From Our Corner

From Your Corner of Washington: Ferry County

Located in northeastern Washington and sandwiched between Okanogan County to the west and Stevens County to the east, Ferry County (population 7,800) is home to Sherman Pass, which, at 5,575 feet, is the highest drivable pass in the state. The county seat is Republic, which is also the county’s most populated town (1,005). About half of this rugged, scenic county is within the Colville Indian Reservation. Image Ferry County was established in… Read more

Clippings, Supreme Court Ruling Special, May 13, 2010

The Washington State Supreme Court issued a decision today ruling against the Seattle ACLU and their plaintiff's on the Certification of the Question from the U.S. Federal Court on whether libraries must remove internet filters at the request of an adult. The Court found that the North Central Regional Library, the largest library district in the State of Washington, did not violate Article 1, Section 5 of the Washington State Constitution with its policy of filtering the internet. (North… Read more

Clippings, May 14, 2010

Library News May 10, 1910 was a big day for the people of Chehalis. After years of longing for a city library, a dedication ceremony opened a stunning brick building on the hill overlooking the downtown core. Today, the Chehalis Library is a part of the Timberland Regional Library System. Check Monday's "Today in History" column by local historian Edna Fund for more on the library's opening exactly 100 years ago. (The Chronicle [Centralia], 5.6.10) A tentative agreement between Mid-Columbia… Read more

Congrats, Corps for Communities winners!

Giving back was the hot topic in Secretary Reed's office Wednesday afternoon, as standout Washington corporations were applauded for their efforts in making a difference in the state. Image

Image … Read more

WSL Updates for May 20, 2010

Volume 6, May 20, 2010 for the WSL Updates mailing list

Topics include:

1) RENEW WASHINGTON GRANT CYCLE RE-OPENS

2) THE USER EXPERIENCE IN THE 21ST CENTURY LIBRARY

3) GET INVOLVED IN WASHINGTON'S FUTURE

4) BOOKS FOR CHILDREN GRANTS

5) MISSION CRITICAL - SERVICES TO SPANISH SPEAKERS

6) USING WEB 2.0 TOOLS TO ENHANCE TECHNICAL SERVICES WORK

… Read more

Frisky Oregonians top 41 percent turnout

Image The national media paid far more attention to Super Tuesday primaries in Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Arkansas, but our neighbors in Oregon were busy voting too – and far exceeded the turnout posted in those other states. Oregon Secretary of State Kate… Read more

From Your Corner of Washington: St. Helens

Thirty years ago today, at 8:32 AM, Washington experienced this: … Read more

Archives featuring St. Helens exhibit

Image With Tuesday being the 30th anniversary of Mount St. Helens’ big eruption, the State Archives is featuring an exhibit on what the mountain and Spirit Lake looked like BEFORE St. Helens… Read more

Mount St. Helens: Eve of destruction

How we loved this Northwest playground – boating, fishing, camping, swimming, hiking, climbing, scouting. This playful image, from around 1960, is from your State Archives. Image And, of course, Tuesday will be the 30th anniversary of the mighty eruption that transformed this… Read more

Clippings, May 7, 2010

Library News 50 to 60 Islanders met with staff from the King County Library System and architects from Bohlin Cywinski Jackson to give input that will inform the next iteration of design proposals for the expanded Vashon Island branch library. (Photo) (The Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber, 4.21.10) http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/vashon/vib/news/91638779.html Pasco and Mid-Columbia Libraries are nearing an agreement on a… Read more

Didyaknow...?

... that the Washington State Digital Archives is a treasure trove of historical pictures? Thousands of scanned photos are available for anyone to download, free of charge. Just last week as I was thumbing through the collection, I came across this slightly unique photo below: Image In the photo, Governor Rosellini is presenting a giant pickle to a gal representing… Read more

Mount St. Helens: Our icon, our memories

There has always been something magical and iconic about Mount St. Helens, shown here in all her glory in a rare 1925 photo by Asahel Curtis, from our State Archives lantern slide collection. Many of us grew up swimming and canoeing on Spirit Lake, attending summer camp, picnicking or tent camping, hiking the wildflower meadows, or scaling the conical peak. Image Rainier may be The Mountain,… Read more

Initiative goldrush: a record 77 filed (so far)

Image Washington's initiative process is going gangbusters this year. We've easily broken the previous record for most initiatives filed in a single year, with 77 filed already, eclipsing the 60 filed in 2003 and the 57 in 2008. We could easily meet or beat the… Read more

From Your Corner of Washington: Everett

Located along Puget Sound about 30 miles north of Seattle, the Snohomish County seat was well known for being a lumber mill town. It also was home of Henry “Scoop” Jackson, who served in the U.S. House from 1941 until 1953, and in the U.S. Senate from 1953 until his death in 1983. Nowadays, Everett is renowned for its Boeing plant (featuring the world’s largest building by volume), where the 787 Dreamliner had its maiden flight last December.

… Read more

WSL Updates for May 13, 2010

Volume 6, May 13, 2010 for the WSL Updates mailing list

Topics include:

1) MARKETING 101 - PR FOR NON-PROFESSIONALS

2) HOW VALUABLE IS YOUR LIBRARY?

3) MORE TRAINING FOR DOWNLOADABLE AUDIOBOOKS

4) WEBINAR EXPLORES BENEFITS OF PUBLIC INTERNET ACCESS

5) REVISED STANDARDS FOR SERVICE TO YOUNG ADULTS

6) TRENDS IN TEEN LIT - THE INDEPENDENT VIEW

7) DIGITAL PHOTO MANAGEMENT FOR LIBRARIES

8) THE FUTURE IS MOBILE - IS YOUR… Read more

Gregoire leaving? Then what?

Image Amid speculation that Governor Gregoire could be President Obama's pick for U.S. Solicitor General , our elections folks… Read more

The Road to Women’s Suffrage: 1877

This year marks the 100-year anniversary of women’s suffrage in Washington. Leading up to the centennial, which is in November, we are sharing some tidbits about the fight for women’s right to vote in Washington, and how it was finally won.

In 1877 the Washington Territorial Legislature passed a law allowing tax-paying women to vote in school elections, reflecting a belief that women had a “sphere” that included home and family matters.

… Read more

Governor Richard D. Gholson

From the desk of Judy Pitchford Richard D. Gholson was Washington's 3rd Territorial Governor serving from July 1859 to sometime in 1861, though he reportedly returned to his home state of Kentucky on a six month leave of absence in May 1860, never to return to Washington. Though he was only in Washington for 11 months, two important events did occur - the "Pig War" of 1859 on San Juan Island and the capture of the schooners Ellen Maria and Blue Wing by northern Indians. Not much is know… Read more

Reed: Thumb's up for all-mail voting

Image Secretary Reed is a big fan of the state's embrace… Read more

Honoring letter-writing champions

Image What do Little House on the Prairie, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and The Elegant Universe have in common? They are the books chosen by the three Washington students honored in Olympia as the state champions in the national Letters About Literature contest. Reagan Nelson (middle) of Spokane, Stephen Hitchcock (right) of Woodinville and Tyler Christensen (left) of Snoqualmie were honored in Secretary of State Sam Reed’s office by Reed… Read more