Clippings, January 7, 2009
An editorial poses an idea to keep the Castle Rock Public Library open with donations of funds, of what people would have paid had the vote passed, until there is another chance to pass a library levy. (Daily News [Longview], 12-23-08)
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2008/12/23/editorial/doc49500d4be983e056757601.txt
“To make best… Read more
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 involved see the WLA site referenced above. Click below to view the… Read more
Hey everybody, it's resolution time! I've decided to brush up on my scanning procedures, photoshop skills, and general digitization knowledge. I often find myself in the middle of doing a job wondering if there are more efficient ways to go about it. I flip through manuals looking for answers, but they usually gloss over the advanced features, or they fail to discuss some of the most rudimentary functions. I've turned to other sources for information, and have found some great sites. The… Read more
Clippings, January 2, 2009, Part 1
[The Feb. 3 Timberland Regional Library levy lid lift election appears to be going down to defeat at 46%. Late votes are still being counted.]
As of Feb. 1 the Mount Vernon Public Library will be closed on Sundays, “the latest casualty in the city’s ongoing budget woes”. (Skagit Valley Herald[ Mount Vernon], 12-19-08) http://www.goskagit.com/home/article/… Read more
Clippings, January2, 2009, Part 2
Patrons of the Libraries of Stevens County discuss their use of the library in these tough economic times. Some staff notice increased numbers of visitors, while others mention that people are staying in the library longer after they arrive. (Statesman-Examiner [Colville], 12-17-08)
The Timberland Regional Library celebrates its 40th anniversary, with stories of the early days of library service in Aberdeen and Hoquiam. (With color and… Read more
Clippings, December 24, 2008
The North Central Regional Library has a new children’s bookmobile, a 27-foot motor home that can carry 4,500 children’s books. outfitted with a small rooftop satellite dish to connect with the Internet and the library’s checkout system. It makes weekly or monthly visits to many small schools and communities in North Central’s five-county area. The last NCRL bookmobile, in the late 1960’s, gave way to the district’s Books by Mail program, but this new… Read more
Clippings, December 19, 2008
Elections:
“The Castle Rock Library will slash its hours and lay off all but one employee—and it still may have to close within four months. Monday night the City Council accepted a recommendation from the library board to reduce hours from 156 to 79 hours a month until taxes and donations from 2008 run out. Money meant for 2009 operations won’t materialize because last month’s $42,000 library levy failed to reach the required 60 percent… Read more
One of the benefits of volunteering for the Historic Newspapers Online Project at the Washington State Library is the opportunity to read fascinating articles written in the 1800's. Recently, Deb Ross, a dedicated volunteer of several years, discovered an article titled, A Cannon For Every Boy, from the 4/30/1891 issue of the Yakima Herald, which included detailed instructions on building a homemade cannon using common household ingredients. Curious and intrepid, she decided to try the… Read more
Clippings, December 17, 2008
The initial library service and staff reductions at Fort Vancouver Regional Library will take place Feb. 1, with more to perhaps follow. Several branches will close one day per week. The district will eliminate 24 positions, 20.6 full-time equivalents, including the layoff of 11 current employees. Hours will be reduced for 13 more employees. The 11 layoffs will include five administrative positions; according to site, five will come from the main… Read more
Volume 4: December 18, 2008 for the WSL Updates mailing list
Topics include:
1) HOLIDAY SCHEDULE FOR WSL UPDATES
2) ENUMCLAW IS THE NEWEST COLLECTION ON WASHINGTON RURAL HERITAGE
3) NEW PROQUEST CONTENT FOR WASHINGTON LIBRARIES
4) DIGITIZED NEWSPAPERS AT WSL
5) FIRST TUESDAYS JAN 13 FEATURES WASHINGTON RURAL HERITAGE
6) VIDEO ON COLLECTION RESCUE IN THE CASE OF DISASTER
7) MAIL HANDLING SAFETY
… Read moreClippings, December 12, 2008
Reductions in service at Fort Vancouver Regional Library for 2009 are discussed. Bookmobile service will not be affected at this time “although the district will be studying the costs in the coming year.” (The Skamania Pioneer [Stevenson], 11-26-08)
An article explores the services available at the Heritage Quest Library (special library) in Sumner, which focuses on history and genealogy. A family membership is $35 per year. (With photo) (Bonney… Read more
Would you like to bend time and travel to pioneer days in Washington territory? Volunteers at the Washington State Library find themselves re-living the lives of settlers through the pages of historical newspapers published from 1852 to 1889. If you enjoy Washington State history, you may want to work a few hours a week reading articles electronically and entering keywords, titles, and subjects into a searchable database. Library users can then access the… Read more
Well today I had the pleasure of giving a small orientation to a class from the education department. I also have another one this afternoon. I have found that these have gotten easier over time, but I still wonder what to say and I have to remember what they need to know. Checkout periods, how many books or CDs, mention ILLs and that they can only come in during their scheduled time, the re-entry notebook, and other things that are considered vital for them to know. Then it comes time… Read more
