Dubuque's Forgotten Gold

"There's gold in them thar' hills!"

Dubuque Iowa's Forgotten Gold by Peter Netzel is ready to check out from Carnegie-Stout Public Library.

What do you think? Is there any gold still buried on Kelly's Bluff?

2nd Floor Reference Desk, 1905 to 2010

This space near the library's old rotunda area has changed quite a bit over 120 years, but it is hard to tell from these photos.

The top image from the Carnegie-Stout Free Public Library Annual Report 1905. 

The bottom photo is from the OPN Architects Renovation and Restoration 2010.

Carnegie-Stout Public Library's Book Press

Carnegie-Stout Public Library's book press appears to be about 120 years old.

Screw presses are used for bookbinding. They help keep the covers of books flat and in place while the glue is drying. Cast iron presses like this one were made in the early 1900s.

When Carnegie-Stout opened on October 20, 1902, the Dubuque Cabinet Makers Association, a furniture company in business from 1867 to 1909, was located at 10th and Main Streets.

Whether donated or sold to the library, this press sure has been around for a long time! Do you think it will still be here in another 120 years?

Who Can Use the Telegraph Herald Digital Archive

Thanks to a gift from the Clive W. and Mona M. Lacy Trust and a partnership with the Telegraph Herald, the Library now hosts a digital archive of the Telegraph Herald newspaper. Browse and search over fifty-seven thousand editions of the Telegraph Herald spanning almost two-hundred years. You may not even need a library card!

Who Can Use the Telegraph Herald Digital Archive?

In-Person Visitors

All in-person visitors may use the Telegraph Herald Digital Archive inside Carnegie-Stout Public Library. No library card is needed. Printing is 10 cents per page, and help is available at the 2nd Floor Reference Desk.

Dubuque Residents

Dubuque city residents may use the Telegraph Herald Digital Archive online by clicking on Browse the Archive and then entering the full number on the back of your library card with no spaces, and your PIN, which should be the last four digits of your phone number. If these numbers do not work, or if you do not have a library card, please call us at 563-589-4225 and ask for the Cards Desk.

Iowa Residents

Other Iowa residents may be eligible for a free Open Access library card which should enable you to use the Telegraph Herald Digital Archive online. For details, please call us at 563-589-4225 and ask for the Cards Desk.

Non-Residents

If you live outside of Iowa, you can purchase a non-resident card to use the Telegraph Herald Digital Archive online. For costs and more details, see Get A Card, or call us at 563-589-4225 and ask for the Cards Desk.

Free, No-Card Option

Another option is to try the free Dubuque Newspapers in Google News Archive. While this option does not support keyword searches, it is very handy for browsing by date, and it does not require a library card. For tips and tricks, see How to Find Dubuque Obituaries Online.

Also, the State Historical Society of Iowa provides free access to Iowa and Dubuque newspapers in NewspaperARCHIVE.com. Go to Digital Resources and then click on "NewspaperArchives Iowa Database." At that page, use "Go to Advanced Search" to narrow searches to Dubuque.

Reference Help

If you cannot find what you are looking for, our reference librarians at yourlibrarian@carnegiestout.org may be able to provide further assistance, or call us at 563-589-4225 and ask for the Reference Desk.

C-SPL Reader of the Month: Anderson-Bricker

Kristin and John Anderson-Bricker moved to Dubuque in 1997. A professor of history at Loras College, Kristin teaches all United States history courses, specializing in race relations, gender history and American reform movements. John is a painter and sculptor who also works as the preparator at the Dubuque Museum of Art. Along with reading, they love hiking, birding, canoeing, gardening and cooking.

(See the past Reader of the Month posts here)

Q. Can you tell us about your reading interests?

A. We share an interest in historical fiction, especially mysteries. We both read non-fiction but choose different topics. Kristin reads history, science, natural history, archaeology and cookbooks. John enjoys art, architecture, design, electronics, technology, science and gardening. We most enjoy reading at the same time in the same room with a cup of coffee or a beer (depending on the time of day). We have time for reading because we do not watch television or use social media. We find that reading relaxes us because it shifts our minds from the everyday to another world. Additionally, we like expanding our knowledge and belief system through the written word.

Q. What is the best book you have read within the last year (or ever)?

JAB – Anna Lee Huber, The Anatomist’s Wife

KAB - Theodora Goss, The Strange Case of the Alchemists Daughter

Q. What is your ideal reading environment (location, sound, snacks, etc.)?

A. We begin every day reading together with our morning coffee before getting ready for work. So, each day we share the hour between 5:30 and 6:30 a.m. reading in our living room or in the garden during warmer seasons. When we can find the time we also enjoy reading after work on the sun porch or out in the garden. Because we read many of the same books, the second reader will often initiate conversations over breakfast!

