Category: Library news

Grand Opening

- Ann Leave a comment

It’s here at last – after years of planning and months of hard work, the new Eastern Avenue Branch Library will open celebrate it’s Grand Opening tomorrow, Saturday July 10th! Located at 6000 Eastern Avenue, this Branch has been built as a LEED building, making it as environmentally responsible as possible.

The Dedication Ceremony begins at 10:30am, but there will be exciting events all day with live music including the Wizard Rock group “Harry and the Potters”, tours, magicians, displays and giveaways throughout the day. Bring the whole family!

Both the Main Library and the Fairmount Street Library will be closed all day on Saturday July 10, so that all available staff will be on hand to help with the various programs and special events being held at the Eastern Avenue Branch.

The Main Library will re-open on Monday July 12 at 12 noon, the Fairmount Street Library will  re-open on Monday at 9:30am and the NEW Eastern Avenue Branch Library will open on Monday at 9:30am.

Happy Memorial Day!

- Ann Leave a comment

Happy Memorial Day!

The Davenport Public Library will be closed today in observance of the holiday. Both buildings will re-open as usual tomorrow – Main at 9:30am and Fairmount at noon.

And don’t forget, starting June 1 (tomorrow) the library will begin following new hours. This is in anticipation of the opening of the Eastern Ave Branch on July 10.  Be sure to stop by the Main Library or the Fairmount Branch Library and pick up an Hours Bookmark!

Please have a safe and festive day!

Announcing : New Shelving Arrangement at the Library!

- Ann 2 Comments

You talked and we listened! Due to popular demand, we will be rearranging all of the books at both the Main and the Fairmount Branch Libraries to make it easier for you, the customer, to find exactly the book you’re looking for! Starting today, all of our books will be arranged by color! Looking for that great book about something-or-other, that you read last year or maybe a few years ago? Can’t remember the title or the author or the subject, but it’s burned into your brain that the book had a blue cover? Fear no more! Simply go to the “Blue Sector” of the library (2nd floor at Main, near the windows at Fairmount) and scan the shades of blue (darkest navy to lightest sky blue) for that longed for tome!

If you need a book by a particular author, or on a specific subject but do not know what color the book is, you will need to guess. Looking for a book on training your dog? Try brown or black. Something on planning your finances? Hmmm, maybe green? The latest mystery from Evanovich? No idea. You’re on your own there.

Be sure to stop by any Customer Service or Reference/Information desk and ask for a copy of the Official Davenport Public Library RGB Color Wheel Chart And Library Hours brochure which will show you how the colors are arranged in each library.  Just another example of the fine customer service you’ve grown to expect from your library!

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OK, in case you’ve haven’t caught on yet, and before any of our librarians keel over with a heart attack – APRIL FOOL’S! I can assure you that the Davenport Library will not be abandoning the Dewey Decimal System anytime soon and you will still be able to find books with that handy dandy “call number”. Makes you appreciate that seemingly random system a bit more now doesn’t it?

Actually, arranging books by color isn’t completely far fetched. In 2004, Adobe Books in San Francisco let artist Chris Cobb rearrange their entire inventory of books in color order (seen here at right) The project was called “There is Nothing Wrong in this Whole Wide World” and was based on the simple idea that, even though there is so much wrong in the world, we should still create things that are beautiful and amazing. Originally set to be in place for one week, it was so popular that it ran from November 12, 2004 to January 20, 2005 and was often described as “magical” and “dreamlike”. (Please note, Adobe Books has about 20,000 books; the Main library alone has more than 200,000 books so stop thinking about suggesting we try this!) I haven’t been able to find any information on how store employees found specific titles for customers though – the librarian in me shudders at the thought.

You’ll find more information about Chris Cobb and his installation here, as well as fun trivia such as, blue books sold the best, brown books tended to be stolen the most and there are very few yellow books published, or listen to his interview with NPR.

And, I’ve got to admit, it’s awful pretty, isn’t it?

Think warm thoughts

- Bill Leave a comment

It throws one for a bit of a loop to write down dates like 2010 without seeing George Jetson puttering around in his airborne aquarium.

Similarly, assembling a list of fiction titles that hits shelves long after the subzero temps have left creates a warm feeling, albeit brief.  There will be a baseball game or two on the television, and, heck, I might finally be writing the correct date on my checks.  What’s crazy is you can place those holds now.

The possibilities of short-term time travel might not be that awe-inspiring, but given the bleakness of being Iowan right now, grade me on the curve.

Jodi Picoult — House Rules
Rita Mae Brown — Cat of the Century
Alexander McCall Smith — Double Comfort Safari Club
James Patterson — Worst Case
Tim LaHaye — Matthew’s Story

Davenport Library Homepage – Cool New Feature!

- Ann 1 Comment

dplThanks to requests from patrons, our Technology Wizards here at DPL have added a neat little feature to our homepage. They’ve put an easy-to-find link to “My Account” and “Renew Books” right on front page! (It’s always been available, but not on the homepage) Look for it at the top of the left hand column of links. Click here to check on how many books you have checked out, when they’re due and what you’ve got on hold. You can also renew any books that are coming up on their three-week checkout (unless, of course, someone else is waiting for it) Manage your account, all from the comfort of your computer!

Here’s another great time saver that you might not be aware of – all of the books, videos and CDs that we highlight here on the blog are linked directly to the computer catalog. Simply click on the title (or the picture of the book cover) and viola! you’re at the catalog, looking at the entry for that title. You can immediately see if the book is available or, if it’s checked out, place your hold right there. Simple! We’re happy to enable your reading/watching/listening habit!