From Our Corner

Secretary Wyman: Charges of rigged US elections `irresponsible'

Image Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman released this statement Tuesday: In recent days, we have heard heated campaign rhetoric about American elections being “rigged” and somehow predetermined. This kind of baseless accusation is irresponsible and threatens to… Read more

WSL Updates for October 17, 2016 Special Edition

Volume 12, October 17, 2016 for the WSL Updates mailing list SPECIAL EDITION – FREE BOOKS FOR WASHINGTON LIBRARIES The next regular edition of WSL Updates will be published on Thursday, October 20, 2016. FREE BOOKS FOR WASHINGTON LIBRARIES Thanks to the generosity of Bellingham Public Library, Seattle Public Library Foundation, and Sno-Isle Libraries Foundation, Washington State Library has the following titles to distribute to any public or school library within Washington State:

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Washington State Library honors Hispanic heritage / Biblioteca del Estado de Washington rinde homenaje a la herencia hispana

Image Información en español From the desk of Rand Simmons Need assistance finding information? Why don't you Ask WA? "Ask WA," you say. Ask-WA is a cooperative of more than 60 libraries throughout Washington State, both… Read more

WSL Updates for October 13, 2016

Volume 12, October 13, 2016 for the WSL Updates mailing list Topics include: 1) WHAT’S NEW UNDER THE SUN? 2) 2ND ANNUAL HISTORICIAL ZINE CONTEST 3) WHO ARE WE? WRITING, ART, AND FILM CONTEST 2016 4) HEALTH INFORMATION WEBINARS 5) EDUCATION CE OFFERINGS 6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) WHAT’S NEW UNDER THE SUN? Mark your calendars now for November’s First Tuesdays… Read more

Tale of a torn wagon cover

Image From the desk of Evan Robb COLUMBIA Magazine contributor Lionel Youst recently contacted us to identify a ca. 1901-1905 photo of a covered wagon (at right). The wagon is depicted aboard the Columbia River steamboat Charles R. Spencer. This badly-faded albumen print is from the Stevenson Community Library's… Read more

WA voter reg sets a one-day record; total now tops 4.2m

Image Voter registrations in Washington hit a new one-day record on Monday, the deadline for online and mail-in registration. In that single day, 27,601 signed up online via the Secretary of State’s MyVote.wa.gov. That broke the previous record set just a day earlier, 23,167. Before that, the all-time one-day record was set last spring, 13,109, with help from Facebook prompts. The number of registered voters now stands at 4,207,379. It’s the… Read more

The river of the west: life and adventure in the Rocky Mountains and Oregon

Image From the desk of Jeff Martin The river of the west: life and adventure in the Rocky Mountains and Oregon By: Frances Fuller Victor, 1826-1902 Hartford, Conn: Columbian Book Company Publication Date: 1870 "Mr. Meek was born in Washington Co., Virginia, in 1810, one year before the settlement of Astoria, and at a period when Congress was much interested in the question of our Western possessions and their boundary. " Manifest destiny"… Read more

WA Voters’ Pamphlet is coming soon!

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The front cover of this year's General Election Voters' Pamphlet. (Image courtesy of Elections Division)

As you get ready to vote in the General Election this fall, make sure to check your mail for one of the most useful educational tools you can have before you vote… Read more

WSL Updates for October 6, 2016

Volume 12, October 6, 2016 for the WSL Updates mailing list Topics include: 1) HOSTING AN HOUR OF CODE WEBINAR 2) DPLA METADATA APPLICATION PROFILE WEBINAR 3) APPLY FOR A POSITION ON THE LIBRARY COUNCIL OF WASHINGTON 4) LETTERS ABOUT LITERATURE CONTEST OPENS 5) GALE PUBLIC LIBRARY RENEWAL 6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) HOSTING AN HOUR OF CODE WEBINAR Do you plan/… Read more

Reminder: Oct. 10 is WA voter-reg deadline

Image A reminder that Monday, Oct. 10, is the deadline for online and mail-in voter registration ahead of the General Election. Secretary Wyman and the state Elections Director Lori Augino said Tuesday that county election departments will… Read more

Voters’ Pamphlet accessible to voters living with disabilities

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WTBBL narrator Rachel Glass records text from this year's Voters' Pamphlet. (Photo courtesy WTBBL)

This year’s statewide General Election Voters’ Pamphlet will be mailed out soon to more than 3 million Washington households. The largest edition, at nearly 300… Read more

Secretary Wyman, auditors propose election reforms

Image Secretary of State Kim Wyman and county election leaders have announced a bipartisan proposal to clear the way to check for citizenship of people who want to register and vote in Washington. At a news conference in Spokane on Friday, Wyman and county partners proposed legislation for the upcoming session that would adopt the REAL ID Act for Washington. That would mean people would have to present citizenship verification to get a driver’s… Read more

2016 Archives Month celebrates Washington parks

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2016 Archives Month poster. (Image courtesy of Washington State Archives)

When it comes to parks, Washington is pretty blessed. Just consider our national parks. Our oldest, Mount Rainier, includes its namesake peak that majestically… Read more

WSL Updates for September 29, 2016

Volume 12, September 29, 2016 for the WSL Updates mailing list Topics include: 1) SEX IN THE LIBRARY WEBINAR 2) DPLA METADATA APPLICATION PROFILE WEBINAR 3) EXPANDED LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES COUNCIL 4) GALE PUBLIC LIBRARY RENEWAL 5) DIGITAL RESOURCES ARE TAX EXEMPT 6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) SEX IN THE LIBRARY WEBINAR Sex in the Library presented by Mary Jo… Read more

Ancestry Day event draws packed crowds

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Secretary Wyman with Sons of the American Revolution at Ancestry Day Saturday in Tacoma. (Photos courtesy of Washington State Archives)

It takes a special event to keep sun-craving Northwesterners indoors on a nice September weekend, but that was the case Saturday… Read more

Facebook helps spread the word: Register to vote!

Image Facebook has launched an internet drive to prompt people to register to vote, including many in Washington. From Friday through Monday, Sept. 26, people on Facebook who are 18 and older will get a reminder at the top of their news feed urging them to get registered to vote – or if they already are registered, to remind their FB friends to do so. Secretary of State Kim Wyman, the state’s chief elections official, said Washington could set… Read more

WA Elections Division reaching out to 140k potential voters

Washington’s state Elections Division is sending out postcards to 140,000 state residents who appear eligible to vote, but haven’t yet registered. Many of the cards will go to new 18 year olds and to millennials between 19 and 35. The mailings will have a catchy, humorous graphic and information on how to quickly register online by Oct. 10. About 21,… Read more

CFD Masquerade Ball Charity Gala at Capitol Oct. 22

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Secretary Wyman and others at the 2015 CFD Masquerade Ball. (Photo courtesy CFD)

If you like dressing in gala gowns and tuxedos, wearing masks reminiscent of medieval masquerade balls, dancing the night away in the Washington's Capitol Building, casino… Read more

Beautiful Ruins: A Novel. By Jess Walter.

Image Beautiful Ruins: A Novel. By Jess Walter. (New York: Harper, 2012. 337 pp.) Recommendation submitted by: Will Stuivenga,… Read more

WA gets high marks for election info accessibility

Image Ballotpedia, the nonpartisan online info source for politics and elections, has ranked Washington as the most improved state for accessibility of its Elections Division and voter and candidate information. Washington rose from 22nd in… Read more

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The Washington Office of the Secretary of State’s blog provides from-the-source information about important state news and public services.

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