From Our Corner

Dragons come to life

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Photograph courtesy of Aaron Barna Photography

Secretary of State Sam Reed dots the center of the dragon's eye for the 6th Annual Dragon Boat Festival held in Olympia. As the legend goes, once the dragon's eyes have been dotted, the dragon then… Read more

Dear Dewey

On Friday--March 4--a patient who called himself "the son of Satan" walked away from the Western State Hospital grounds. He was found the next day in a public park eight miles distant from the hospital. An investigation was immediately conducted to determine how the escape occured. The hospital management, which had already initiated restrictive movement protocols in the aftermath of a similar incident at Eastern State Hospital, directed further restrictions of group activities. The WSH… Read more

Celebrating our Spanish roots

Image Much is written of our Native American forebears, Lewis & Clark and westward expansion, British and Canadian exploration and settlement, and the early presence of Russians in the region. Less attention seems to be paid to the… Read more

Clippings for the week of April 22, 2011

Washington Library News The Columbia County Rural Library District is announcing their participation in the Washington State Library’s ‘Libraries at Light Speed’ project. The project will enable the library to receive high speed fiber optic connectivity with the potential of transmission speeds of 100 megabits per second (100 mpbs). (Dayton Chronicle, 3.23.11) Supporters of the threatened state history museums in Tacoma, Spokane and Olympia have found money that might keep them open. But… Read more

D.B.: A Novel (about getting away with a lot of money)

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WSL Updates for April 28, 2011

Volume 7, April 28, 2011 for the WSL Updates mailing list Topics include: 1) WANTED – DIGITAL PROJECTS LIBRARIAN 2) BOOK ARTS AND GRAPHIC NOVELS 3) FIRST TUESDAYS – WASHINGTON CONNECTION 4) PROVIDING LIBRARY SERVICES ACROSS CULTURES 5) GRANTS FOR HUMANITIES COLLECTIONS 6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) WANTED – DIGITAL PROJECTS LIBRARIAN The Office of the Secretary of… Read more

Annals of old Angeline

Image As National Poetry Month draws to a close, we stumbled upon a quaint obituary poem in our Digital Collections.… Read more

Low-key startup for second session

Image Washington's special legislative session got a quick and quiet liftoff Tuesday morning, with none of the drama, speeches and press conferences that usually mark the opening day of a session. In the House, gavels fell at 9 a.m. with less than a dozen members on… Read more

Bridgeport High School finalist in Commencement Challenge

Bridgeport High School, with 170 students, is one of six Image finalists in the Race to the Top High School Commencement Challenge. Located near Chief Joseph Dam (Douglas County) with a population of a little over 2,000, it has a chance to win a commencement address from President Obama. Please give them a 'high five' at http://www.… Read more

Library Legislation Tracker - April 22, 2011

Courtesy of the Legislative Planning Committee, Washington Library Association Library Related Legislation. 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 involved, see the WLA site referenced above. Click below to view the tracker… Read more

WA lawmakers heading into special session Tuesday

Image Gov. Chris Gregoire has called Washington lawmakers back into… Read more

Clippings for the week of April 15, 2011

Library News Orcas Library is on the move to further upgrade and develop its holding of adult materials, and is inviting bookworms, book maniacs and bookish folks to join its new Collection Management Committee. The committee will meet once a month. For more info, call 376-4985 or 376-5595. (The Island Sounder [Eastsound], 3.16.11) Nancy Warner, the coordinator for the Initiative for Rural innovation and Stewardship, is currently working together with other community groups to create a 30-… Read more

WSL Updates Special Edition for April 21, 2011 -- Grants Deadline

REMINDER―2011 GRANT APPLICATIONS DUE NEXT FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2011 The application deadline for three current WSL LSTA grant cycles is Friday, April 29, 2011. The grant cycles are as follows:

• 2011 Connecting Libraries through Resource Sharing (CLRS);
• Supporting Student Success (SSS);
• Washington Rural Heritage (WRH).

The CLRS and WRH grants are competitive grant opportunities; however, the SSS grant is criteria-based, to be awarded on a first come,… Read more

WSL Updates for April 21, 2011

Volume 7, April 21, 2011 for the WSL Updates mailing list Topics include: 1) FEED YOUR BRAIN 2) EARLY LEARNING EXCHANGE 3) MAYDAY! MAYDAY! 4) OUR AUTHORS, OUR ADVOCATES 5) WEBWISE 2011 WEBCASTS NOW AVAILABLE 6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) FEED YOUR BRAIN Feed your brain at the College Librarians and Media Specialists (CLAMS) spring conference, jointly sponsored by… Read more

Need a local records grant?

Image The Washington State Archives is now taking applications for its 2011-13 Local Records Grant Program. The application materials are available online through the Secretary of State’s website.… Read more

Stay tuned for new Washington Reads!

Image From the desk of Sean Lanksbury. PNW & Special Collections Librarian One of the many goals that the State Library works towards is exciting Washingtonians about reading books. Our staff gets especially excited about books that… Read more

WA suspends 2012 prez primary, saving $10 million

Image Washington lawmakers have approved a plan sponsored by Secretary of State Sam Reed and Gov. Chris Gregoire to suspend the 2012 presidential primary, to save over $10 million. The state… Read more

Senate OKs budget; tough negotiations await

Image The Washington Senate, acting with rare bipartisan accord, has approved a proposed $32 billion, two-year state budget. Then comes the hard part: negotiations with the House and Governor. Time is running… Read more

College civics posters and flyers, oh my

Image After completing last week’s opening leg for his annual college civics tour, Secretary Reed holds up a flyer displayed at one of the colleges. Elections Division staffers Lindsay Pryor (left) and Cristina Labra (right),… Read more

A rewarding experience in Pullman

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Photo courtesy of Dissmore's Foods

During his visit to Pullman Thursday evening, Secretary Reed stopped by Dissmore’s Foods to present the grocery store with a Corporations for Communities… Read more