younger that have stuck with us, but we’re not done with that topic just yet! Below are the titles discussed in the episode!
Our resource spotlight shines on Gilda’s Club Quad Cities, newly known as Cancer Support Community Iowa and NW Illinois at Gilda’s Club. Since 1998, Gilda’s Club has been a pillar of hope and support for cancer patients and their families. From its beginnings at the Mansion with the Red Door on River Drive to its current locations inside the Genesis Cancer Center, Gilda’s Club Davenport, and the UnityPoint Health – Trinity Cancer Center, Gilda’s Club Moline has continually expanded its services, reaching nearly 4,500 individuals.
Value Line is the most trusted and prestigious name in the investment field. For more than 75 years, Value Line has been synonymous with trust, reliability, objectivity, independence, accurate information, and proven performance for investors. Click on the title to learn more about this free resource!
Retellings!
Are you a fan of retellings? Here we have gathered a list of classic literature retellings, reimaginings, and remixes.
Stephanie’s Favorites: Jane Eyre retelling – The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins King Arthur legend retelling –Legendborn by Tracy Deonn Pride and Prejudice retellings –Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin –Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding Romeo & Juliet retelling –A Pho Love Story by Loan Le Sherlock Holmes retelling –A Study in Scarlet Women (book 1 in the Lady Sherlock Series) by Sherry Thomas Trojan War retelling –A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes The Odyssey retelling –Circe by Madeline Miller The Wizard of Oz retelling –Wicked by Gregory Maguire
Beth’s Favorites: Remixes — Classics presented as graphic novels –The Alchemist – original by Paulo Coelho; graphic novel by Derek Ruiz –Diary of a Young Girl– original by Anne Frank; “Anne Frank’s diary : the graphic adaptation” by Ari Folman –The Giverby Lois Lowry ; adapted and illustrated by P. Craig Russell –The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood; art and adaptation by Renee Nault Little House on the Prairie –Caroline by Sarah Miller Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf –The Hoursby Michael Cunningham Bible – Book of Genesis –The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
August 17th is National Nonprofit Day! Did you know that we have a non-profit group that raises funds and manages an endowment portfolio to support The Library? The FRIENDS of the Davenport Public Library is a 501(c)3 organization powered by members and volunteers that advocates, volunteers, and runs used bookstores in all three locations giving money back to the Library for programming and other services! We are so grateful for their support in enriching the lives of our community! To learn more about the FRIENDS of the Davenport Public Library, click on the title of this section!
Emotional Reads
With the recent box office success of Inside Out 2 and after being inspired by another library, we showcased titles that gave us all of the feels (good and bad!).
All three Davenport Public Library branches will be closed Monday, September 4th in observance of Labor Day. Normal business hours will resume Tuesday, September 5th.
Even though the physical libraries are closed on September 4th, you can still access our digital content and online resources with your Davenport Public Library card. You can use your card to access FREE digital materials, including eBooks, digital audiobooks, magazines, movies, and music online 24/7.
Whether you are looking for digital media materials for adults, teens, or children, Davenport Public Library has you covered. You can easily download an app to your mobile device or access these services online.
If you don’t have a Library card, you can register for a Digital Access Card that will give you immediate access to all Davenport Public Library online resources. Once you register, you will receive a temporary barcode number. Your account will be confirmed by the Library within two business days, and your permanent barcode number will be emailed to you. Be sure to choose “Digital Access Card” when you register online.
Curious what resources we have available?
Digital Content:
Libby – All you need to access eBooks, digital audiobooks, and digital magazines is your Davenport Public Library card. We recommend downloading the Libby app for best performance.
Freegal Music – Freegal Music gives you access to millions of songs from over 40,000 labels. Stream 24-hours a day. Download up to 5 songs per week.
TumbleBooks – Both children and their parents will enjoy this online collection of animated, talking picture books that teach kids the joys of reading in an exciting, new format they are sure to love.
QC Beats – Built in partnership with Bettendorf Public Library, St. Ambrose University Library, and River Music Experience, QC Beats is an online streaming audio collection of original music featuring Quad Cities musicians and artists.
Kanopy – Kanopy provides a variety of popular and classic movies, documentaries, and foreign films to stream. Kanopy Kids includes parental controls. The Great Courses present a wealth of learning.
In addition to our digital content, we also have a wide variety of online resources and tools available for you to use. Whether you are interested in starting a business, purchasing a new car, looking for a place to move in retirement, or helping an elderly parent get the services they need, we’ve got resources and to assist you.
Have fun exploring and we will see you back in person on Tuesday, September 5th!
The Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center is pleased to announce a new index search website, Special Collections Indexes, which will replace our “Local Database Search”. It features over 35 indexes to historical and genealogical resources held in Special Collections. Users will be able to search across the indexes using Search All Indexes page or search individual indexes depending on the information need.
We encourage you all to explore this new resource for accessing historical and genealogical materials.
