Davenport Public Library
Davenport Public Library is a municipal public library system in Davenport, Iowa, operating three branches and serving residents with free physical and digital lending, interlibrary loan, business assistance, early literacy programs, and community services including a Library Social Worker and Seed Library.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1904
- HeadquartersDavenport, IA, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Davenport Public Library does
Davenport Public Library is a municipal public library system serving the City of Davenport, Iowa. Founded in 1904, the library operates three branch locations — Main Library at 321 Main Street, Fairmount Branch at 3000 N. Fairmount Street, and Eastern Branch at 6000 Eastern Avenue — and is staffed by approximately 50 employees. Core services include physical and digital materials lending, public computing and Wi-Fi, interlibrary loan, meeting and study rooms, a Library of Things collection (tools, instruments, STEM kits, cake pans), and community programming such as Summer Reading Challenge, 1000 Books Before Kindergarten, and Bestsellers Club. The library also offers notary services, a Library Social Worker program, a Seed Library, and a Patent & Trademark Resource Center.
The underlying technology stack centers on a third-party Integrated Library System (III/Vega) powering the catalog and patron accounts, with OverDrive/RiverShare Digital for eBooks and media, Beanstack for reading challenges, and Microsoft Forms for service requests. The library participates in regional interlibrary loan consortiums — RiverShare Libraries, SILO (State Iowa Libraries Online), and as of July 2025 the Auto-Graphics/Soutron Global SHAREit system for out-of-state borrowing — extending patron access well beyond the local collection.
As a government entity, the library is funded primarily through City of Davenport tax revenue and does not charge for core services. Library cards are free to Davenport residents and property owners, with nonresident cards available to visitors or patrons of participating systems. The Davenport Public Library Foundation (formerly FRIENDS) supplements funding through used-bookstore operations and donations. The customer base is the general public, segmented across general community members, children and families, and business owners and entrepreneurs seeking research and professional development resources.
Davenport Public Library firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Davenport Public Library
- Legal name
- Davenport Public Library
- Website
- https://davenportlibrary.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1904
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Davenport Public Library is a municipal public library system in Davenport, Iowa, operating three branches and serving residents with free physical and digital lending, interlibrary loan, business assistance, early literacy programs, and community services including a Library Social Worker and Seed Library.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Davenport Public Library industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Public Library Services
- NAICS
- Libraries and Archives (51921), Libraries and Archives (519210)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Public Libraries & Information Services (BPAIACAO)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Public Library Operations & Community Branch Management (EDAEAGAC), Library-Based Learning Programs (Public Libraries) (EDAAAFAA)
Keywords
Where Davenport Public Library is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Davenport, IA
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Davenport Public Library business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Public Library Services: As a municipal public library, Davenport Public Library is funded primarily through local tax revenue and does not charge for core services. Library cards are free to eligible residents and property owners. The library also receives support through the Davenport Public Library Foundation (formerly the FRIENDS) which raises funds through used bookstores and donations.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Free library card for eligible Davenport residents and property owners |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels5 records
Davenport Public Library product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Davenport Public Library is a municipal public library system founded in 1904 and operated by the City of Davenport, Iowa, running three branches — the Main Library, the Fairmount Branch, and the Eastern Avenue Branch. It issues free library cards to local residents and lends physical and digital books and media, hosts programming for all ages, provides meeting spaces, computer and Wi-Fi access, and supports reference and research services. The system participates in the RiverShare Libraries and SILO (State of Iowa Libraries Online) consortia to enable interlibrary loan and shared resource discovery.
Product overview
Davenport Public Library provides traditional public library services across three locations (Main, Fairmount, and Eastern branches) in Davenport, Iowa. The library offers a comprehensive suite of services including physical and digital materials lending through its III/Vega-powered catalog (integrated with OverDrive/RiverShare for digital content), reading programs (Summer Reading Challenge, 1000 Books Before Kindergarten, Bestsellers Club), business assistance resources, and community programming. The Library of Things collection extends traditional lending to non-traditional items including tools, musical instruments, and hobby equipment. The library participates in regional interlibrary loan networks (MOBIUS/OpenRS, SILO, RiverShare Libraries) extending patron access beyond its own collection. Additional services include notary, outreach, genealogy research, meeting rooms, curbside pickup, and Borrow by Mail.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Davenport Public Library Foundation: Support organization that raises money for the library, runs used bookstores at every library location, and funds library programs.
Products and services
- Library Card Registration
Companies that use Davenport Public Library
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Davenport Public Library technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration13 records
Davenport Public Library partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Auto-Graphics (Soutron Global)coreTechnology partner providing the SHAREit system for out-of-state interlibrary loan services. The partnership replaced the previous MOBIUS/OpenRS platform in 2025.
- RiverShare LibrariescoreConsortium of public and college libraries in the Iowa Quad Cities area that share resources and materials. Davenport Public Library patrons can borrow books from other RiverShare member libraries through interlibrary loan.
