It is with a heavy heart that we share the news of the passing of Sid McAlpin, State Archivist from 1963 to 1994. To those who worked in the Washington State Archives in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, Sid was not only a leader, but also a friend and mentor.
Sid’s work as State Archivist was significant and extensive. The following are only some of his many great accomplishments and… Read more
The 18th United States Census, conducted in 1960, was the first U.S. Census in which the questionnaires were mailed to households, as opposed to paid, in-person enumerators who visited each house. Previous census enumerations used mail-in questionnaires in a limited way, but the 1960 Census relied very heavily on self-reporting.
The census determined the U.S. population was 179,323,175. Over the next six years, however, there were many challenges to the census from communities… Read more
The Washington Talking Book & Braille Library is presenting a free introduction to braille workshop Tuesday, February 4 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the Library's conference room, hosted by WTBBL volunteers Keiko Namekata and Dana Marmion.
Image Instructor Keiko Namekata reads braille at the Washington Talking Book & Braille LibraryIf you’ve ever wondered "What is braille? What can braille do for me? Would I be able… Read more
On a crisp March morning in 1920, Seattle Police Lieutenant Roy Olmstead and his colleague, Sergeant T.J. Clark, treaded the dock at Edmonds’ Meadowdale Marine in the caliginous hours leading dawn. A crew of nine bootleggers hauled a rum-running boat’s capacity of Canadian whiskey to six nearby trucks, prepared to furnish Seattle with the contraband in the wake of Prohibition’s inception. Lt. Olmstead and Sgt. Clark had a watchful eye on the operation, but they were not there to arrest… Read more
It’s hard to believe master guitarist Jimi Hendrix would have turned 77 this year. He has been gone almost twice as long as he was alive.
Just 27 years old when he died in 1970, his musical career — although short — has had one of the most lasting and profound effects on guitarists today. With the 50th anniversary of Woodstock just passed, we are again reminded of Jimi’s guitar style. His guitar sounds are quickly recognizable and argued to be some of the best of all time. His… Read more
The holiday season offers many occasions to celebrate with friends and families. Did you know that state and federal government publications can inform and enliven those celebrations?
Thanksgiving may have passed, but many households cook a large holiday meal for one or more occasion in December as well. The U.S. Department of Agriculture provides general guidelines for food safety in preparing and storing your holiday meal, as well… Read more
Earlier this fall, a team of WSL staff members worked together to create a few displays in the library to honor Native American Heritage Month.
As a state and a federal depository, the Library houses many documents of historical value and significance, such as tribal treaties and maps. Highlights from our Pacific Northwest collection include poetry, fiction and nonfiction by Indigenous authors as well as books on Native art traditions and artists. Many of Washington’s Indigenous… Read more
Imagine this: It’s deep winter in the southeast corner of Washington state — wheat country. Blowing snow builds on the icy country roads and two-lane highways. Cell phones don’t exist because it’s 1970. You’re worried you will arrive late for jury duty; but when you get to Pomeroy, you discover court has been canceled for the day. Oh no!
Enter Doris Landkammer, Garfield County Clerk. Known for going above and beyond her official duties, she fills you with hot coffee and her… Read more
With grant support from the Washington State Library, the Tacoma Public Library (TPL) recently completed a year-long digitization project to preserve and share the work of artist Thomas Handforth (1897-1948).
Best known for his children’s book Mei Li, which won the 1939 Caldecott Medal for illustration, Handforth was born in Tacoma, and studied art at the University of Washington. Some of his early etchings and anatomical drawings stem from when he enlisted in the U.S. Army in… Read more
On November 4th, a group of blind and low-vision artists from the Sensory Art Group donated a work they had created to the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library.
The artists and their instructor were present for the installation of the art in the WTBBL conference room. The work of art, called Northwest Vista, is a sculpted and tactile representation of a typical northwest landscape with three panels, together creating a panoramic view.
Image… Read more
In preparation for the General Election on November 5, the Audio Book Production Department at Washington Talking Book & Braille Library (WTBBL) recorded the statewide voters’ pamphlet. Every voter deserves the right to learn more about the candidates and issues before Washingtonians this election, and for those who can’t read the print edition of the voters’ pamphlet, the audio version makes it possible.
Narrators Rachel Glass and Gregg Porter spent over 53 hours recording… Read more
WSL Community Outreach Librarian, Sara Peté, recently took part in a panel on “Building Community with Book Clubs” at the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association’s annual tradeshow — an event that brings hundreds of book industry professionals together. Davina Morgan-Witts of BookBrowse and sweet pea Flaherty of King’s Books Tacoma shared their extensive knowledge on the wide, and sometimes wild, world of book clubs. Morgan-Witts co-authored… Read more
Across Washington state, public libraries have led the way in preserving unique local history collections with help from the Washington State Library’s Washington Rural Heritage program. Currently in its 12th year, this program provides small cultural heritage institutions with grants, training, and a digital platform to bring… Read more
The Washington Talking Book & Braille Library released their annual report early this mon
Whether you are sewing from scratch or upcycling, we’ve got you covered!
In honor of National Sewing Month and recent worldwide
interest in upcycling clothes, we’d like to share some little-known resources here at The Washington State Library.
A quick keyword search of our library catalog… Read more
On Tuesday, July 30th, Washington State Library Youth Services Consultant Siri Hiltz and Community Outreach Librarian Sara Peté had the good fortune of visiting the beautiful Camas Public Library for a chance to learn from the nation’s top librarian —… Read more
Volunteer archivist, Whitney Wyngaert, discovered a Columbia County Poll Book which contained information that had nothing at all to do with polling voters. Instead, the volume’s ragged, faded label reads “Dayton Nat GR ’94.”
The headers printed on each set of pages claim the volume to be the “Registration Poll Book for Brooklyn Ward, City of Dayton, Columbia County., Wash., for the Year 1893.” The volume was transferred to the archives in 1990 from the Columbia County Auditor,… Read more
Hundreds of audio books are produced in the studios of the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library (WTBBL) Audio Book Production Department. These books, narrated by volunteers, are normally only available to WTBBL patrons and patrons of other National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped network libraries. But a collection of Legacy Washington titles produced in audio format by WTBBL… Read more
Earlier last week, Washington State Historical Society announced this year's recipients of their History Awards.
Washington State Archives and Washington State Library were announced as the recipients of the David Douglas Award… Read more
On Saturday, September 14, 2019, the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library (WTBBL) will kick off its free braille transcription course. Students will learn to transcribe print text into braille for blind and low-vision readers. Class will be held 9:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Saturday mornings, and will end on April 4, 2020.
Braille is critically important to the lives of those who are visually impaired or blind as it provides the ability to read and write. Literacy ensures… Read more
