Clippings, September 2, 2008

In everything from book checkout to Internet usage, libraries in Spokane (Spokane Public Library), Spokane County (Spokane County Library District) and Coeur d’Alene say they’re seeing significant increases. In particular, participation in youth summer reading programs has boomed – rising by 32 percent in Spokane, for example, and exploding by more than fourfold in Coeur d’Alene. (with color photo) (Spokesman Review [Spokane], 8-12-08)

Librarians Sandi Purcell and Lucy Ford will drive North Central Regional Library system’s new bookmobile across the library district’s 15,00 square miles to North Central Washington’s smallest towns. Their mission is to hook kids on reading by bringing the library to them. (with color photo) (The Wenatchee World, 8-13-08)

To join or not to join King County Library System (KCLS)? That is the question Renton City Council must answer. The City of Renton commissioned a 20-year master plan for the city’s two libraries in its 2006 budget. A consultant team was hired in June 2006 and they recommended Renton Public Library maintain its independence, but that the City of Renton significantly improve library services and facilities. (with photo) (Renton Reporter [Kent], 8-16-08)

Elections:

The first official tally from the Aug. 19 primary election indicate passage of both measures required to allow the Coupeville library expansion project to proceed – but supporters shouldn’t breathe a sigh of relief yet. The first measure required a simple majority vote and passed with 63 percent but the second measure is just squeaking by with a 60.26 percent yes vote. It requires 60 percent of the vote to pass. (The Whidbey Examiner [Coupeville], 8-22-08)

Buildings:

The Clallam Bay Branch of the North Olympic Library System is temporarily closed to the public to complete the final stage of construction work on the expansion of the library. The project adds two wings, totaling 2,682 square feet. The expanded branch is expected to reopen to the public ahead of schedule, on Sept. 8, 2008. (With photo) (Forks Forum, 8-13-08)

The Liberty Lake Municipal Library renovation will transform a warehouse-style space into a room where “everything flows into everything else,” Library Director Pamela Mogen said last week. The library must be out of its current facility by the end of January. (Liberty Lake Splash, 8-14-08)

Letters and Editorials:

Two letters to the editor supporting the Port Townsend library levy lid lift. “There is no free lunch, and the future of the library is too important to be rejected. Vote yes.” (Port Townsend Leader, 8-13-08)

A letter to the editor not supporting the Port Townsend library levy lid lift. “If the council wanted to dedicate an amount of money strictly for library use, they could do just that, just the same as it has always been done.” (Port Townsend Leader, 8-13-08)

Editorial discussing the possibility of the Liberty Lake Municipal Library joining the Spokane County Library District. “In applauding the purchase of the building, we are supporting both the library itself and the importance of having a branch in Liberty Lake.” (Liberty Lake Splash, 8-14-08)

An editorial supporting the Coupeville library expansion. “In these times, updating our library is a good way to stretch our dollars and to provide hope for the future of our community.” (Whidbey News-Times [Oak Harbor], 8-16-08)

An editorial speaking about the recent increase in library usage. “Libraries always gain in popularity during tough economic times, according to the American Library Association. We now have science-fiction-style gas prices. Discretionary money is disappearing faster than old library cards catalogs. And so people are returning to their libraries, where books, videos and Internet use don’t cost a dime.” (Spokesman Review [Spokane], 8-22-08)

People:

John C. Hughes, a veteran Northwest newspaper executive and a member of the state Sunshine Committee and trustee of the Washington State Historical Society, is leaving the helm of The Daily World in Aberdeen to become head of the state’s new Legacy Project. Hughes has accepted Secretary of State Sam Reed’s appointment as the manager and chief historian of the oral history program within the new Heritage Center that is planned for the Capitol Campus in Olympia. (with photo) (Pacific County Press [South Bend], 8-14-08)

Earl Dungey had never been to a prison before he took a job in the library at the McNeil Island Corrections Center. For the past four years, Dungey has been the only man to keep the shelves stocked and the inmates reading. (with photo) (The Chronicle [Centralia], 8-14-08)

In fourth grade, when everyone else was imagining life as astronauts and quarterbacks, Catherine Sarette was a bit more realistic. Her head wasn’t in the clouds, it was in her books. “I gave a speech in fourth grade about how I wanted to be a librarian,” she says. “It’s the only thing I ever actually wanted to do.” (with large color photos) (Bellingham Herald, 8-17-08)

Awards:

A library construction project in Battle Ground has received an additional $986,000 from the Fort Vancouver Regional Library District trustees to pay for rising building costs. (Daily Journal of Commerce [Portland, OR], 8-15-08)

Kitsap Regional Libraries will soon add famous pieces of art to its collection. All nine branches of the library system are among the more than 26,000 public and private programs that were approved earlier this summer to be part of an educational art-based history initiative through the National Endowment for the Humanities. (The Kitsap Sun [Bremerton], 8-21-08)

Programs and Displays:

About a dozen teens found a cure for the summertime blues at the North Bend Library on a recent Friday afternoon. It wasn’t books that drew them in, but a video game tournament. The North Bend, Snoqualmie and Fall City libraries, all part of the King County Library System, are equipped with Nintendo Wiis, Xbox 360s, Dance Dance Revolution, a Guitar Hero instrument and lots of games. They regularly invite teens to play and munch on free snacks. (with photo) (Snoqualmie Valley Record, 8-13-08)

Readers can express their opinions of books on YouTube and the Fort Vancouver Regional Library Districts website, thanks to librarian Sam Wallin of the Vancouver Community Library, who came up with the ‘One Minute Critic’ program. Since November, Wallin, has recorded and edited more than 150 of these revises, ranging from 17 seconds for a recap of “Dear Julia’ to more than three minutes for an introduction to “Never Outta the Woods” given by Vancouver author Larry Weirather himself. (Columbian [Vancouver], 8-24-08)

Summer Reading:

The King County Library System’s Summer Reading Program began in June, and we’ve had kids of all ages coming into the Vashon Library to pick up their reading logs and, of course, their prizes. This year the theme is “Catch the Reading Bug,” and if you have kids or grandchildren, then you know they love to learn about insects. (The Beachcomber [Vashon], 8-13-08)

The Camas Public Library’s summer reading program ended Aug. 16, but the Family Storytime programs continue to involve local families year-round. This summer 1,755 people, including 274 teens and 144 adults, participated in the summer reading program, which provides readers with rewards for their logged reading hours. (Camas-Washougal Post Record, 8-19-08)

Book Sales:

The Friends of the Orcas Island Library book sale during the Orcas Island Library Fair raised about the same amount as last year, selling around three-fourths of the 16,000 books available. (The Island Sounder [Eastsound], 8-13-08)

[This summary of library news was created by Susan Barrett of the Washington State Library Division of the Of fice of the Secretary of State. It represents a newspaper clippings packet from all Washington newspapers received on the date shown. For more information about any of these stories, contact Susan at 360-570-5561 or [email protected].]