Special Collections Indexes was created by the Davenport Public Library’s Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center and Information Technology Department to provide greater access to local historical and genealogical resources by publishing indexes to these materials. Indexes were compiled by the Scott County Iowa Genealogical Society volunteers, library volunteers, and the Special Collections staff. Through this dedicated work, over 35 indexes are available for research use. Resource categories include cemetery records, religious institutions’ records, military records, Scott County records, local newspaper articles, local history publications, additional resources, and Iowa patents and inventors.
Search Tips
General Search Techniques
While searching this site, use spelling variations for names, places, and subjects. List these out before the search and cross them off as each one is searched.
If a specific search is not returning results, try expanding the search by removing search conditions. Search with as little data as possible to return all possible results, including misspelled words, abbreviations, etc.
When searching for a person omit entering a first name to see all possible first name variations in records results.
Search All Indexes
Enter a last name, a first name, a single keyword, and/or year in the appropriate search box. Click on the blue “Search” button at the bottom of the form. The results will displayed in a separate sections organized by its resource categories. Each index is listed separately. If an index has returned results, it will display “Search has __ matches” on the left side of the column. Click on the “Click to view results” button on the right side to view the index’s results. Scroll the entire page to see all resource categories.
Results may be printed using the browsers’ print options.
Search All Indexes does not include the Iowa Patents & Inventors index.
Search Individual Indexes
Use the Search Builder to create your search. Select the “Add Condition” button under Search Builder. Select the “Data” drop down-menu to choose an options to search (“Data” options vary by index). Then select the “Condition” drop-down menu and always select “Contains.” Enter a “Value” term corresponding to the “Data” selected, such as last name, first name, corporate name, year, or keyword. Press Enter on the keyboard to return results.
Example search: “Last Name” was selected for “Data”; “Contains” was selected for “Condition”; “Donahue” was entered for the “Value.”
Search results will be listed in a table of entries pointing to a resource to find more information.
Results may be downloaded as a PDF document or printed by using these icons.
Advanced searches are created by clicking on “Add Condition” button to add additional rows of “Data,” “Condition,” and “Value.”
The Library has switched foreign language products. We have been offering Transparent Language of late (and we still do through the end of June). But we are pleased to announce the return of Mango Languages to our fleet of online learning products.
Some previous users may recall that we offered Mango Languages in the past, and will be acquainted with the 70+ foreign language courses it offers and the 20+ ESL (English as a Second Language) courses.
The Mango learning system focuses on intuitive language construction through a conversation-based methodology that reinforces grammar, vocabulary, culture, and pronunciation, the four key elements of becoming a confident communicator.
With Mango, you may start to learn a new language or re-freshen your skills. If you will be taking a trip to a France, learn to parle Français. Or if you want to know what is being said around you learn to entender Español.
Mango uses a building block approach. At the beginning of each chapter, lesson material is presented in conversational context, broken up as the lesson progresses, and built back up by the learner, as they’re presented with new vocabulary, retention exercises, and cultural context that complement the learning material with a backdrop of cultural context.
With Mango you can hear the language pronounced and there’s the opportunity to record your pronunciation to compare it with that of a native speaker.
You may use Mango as a guest or you can sign up for an account. The benefit of an account is that you’ll be able to keep track of the courses you have signed up for and your progress through them. For example, with an account, if you just finished Japanese Lesson 5, the next time you sign on you’ll be presented with Japanese Lesson 6. And there is an app that you can download so you can learn on-the-go. But be aware that you must use the website to sign up for an account. Though once created, the app can keep track of your account’s progress.
Lessons tend to be 15-20 minutes. Sneak in a session while you are waiting in a restaurant or at an airport. Every lesson furthers your language skills.
So, go forth and Russisch sprechen, Italian or Ukrainian. The world awaits!
The library subscribes to a wealth of reference databases, including one called Data Axle. This product provides access to US information for: standard white pages, new movers, businesses, new businesses, consumer/lifestyles, healthcare, and job/internships.
“Data Axle offers the most comprehensive and accurate business and consumer databases.”
“Our data covers hundreds of millions of people and households and tens of millions of businesses – from Fortune 500 companies, to small mom-and-pop shops and work-from-home freelancers.”
Those are official statements from the company. But what can you actually use it for?
Well, to start with, you can attempt to look up old friends’ addresses for Christmas cards. Every year we receive inquiries from patrons who have received return mail from the post office because their old friend has moved, and they are now seeking the updated address.
If you need to send flowers out of state, you can use it to look for florist in a certain geographical area.
The phone number for that new bakery that started up last month in the strip mall that use to house that cool clothing store? The new businesses product likely has that.
Or you can look up your own name to see what information about you is floating out in the world. According to Data Axle’s consumer/lifestyles product I have interests in: women’s apparel, books and magazines, current events, bargain shopping, TV/movies, and general sports. I am a charitable donor, a credit card user, and an internet purchaser.
“Books and magazines,” but of course! “General sports,” not so much.
What might they know about you? Or your friends?
