From Our Corner

Find Out What We Can Do For You!

Image Established in 1853, the Washington State Library is the oldest cultural institution in Washington, at the service of Washingtonians for almost 160 years. The shelves of the library were populated with books purchased on the east coast and shipped around the horn of South America to Olympia. On July 1, 2002, the State Library became part of the Office of the Secretary of State. We proudly serve all residents in Washington State. Through the… Read more

WSL Updates for February 2, 2012

Volume 8, February 2, 2012 for the WSL Updates mailing list Topics include: 1) APPLY FOR A POSITION ON THE LIBRARY COUNCIL OF WASHINGTON 2) FIRST TUESDAYS – TIPS AND TRICKS WITH THE U.S. CENSUS 3) CONNECT WITH COLLEAGUES IN TULALIP 4) WILL YOUR WEBSITE MEET THE NEW ACCESSIBILITY STANDARDS? 5) HELP FOR SMALL AND RURAL COMMUNITIES 6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) APPLY… Read more

"State Library jewel” #2: List of motor vehicle owners in 1912

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Photo courtesy of the State Library

In mid-January we launched our “State Archives treasures” blog series, and now it’s the State… Read more

1924 road map opens “State Library jewels” poll

Image We recently finished showcasing… Read more

CELEBRATE NATIONAL DIGITAL LEARNING DAY TOMORROW!

Did you know tomorrow, February 1, 2012, is the first National Digital Learning Day? This day of observance was launched by the Alliance for Excellent Education, one of two education advocacy groups behind the Digital Learning Now Initiative. The American Library Association’s (ALA) Digital Literacy Taskforce is calling on all libraries to put a social media megaphone to their activities planned for this special day. Raise awareness of your library’s work in this arena by tweeting (hashtag… Read more

Check out our Charities app

Image If you have an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch and want to look up charities-related information, you’re in luck. There’s an app that you can use to check out registered charitable organizations and commercial fundraisers in Washington. The info is… Read more

New puppy has arrived at Stafford Creek Corrections Center

Image Jeannie Remillard has this to share about the new puppy at SCCC: Her name is Athena...and she is the cutest little Beagle puppy you have ever laid your eyes on. When she first visited the library and came behind the desk to meet me, she was shaking with fright. By the time we filled her tummy with doggy treats and gave her much love we were sure she would remember her first visit to the library. Talk about cute...she jumped up on my lap and… Read more

Marijuana Initiative 502 certified to Legislature/ballot

Image Washington Secretary of State Sam Reed’s… Read more

And the “Archives treasures” poll winner is…

Image The votes are in, our online poll is closed, and we know the winner of our January “Archives treasures”… Read more

Lawmakers working on PCO elections fix

Image A House panel has passed a bill that might resolve the issue of whether the elections of Precinct Committee Officers can still be run by the state. PCOs are local Republican and Democratic Party leaders who run neighborhood precinct organizations and help fill… Read more

2012 Proposed Legislation Affecting Libraries 01/28/2012

Courtesy of the Legislative Planning Committee, Washington Library Association Library Related Legislation. 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.

Friday 01-28-2012… Read more

Accolades for AHCC Library Staff Joyce Hanna

[caption id="attachment_6796" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Joyce Hanna"] Image [/caption] It is always nice to hear that you are doing a good job. Joyce Hanna recently received this Kite telling her how much she is… Read more

Clippings for the week of January 20, 2012

[caption id="attachment_4996" align="alignright" width="227" caption="Image courtesy North Pend Oreille Heritage collection"] Image [/caption] Washington State Library News Are you a teen who aspires to be the next Steven Spielberg or Spike Lee? Here is your chance to put that cinematic creativity to good use and help promote reading and libraries at the same time. The “2012 Teen… Read more

WSL Updates for January 26, 2012

Volume 8, January 26, 2012 for the WSL Updates mailing list Topics include: 1) FIRST TUESDAYS – MINING GEMS FROM CENSUS DATA 2) EBOOK PILOT UPDATES 3) REWARDS FOR INNOVATIVE PROGRAMS 4) DISCOVER NEW REVENUE OPPORTUNITIES FOR TOUGH TIMES 5) GOT BOOKS? SHARE THE LOVE 6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) FIRST TUESDAYS – MINING GEMS FROM CENSUS DATA The U.S. Census contains… Read more

A Senate surprise for Slade

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Photo courtesy of Washington State Senate

When former U.S. Sen. Slade Gorton traveled south to Olympia, he assumed he was just coming to talk with state senators about the new legislative boundaries that he and the other… Read more

Arson, cursed bones, and an old fridge make for intrigue in Breach of Duty

Image Breach of Duty: A J.P. Beaumont Mystery. By J.A. Jance. (New York: Avon Books, 1999. 384 p.) Recommendation submitted by: Will Stuivenga, Cooperative Projects Manager, Washington… Read more

I thought YOU were bringing chains!

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Photo courtesy of Washington State Archives

Believe it or not, this photo is not of last week’s monumental snow and ice storm. While the last thing anyone might want to see right now is snow and ice on roads, it’s interesting to… Read more

Vote for your fave “Archives treasure”

Nowadays, we have opinion polls on everything from presidential candidates to Lady Gaga’s wild attire. Not wanting to miss the poll train, we’re offering you a chance to sound off on some of our State Archives’ many interesting documents, collections, photos and other historical nuggets. Starting this month, we’re featuring various “Archives treasures.” Over the past week, we’ve showcased three of these treasures for viewing. The first “contestant” is the state… Read more

Morality and cake pans

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="137" caption="If Only We Had Space for This"] [/caption] Even if you don't have time to read this brief, informative review on the history of rural libraries in the Midwest, open the link up to see the marvellous photo of a circulating cake pan collection! http://www.dailyyonder.com/main-street-public-library/2012/01/11/3678

The Results are In!

[caption id="attachment_6863" align="alignleft" width="172" caption="2012 Caldecott Medal Winner"] Image [/caption] The ALA Midwinter conference has concluded and the winners for all of ALA's major awards have been released! The Caldecott Medal is given to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children. This year's medal goes to A Ball for Daisy, written and illustrated by Chris Raschka The Newbery Medal is given to… Read more