Calendar

DAVENPORT PUBLIC LIBRARY, 321 N. Main Street, Davenport, IA 52801-1490 – 563-326-7832 – Hours:  Monday 9am-9pm – Tuesday thru Saturday 9am-5:30pm – Sunday Closed
RICHARDSON-SLOANE COLLECTION CENTER, 321 N. Main Street, Davenport, IA 563-326-7902 – Hours: Beginning February 26th, Special Collection will have temporary hours adjustment due to exciting renovations coming summer 2024.  The Richardson-Sloane Collection Center will now be open from 9:00am to 5:00pm Monday thru Friday. 

Richardson-Sloane Collection Center – Genealogical/family history research -Local history research.  You can visit or send requests to them or to SCIGS.  Questions:  Special Collections:  call 563-326-7902 or emailing specialcollections@davenportlibrary.com.  — SCIGS Corresponding Secretary:  scigscorsec@gmail.com

SCOTT COUNTY IOWA GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY (SCIGS) – 2023 Monthly meetings
Monthly meetings will be held on Saturdays at 1:00pm at the Davenport Main Street Library – Large Meeting Room, unless otherwise announced – Programs will be announced as they become available. 
Meeting will be held 1st Saturday of each month with the following exception:  September the 2nd Saturday — No meeting in January or July
–April 6, 2024, 1-3pm — “Passenger Lists and Naturalization Records” with Shar Blevins – She will educate us on passenger lists and naturalization records as well as their benefits in family history resources.
–May 4, 2024, 1-3pm — “Genealogy Bring and Share with Mike Thomas – Do you have an interesting ancestor you’d love to tell others about?  What about an object that holds a memory of a special ancestor?  Or, have you found a great website you think others would want to know about?  Do you have a story about a brick wall you’ve gotten over?  Is there a great genealogy search tip you can share? — During the meeting, we’ll spend a brief time looking at some of the ways to share a story about an ancestor, their possession, or the genealogy research tip you have; one person, object, or tip at a time.  If people have more than one thing to share, we will go around as many times as the meeting hour allows.  Feel free to bring an object or a photo of the ancestor you plan to share.  Of course, you are welcome to come and observe even if you don’t wish to share. – Scheduled for in person and virtually.
–June 1, 2024, 1-3pm — “Introduction to Military Records with Ann Thomas
–July 2024 – No meeting/program
–August 3, 2024 – To be announced 
–September 14, 2024 — “The Geography of Genealogy in Europe’ presented by Legacy Family Tree Webinar
–October 5, 2024 — “What’s New in Special Collections?

RICHARDSON-SLOANE SPECIAL COLLECTIONS & DAVENPORT LIBRARY PROGRAMS
Additional information can be found at davenportlibrary.libcal.com

Genealogy 
Opening the Box Series – Davenport Public Library-Richardson-Sloane Special Collections -First Friday of every month to explore and learn about the curious world of archives and manuscripts at the Richard-Sloane Special Collections.  Each month a different topic relating to the use and study of archives and manuscripts.  They will feature collections and examples of relevant materials during each presentation – Further information & how to attend by going to Library Calendar, Davenport Library.libcal.com – Past topics available on Library You Tube

Preservation Workshops – Davenport Public Library-Richardson-Sloane Special collections – Join in learning how to practically care for and preserve materials at home with tips and tricks from the staff of the Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center.  Each workshop will showcase different techniques and share applicable knowledge on creating tools and demonstrating methods of preservation for photographs, letters, books, and more. – Past topics available on Library You Tube

OTHER WORKSHOPS, LECTURE SERIES, ETC.

