From Our Corner

Water Witches

Image From the desk of Steve Willis, Central Library Services Program Manager of the Washington State Library Do you believe in water witchcraft? The following article was found in the October 15, 1891 issue of the… Read more

Reflections from WSP Library, July 2013

[caption id="attachment_11291" align="alignright" width="300"] Image West Complex Library[/caption] My job in the Washington State Library Branch at the Washington State Penitentiary has exposed me to an area of librarianship I never would have… Read more

WSL Updates for July 11, 2013

Volume 9, July 11, 2013 for the WSL Updates mailing list Topics include: 1) WANTED – NCCE CONFERENCE PRESENTERS 2) WLA SCHOLARSHIP DEADLINE EXTENDED 3) REFORMA DÍA/BOOK DAY AWARD 4) NEW RESOURCE FROM ALA ADDRESSES PRIVACY CONCERNS 5) CIRCULATING NOW – NLM’S NEW BLOG 6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) WANTED – NCCE CONFERENCE PRESENTERS The Northwest Council for… Read more

160 celebration: Priest Point Mythbusting

Image [One bit of folklore concerning the Washington State Library Territorial Collection has to do with the original source of ownership for a dozen books, mostly vellum bound and chiefly dating back to the 1500s. When old catalogers gather around the… Read more

New elections award goes to Island Co. Auditor

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From left: State Elections Director Lori Augino, Island County Auditor Sheilah Crider, Dodie Hanby (sitting) and Loann Gulick. Hanby and Gulick are longtime county elections employees.

When State Elections Director Lori Augino told… Read more

Wyman honors Digital Archives staff

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(Photo courtesy of Renee Wyman.)

Secretary of State Wyman and some of her top officials came over from Olympia to Cheney to visit the Eastern Region Branch Archives and the Digital Archives Tuesday and congratulate the team… Read more

2013-2014 Washington Rural Heritage grants awarded

[caption id="attachment_11258" align="alignright" width="240"] Image Display of canned salmon at first Clallam County Fair, 1895. North Olympic Heritage Collection.[/caption] From the desk of Evan Robb Congratulations to the latest group of Washington libraries and museums receiving 2013-2014 LSTA grant awards through the… Read more

Clippings for the week of July 5, 2013

[caption id="attachment_4996" align="alignright" width="227"] Image Image courtesy North Pend Oreille Heritage collection[/caption] Library News The Centralia Timberland library hosted an open house with various activities and entertainment Saturday, May 18th to celebrate the library’s centennial. Funded by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, Centralia citizens and the Ladies of the… Read more

From Digital Archives: Vintage pass views & autos

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(Photos courtesy of Washington State Digital Archives.)

Anyone who drives across the Washington Cascades gets to enjoy million-dollar views and recreational opportunities of mountain pass highways that are the envy of the nation. The… Read more

No initiative to the people will be on ballot this fall

Image For the first year since 1989, an initiative to the people won’t be placed before Washington voters. Friday, July 5, is the deadline for initiative sponsors to submit signatures to our… Read more

From the Archives: July 4th celebrations

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January 1920 at the launch of the S.S. Bearport, a cargo ship. The ship was built by the Standifer Steel Company. (Photo courtesy of Washington State Archives.)

Image 1944 Uncle Sam from Harney Elementary School in Vancouver. (Photo courtesy of Washington State Archives.)

July 4 has been a federal holiday in the United States since 1941, but the tradition of the Fourth of July dates… Read more

Clippings for the week of June 28, 2013

[caption id="attachment_4996" align="alignright" width="227"] Image Image courtesy North Pend Oreille Heritage collection[/caption] Library News Fresh on the heels of ensuring a new city library will go forward this year and ensuring its completion in some form, the New Ferndale Library Project now has yet another matching grant of $500,000 from an anonymous donor. (Ferndale Record… Read more

Happy birthday to Ballard Locks!

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Crowded Ballard Locks, circa 1960. (Photo courtesy Washington State Archives.)

Whether you know the man-made channel connecting the saltwater of Puget… Read more

WSL 160 celebration - Law Library

Image [Not all the surviving books of the original Territorial Collection reside in the Washington State Library. A good portion of them went with the Washington State Law Library when they split from WSL. The current State Law Librarian, Kay Newman, tells the… Read more

WSL Updates for July 4, 2013

Volume 9, July 4, 2013 for the WSL Updates mailing list Topics include: 1) EVENTS FOR (ALMOST) EVERYONE 2) WORLDSHARE ILL UPDATE & TRAINING 3) LAST CALL FOR IPAD TABLET LAB GRANT APPLICATIONS 4) REGISTER BY JULY 8 FOR WMLA ANNUAL MEETING 5) DUST, DROUGHT, AND DREAMS GONE DRY 6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) EVENTS FOR (ALMOST) EVERYONE Events can be an excellent… Read more

Soldiers, quilters honored as exhibit opens

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Private First Class Shane Pires hugs Lacey resident Carla Sontag, who made his quilt.

With Independence Day around the corner, Secretary of State Kim Wyman recognized and honored six American soldiers who are members of the Warrior Transition Battalion… Read more

2013 Primary: Registration deadline July 8

Image Attention voters and would-be voters! This year’s Primary is just a few weeks away. In fact, the Primary will end on August 6. If you haven’t registered to vote and want to take part in this year’s Primary, you need to act soon. Monday, July 8, is the… Read more

Sudoku, Battle decks, Gamification...Oh My!

Sudoku was a foreign concept to me; I couldn’t understand why people were obsessed with filling in crossword puzzles made up of numbers. I’m not much of a mathematician and I was convinced Sudoku was a math game. Being stranded in eastern Washington 100 miles from the nearest town led me to give Sudoku a try and I’ve been hooked ever since. It’s all about logic and as a librarian and trainer, I do love logic games. One of the (many… Read more

Latest Washington Rural Heritage addition: Sedro-Woolley

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(Photo courtesy Washington State Library)

For the past several years, a program coordinated by our State Library has helped libraries, museums and other cultural… Read more

From Your Corner: Zillah's name

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(Photo courtesy of City of Zillah)

If you've driven from Yakima to the Tri-Cities or if you've done a wine-tasting tour in the Yakima Valley, chances are you've been through Zillah, a town of roughly 3,000 inhabitants in south-central… 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.

This space acts as a bridge between the public and Secretary Steve Hobbs and his staff, and we invite you to contribute often to the conversation here.

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