Davenport Public Library to join Bridges consortium; director outlines collections, programs and staffing updates

Davenport Public Library Director Jeff Collins told the board on April 15 that the library will join the Bridges consortium, a State Library–subsidized OverDrive platform, on July 1 to expand its ebook and audiobook collection.

Collins said joining Bridges will give Davenport access to nearly 100,000 additional digital titles and that the consortium model will be more cost-effective than buying the same number of titles outright. "We're gonna gain access to nearly a hundred thousand more items for the collection, for our patrons at a cost of about $25,000 a year," Collins said, adding that buying that many titles independently would yield only about 800 additional items on average.

The director said the $25,000 annual cost will require reallocating funds from other collection or operating line items and may mean fewer physical purchases at some branches. He flagged possible shifts in physical collection placement as staff work through the budget and the library's concurrent transition of its Library of Things offerings.

Collins also reviewed a range of operational updates in his director's report. He said the library's DEI-tagged materials make up roughly 4.1% of the collection, a figure he described as a 6.8% increase over the last decade. He noted staff use a subscription product, Collection HQ (CHQ), to analyze gaps and guide selectors toward topics such as Asian and Pacific Islander, Hispanic/Latino, Indigenous, Middle Eastern/North African, disabilities and neurodiversity, and other areas.

On facilities and service changes, Collins reported progress on the Main Library renovation: a new monument sign on Fourth Street and relocated historical photos and plaques to the second floor. He said city facilities maintenance adjusted a relocated book drop to fix drainage and improve access and that the library will move the drop slightly away from the curb to avoid conflicts once Fourth Street becomes two-way in a later phase of city work.

Programming and outreach updates included plans to participate in Bridges beginning July 1; expanded outreach at Veterans Outreach Center and HK Speech Therapy; a pilot to extend the seed library across branches; a new Braille insert collaboration with the Iowa Library for the Blind for story walks; and additions to the makerspace (a laminator, a sublimation printer and a child-safe "chomp saw"). Collins said some makerspace equipment purchases were in response to patron feedback.

On staffing, Collins said the library will continue to advertise a social worker position with one-year funding available for FY2026 after a FY2027 general-fund request for the position was not approved. He characterized the FY2027 denial as "understandable" in light of broader fiscal uncertainty, but said the temporary FY2026 funding will let the library recruit for the role through June of the next year.

Collins also reported that staff completed a development day and that the library is working toward certification as a dementia-friendly library; he thanked trustees and staff who attended the staff development session. He noted the library participated in the Davenport Youth Citizens Academy and that attendance at some library events — such as a toddler prom — exceeded 200 participants.

Board members discussed the draft three-year strategic plan during the meeting. Collins described the plan's six strategic directions — community awareness; lifelong learning; dynamic collections; accessible, safe facilities; adaptable financial stewardship; and employer-of-choice work environment — and said the board will be asked to approve a final version next month. Trustees asked that the plan clearly reflect the library's intention to better represent community diversity in collections and programs; Collins said the drafting team intended that emphasis to appear under the collections direction (3.1) and will clarify language in the final draft.

Collins and trustees reiterated that the Bridges expansion is intended to be seamless to patrons through the Libby app and that more digital titles could reduce hold times over time but would not instantly eliminate waits for popular items.

The board did not take a formal vote on the Bridges funding reallocation during the meeting; Collins said staff are identifying where the $25,000 will come from in the budget.

Ending

Collins said staff will return a polished strategic plan with objectives and proposed measures for board review before the plan takes effect July 1.