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. With its consumer/lifestyle product you can identify charitable donors from whom to solicit funds for your non-profit. Find Quad Cities area dentists, with healthcare. Find the number of employees at your favorite eatery. If you are adept using Data Axle you can even draw boundaries on a map and then search for business types within.
This product is available on the Online Resources page of our website. Explore to discover what other cool products we offer!
In addition to eBooks and eAudio titles OverDrive offers a wealth of magazines that are available to you 24/7.
That’s right, with our OverDrive magazine subscription our patrons have access to over 4,000 magazine titles, many with three years of back issues. You’ll be able to see the magazines just as they appeared in print. All the images and all the advertisements, viewable right on your device’s screen.
Magazines do not count toward your OverDrive title limit, so check out as many as you want. You could have 5 eBooks/eAudio items checked out and, say, 30 magazines. You also can determine your own loan period, 7, 14, or 21 days.
You will likely never need to wait to check out a title, because issues can be used by multiple simultaneous users.
OverDrive has titles for young and old on topics such as: sports, new & current events, finance & business, home & garden, celebrities & gossip, and much more.
Seeking non-English language titles? OverDrive has them.
Practice your French with Vogue France, L’Ami des Jardins, Closer France, or Marie Claire Maison.
How about Spanish? OverDrive offers ¡Hola!, Maxim Mexico, Horoscopos, and TvNotas. And that is just to name a few!
Magazines can be viewed by using OverDrive Read in your favorite browser or in the Libby app.
Give it a try! Check out the eMagazine section the next time you are using OverDrive (Libby).
The Grammy nominations are here and you can experience the contenders today on Freegal with your library card! The full list of nominees was posted on grammy.com November 15, with the 65th annual Grammy Awards scheduled to air February 5. This year new categories have been added: Songwriter of the Year, Best Video Game Soundtrack, Best Alternative Music Performance, Best Americana Performance, Best Spoken Word Poetry Album, and a special merit award for Best Song for Social Change.
Here’s a peek at the playlist on our digital music streaming platform, Freegal, with some artists you’ll probably recognize:
Unfortunately not everything is included as Freegal is a limited catalog, but if you (like me) haven’t managed to hear songs from Beyonce’s Renaissance, DJ Khaled’s God Did, or songs from Camila Cabello’s Familia, the 2023 Grammy Nominees playlistis a great place to start. The list includes all musical genres and offers a great snapshot of what’s hot in music today.
Luckily for you, if you’re looking to hear songs not included on this playlist, you can find most of them in our music CD collection, including Lizzo’s Special (About Damn Time is one of the nominees for Record of the Year), ABBA’s Voyage, Mary J. Blige’s Good Morning Gorgeous, Brandi Carlile’s In These Silent Days, and more.
Was your favorite artist or song included in this year’s Grammy’s? Let us know below!
It’s back to school time. Time to figure out how you can help your students study to learn. One answer, BrainFuse: HelpNow.
BrainFuse’s Live Tutoring service is available daily from 2:00-11:00 p.m. and, as the name suggests, provides access to live tutors. Whether your student is in kindergarten or college, BrainFuse has an age-appropriate tutor for them. Just select your grade and subject from the drop-down menus, ask your question, then your tutor will guide you through the subject toward your answer. If you log on outside of staffed hours, you can use their Send Question option to submit a query and receive an answer within 24 hours.
Not interested in a live tutor, you say? BrainFuse: HelpNow has additional resources where you can learn at your own pace. Their SkillSurfer section provides lessons, videos, even practice tests for elementary, middle school, and high school students on a wide range of topics.
With their Writing Lab you can submit a paper for review and obtain a response in 24 hours. It’s sort of like having your paper pre-graded.
Their FlashBulb section offers flash cards on topics ranging from Math & Science to Medical & Standardized Tests.
Confession time: I’m a late convert to Willie Nelson, because I’ve been known to fall into the trap of thinking all country music is created equal. Little did I know, Willie Nelson’s outlaw country is a far cry from the “bro country” or “boyfriend country” music that just doesn’t work for me. (Side note: I HAVE been known to like the feminist/”woman kills her no-good husband” country music.) Luckily, I have seen the error of my ways and am getting familiar with Willie’s large body of work, and in my opinion his newest album, A Beautiful Time, is an excellent and enjoyable addition to his canon.
There’s an even mix of toe-tapping tracks, melancholy ballads, and wise insight here – from the heartfelt loss of “Dreamin’ Again” and the playful “We’re Not Happy (Till You’re Not Happy)” to the both thoughtful and light-hearted “I Don’t Go To Funerals”. The overall message seems to be about aging with grace and being honest about death; songs like “Dusty Bottles” directly suggest that age comes with advantages, blessings, pleasures, and of course pains, all its own; it’s clear Willie sees the passage of time but doesn’t fear it, and he sings about it with heart.
I highly recommend this album as the soundtrack to your summer road trips – and if anyone has specific Willie Nelson songs or albums to recommend, send them my way!
A Beautiful Time is Willie’s 72nd solo album and has been well-reviewed by critics; it’s available from the library as both a CD and through our music streaming service, Freegal.
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