Q. What book are you most excited about reading next, and what about it is most exciting?

JAB – I very much enjoy Deanna Raybourn’s series about Veronica Speedwell and her companion Stoker. Looking forward to the next installment of their adventures.

KAB – Andrea Penrose created a likable detective duo in Charlotte Sloane and Lord Wrexford. I am looking forward to the next book and discovering the direction of their developing friendship. We particularly like historical fiction where the main characters develop relationships with one another across the series. We favor nineteenth century English worlds.

Q. What book do you think more people should read, and why do you think they should read it?

KAB – Americans should read David Blight’s Race and Reunion: The Civil War in American Memory because it explains why the Lost Cause narrative gained prominence and became acceptable in our cultural understanding of the Civil War. Because it is a racist ideology that convinces people that Confederate symbols are about heritage, this book is an important corrective that explains how the Confederacy was and is really about hate. 

JAB – Art lovers also concerned with the environment should read Fragile Ecologies: Contemporary Artists’ Interpretations and Solutions, by Barbara Matilsky. This book forces you to examine your own contributions to environmental degradation and the power of art to convey that message.

Q. When do you decide to stop reading a book? In other words, do you read every book to the last page, or is there a moment when you decide to stop?

Books need to be well written for us to read. So, we give a book about two chapters. If the writing is not exceptional, we will put the book aside. We leave many books unfinished because we want more time for the good ones.

Q. Do you remember when your love for reading began?

KAB - As a child, I became a reader of fiction due to my enthusiasm for The Chronicles of Narnia, so I would say that C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is the most important fiction book in my life. As a graduate student in 1990 I read In Struggle: SNCC and the Black Awakening of the 1960s by Clayborne Carson and it established the pathway of my career and began my love affair with non-fiction.

JAB – My love of reading began in my twenties after I completed college and I began to read art history for pleasure and professional development. Some of my favorite art history books include Gaudi of Barcelona by Lluis Permanyer, Melba Levick; Earthworks and Beyond by John Beardsley, Time by Andy Goldsworthy, The Group of Seven and Tom Thomson by Anne Newlands, and Hopper by Ivo Kranzfelder.

Check out the Anderson-Bricker Favorites book list!

Apply to be the next C-SPL Reader of the Month! 

There's a Snake on My Book!

Librarians spend a lot of their time with books. Reading about books, organizing books, purchasing books, thinking about books. When you spend that much time with books you start to notice patterns. Similar titles, similar stories, similar covers.

Lately, I've been noticing snakes.

• The Andalucian Friend by Alexander Soderberg
• Boy, Snow Bird by Helen Oyeyemi
• Dark Age by Pierce Brown
• Deviation by Luce D'Eramo
• The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry
• Famous in Cedarville by Erica Wright
• Gun Island by Amitav Ghosh
• Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
• Queen of the Conquered by Kacen Callender
• The Remaking by Clay McLeod Chapman
• Trinity Sight by Jennifer Givhan
• The Water Museum by Luis Alberto Urrea

~Sarah, adult services

More Recent Romance

Carnegie-Stout Librarians love romance, and we know our readers do too. If you're looking for a good love story, keep reading for a few suggestions or check out these recent blog posts for even more!

• Love Stories to Warm Up a Cold Evening (12/13/19)
• Love, Sweet Love (2/1/20)

Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin

OverDrive eBook

A contemporary retelling of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice set among the tight-knit Muslim community of Toronto, Canada. Ayesha has set aside her dreams of poetry to pursue a teaching career and help support her family. Khalid will not sacrifice his respect for his family's traditions for the sake of a simpler social life, including his mother's dream of an arranged marriage. When an event at their mosque brings them together, Ayesha and Khalid find themselves reconsidering their preconceptions.

Tell Me How You Really Feel by Aminah Mae Safi

OverDrive eBook

This young adult romance is an enemies-to-lovers story featuring two incredibly driven young women: cheerleader Sana Khan and aspiring film-maker Rachel Recht. The sparks (and cameras) fly as these two learn to navigate the expectations of their families and their own dreams for the future. Drama-filled and uplifting, with tons of references for readers who are also film buffs.