- SILO (State Iowa Libraries Online)coreIowa state library consortium that helps libraries across Iowa share books and materials. Operated by the State Library of Iowa, SILO enables interlibrary loan services throughout the state.
- AM Guitar WorksminorLocal partnership enabling the Library of Things to offer ukuleles for patron checkout. AM Guitar Works provides the instruments that the library makes available through this program.
- Davenport Public Library Foundation (formerly FRIENDS)coreFormerly the FRIENDS group, this foundation raises money to support the library through used bookstores at every location and funding for programs and services.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Davenport Public Library competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Cedar Rapids Public Library: Cedar Rapids Public Library is an Iowa municipal public library of similar scale serving a comparable mid-size Iowa city. Operates with the same municipal-tax funding model and provides traditional lending, digital content, and community programming—making it a strong functional peer within Iowa.
- Iowa City Public Library: Iowa City Public Library is an Iowa municipal library serving a university-adjacent community of similar size. Comparable in funding model, branch structure, and traditional service offerings, making it a relevant functional peer despite its academic-influence differences.
- Moline Public Library: Moline Public Library is specifically referenced as one of the Illinois Quad Cities libraries whose patrons can borrow materials using a Davenport library card. Operates across the Mississippi River in the same metropolitan area with analogous municipal funding structure and similar service offerings.
- Bettendorf Public Library: Bettendorf Public Library is explicitly named in Davenport's partnership data as a RiverShare Libraries consortium partner serving the Iowa Quad Cities region. Operates as a comparable municipal public library in an adjacent city with similar scale, services, and shared interlibrary loan integration, making it the most directly comparable peer.
- Rock Island Public Library: Rock Island Public Library is another Illinois Quad Cities library explicitly listed as a Davenport reciprocal borrowing partner. As a municipal library in the same metropolitan region with comparable scale and services, it serves a directly analogous patron base and funding structure.
- East Moline Public Library: East Moline Public Library is named in Davenport's data as one of the Illinois Quad Cities libraries participating in cross-river reciprocal borrowing. As a small municipal library in the same metropolitan area, it represents a direct geographic and operational peer.
Broad incumbents
- Des Moines Public Library: Des Moines Public Library is the largest municipal library system in Iowa, serving the state capital with multiple branches. While significantly larger than Davenport, it operates under the same Iowa municipal funding framework and offers an expanded version of the same services (lending, digital content, programming, business resources).
- Chicago Public Library: Chicago Public Library is one of the largest municipal library systems in the U.S., operating 80+ branches with a broad portfolio of services including business assistance, makerspaces, and digital content. While vastly larger than Davenport, it serves as a broad incumbent peer demonstrating the upper bound of what a municipal library system can scale into.
- New York Public Library: New York Public Library operates one of the largest public library systems in the world with extensive branch networks, research libraries, and programming. As a broad incumbent in the public library space, it represents the upper-bound scale and capability profile that municipal libraries like Davenport operate within as a category.
Emerging players
- Anythink Libraries: Anythink Libraries (formerly Rangeview Library District) in Colorado is widely recognized as an innovative library system that pioneered non-traditional services, Library of Things-style lending, and community hub programming. Its service model parallels many of Davenport's differentiated offerings (Library of Things, community experience passes, makerspace-style services), making it a relevant emerging-peer benchmark.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Davenport Public Library social profiles
Digital presenceDavenport Public Library financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Davenport Public Library leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Davenport Public Library funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Davenport Public Library M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Davenport Public Library
What does Davenport Public Library do?
The Davenport Public Library is a municipal public library system founded in 1904 and operated by the City of Davenport, Iowa, running three branches — the Main Library, the Fairmount Branch, and the Eastern Avenue Branch. It issues free library cards to local residents and lends physical and digital books and media, hosts programming for all ages, provides meeting spaces, computer and Wi-Fi access, and supports reference and research services. The system participates in the RiverShare Libraries and SILO (State of Iowa Libraries Online) consortia to enable interlibrary loan and shared resource discovery.
Is Davenport Public Library a public or private company?
Davenport Public Library is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Davenport Public Library founded?
Davenport Public Library was founded in 1904. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Davenport Public Library based?
Davenport Public Library is headquartered in Davenport, IA, United States, in the North America region.
How does Davenport Public Library make money?
One revenue line is on record: public Library Services.
Who are Davenport Public Library's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Cedar Rapids Public Library, Iowa City Public Library, Moline Public Library, Bettendorf Public Library, Rock Island Public Library and East Moline Public Library. Broad incumbents are Des Moines Public Library, Chicago Public Library and New York Public Library. Anythink Libraries is listed as an emerging player.
Does Davenport Public Library have an API?
No public API is recorded for Davenport Public Library.
What industry is Davenport Public Library in?
Davenport Public Library's product category is Public Library Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAIACAO, Public Libraries & Information Services, with a secondary code of EDAEAGAC, Public Library Operations & Community Branch Management. Its NAICS code is 51921 and its SIC code is 8200.