Library Closed for Staff In-Service

The Davenport Public Library will be closed on Thursday, April 25th for a Staff In-Service day. It’s an opportunity for us to get more training, work on setting goals, and figure out more ways to make Davenport the best library possible. All three buildings will reopen with regular business hours on Friday, April 26th: Main (321 Main Street) 9am to 5:30pm, Eastern (6000 Eastern Avenue) 9am to 5:30pm, and Fairmount (3000 N Fairmount St) 9am to 5:30pm.

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 LibbyFreegalTumbleBooksQC Beats, and Kanopy!

First day of spring

Spring trainingThat’s the true harbinger of spring, not crocuses or swallows returning to Capistrano, but the sound of a bat on the ball. – Bill Veeck, 1976

Every baseball fan knows that spring starts this week – pitchers and catchers are reporting to Spring Training. Just knowing that somewhere there is warm sunshine and blue skies and green grass and that the boys of summer are working out the kinks makes the promise of spring seem closer. If you’re lucky enough to be able to escape the Midwestern winter and visit one of the leagues (the Cactus League is in Arizona and the Grapefruit League is in Florida) check out out Spring Training Online for in-depth information about the teams, the parks they play in during spring training, how to get tickets and directions on how to get there as well as spring training game schedules. Spring Training Tips offers lots of valuable information from people who have gone to spring training including information on how to rent a house for your visit, where to go to squeeze in a round of golf and what kind of weather to expect. Major League Baseball has a wealth of information including the most sacred to baseball fans: statistics. Check out all the news about your favorite team and what players to watch this season.

And for the rest us, hang in there – the Cubs home opener is March 31 and the newly renamed Quad Cities River Bandits open April 3!

And The Oscar Goes To …..?

oscar-statuette.jpgHollywood’s big night is coming – The Academy Awards. Oscar’s red carpet will be unrolled on Sunday, February 24th. See the lists of nominees at www.oscar.com.

To learn more about the history of movie making take a look at the 791.43 area within the Library. Here are some titles that might spark your interest:




Movies That Changed Us by Nick Clooney (Yep, that’s George Clooney’s dad.) 791.43 Clo

100 Years of Hollywood by Time-Life Books 791.42 One

The Golden Age of “B” Movies by Doug McClelland 791.43 McC

A Great Tip for Staying Warm this Winter

exterior-drive-up-lane-11-28-07-004.jpgUse the library’s drive-up window! Our Fairmount Street Library location offers a drive-up window that is available the same hours that the Fairmount Library is open. You can use this window to pick up available holds and also to pay fines. If a staff person is not immediately visible, simply press the marked button and a staff person will be with you in a few moments.

2 things are certain in life…and this one isn’t death

020708.jpgIt turns out Uncle Sam still wants his cut, gang. Furthermore, he would appreciate the efficiency of you, Mr. or Ms Citizen, filing electronically.

DPL tries to accommodate taxpayers on both sides of the technology divide. The library is one of the few places which still distributes tax forms and publications. If the form you need is not one of the standard issue we stock in our displays at Main and Fairmount, one of the crack reference staff can help you locate it on the IRS’s labyrinthine site.

Some printing charges may apply. Seriously. Running off a few of those 90+ page tax tomes could contribute to deforestation.