From Our Corner

Clippings for the week of August 19, 2011

[caption id="attachment_4996" align="alignright" width="227" caption="Image courtesy North Pend Oreille Heritage collection"] Image [/caption] Library News The Quincy Lamb Weston potato-processing facility made some changes last year that not only saved millions of gallons of water, but also led to thousands of dollars being donated to the new Quincy Library. The effort was… Read more

Spotlight Charity: Ready to get GRuBby?

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Ellensburg, One By One

On the eve of the second World War in 1941, Ellensburg city engineer and amateur photographer Fred L. Breckon began a multi-year pursuit documenting men and women of his town through his camera's lens. An astoundingly ambitious project, Breckon made many of these photographs during his lunch break on the sidewalks of downtown Ellensburg. These images, along with detailed biographical notes on his fellow townspeople, amount to a documentary series of almost… Read more

WSL Updates for August 25, 2011

Volume 7, August 25, 2011 for the WSL Updates mailing list Topics include: 1) TWO NEW DIGITAL COLLECTIONS FROM EASTERN WASHINGTON 2) GRANT CYCLE CLOSES SEPTEMBER 2 – TLA50 INITIATIVE 3) UW RECRUITING LIBRARIES FOR IMPACT SURVEY PILOT 4) FREE VOLUNTEER ENGAGEMENT WORKSHOP 5) DISCOVER EARTH EXHIBIT OPPORTUNITY 6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) TWO NEW DIGITAL COLLECTIONS… Read more

Virtual Reference in Prison

Image Librarians at Coyote Ridge Corrections Center, Washington Corrections Center Shelton, and Washington State Penitentiary, have started using kiosks at their local institutions to send overdue notices and hold pickup notices to offenders. We are… Read more

Successful Volunteer Engagement Strategies for Libraries

Image The Washington State Library free Fall Workshop is almost here! Baby boomers and the generations that follow are seeking new ways to use their skills and experience to make a difference in their communities. While libraries are uniquely positioned to benefit from these volunteers, there is a disconnect between the volunteers’ intent… Read more

When Nixon visited Seattle in '68

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Photo courtesy Washington State Archives

1968 was an unforgettable year: Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy were assassinated in a two-month span; the Vietnam War dominated the news and sparked… Read more

Clippings for the week of August 12, 2011

[caption id="attachment_4996" align="alignright" width="227" caption="Image courtesy North Pend Oreille Heritage collection"] Image [/caption] Library News Library Journal Magazine, the oldest library periodical in the U.S., and Gale Publishing have named the King County Library System the Library of the Year. The nationwide honor has folks in the KCLS Valley branches, the… Read more

Check out Prosser Heritage digital collection

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Photo courtesy of Benton County Museum & Historical Society

Whether you’re from Prosser or the Yakima Valley, or just like looking at old black and white photographs, you’ll want to take a look at the new… Read more

Piano anyone?

Image Working in prison libraries, we spend time answering "kites" from inmates in the locked units. These kites are usually pretty basic reference questions, but every once in awhile we get one that just make us laugh. Recently one such… Read more

New digital collection: Prosser Heritage

Image From the desk of Evan Robb A collection of historical photographs documenting the community of Prosser, Washington is now available online thanks to a partnership between the Prosser Branch of Mid-Columbia Libraries and the Benton County Museum & Historical Society. Funded by a 2010-2011 Washington Rural Heritage grant from the Washington State Library, the… Read more

Walking the walk in Cheney

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Photo by Debbie Bahn

Secretary Reed is well-known among his employees for organizing midday walks to chat with staffers and enjoy the outdoors. Well, the Secretary brought his walking shoes and shorts to Cheney Thursday. During his visit to… Read more

WSL Updates for August 18, 2011

Volume 7, August 18, 2011 for the WSL Updates mailing list Topics include: 1) WANTED — NATIONAL DIGITAL NEWSPAPER PROJECT MANAGER 2) CLOCK HOURS FOR PROQUEST K-12 TRAINING 3) FREE TRAINING FOR DISASTER PREPAREDNESS 4) EARLY LEARNING FELLOWS PROGRAM 5) FINAL SET OF CONNECT THE DOTS PRESENTATIONS NOW ONLINE 6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) WANTED — NATIONAL DIGITAL… Read more

Don't forget to take care of your Legislative Building!

Image From the desk of Sean Lanksbury. PNW & Special Collections Librarian Otherwise, you might end up with the sight you have before you: rotting timber, broken windows, and a sagging foundation.… Read more

A message to the outside world

[caption id="attachment_5722" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="AHCC Library"] Image [/caption] Recently an Interlibrary loan book was returned to the Airway Heights Corrections Center (AHCC) Library. Now we are not sure if the inmate enjoyed the book, but… Read more

WSL Updates for August 11, 2011

Volume 7, August 11, 2011 for the WSL Updates mailing list (With apologies for the delayed posting) Topics include: 1) TECHNOLOGY DONATIONS FOR PUBLIC LIBRARIES 2) MORE CONNECT THE DOTS PRESENTATIONS ONLINE 3) FREE GREAT LAKES ROMANCES 4) WHY TECHNOLOGY IS NO LONGER A LUXURY 5) LOOKING AHEAD FREE E-FORUM 6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) TECHNOLOGY DONATIONS FOR… Read more

Clippings for the week of August 5, 2011

[caption id="attachment_4996" align="alignright" width="227" caption="Image courtesy North Pend Oreille Heritage collection"] Image [/caption] Clippings, August 5, 2011 Library News The Jefferson County Library opened its first satellite collection at the Quilcene Community Center on July 5, and the collection contains more than 200 popular books available for checkout on a first… Read more

WSL Employee of the year: Theresa Connolly

Image Theresa Connolly, Audio Production Supervisor for the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library (WTBBL) is the Washington State Library (WSL) Employee of the Year. The transition to digital talking books in both physical form (cartridge) and downloadable form… Read more

New digital collection: Odessa Heritage

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="234"] Image Joshua Elmer and son, circa 1903[/caption] From the desk of Evan Robb The Washington Rural Heritage initiative is pleased to announce a new digital collection: Odessa Heritage. A project of the Odessa… Read more

Chief economist sees bleak news on horizon

Image Washington's chief economist, Arun Raha, had hoped we'd be pulling out of our economic doldrums by now, but he says tax collections are sliding backward and he has a "sinking feeling of pessimism" about a… Read more