Hoover Museum and Library, 127 W. Main St, West Branch, IA 52358
–October 21, 2023 to April 30, 2024 – Temporary Exhibit – Thrift Style opens in the Quarton Gallery – Thrift Style explores the reuse of feed sacks to make clothing and other household objects and illuminates how the ‘upcycling’ of these bags mutually benefited twentieth-century consumers and businesses.  With 41 works from patterns to garments, it serves as an example of past ingenuity that can inform today’s efforts towards sustainability. — The exhibition, organized by the Historic Costume and Textile Museum and the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art, both at Kansas State University, provides a nostalgic view into American ingenuity, sensibility, and optimism during a particularly challenging time of economic hardship and war – the period of the Great Depression and World War II.  The reuse of feed, flour, and sugar sacks was a cost-saving and resource-savings approach employed by homemakers to make new items to meet their family’s needs.  Thrift Style is organized by Exhibits USA, a program of MId-America Arts Alliance.

Publishing Workshop Series with the Midwest Writing
–DPL Fairmount Library – Library partnered with the Midwest Writing Center to present a three-part program on publishing.  Each session will feature a panel of authors and publishers, all prepared to discuss the different paths writers can take to begin their publishing careers.  — 30 seats available – Registration (available on the Library libcal)
—March 6, 2024 6:00-7:30pm – Independent & Submission-based Publication with Emily Kingery and Misty Urban
–April 3, 2024 6:00-7:30pm – “Self-Publication” with Melissa Conway and Tom McKay
–May 1, 2024 6:00-7:30pm – “Traditional & Agent-based Publication: with Jason Platt and John Pragine

Rock Island Arsenal Lecture Series – Presented by Rock Island Arsenal, John Kevin Braafladt, the Army Sustainment Command Historian
— Second Wednesdays of the month at DPL Eastern Library Meeting Room A — Presentation information will also be posted on davenportlibrary.libcal.com as becomes available
Rock Island Arsenal ASC Series:  Civil War History – Join the Army Sustainment Command Historian’s office from Rock Island Arsenal as they explore the history of how the American Civil War impacted the (present day) Quad City area as well as the founding and development of Rock Island Arsenal. — The series will cover the Civil War in chronological order highlighting the 160th anniversaries of 1863 and 1864 and how the events impacted the local area and its future development.  Each session will cover different aspects of the war from personal recollections to larger strategic understandings.
This program is jointly hosted by the Davenport Public Library (6-7pm, Meeting Room A, Eastern Branch) and the Rock Island Public Library (2-3pm, Downtown Collaboration Area)
–April 10, 2024 – Start of the Civil War and local response – Discussing the first shots and opening months to the war.  The early battles and how local (present day) Quad Cities areas allegiances may have shifted in response to the start of the war.
–May 8, 2024 – Daily life at the Rock Island Prison Barracks and Civil War prisoner of war camps – A look into the daily life of the prisoners and guards at Tock Island Prison Barracks.  This will also discuss the “Andersonville of the North” myth and background.
–July 10, 2024 – Establishment and construction of Rock Island Arsenal – In July 1862, the newly established Rock Island Arsenal was answering a call for a growing demand for increased production for a growing national caught in the middle of a Civil War.
–August 14, 2024 – Establishment and history of Camp McClellan – After the start of the Civil War Iowa answered the call for Volunteers to join the Union cause.  More than 40,000 volunteers would be trained and depart out of a temporary camp named Camp McClellan located in Davenport, Iowa
–September 11, 2024 – Eastern Theater of War overview – A general overview of Eastern Theater of war showing a highlight of the major campaigns and their relevance to the war and impact on the local area.
–October 9, 2024 – Western Theater of War overview – A general overview of Western Theater of war showing a highlight of the major campaigns and their direct impact on the Rock Island Prison Barracks.
–December 11, 2024 – End of the Civil War and demobilization – A discussion of the final campaigns of the Civil War, reconstruction and demobilization of the Federal Army and the impact on the local region.

Rock Island County Illinois Genealogical Society (RICIGS)
–Check their website for current program information – https://ricigs.org

Davenport Iowa Family History Center
4929 Wisconsin, Davenport, IA – 563-386-7547
Hours vary so call before going to do research.

German Heritage Center & Museum
712 W 2nd St, Davenport, IA – 563-322-8844 – gahc.org