Parents of children under five can take advantage of Rock Island Public Library early learning programs designed to help very young children be ready to read and learn in 2017. The library’s early learning programs kick off next week off with Play and Grow for ages three and under and their caregivers. Play and Grow is offered at 10:30 am Friday, Jan. 6 at the Rock Island Main Library, 401 19th Street. Activities use the Talk, Sing, Play, Read and Write learning model to support the learning and developmental needs of young children. The structured play group meets on the first week of each... Read More

Yo ho! Yo ho! A Pirates life for me! Do you ever wish you could be a pirate? Does the idea of sword fighting and sailing the high seas leave you thrilled? Were you a fan of the Pirates of the Caribbean movie series? Then this year’s interactive exhibit at the Putnam museum is for you. From now through January 15, 2017 “Shipwreck! Pirates and Treasure!” will be open at the Putnam Museum at 1717 W 12th St. Davenport. This interactive exhibit features some of the greatest shipwrecks in the entire world, and sections focusing on Blackbeard, Captain Kidd, Barnaby Corsairs, and Privateers and Buccaneers.... Read More

In the genre of fantasy and enwrapped in the mysteries of our world’s history, there have been mentioning’s of creatures that are not on Earth today. Spanning from Unicorns to Leviathans “mythical” creatures have filled the stories of our childhood and enchanted and thrilled us to imagine and seek the unknown. There is even a science pertaining to researching mythical creatures known as Cryptozoology. On Saturday, Dec.17, 2016 the gift shop known as Spellbound will be holding a class titled “Mythical Creatures.” The cost is $5 at the door or you can register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mythical-creatures-5-at-the-door-tickets-27248428784 Do... Read More

In a 2016 study Kaplan University, Davenport Campus, ranked as the No. 1 college out of 51 schools in Iowa that offer online classes or degree programs. The analysis was conducted by OnlineColleges.com, a website that provides reliable information about top online colleges and degree programs by featuring school rankings, program guides and career outlooks. Kaplan University’s Davenport campus offers numerous bachelor’s and master’s degree programs online, including ones in the fields of business, criminal justice, health sciences, education and more. The school also offers several online... Read More

Guests can help the Rock Island Public Library Foundation “Grow a Love of Reading” at the organization’s annual Food for Thought fundraiser on Thursday, Nov. 10. The event takes place from 5:00 to 7:30 pm at the Rock Island Main Library, 401 19th Street. The event’s Grow Your Love of Reading theme uses vintage seed packet graphics to illustrate how early reading activities at the Rock Island Public Library plant a seed of lifelong learning. Early learning events supported by the Foundation in 2016 include Hug-A-Book learning opportunities, Head Start preschool visits, and... Read More

Rock Islanders were busy founding a new City in 1841, but that wasn’t the only notable event of that year. The 2016 Frieze Lecture Series discussion theme celebrates “1841: The Year That Rock Island Began,” with a lecture Nov. 1 by Dr. Kelly Daniels, associate professor of English. Daniels will speak on “A Punch of Literary Humor,” which covers the 1841 birth of the British humor magazine named Punch, and all that has meant for for satire and humor in writing through National Lampoon, The Onion, and beyond. Daniels helps lead Augustana’s creative writing program... Read More

The Rock Island Public Library Foundation will host a “Books for Kids” Trivia Night on Thursday, Oct. 20, from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm at the Quad City Botanical Center, 2525 4th Avenue, Rock Island. The trivia night raises funds for the Lorene Evans Watts Fund for Children’s Materials, which supports purchases of children’s items at Rock Island Libraries. Cost to play is $10 per person. Participants may increase their chances to win by purchasing mulligan stickers, doubler round stickers or bidding to win answers for a round from the night’s celebrity genius. Snacks are... Read More

On Saturday, September 24, 2016, the Family Museum will open Voyage to Vietnam: Celebrating the Tết Festival, a new exhibition to promote understanding of Vietnamese culture. Children and their parents throughout the country will delight in the opportunity to discover the beauty, sights, and sounds of Vietnam through its most important celebration of the year, Tết. Funded through a highly competitive national initiative by the Freeman Foundation Asian Culture Exhibit Series and developed by Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose, the Voyage to Vietnam exhibition is traveling to nine... Read More

If you’ve passed the Fort Armstrong replica blockhouse near the Government Bridge without thinking much about what the structure represents, you can learn more about its place in local history this week at the Rock Island Public Library. As part of the Fort’s 200th anniversary year, Army Sustainment Command Historian George Eaton will speak on the history of Fort Armstrong at 6:00 pm on Wednesday, Sept. 21 at the Rock Island Main Library, 401 19th St. The original Fort Armstrong (1816–1836) was the second in a chain of western frontier defenses erected between St. Louis and Prairie... Read More

Families can view the night skies on Saturday, Sept. 10, with help from the Popular Astronomy Club at the Rock Island 30/31 Branch Library, 3059 30th Street. The Astronomy Viewing Night starts around 8:00 pm and will end at 9:30 pm. Popular Astronomy Club members will set up their high powered telescopes and mobile observatory in the 30/31 Branch parking lot, allowing participants to see stars, the moon, and planets such as Mars and Saturn. Kids can stop by and pick up an astronomy goodie bag, and all participants can check to see what they’d weigh on different planets. The event is open... Read More