461 The Library, Fairmount Branch, Davenport (Iowa)

It was a long drive from St. Paul to Davenport, through intermittent rain...but you can tell from the exterior pictures below that the sky had cleared by the time I got here.

The grounds are beautiful. I especially like the book-shaped sign with the library hours.

The first thing I noticed in the lobby was a sign about "free lunch at the library" Monday through Thursday. Many people have forgotten, or never knew, the lengths libraries are going to these days to meet the physical, as well as the mental, needs of their patrons, especially in the summer when kids do not get lunch at school.

The lobby also boasts one of the largest and best-organized Friends of the Library bookstores that I have seen. One small surprise was a "normal" book drop labeled for donations, though a sign did request that they be brought to the store when it is open. 

Taking pictures at this library was a bit tricky, for the very good reason that it was being well-used, with people in almost every area. The picture below hints at the very open, airy look provided by the high ceilings and clerestory windows.

Just to the left of this picture is a feature I haven'st seen elsewhere: a glass case with cards that name and picture all sorts of tech items that can be borrowed, including various adaptors, speakers, e-readers, a bluetooth keyboard, professional scanjet, a pocket projector, and more.

Nearby are 20 computers for public Internet use, and four catalog computers.

The Teen area, shown below, was the only truly unpopulated space. The sign on the tall counter bears a reminder that if you need to charge a devise, portable chargers are available for a two-hour checkout; just show your library card.

The teens had a "Book Tournament" -- the winner was Red Queen by Aveyard. Maybe I should take a look for that at my home library. There seems to be an especially large collection of YA books, including anime, manga and graphic novels. There are two study rooms.

What I thought of as the back wall is lined with windows that look out on park-like landscaping. This wall also hosts eight square tables with chairs, and two larger rectangular tables, plenty of space for folks to spread out and study...which several people were doing.

Several clusters of easy chairs are near the handsome stone fireplace. [I noticed that the fabric covering the fireplace opening is decorated with flowers made by a knitting club.] Newspapers, periodicals, and new books are nearby for browsing.

Moving on to the children's area, I like the fanciful large alphabet near the ceiling along two sides of the wall. There are six round tables sized for the elementary school crowd, and three smaller tables and chairs made of bent wood, very handsome. Notice the solid wood bench by the window, with  "READ" carved into the side.

There are ample shelves of picture books, plus junior fiction and non-fiction stacks. Three good-sized plastic boxes are "Storytime in a Box." Each contains a selection of books on a given topic. The ones I saw were Rabbits, Food, and ABCs. There are also some bags of picture books "selected by a librarian" that can be checked out if you have "No time to browse."

The outdoor area visible in the picture below is "Open as weather and staffing allow." Children must be accompanied by an adult in this area.

The ever-popular Legos are available. When I arrived a girl, perhaps 8 or 9 years old, was engrossed. I was glad she had moved on so I could take the picture below, showing the very tall tower someone left behind.

The wall shown below curves around the story-telling room. It also provides display space for the "1000 Books Before Kindergarten" program, plus periodicals and some media. Also in this area are 12 computers for kids!

8/17/2017