DAVENPORT, Iowa -- Mary Rourke has stacks of unread books at home. Still, the longtime Davenport resident comes to the public library on N. Main Street three times a week when the weather is good.
"Since I don’t subscribe to the QC Times anymore, or the Catholic Messenger, I come down the library to read my newspaper," she said.
"After all, my taxes pay for the newspaper and all this," she gestured at the bookshelves. "So I might as well make good use of my tax dollars."
She's in good company. According to the latest Gallup poll, Americans reported making on average about ten trips to the library last year, twice as often as they headed to the movies.
Librarians here say they aren't at all surprised by those numbers.
"Despite what some people may think about in the age of internet it must not be busy any more, we know that for sure that’s not true. We have lots of people come in every day for our books, programs and other services we’re providing," said Lexie Reiling, Davenport Public Library's Assistant Director.
"A long time you might have walked into the library and found that it was a very quiet environment." She said libraries have transformed to become a place to gather and to connect.
"You won’t notice that it is such a quiet environment any more. We also provide robust programming where we bring in kids for storytime, as well as science experiments and magic shows, and other entertaining and educational things."
Today patrons can visit the library to make use of a sewing machine, a button maker, and even check out a guitar, a ukulele, a hotspot, or any number of gadgets. There are also classes on a variety of skills, and speakers on a range of topics.
Libraries have adapted to the changing needs of the community because librarians who've stayed up to date with the latest trends, Reiling explained
"Librarians are all about learning things and growing and researching. So when we see interests changing, we want to learn about why and how we can serve people best. We are all about serving our community, and we want to meet people where they are. It’s fun for us to do our research to try to see what people are interested in and meet those needs."
Reiling said the Davenport Public Library is looking to extend its hours at the Fairmount Street and Eastern Avenue branches, pending city council approval, to accommodate kids and adults who want to visit after school or work.