From Our Corner

Winners honored for contest blending reading & writing

During this time of year, the Legislative Building normally is filled with lawmakers, legislative staffers, lobbyists, tourists and school groups. But this afternoon, about 250 people gathered in the building’s Rotunda for a ceremony honoring a group of Washington students who placed high in a contest combining reading and writing.

About 50 students, plus their families, were on hand for the 2008-09 Letters About Literature awards ceremony. Secretary of State Sam Reed and State… Read more

What to wear???

When I first started working in a correctional facility I asked myself, what do I wear? I knew that it was not feasible to wear a sack cloth and ashes, but I also did not want to draw attention to myself. There were several false starts, as I worked my way through trying to figure it out. As it was a pretty casual setting I was comfortable wearing jeans. But then the question came on what to wear with them. In the everyday world v-neck t-shirts are the norm and really don't draw… Read more

Young descendant of former Secretary of State meets current SOS

As I noted in a blog post last week, Washington’s one and only female Secretary of State was Belle Reeves, who was appointed in 1938 and served as Secretary of State until her death in 1948. Today, her great-great-great granddaughter, Brooke Carson, paid her first visit to the State Capitol and met the current Secretary of State, Sam Reed, in his office. Accompanying Brooke was her grandfather, Gregg Morrison, who was Belle’s… Read more

Clippings, April 3, 2009

Clippings, April 3, 2009

Cheyanne Lee wandered up to the Mukilteo Public Library checkout scanner with 13 bright, gleaming books bundled up in her arms. Cheyanne is part of a growing generation of young people who devour graphic novels, a type of comic book that usually has a longer and more complex plot. Their popularity is a big reason circulation of teen fiction in the Sno-Isle Regional Libraries system has nearly doubled over the past five years. (The Daily Herald [Everett], 3.… Read more

Guv's office next stop for state flag account bill

Image The Legislature has just approved a bill that would mean a lot to our overseas military personnel. The Senate this morning unanimously passed House Bill 1121, which would create the Washington state flag account to provide for donations of Washington flags to the state’s military personnel. The House passed it 95-0 in February. The bill now goes to Gov. Gregoire for final… Read more

"Gold in them thar hills": Benefiting from ARRA

We're all aware that there's stimulus money out there. Knowing how to get that money? Well, that's a whole different kettle of fish. Luckily, there are folks… Read more

Library Legislation Tracker – April 2, 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

And what about them planes?

Perhaps the biggest act of symbolism in the House and Senate budgets is a plan to mothball or sell off the state Image airplanes. The governor, State Patrol, Department of Natural Resources, prison department and other agencies have access to two King Air craft that are maintained and flown by the patrol. The hangar is at the little Olympia Airport south of town. The de-planing idea, popular in many states during recessions, is supposed to save… Read more

Interesting Resources from the IRN

Image The Internet Resources Newsletter is an online compendium of interesting web sites and is published on a monthly basis. You can check out their web site, or subscribe to the newsletter in your email, if you prefer.

Below are some… Read more

From Your Corner of Washington: Now and Then

Ocean Shores Clam Dig 2009: Image Ocean Shores Clam Dig 1960: Image -Submitted by Ben

Submit us your photo from… Read more

Stress Increases among Librarians, Users

The NY Times yesterday had an article, "Downturn Puts New Stress on Libraries," which covered how library staff are dealing (or not dealing) with the added stress of new job duties associated with the economic downturn.

"But in some cities, this new… Read more

Re: Chop, slash, trim: Now construction budget gets knife

Image Washington lawmakers plan to spend $3 billion on an assortment of "shovel-ready" construction projects across the state -- but because of our deep recession, that's a far cry from the normal spending. As a sideshow to the main event of writing a state budget that closes a monster $9 billion gap, Democrats in both chambers have rolled out competing construction budgets. Senator Karen Fraser, chief architect of the Senate's plan, called it "… Read more

WSL Updates, April 2, 2009

Volume 5: April 2, 2009 for the WSL Updates mailing list Topics include: 1) WASHINGTON STATE LIBRARY FUNDING AT RISK 2) STATEWIDE DATABASE TRIALS – UPDATES 3) STATE’S FIRST POET LAUREATE VISITS WSL FOR EVENING PROGRAM 4) APRIL FIRST TUESDAYS FEATURES LIBRARIES AND HARD TIMES 5) GRANT CYCLES NOW OPEN 6) A LITERACY AND LIBRARIES WEBINAR 7) COMPANY FOUNDATIONS WITH POSSIBLE LOCAL GRANTS 8) FEDERAL STIMULUS FUNDS FOR AT-RISK YOUTH… Read more

OCLC Holds the Line on Pricing for 2009-2010

Image No, this is NOT an April Fool's joke!

OCLC has announced that there will be no price increases for "OCLC cataloging and metadata services, resource sharing and access, and digital and preservation services" for the 2009-2010 fiscal year (July 1 - June 30). On February 9, the OCLC Board of… Read more

Association of Washington Cities Provides Information on Grant Opportunities

The Association of Washington Cities (AWC) provides information on the web to help cities become aware of federal, state, and foundation grant opportunities. This information is located at… Read more

Libraries: Save Green, Go Green

We often tout the money-saving services provided by libraries. Less often do we consider library services as green practices, though they certainly qualify. Sharing resources lessens individual consumption, which can help conserve paper, reduce waste, and lower our carbon footprints. U.S. News & World Report had a great, if brief, story yesterday… Read more

From Your Corner of Washington: OK, but then how did Pearl Jam get its name?

Whether you were a grunge fan or casually kept track of Seattle’s glorious rock scene in the ‘90s, you certainly remember Soundgarden. (Hard to forget “Spoonman” and “Black Hole Sun.” ) But do you know how Soundgarden chose its name? The band named itself after a wind-channeling pipe sculpture, “A Sound Garden,” located along Lake Washington on NOAA property next to Magnuson Park in Seattle:

… Read more

Chop, slash, trim: The sequel

Image And now, the other shoe drops. Just a day after Senate Democrats unveiled their $31.3 billion two-year state budget plan, their brethren in the House D caucus have rolled out a competing plan. They aren't carbon copies. Two houses have the same big-picture goals -- a balanced budget that closes a ginormous $9 billion spending chasm, mostly through cuts, freezes, fund graps and Obama Bucks, and squirrels away $850 million as a hedge against… Read more

A Governor, A Senator, and a Librarian Walk into a Community …

Okay, so I'm not sure how that joke would end, but possibly it would involve the governor and the senator giving loads of money to the librarian, who would use it to amazing effect, helping all that they met. Hey, I never said humor was my forte.

… Read more

Government forms, anyone?

This webportal maintained by the Library staff at the University of Memphis, has links to a variety of federal government agencies that provide forms. Many of the forms are useful for the general public, and this is a great place to start looking if your library doesn't already have a particular form on hand.… Read more