The Bride Test by Helen Hoang

OverDrive eBook | OverDrive audiobook

This book contains spoilers for Hoang's first novel, The Kiss Quotient, so reader beware! Khai is content with the life he's built for himself and believes that he has what he needs. His mother isn't so sure, and takes it upon herself to find a bride for Khai. Esme has made some mistakes in her life, but she's working hard as a cleaner in a Ho Chi Minh City hotel to support her grandmother, mother, and young daughter. When she's given the chance to go to America for a potential arranged marriage, she takes the leap into the unknown.

The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa

OverDrive audiobook

In the years after she was left at the alter, Lina has built a successful wedding planning business with the support of her loving Brazillian family in Washington D.C. When she receives an unexpected chance to launch her career to the next level, she never expected it would require that she work a man she never thought she'd see again: Max, the infuriatingly handsome brother and best-man of the jerk who jilted her.

Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore

OverDrive eBook

A debut historical romance that doesn't shy away from the social issues of the late 19th century. Vicar's daughter Annabelle has earned her place as a student at Oxford, and she's joined the fight for women's suffrage. The Duke of Montgomery holds Queen Victoria's ear and his support would aid her cause, if only he didn't oppose her aims. Their passionate intellectual debate sparks a passionate attraction, but how could two individuals so opposed find happiness?

June is Audiobook Month: Downloadable Audiobooks

June is Audiobook Month! There are only a few days left to celebrate in 2019, but Carnegie-Stout Public Library's collection of downloadable audiobooks are always available! If you've already installed the OverDrive app or Libby app, you're ready to go, but if you have questions about how to enjoy downloadable audiobooks, library staff are happy to help! To get you started, here are a few downloadable audiobook titles that you might enjoy:


Normal People by Sally Rooney
 Sally Rooney brings her brilliant psychological acuity and perfectly spare prose to a story that explores the subtleties of class, the electricity of first love, and the complex entanglements of family and friendship. The audiobook is narrated by Aoife McMahon




Shoot for the Moon by James Donovan
For the 50th anniversary, the epic story of Apollo 11 and the astronauts, flight controllers, and engineers who made it happen. Both sweeping and intimate, and based on exhaustive research and dozens of fresh interviews. The audiobook is narrated by Allan Robertson




A Dog's Way Home by W. Bruce Cameron
Lucas Ray is shocked when an adorable puppy jumps out of an abandoned building and into his arms. Though the apartment he shares with his mother, a disabled veteran, doesn't allow dogs, Lucas can't resist taking Bella home. The audiobook is narrated by Ann Marie Lee




Code Name Lise by Larry Loftis
The year is 1942, and World War II is in full swing. Odette Sansom decides to follow in her war hero father's footsteps by becoming an SOE agent to aid Britain and her beloved homeland, France. Five failed attempts and one plane crash later, she finally lands in occupied France to begin her mission.. The audiobook is narrated by Kate Reading

June is Audiobook Month: Fiction & History

June is Audiobook Month! To celebrate, borrow a Fiction audiobook from Carnegie-Stout Public Library's collection. Here are a few novels that explore how our ties to the past change our lives that you might enjoy:

Dear Mrs. Bird by A.J. Pearce
This is a heartwarming story of a young woman finding her way into adulthood during the tumult of the Blitz in WWII London. Emmy dreams of becoming a journalist, but ends up as a typist with a woman’s magazine that has a distinctly unhelpful advice column. Young British actress Anna Popplewell’s (The Chronicles of Narnia) narration is a good match for the plucky Emmy.


Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney
Memoirist Rooney’s first novel, Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk, is a moving story of one woman’s life. On December 31, 1984, Lillian Boxfish sets out on a walk across Manhattan and recalls her 85 years of life, her career, loves, and losses.  Xe Sands’s expressive and compelling narration is a perfect match for this moving story.


Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver
Multiple award-winning author Barbara Kingsolver’s writing is character-driven and often political in both her novels and nonfiction. In Unsheltered, she explores the connections and parallels between a contemporary woman facing unemployment and the science teacher who lived in her New Jersey home nearly 150 years earlier. Kingsolver skillfully narrates her audiobooks herself.



Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson
Multiple award-winning author Jacqueline Woodson is best known for books for children and young adults. This lyrical novel for adults, Another Brooklyn, is the story of August, who returns to Brooklyn after her father’s death and finds herself remembering her childhood. Robin Miles skillfully captures the voices and moods of this haunting novel.

C-SPL Reader of the Month: Sharon

Youth Services Librarian Sharon Daly is the C-SPL Reader of the Month for March. In this interview, she shares about her love for the Beatles, psychological mysteries, and more.

