Tag: volunteers

New Resource: Special Collections Indexes

- Stephanie Leave a comment

Welcome to the Special Collections Indexes

The Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center is pleased to announce a new index search website, Special Collections Indexes, which will replace our “Local Database Search”. It features over 35 indexes to historical and genealogical resources held in Special Collections. Users will be able to search across the indexes using Search All Indexes page or search individual indexes depending on the information need.

We encourage you all to explore this new resource for accessing historical and genealogical materials.

Special Collections Indexes was created by the Davenport Public Library’s Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center and Information Technology Department to provide greater access to local historical and genealogical resources by publishing indexes to these materials. Indexes were compiled by the Scott County Iowa Genealogical Society volunteers, library volunteers, and the Special Collections staff. Through this dedicated work, over 35 indexes are available for research use. Resource categories include cemetery records, religious institutions’ records, military records, Scott County records, local newspaper articles, local history publications, additional resources, and Iowa patents and inventors.

Search Tips

General Search Techniques

While searching this site, use spelling variations for names, places, and subjects. List these out before the search and cross them off as each one is searched.

If a specific search is not returning results, try expanding the search by removing search conditions. Search with as little data as possible to return all possible results, including misspelled words, abbreviations, etc.

When searching for a person omit entering a first name to see all possible first name variations in records results.

Search All Indexes

Enter a last name, a first name, a single keyword, and/or year in the appropriate search box. Click on the blue “Search” button at the bottom of the form. The results will displayed in a separate sections organized by its resource categories. Each index is listed separately. If an index has returned results, it will display “Search has __ matches” on the left side of the column. Click on the “Click to view results” button on the right side to view the index’s results. Scroll the entire page to see all resource categories.

Results may be printed using the browsers’ print options.

Search All Indexes does not include the Iowa Patents & Inventors index.

Search Individual Indexes

Use the Search Builder to create your search. Select the “Add Condition” button under Search Builder. Select the “Data” drop down-menu to choose an options to search (“Data” options vary by index). Then select the “Condition” drop-down menu and always select “Contains.” Enter a “Value” term corresponding to the “Data” selected, such as last name, first name, corporate name, year, or keyword. Press Enter on the keyboard to return results.

Example search: “Last Name” was selected for “Data”; “Contains” was selected for “Condition”; “Donahue” was entered for the “Value.”

Search results will be listed in a table of entries pointing to a resource to find more information.

Results may be downloaded as a PDF document or printed by using these icons.

Advanced searches are created by clicking on “Add Condition” button to add additional rows of “Data,” “Condition,” and “Value.”

Right of Thirst by Frank Huyler

- Ann 1 Comment

right of thirstAfter his wife’s death, successful cardiologist Charles Anderson volunteers to assist with earthquake relief in an unnamed and impoverished Islamic country in Right of Thirst.  At the relief camp, he joins a young German woman doing DNA research as well as a local soldier assigned to them, presumably because he speaks excellent English.  Though they wait patiently and try to keep busy preparing, the refugees never come.   However, the volunteers do visit a local village where they find a young girl with a mangled foot, which Charles later amputates.  This scene is particularly credible, perhaps because the author is himself an emergency-room physician.

The fact that the author, Frank  Huyler, has also lived extensively abroad (including Iran, Brazil, Japan and  the U.K.)  seems to serve him well in describing cultural differences.  For example, one character explains that giving water to travelers is one of oldest laws in their religion. They call it the “right of thirst”, and that is why offering tea is an obligation, not simply a social pleasantry.

The book’s plot takes a sudden turn when artillery fire is heard along the country’s border.  It’s assumed that spies have mistaken the relief tents for army ones, so a quick escape is planned for the relief workers, traversing  dangerous mountainous terrain.  A tragic accident occurs, further tainting the doctor’s good-will expedition.  This is a book that will make you think;  it may also make you a bit sad, or perhaps it just might make you question relief efforts in general.  It also qualifies as a good choice for a book discussion group as there are ample opportunities for opposing viewpoints, such as the doctor’s role in his wife’s death.