From Our Corner

Taxes? Who the heck knows?

Image Legislative Democrats' tussle over taxes continues, behind the scenes, as does their loathing for a no-new-revenue state budget. The House budget panel pumped out an all-cuts plan earlier this week and a somewhat different Senate's version is still subterranean. Legislative leaders, with no overt encouragement from GovGreg, are toying with tax ideas. Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown, D-Spokane, is leading the "conversation" for a flat rate… Read more

Budget crunch = rethinking prisons

Image In recent decades, Washington has been the poster child for tough-on-crime legislation. Often spurred by crime-of-the-year legislation responding to a particularly heinous crime or a chronic problem like drunken driving, lawmakers have piled up tougher, longer sentences. The tougher-than-thou competition sometimes spilled over onto the campaign trail. But now the soaring Department of Corrections budget has collided with the state's $9 billion… Read more

WSL Updates, April 9, 2009

Volume 5: April 9, 2009 for the WSL Updates mailing list

Topics include:

1) SECRETARY OF STATE SAM REED URGES CELEBRATION OF NATL LIBRARY WEEK

2) ADULT SUMMER READING PROGRAM MANUAL

3) HARD TIMES AND LIBRARIES, ARCHIVED PROGRAM AND BLOG

4) HEALTH REFERENCE BASICS WEBINAR

5) FIND LIBRARY CONTINUING EDUCATION AT NORTHWEST CENTRAL

6) FINANCIAL WORKSHOPS AVAILABLE

7) GENTLY-USED COPIES OF THREE CUPS OF TEA WILL BE AVAILABLE AT WLA… Read more

Visit a Library – Sam Reed Says So

Image Hey, next week is National Library Week. This year's theme is "Worlds connect @ your library." Secretary of State, Sam Reed, is encouraging Washingtonians to celebrate by visiting and using their local libraries. “Now more than ever, libraries play a crucial role throughout Washington and… Read more

Flashback: Now and Then

Look who stopped by Sam's office today: The Wenatchee Apple Blossom Princesses ... Image

Which reminded us to dig through our Digital Archives... and find out what Wenatchee Apple Blossom Gals looked like back in the 1930s: Image (Via our Digital Archives photo search. Which is amazing.)

If the Sine Die tree is blooming...

State employees, public, friends – You may have seen this tree on your way into the Legislative Building: Image Long-time Oly folks tell me this is known as the "Sine Die Tree" – and that when this tree blooms, it means the Washington legislative session is over. And as if by magic … session is merely weeks from coming to a close.

Be extra nice to librarians next week!

Image Way back in the ‘80s when MTV actually showed videos, Tears For Fears had a video for “Head Over Heels” that featured a book-toting Roland Orzabal trying to win over some cute yet Arctic-cold librarian. (BTW, he succeeds...) Why did this ancient video come to mind? Because National Library Week is coming up. You know that super-nice librarian who helped you find some obscure book, DVD or Web site? Have you ever really taken the time to thank… Read more

So maybe 'Twilight 3' will be filmed in Washington...?

Image One of the possible reasons why the teen vampire thriller “Twilight” (both the book series and the movie) has been such a hit around Washington is that the book version takes place in Forks, and the movie was shot in Kalama. According to a Seattle P-I story today, the “Twilight” sequel will supposedly be filmed in British Columbia because producers can get a better deal up… Read more

Libraries are Here for All of Us

I had an inkling that the economy was in trouble a year ago when I worked in a rural library and a gentleman came into the library to ask for help with writing a resume. As I assisted him, I realized that the resume books and the computers were not really going to help. He didn't know how to type or use a computer since he'd been working at the lumber mill for over thirty years and hadn't needed to learn. At that time, I… Read more

That college diploma may cost you more ...

Image As higher education poises for deep budget cuts in Olympia, Governor Gregoire and others are proposing stiff tuition hikes to help offset. Both houses are contemplating hundreds of millions in higher ed cuts, estimating that 10,000 or more students might be turned away and thousands of faculty laid off. The House Ways and Means Committee produced its plan Tuesday as part of the House Democrats' $31 billion two-year budget draft. Big tuition… Read more

COBRA Continuation Coverage Assistance Under The American Recovery And Reinvestment Act Of 2009

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) provides for premium reductions and additional election opportunities for health benefits under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985, commonly called COBRA. Eligible individuals pay only 35 percent of their COBRA premiums and the remaining 65 percent is reimbursed to the coverage provider through a tax credit. The premium reduction applies to periods of health… Read more

Prison Libraries Change Lives

We ask inmates in Washington State to tell us how our libraries make a difference in their lives. Here is a response we just received from an inmate at Clallam Bay Corrections Center:

I have learned more about politics and history while in prison than any time before in my life. Because of the library I have been able to pursue my special… Read more

Havin' flashbacks: Been there, done that

Image As Washington lawmakers grapple with a deep recession and a budget gap approaching $9 billion, some Democrats are openly talking about something that has been the "third rail" of politics in this state -- the income tax. Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown of Spokane, a PhD economist who has deeply studied the state's tax structure, and Senate colleague Jeanne Kohl-Welles of Seattle are talking about a soak-the-rich tax something like President… Read more

Your Capitol: Tuesday a.m.

Image -Submitted by Gery.

Send us your pics of your campus visit! We'll share them here.

Government Information and Inspiration

In addition to digitizing historic materials, we collect and preserve Washington State publications in electronic formats as part of our State Depository Program. We crawl state agency websites for all kinds of publications. Whenever possible, we… Read more

School Libraries Targeted for Funding

If you're down in the dumps about K-12 and higher education library funding, I have a couple stories that may brighten your day. Also, if you look outside, that might help. It's sunny!

eSchool News posted a story today called "ALA: Spend stimulus funds on school libraries… Read more

Capitol kibbles

Image Some FYI updates for you: --Hans Dunshee, the House construction budget guy, unveils a $3 billion ballot proposal for K-12 and college projects. He calls it a modern-day version of the Works Progress Administration that put many Americans back to work during the Great Depression, and says we could get 90k jobs in the next fews years. State Treasurer James McIntire, Dunshee's former House colleague, raises a red flag. He says the state can't… Read more

Libraries Encouraged to Comment on BTOP

Image As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the U.S. Congress has appropriated $4.7 billion for the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) to establish and expand broadband services to unserved and underserved areas of the country and improve access to broadband by public safety agencies.

Included in this… Read more

Library Legislation Tracker – April 6, 2009

Courtesy Legislative Planning Committee, Washington Library Association State Bills of Interest. The Washington Library Association(WLA) tracks state legislative activity that will potentially affect Washington Libraries. Their tracker is posted to the WLA web site and we will also post it weekly on this blog. For information on the legislative process or becoming… Read more

Your Capitol: Friday afternoon

Image