Category: Library news

Join the Fun – Bix Porch Party!

- Ann Leave a comment

BixIt’s time again to celebrate one of Davenport’s own – the Bix Beiderbecke Jazz Festival kicks off today with the 22nd annual Davenport Library Bix Porch Party at our Main library. There’ll be live music – provided by Don Estes and the Prairie Ramblers – hot dogs and free lemonade and popcorn. It all starts at 11:30am.

Interested in hearing more of Bix’s music? Be sure to check out Riverboat Shuffle or Bix Lives! from the library. If you’d like to learn more about the brilliant but brief life of Bix and the era he lived in, take a look at Remembering Bix: a Memoir of the Jazz Age by Ralph Berton or Bix: Man and Legend by Richard Sudhalter.

And don’t forget – grab a lawn chair and head to the Main Library for lots of great music and fun!

Another Reknown Novelist Comes to the Quad-Cities

- Lynn Leave a comment

Fall of the SparrowFresh on the heels of Elizabeth Berg’s visit to the Quad-Cities, comes Robert Hellenga, author of many best selling novels. He is the keynote speaker Thursday, June 25th at Midwest Writing Center’s annual conference. This year, events are held at St. Ambrose University.

My favorite novel by Robert Hellenga is The Fall of the Sparrow, which is partially set at a liberal arts college in Galesburg (the author is a Knox College  literature professor), and partly in Italy.  Though there’s a insider feeling of intimacy when you’re familiar with the local references; the novel resonates with many themes. The main character is a classics professor  and the reader learns about Latin, Greek, Persian rugs, as well as the blues,  and shares Woody’s deep appreciation of Italian culture.

“Libraries Will Get You Through Times of No Money…..

- Ann 4 Comments

…..better than money will get you through times of no libraries.”

— Henry David Thoreau

Economic downturn getting to you? High gas prices keeping you close to home? Turn to your local public library for free (so long as you return those books on time!) help of all kinds including:

—books on surviving a layoff, writing a resume, learning new skills or learning about saving money by growing your own food, sewing your own clothes, saving energy in your home, even free internet access

—entertainment in the form of DVDs, magazines, newspapers, computer games, music CDs, and – oh yeah – good old books

—keep the kids busy with the multitude of programs at the library – everything from Movie Matinees to puppet workshops – and don’t forget to sign up the whole family (pre-school through adult) for the Summer Reading Program – prizes for everyone!

NBC News ran this story recently about how public libraries are doing all this and more during this recession. What about you – have you turned to the library now more than ever? If so, how? Let us know – and spread the word!

National Library Week — Great Books about Librarians

- Ann 3 Comments

free-for-all1Some people think that libraries are stuffy, tomb-like places run by bespectacled octogenarians whose primary  function is to go around shhhussshing  others.  Those of us who actually work in one know that’s far from the truth.  One book I found that  really hit the nail on the head as far as how libraries today really operate  is Free for All: Oddballs, Geeks and Gangstas in the Public Library by Don Borchert.  Okay, it’s about a library in California, so some things are a little different, but it is still a quick read that’s delightfully funny, yet peppered with some very poignant moments.

down-cut-shin-creekFor a nonfiction take on the subject, check out Down Cut Shin Creek: The Pack Horse Librarians of Kentucky by Kathi Appelt and Jeanne Cannella Schmitzer.  During the Great Depression, this WPA program was started to put women to work and to serve the very poor in remote regions of the country.  These courageous book carriers provided their own horses or mules and were paid  a whopping $28 a month!

miss-rumphius2As far as children’s books, an old favorite of mine is Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney.  Miss Rumphius, a retired librarian, plants lupines all over her community– in order to leave the world a better place.  The message is touching and the illustrations inspiring — it’s a feel good book that just makes you want to go out and DO something!

Our New and Improved Catalog is Here!

- Lynn 1 Comment

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!

    On Display – Crafts!

    - Ann 1 Comment

    March is National Craft Month, so if you’ve ever felt the urge to be creative, now’s a great time to try something new. No matter whether you’d like to try a paper craft, such as origami, or you’re more interested in making jewelry (with beads or clay) or you’re just looking for a fun activity to keep your kids occupied, we’ve got something for you at the Davenport Public Library. Check out some of these titles:

    Rosie O’Donnell’s Crafty U

    Ceramic Bead Jewelry: 30 Fired & Inspired Projects by Jennifer Heynen

    The Papercraft Weekend Workbook by Fiona Jones

    rosie-crafts beads papercraft

    Changes in the Public Computers at the Library!

    - Ann Leave a comment

    The Davenport Public Library will be implementing a new computer reserve and print release system on

    Sunday, March 1 – Tuesday, March 3.

    Here is what you need to know:

    1. All copies will be $0.10 per page once the system is complete. (See schedule below) The first 10 pages will no longer be free.

    2. If you currently have money on your card, you will need to cash it out before March 1.

    3. The computers will be down according to the schedule below.

    On Sunday 3/1 – the adult public computers at Main will be unavailable

    On Monday 3/2 – All Public Computers at Main (Adult, Children, Special Collections) will be unavailable.

    On Tuesday 3/3 – All Public Computers at Fairmount (Adult, Children) will be unavailable.

    WE ARE SORRY FOR THE INCONVIENCE

    *If you have any questions, please see a Customer Service

    Representative. Thank you!*

    Happy Presidents’ Day!

    - Ann Leave a comment

    presidentsdayOriginally set aside to honor George Washington (whose birthday is actually February 22), Presidents’ Day has unofficially expanded to include Abraham Lincoln (born on February 12) and sometimes even some other former Presidents, depending on what state you live in.

    While many government offices and schools are closed today, both locations of the Davenport Public Library will be open as usual – the Main Library will be open noon to 8pm and the Fairmount Library will be open 9:30am-5:30pm.

    Have a great day!