The American Library Association Washington Office (ALA WO) recently announced a web site, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act 101, www.ala.org/knowyourstimulus, to help librarians understand the application of the "stimulus package" to libraries.
From the ALA WO February 19 District… Read more
By the late 1990’s Western State Hospital began to admit a number of Russian patients with limited English language skills. At the time the Library, a branch of the Washington State Library, had no Russian print material. When discussing this problem with one of the recreation therapists, the 2 of us suddenly realized that the Internet was an entirely new universe for Russian web sites as well as for other countries and in many languages. One day, probably around 2000 or 2001, a Russian… Read more
Washington's new Legacy Project debuts at the Capitol Tuesday afternoon -- and on a computer screen near you. Image This is the re-launch of oral histories of some of the fascinating people who make this such a cool state. And it will be done in a fresh new way, breezy, readable and compelling, and will be published free and online. The first three will be unveiled Tuesday at 2 p.m. by… Read more
Volume 5: Feb. 19, 2009 for the WSL Updates mailing list Topics include: 1) CONTINUING EDUCATION GRANTS FROM WSL 2) SUMMER READING PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS AVAILABLE SOON 3) DTV CONVERSION HELP FROM ALA 4) LIBRARY TECHNOLOGY TRAINING LIVE IN MARCH IN TUMWATER 5) A CALIFORNIA SUMMER READING WORKSHOP FOR VIEWING ONLINE 6) UPCOMING LIBRARY CONFERENCES --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Click below to see… Read more
Image Seattle -Submitted by Mike Foley
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Secretary of State Sam Reed, making in his first appearance of the session to a legislative committee, will urge lawmakers today to approve changes to strengthen Washington's popular Top 2 Primary. Image Reed, the state's chief elections official, will testify before the Senate Governmental Operations Committee at 3:30 p.m., on Senate Bill 5681. The measure would strengthen the state's voter-approved primary system, eliminating references to… Read more
Following the opening of the new Coyote Ridge Corrections Center near Connell earlier this month, the inmates there just this week gained access to the newest library in the Washington State Library system. The Coyote Ridge library features books, music CDs, and audio books; and a legal resources area where inmates can access legal resources such as case law, forms and court rules. The legal resources are now available on electronic files, which inmates can access from computers in the… Read more
[caption id="attachment_523" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="First general assembly of the Washington House of Representatives,1889"] Image [/caption]
See what great stuff you can find online at the Digital Archives.
In response to the ongoing conversation about the youth vote turnout (here,… Read more
Image Watching snow geese – Skagit County -Submitted by Brian and Dee
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As Washington joined the rest of the USA in celebrating Presidents' Day, we noted the cool C-SPAN ranking of our former presidents by 65 presidential scholars. No surprises among the All-Stars -- Honest Abe, George, FDR, TR, Give-'em-hell Harry; JFK, Jefferson, Ike, Wilson an Image d Reagan were your Top 10. The Bottom 10: Hayes, Hoover, Tyler, Dubya,… Read more
Lindsay from our Elections Division, who works with young voters year-round, offers her perspective on the 2008 voter turnout and why those 18-24 year olds turn in fewer ballots than the older crowd: Image
“As a Millennial myself, I’ve got to say that I’m not fussed about the turnout. It’s not a new problem. It seems to correct itself with age. The Gen Xers weren’t any better. In fact, the worst youth turnout on record was the 1996… Read moreThere is a great article in the January 2009 issue of Searcher: The Magazine for Database Professionals, titled “The Art of the Deal: Negotiation Advice from Library Leaders and Vendors.” I would go so far as to call it essential reading for anyone who negotiates library licenses and database subscriptions.… Read more
