From Our Corner

Helping to get through Hard Times

You might know a relative, friend or neighbor who lost a job or is having trouble making ends meet due to the tough economy. Chances are, that person is scrambling to figure out what to do next and how to stay on his or her feet financially. Image The State Library has a very helpful tool for Washingtonians who are struggling in today’s shaky economy. It’s called the Hard Times Resource Guide. This online… Read more

Prison Libraries: Not All Are the Same

The last few months I have been reading the emails posted on the ALA Libary Service to Prisoners Forum, and I have been very interested in the different ways the libraries handle the material and what they are able to do in each library. There seems to be a wide range of what the libraries offer, as well as how they are managed.… Read more

“Talking books” are going high-tech

There is exciting news coming out of the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library in downtown Seattle: WTBBL just received its first shipment of digital talking book machines. These new machines (DBMs) represent a huge transition for WTBBL and the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, and it marks a major advancement in technology. In fact, WTBBL Program Manager Danielle King said it’s the biggest thing that WTBBL and the NLS have done in 30-35 years… Read more

Digital transition begins at WTBBL

[caption id="attachment_1867" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Danielle, Mary, and her new player"] Image [/caption] The Washington Talking Book & Braille Library (WTBBL) started the transition from 4-track cassettes and cassette players to digital talking books and digital talking book machines last week. This long awaited transition is one of the biggest things to happen in library services for the blind, visually impaired, physically… Read more

New Material for Lummi Island Heritage

Image Reefnet fishing in Row 3, ca. 1956. Click image to see full record. From the desk of Evan Robb For the second year in a row, Lummi Island Library (Whatcom County Library System) has built upon its Washington Rural Heritage collection by documenting the history of reefnet fishing around Lummi Island, Washington.… Read more

UPDATE: R-71 headed to November statewide ballot

Unofficial and incomplete figures from the state Elections Division shows Referendum 71 with sufficient signatures to make the Nov. 3 General Election ballot in Washington. It could be the narrowest margin ever for qualifying for the ballot. Sponsors, a campaign group called Protect Marriage Washington, submitted nearly 138,00o signatures on July 25, needing 120,577 to secure a ballot spot. As of… Read more

Judge hears challenge of R-71 signature-checking

Image King County Superior Court Judge Julie Spector has heard arguments in a court case challenging the state Election Division's signature-checking for Referendum 71, the attempt by foes of the state's new "everything but marriage" law to force a public vote on the legislation in November. The judge took the case under advisement and said she will rule on Wednesday morning. That is the same time frame as Secretary of State Sam Reed's for… Read more

R-71 qualifying for November statewide vote

With the Referendum 71 signature-check now nearly complete, state election officials say they've now confirmed that sponsors turned in more than the bare minimum needed for a spot on the November statewide ballot. Signature-checkers passed the 121,000 mark on Monday, the 23rd day of an exhaustive hand check of all 137,000-plus signatures submitted on July 25 by foes of a new "everything but marriage" domestic partnership law passed by the Legislature in April. It takes 120,577 valid… Read more

Libraries and Copyright

[caption id="attachment_1831" align="alignright" width="300" caption="The Section 108 Spinner; available to help Librarians navigate the morass that is Section 108 of the US Copyright Code"] Image [/caption] I have a love/hate relationship with the copyright exceptions for libraries and researchers. I'm grateful there are exceptions but I'm just not sure it's possible things could be *more*… Read more

Clippings, August 31, 2009

Clippings – August 31, 2009 Library News King County Library System (KCLS) negotiates with Duvall Church on library site. The property KCLS owns, bought in 2006, is on hold while negotiations continue with the church. (Valley View [Woodinville], 8.10.09) La Conner Regional Library has entered into a reciprocal borrowing agreement with Anacortes Public Library. “This is a way to give our taxpayers more resources for their tax dollars and reward them for supporting libraries,” says Joy Neal… Read more

