Our New and Improved Catalog is Here!

Try the new version of the PrairieCat catalog! Some neat things about itprairiecat:

  • Have you ever thought you’d like to write your own review of a book you loved (or hated) and have it appear in the catalog? Well, now you can (Look at the Community Reviews for  The Thing About Jane Spring). That Minniemutt has such good taste in literature.
  • You can also rate an item (1 star = I Hate It and 5 stars = I Love it)
  • You can add the tag “travel book” to make it easier for other users unfamiliar with official library subject headings. You can add adjectives, such as “grunge” for a Pearl Jam CD or physically descriptive, such as “yellow cover!”
  • You can register for a My Discoveries account; this is a great way to keep track of your reading lists or things you want to put on hold. (I have a list of dvds I don’t have time to watch right now, but don’t want to forget about them!)
  • The new catalog is more intuitive, faster, with more relevant search results, but the old or Classic Catalog is still available as a tab.

Edited: We’ve had to postpone our launch of the new catalog until tomorrow, March 31. It’ll be worth the wait, I promise!

    Christmas Cards and Looking for Addresses

    Working on Christmas cards and can’t remember Aunt Minnie’s address? Try the Reference USA database!

    Go to the library’s homepage at www.davenportlibrary.com. On the left hand side of the screen you will find a list of options. Choose “Do Research Online”, then click on Reference USA (the fourth database listed). Then choose the “Residential” search.

    Reference USA’s residential information is compiled from more than 3,900 White Page telephone directories. Each listing appears in the database exactly as it appears in the phone book. You can search by name, city and state.

    With any luck using Reference USA will help relieve some of your holiday stress!

    Auto Repair Reference Center

    Auto Repair Reference DatabaseGot car troubles? Need to figure out the difference between fuel injection and the fuel pump? Need a wiring diagram for your 1992 Honda Civic? The library has a fabulous resource that can help you and you can access it from your home computer! It’s the Auto Repair Reference Center, a full-text database of all kinds of information on auto repair, covering cars from 1945 to present. The best part – it’s really easy to use!

    Start at our homepage, then click on “Do Research Online”. This will bring you a page that lists all the online databases we offer (which, by the way, are worth taking a look at – there’s an amazing amount of information offered here). Scroll to the very bottom of the page; the next to last database listed is the Auto Repair Reference Center. Simply click on the link. You’ll be asked to enter your library card number (sorry, this database is available only to Davenport Library cardholders) Click on Login and the to gateway automobile reference is opened to you.

    A word of caution: the earlier years listed have very limited car models and information available; you have to go to about 1962 before many models appear. The more recent entries have lots of information including wiring diagrams, service bulletins and recalls, repair procedures and specifications. The information is well illustrated and give detailed, step-by-step instructions.

    Some cool extra features of the database include “Auto IQ” which gives detailed descriptions of various car parts, where they’re located in most cars and what their purpose is and is illustrated with diagrams, pictures and video clips. There is also a section of “Care and Repair Tips” so that you can avoid future car repairs and “Troubleshooting” to help you diagnose problems.