Q & A with Sharon

Q. What is the best book you have read within the last year (or ever)?

A. Is this a trick question? I feel like Forrest Gump trying to choose from a box of chocolates. My choice from the past year is going to be…drumroll please… She Loves You, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah by Ann Hood. Why did I choose this young adult book about a girl spending the summer of 1966 planning, and scheming, and hoping to meet Paul McCartney? Because I could have written this book!  I felt every thrill and heartache Trudy did, and I could hear every Beatles song played on the radio that summer, and I loved (love) Paul McCartney! This book is all about hopes and dreams with a wonderful twist at the end that, I’ll admit, made me cry. Nostalgia at its best, and even though I cried, I also smiled...a lot.

Q. What is your ideal reading environment (location, sound, snacks, etc.)?

A. Sitting in a lounge chair on the beach with a soft breeze, and the palm trees providing the perfect balance of sun and shade. Oh, and a peach margarita on the table next to me.

If the beach isn’t an option, then my recliner at home with my two dogs on my lap and either coffee, tea, or a glass of wine. 

Q. What book are you most excited about reading next and what about it is most exciting?

A. The Witch Elm by Tana French

I love a good psychological mystery, and Tana French is a master at her craft. Ms. French’s many characters are always very complex and multifaceted. Just when you think you have it all figured out, the plot will spiral into another direction. The answers are never obvious. Her stories are always original, and the crime elements are perfect. I can’t wait to sink into this book, maybe on that beach, but more likely in the recliner.

Q. What book do you think more people should read and why do you think they should read it?

A. The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran

This beautiful, peaceful book is timeless and offers wisdom and guidance in such an eloquent and poetic way. The book is divided into chapters dealing with love, marriage, children, giving, eating and drinking, work, joy and sorrow, houses, clothes, buying and selling, crime and punishment, laws, freedom, reason and passion, pain, self-knowledge, teaching, friendship, talking, time, good and evil, prayer, pleasure, beauty, religion, and death. It has been translated into 108 languages and has never been out of print. The Prophet was originally published in 1923.

Q. What book has been the most challenging for you to read? How did it challenge you?

A. Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

Ender’s Game is a science fiction book written in 1994, well before reading dystopian-type books became popular. I found the plot to be quite disturbing after realizing how the children are exploited and used in the Battle Room. The challenge I faced with this book was trying to remember that it was fiction and not reality. Even after I finished reading the book, those troubling feelings stayed with me.

Q. When do you decide to stop reading a book? (In other words, do you read every book to

the last page, or is there a moment when you decide to stop?)

A. I have suffered through many books, hoping for a redeeming moment or a literary epiphany of some sort. Then I saw the t-shirt, So Many Books, So Little Time. Now, if I think a trip to the dentist would be less painful then reading, I know the time has come to put the book down.


Check out Sharon's other favorite books here: https://catalog.dubuque.lib.ia.us/cgi-bin/koha/opac-shelves.pl?op=view&shelfnumber=1422&sortfield=title

Staff Review: The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro

In sixth century England, a mist covers the land that clouds the past, leaving people with only their immediate memories. The Buried Giant, by the 2017 Nobel Prize winning author Kazuo Ishiguro, opens up with a distant landscape of rolling green hills, hazy skies, and humble dwellings. In this medieval village, we meet our protagonists, Axl and Beatrice. When they seem to have a faint memory of being parents, their quest to find their adult son drives the narrative.

A Saxon warrior and his apprentice escort the aging Briton couple as they travel through an England in which Britons recently made peace with nearby Saxon villages, though mistrust and danger are ever present. We encounter old enemies of the Saxons, Monks who may not be who they appear, and a few mythical beasts along the way—though the most looming threat may be what lies behind the mist.

As their journey is on foot, the story moves at a similar pace. Someone looking for high action may abort at this point. Although there are parts with action and suspense, they burn slowly. Someone interested in an atmospheric story full of symbolism and rooted in English lore may proceed. I felt I was walking with the characters—I suppose partly because I was walking while listening to the story—but also because the descriptive text and repetitive dialog had a certain rhythm I found immersive. The resonant voice of the audiobook narrator, David Horovitch, and his skill with dialects certainly played its part in pulling me in as well.