New Material for Whitman County Heritage

From the desk of Evan Robb The Washington Rural Heritage initiative is pleased to announce several new digital collections--the result of a year's worth of hard work on the part of four public libraries receiving 2008/2009 LSTA grant funding from WSL. We'll be featuring material from our new collections all this week. Image Horses struck by lightning near St.… Read more

R-71 update: Friday night and nearly 131,000 sigs checked

The latest signature update for Referendum 71 shows that virtually 130,000 signatures have been reviewed, with well over 114,000 of them being accepted. Image

About 4,300 signatures have been counted since Thursday’s update, bringing the cumulative total to 129,996 checked signatures. Of this total, 114,583 have been accepted and 15,413 have… Read more

5 Questions about R-71: Suits and shifts

Friday greetings, fervent check followers! We're kick-starting your weekend discussions today in 5 Questions, where our team talks you through your R-71 check questions. It's all shifts and suits (though not the pinstripe kind) ...

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Q) Why does the recent lawsuit say that the Secretary of State accepted signatures on petitions that were not certified by the petition circulator? One of the key points made in the lawsuit filed… Read more

R-71 update: Almost 111,000 signatures approved

The latest signature update for Referendum 71 indicates that well over 125,000 signatures have been reviewed, with almost 111,000 of them being accepted.

About 8,500 signatures have been counted since Wednesday’s update, bringing the cumulative total to 125,631 checked signatures. Of this total, 110,797 have been accepted and 14,834 have been rejected for one reason or another. The overall… Read more

Lawsuit filed against Secretary of State over R-71

Image A lawsuit has been filed in King County Superior Court by Washington Families Standing Together requesting a Temporary Restraining Order to prevent the Secretary of State from certifying Referendum 71 to the ballot. The Secretary of State is the defendant in the lawsuit. The Attorney General’s Office and Deputy Solicitor General Jeff Even will represent the Secretary of State in the lawsuit. The attorneys are scheduling hearings for early… Read more

5 Questions about the R-71 check: Still scratching your head?

Are you dreaming about signature checks yet? No?! Then get ready for our team to talk you through your R-71 signature check question in our daily “5 Questions” post. You’re scratching your head about the jumble of numbers and knowing what you’re voting for … but not for long …

Q) When is the check going to end? It seems like it has been going on for a long time … A) The end is right around the corner! Our Elections Director just last night announced that the check is almost done and… Read more

Northwest ILL and Resource Sharing Conference

Image The Eighth Annual Northwest Interlibrary Loan and Resource Sharing Conference will be held September 17th-18th 2009 at Portland Community College's Sylvania Campus. The early registration and scholarship application deadline for… Read more

WSL Updates for August 27, 2009

Volume 5, August 27, 2009 for the WSL Updates mailing list

Topics include:

1) FIRST TUESDAYS FEATURES WSL SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

2) BABY BOOMERS AND PUBLIC LIBRARIES

3) UPDATED TAX EXEMPTION FORM

4) PICTURING AMERICA GRANTS

5) TECHNOLOGY SUPPORT FOR K-12 RURAL SCHOOLS

6) PARENTHELP123.ORG OFFERS NEW RESOURCES TO PUBLIC LIBRARIES

… Read more

R-71 update: 103,000 signatures approved

The latest signature update for Referendum 71 shows that signature checkers have approved more than 103,000 signatures. Image Nearly 7,000 signatures have been counted since Tuesday’s update, bringing the cumulative total to 117,069 checked signatures. Of this total, 103,198 have been accepted and 13,871 have been rejected for one reason or another… Read more

5 Questions about the R-71 check: What's that you signed?

Good afternoon signature-check junkies! Our team is talking you through your R-71 check questions in our daily “5 Questions” post. You asked about dinging for dupes and signature sleuthing … and we say … Q) What's the consequence for signing a petition multiple times? A) Most people who sign a petition more than once didn’t realize they have done so! Sometimes they don’t remember they had already signed the sheet, or get confused by the many petitions circulating around their town and they… Read more