From Our Corner

Library News Round-Up – 27 February 2009

Are there stories about or concerning libraries that you think are worth sharing? Please leave us a comment and provide a link so we can check it out! Here are a few of the stories I ran across in the past few weeks that I felt were worth noting.

Books and E-Books As I imagine most folks know by now, the Kindle 2 was announced, and first shipments of the device began this… Read more

If you cry easily ...

Image Don't read the new state economic forecast. The report is from the Eight Billion Dollar man, state economist Arun Raha, to the panel of legislators and Gregoire revenue and budget directors who have to discern just how deep Washington's budget gap will be. (Early guesstimate by Raha is ballpark $8b.) The new economic forecast, the prelude to a full revenue forecast in a few weeks, paints a bleak picture of a state economy on the skids.… Read more

State and Federal Recovery Web Sites

Governor Gregoire launched Washington's Recovery.wa.gov site, http://recovery.wa.gov, today. According to the press release: "The recovery.wa.gov website is designed to help Washingtonians understand the recovery package and locate information that helps local governments find the right place to apply for funding. It also will serve as a “one-stop” location for accountability… Read more

WSL Updates, Feb. 26, 2009

Volume 5: Feb. 26, 2009 for the WSL Updates mailing list Topics include: 1) LIBRARIES AND THE AMERICAN RECOVERY AND REINVESTMENT ACT 2) MARCH FIRST TUESDAYS PROGRAM FEATURES VIRTUAL REFERENCE 3) LITERACY AND EDUCATION GRANT OPPORTUNITY 4) NEH PRESERVATION ASSISTANCE GRANT FROM CCAHA 5) TRUSTEE VIDEOS FROM THE WYOMING STATE LIBRARY --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Click below to see this week's updates ...… Read more

Happy, happy ... and ready to get involved

Image State Elections Director Nick Handy sends along a new national survey from Public Agenda that says most voters say they're happy with their latest voting experience -- despite some lingering concerns about the process -- and that many are strongly interested in getting involved in their communities. The nationwide survey was conducted by Public Agenda, a nonpartisan, nonprofit public policy and public opinion group, and was financed by the… Read more

RE: Who Loves You, Grandma?

Washington State: We're famous for our fresh air … and computers … and lattes … … and genealogy?? Image Get used to that connotation, because Washington has been getting rave reviews lately for making it a snap to find out who's who in your family tree. Washington State was named the second best state in the country for genealogy in Family Tree Magazine (May 2009). Massachusetts came in at No. 1, thanks to its Mayflower passenger list and the… Read more

Washington Prison Reads

Davidson, R., & Kerwin, J. (2005). Macbeth for murderers. [Philadelphia]: Xlibris. Cardozo-Freeman, I., & Delorme, E. P. (1984). The joint: Language and culture in a maximum security prison. Springfield, Ill., U.S.A.: Thomas. Affolter, D. R. (2005). Gangsters behind bars: An in-depth inquiry into prison gangs in the Washington State Penitentiary. Thesis (B.A.)--Whitman College, 2005. Walker, J. (2004). Dancing to the concertina's tune: A prison teacher's memoir. Boston:… Read more

Reed: 3 cheers for Gary Locke

Washington Secretary of State Sam Reed is saluting President Obama's selection of former two-term Governor Gary Locke to become U.S. Commerce secretary. Reed says the nomination is great news for job-creation in America's most trade-dependent state. Reed's statement:

Image "I'm delighted that Governor Locke is President Obama’s choice for… Read more

What’s New in Digital Collections: a list of the latest newspapers, books, maps

Image Historical Newspapers in Washington

• Puget Sound Weekly Argus: 1876 (Port Townsend) Jan. 1, 1876 - July 27, 1877
• … Read more

From Your Corner of Washington

Image San Juan County Park at Sunset -Submitted by Pam

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Going once, twice ...

You may have seen the great old chairs in Sam’s office ….

Image … but you may not know they were made possible by a committee dedicated to preserving and restoring historic furnishings. Tomorrow, the Capitol Furnishings Preservation Committee is hosting a fundraising auction in the Governor’s Mansion from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm. All proceeds will go towards restoring capitol furnishings, like fixing up the Supreme Court Law Library's original… Read more

Off the launchpad ...

Quite a party in Secretary Sam Reed's office yesterday afternoon!

What a motley crew of folks -- powerful pols, ink-stained wretches, County Auditors, rock fans, Grange activists, history buffs and a surprise guest or two all joined to honor the likes of rocker Krist Novoselic, trailblazing female journalist… Read more

Take that, Obamacrats!

Image You have to credit Senate Republicans with a sense of humor. They may be far outnumbered by the Democrats, who have made increasingly clear their intent to consider new revenue as part of the solution to an $8 billion budget gap, with a tax or surcharge package presumably going to the voters. Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown, D-Spokane, even said something like that to her Facebook friends. Republicans thus are relying on their bully pulpit… Read more

African Americans in the Northwest – bibliography

Just in time to catch the end of Black History Month, African Americans in the Pacific Northwest: A Select Bibliography, is now available on the Washington State Library's website. This annotated bibliography of recent titles and websites contains materials on a variety… Read more

F5

Monday morning - and the sun shines bright. The birds are all singing, my spirit is light. The library is calm, though it’s busy as a hive Then my world turns to chaos when I hit F5. My Inbox was clear...everything in its folder. I’d conquered the beast, could I feel any bolder? But quick as a flash, instant karma did arrive. My confidence crumbled when I hit F5. With diligence and tenacity I worked even harder. I answered and archived and deleted with fervor. My heart was… Read more

Non-profit, now what?

Image If you’ve formed a non-profit, you may be thinking: now what? Figuring out how to stay in compliance with the law and keeping paperwork up-to-date can be tricky. So what's a new non-profit to do? Might I suggest taking a peek at our Corporations & Charities Division and its free ongoing series that goes over all the nuts and bolts of being a non-profit? This Thursday, our February session will be held in Port Orchard at the Givens… Read more

Web Sites to Promote Libraries During Hard Economic Times

We're working hard to develop a set of resources to share with Washington libraries that will help ease the burden during these hard times. As we continue to sift through sites to help your patrons build resumes, search for jobs, apply for unemployment, and learn new skills, here are a few that we've discovered so far. This list is excerpted and thanks to the Minnesota State… Read more

From Your Corner of Washington

Image Downtown Seattle -Submitted by Ben

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KingCo's excellent adventure ...

Image King County, one of the nation's largest counties and home of nearly a third of the Washington electorate, has certified the results of their first countywide election since switching to all vote-by-mail. One of the outcomes was the voters picking their first directly elected elections director. She's Sherril Huff, who had… Read more

From Your Corner of Washington

Image The Ice Falls, just outside of Chelan -Submitted by Joesph, who says "You know it may be cold over here but it sure is beautiful."

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