The repetition may be irksome to some. Axl constantly addresses his wife as Princess, which may be cute at first, but happens about every time he speaks to her. There’s also a key character Sir Guwayne, from English lore. How many times can he remind the characters that he fought by King Arthur’s side? The answer is, a lot. With all the repetition and little back-story, some may find the characters flat. Usually, I prefer complex characters, but Ishiguro has a way of revealing complexity by withholding details. The repetitive rhythm and the present-tense characters make them anybody, the stuff of myths. The repetition also has the eerie quality of mirroring our own behavior.

The moral questions the book raises are fascinating and perennial giving it the feel of a modern myth. Must we bury the past to make peace in the present? Or do we bravely bring the past to light and seek clarity to heal old wounds? Is our conception of self made from internally repetitive myths? These questions make the book one to ponder long after the last page.

~Ben, Adult Services

Bingeworthy TV: Downton Abbey

Downton Abbey has become the gold standard of period dramas. For many people, nothing will ever compare and though it ran for 6 series (we call them seasons on this side of the pond) and ended in 2015, Downton Abbey is still incredibly popular. Created by Julian Fellowes, Downton Abbey was co-produced by Carnival Films and Masterpiece. Episodes aired on ITV in the United Kingdom first and then after a series ended it aired on PBS in America.  

Why is Downton Abbey still so popular you may ask? There are many reasons: compelling characters and storylines, amazing scenery, amazing costumes, incredible writing...the list goes on. Downton Abbey follows the Crawley family, the hereditary Earls of Grantham, and their servants from the period between 1912 and 1925.

As part of the backstory, the main character, Robert, Earl of Grantham, had married an American heiress, Cora Levinson, to resolve past financial difficulties. Her considerable dowry was contractually incorporated into the comital entail in perpetuity. Basically that means that only a male heir can inherit the title and Cora's dowry can only be passed on to said male heir. The bad news is that Robert and Cora have 3 daughters and no sons. The oldest daughter, Mary, was to marry her second-cousin Patrick, second-in-line to the title. More bad news, the series starts with the Crawley family finding out that Patrick and his father James (first-in-line to the title) perished during an ill fated ocean voyage. Maybe you've heard of it? The ship was called the RMS Titanic.

(I wonder if Rose and Patrick were acquainted?)

For six seasons the lives of all those living at Downton Abbey are affected by historical events that took place during 1912 to 1925. Starting with the sinking of the Titanic, the Crawley's also experience the First World War, the Spanish influenza pandemic, and the Irish War of Independence, to name a few. Throughout all of this, we see the rise of the working class and the decline of the British Aristocracy. The Crawleys, and their servants, struggle to cope with the changing dynamics of the world around them.

The cast is truly amazing and, in my opinion, Maggie Smith shines the brightest as Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham. Her acerbic wit and one-line zingers often bring some much needed levity to some of the more dour storylines. Nobody does disapproving facial expressions like the Dowager Countess of Grantham. 

If you haven't watched Downton Abbey, sit down with a cup of tea and give it a try. It is truly a masterpiece (see what I did there?). If you have a yen to travel to England, the real Downton Abbey is called Highclere Castle located in North Hampshire, and was used for exterior shots and most of the interior filming. If you are already a fan and wish to read more about Downton Abbey, here is a handy list of books you can check-out from Carnegie-Stout.  

~Amy, Adult Services

Bingeworthy TV: Boardwalk Empire

Period dramas can be an entertaining mix of historical facts and popular folklore. Writers of these historical dramas have a way of sparking a viewer’s interest in history that a dry textbook doesn’t. Boardwalk Empire is definitely one of those shows if you are a history enthusiast like myself. It is fascinating how the show’s creator and writers recreate a period piece to tell this type of story.

The show is set in the Prohibition Era and takes you inside the criminal underworld in Atlantic City. Boardwalk Empire is centered around the life of Nucky Thompson. His character is based on real life 1920s New Jersey political figure Enoch Lewis “Nucky” Johnson and his colleagues and rivals.

The inner conflicts of each character help the viewer get a glimpse of what life was like on both sides of the law. There are the criminals and there is the law, and even some law enforcement could not resist the temptation of booze. The conflict between the characters gives momentum to the story line in each episode and builds all the way to the final season.

This show has elements meant for a mature audience: sex, crime, scandals, and violence. Yet the story cannot be fully understood nor effective without them. In my opinion, if there were a “watered down” version of this show, it would not have lasted five seasons.

From the cinematic scenes to the finely recreated sets, the cast and crew bring the historic Atlantic City to life. This series is so compelling that you cannot get away from your TV. So, get your snacks and put on your comfortable clothes because this show is a must-see!

-Alanda, Circulation