On December 12, 2025, the staff of the Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center celebrated their new space on the second floor with an open house. Many wonderful guests joined us in marking this momentous event for the Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center.
From a single room on the first floor in 1982, the Special Collections’ original location, Special Collections expanded after years of effort and dedication. In 1999, the creation of the lower-level space fulfilled Alice (Richardson) and Ted Sloane’s dream of a “premiere genealogy and local history collection.” In this space, staff served patrons for twenty-five years.
Now the Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center embarks on a new chapter in its history. It has a bright future as the Davenport Public Library’s source for local history and genealogical information. The Center and its staff are well-known for helping researchers from all over the world, assisting City of Davenport personnel, and providing reference and resource material to Quad-City patrons of all ages.
The Davenport Public Library’s Board of Trustees president, Tom Englemann, and the Davenport Public Library’s Director, Jeff Collins, shared a few remarks about the Main Library’s recent renovations, which began in 2020.
The Special Collections staff invited former Quad Cities Poet Laureate, Dale Haake, to recite his poem, “Tally-Ho Coach,” written for RSSCC’s 20th anniversary celebration in 2019. We have recorded this recitation for your viewing pleasure!
We wish you all the very best holiday season! We encourage you all to come visit us in our new space!
(posted by Kathryn Whalen)
