Prepare for the spelling bee!

The Scripps National Spelling Bee takes place from May 28-30, 2024, near Washington, D.C. Our region’s representative at the competition this year is Partha Katreddy, of Bettendorf, a seventh-grader at Pleasant Valley Junior High School. Details about watching the spelling bee broadcast can be found at https://spellingbee.com/watch.

Brush up on your own spelling skills and the history of spelling bees with these items from Davenport Public Library’s collection.

Beeline : what spelling bees reveal about generation Z’s new path to success by Shalini Shankar (2019) – Generation Z — youth born after 1997 — seems to be made up of anxious overachievers, hounded by Tiger Moms and constantly tracked on social media. One would think that competitors in the National Spelling Bee would be the worst off. Shankar argues that, far from being simply overstressed and overscheduled, Gen Z spelling bee competitors are learning crucial twenty-first-century skills from their high-powered lives, displaying a sophisticated understanding of self-promotion, self-direction, and social mobility. She examines the outsize impact of immigrant parents and explains why Gen Z kids are on a path to success. — adapted from jacket

A Champion’s Guide to Success in Spelling Bees : fundamentals of spelling bee competition and preparation by Ned G. Andrews (2011) – Comprehensive yet concise, A Champion’s Guide to Success in Spelling Bees is essential for any spelling bee contestant, whether serious or casual, as well as for study assistants such as parents, teachers, and tutors. By following this guidebook’s tactics and strategies, you will use every available resource – including but not limited to your time on stage, your existing knowledge, other study materials, and the effort that you will invest throughout your preparation – as effectively and efficiently as possible. — provided by the publisher

Painless Spelling by Mary Elizabeth Podhaizer (2011) – Analyzes sound and letter patterns, diphthongs, silent letters, homophones and homographs, compound and abbreviated words, contractions, prefixes, suffixes, and base words to teach spelling skills. — provided by the publisher

Spellbound (2002) – The documentary Spellbound chronicles the 1999 spelling bee season. Eight teens and pre-teens, along with their teachers and parents, are followed through daily practice, regionals and finally the televised spelling bee. This is the documentary that made me fall in love with documentaries. While it’s an oldie, it’s a goody! It is available for streaming through Kanopy or on DVD in RiverShare.

Library Closed for Veterans Day

All three Davenport Public Library locations will be closed in observance of Veterans Day on Saturday, November 11th, 2023. All three buildings will reopen with their regular hours on Monday, November 13th: Main (321 Main Street) 9am to 8pm, Eastern (6000 Eastern Avenue) 9am to 8pm, and Fairmount (3000 N Fairmount St) noon to 8pm.

Even though our physical locations will be closed, you can still access free digital content for all ages. Your Davenport Public Library card gives you access to free eBooks, digital audiobooks, magazines, movies, and music through Libby, Freegal, TumbleBooks, QC Beats, and Kanopy!

Have a safe and happy holiday!

Library Closed

All three Davenport Public Library Branches are closed today, Monday, May 29th in observance of Memorial Day. Normal business hours will resume on Tuesday, May 30th.

Our physical locations may be closed, but you can still visit us virtually!

Your Davenport Public Library card gives you access to FREE digital materials such as e-books, digital audiobooks, magazines, movies, and music online 24/7.

Here are my top five favorite digital content resources! Check these out and we’ll see you again on Tuesday, May 30th when the library opens.

Libby – All you need to access e-books, digital audiobooks, and digital magazines is your Davenport Public Library card. We recommend downloading the Libby app for best performance.

Freegal – 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 will love.

QC Beats – Built in partnership with Davenport Public Library, River Music Experience and St. Ambrose University, QC Beats is an online streaming audio collection of original music of Quad Cities musicians and artists.

Kanopy – Provides a variety of popular and classic movies, documentaries, and foreign films to stream. Kanopy Kids offers parental controls.
The Great Courses present a wealth of learning.

On-Demand Streaming Videos

Winter is coming.

The time to bundle up, lay down on the couch, and be entertained by your television is almost upon us.  But what to watch?

Consider Kanopy.

The library recently added this on-demand streaming video service to our offerings.  You might choose a classic movie, such as the John Wayne feature “McLinktock!”  Or the 2019 Best Picture winner “Parasite.”  Whatever your cup of tea, with its over 30,000 movies, you are sure to find something to suit your tastes.

Whether using the Kanopy desktop software or the app, you can select from feature films, classic movies, foreign films, and documentaries to while away the cold winter evenings.

Davenport Library cardholders may logon using their library card number and their password/pin for their account.  After that you’ll need to Sign Up for a Kanopy account by providing a name, an email address, and then make up a password.

Kanopy operates on Play Credits.  Each time you begin to watch a movie, a Play Credit is deducted from your account.  You may use up to four (4) Play Credits a month.  Play Credits reset at the beginning of each calendar month.

Once you Watch a video, you will have access to it for 48 or 72 hours, depending upon movie.  During that period, you may watch it as many times as you like without using another Play Credit.

There is a section of Kanopy that is designed especially for children, Kanopy Kids.  It offers educational and entertainment content for children ages two to eight.  There are parental controls that can be set up, so that you can allow your kids to browse the site.

The Great Courses are also available. Once you begin a Great Course you have 30 days to complete it.

Films can be streamed from any computer, television, mobile device or platform by downloading the Kanopy app for iOS, Android, AppleTV, Chromecast or Roku.

Grab a cup of cocoa, put on your pajamas, and stream the night way.