Photo of the day
Too rainy out there for ya? Seattle eccentric Robert W. Patten is shown wearing his umbrella hat, the invention that made him something of a local celebrity in the early 1900s. Time to bring it back… Read more
From Our Corner
Library Legislation Tracker – February 10, 2010
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… Read moreCelebrating local records grants
Image
A group of Local Records Grants recipients from throughout the state recently visited the Capitol and met with Secretary Reed, who noted the grant program’s key role in protecting Washington’s history. For more info about the 2009-2011 grant program, go here .
Library Legislation Tracker – February 08, 2010
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… Read more
Hey, let's be civil!
Sure, sometimes it seems like the screamers and the insult artists are winning, but Secretary of State Sam Reed and the Foley Institute at Washington State University are teaming up to put in a plug for civility in public life. Reed, the state Elections Division, and the Thomas S. Foley Institute for Public Policy and Public Service recently hosted a "civility summit" at the state Capitol. Reed and Nick Lovrich, Francis Benjamin and others from WSU were joined by longtime Democratic… Read more
Beat the clock: It's election time across Washington
Image In most corners of Washington, we're in voting mode – and tomorrow is the deadline to get those ballots in. Secretary of State Sam Reed put out a plea today for a strong turnout. "As an officeholder who served in local government for years as Thurston County Auditor, I… Read more
Clippings, February 5, 2010
Washington State Library News Governor Christine Gregoire proposed cuts of $2 million in the next two-year budget cycle for the Washington State Library. While it may seem like a local story for Olympia, it really is local for the entire state. The cuts mean a loss of 31 jobs and elimination of work to preserve many of the state’s oldest historic documents, according to Washington State Librarian Jan Walsh. (Columbia Basin Herald [Moses Lake], 1.29.10)… Read moreClippings King County Elections Special Edition, February 5, 2010
Elections Simple economics mean that Valley libraries keep seeing increased business in a recession. After all, patrons can check out a book, free of charge. But libraries themselves don’t operate for nothing. The King County Library System goes before voters February 9 with Proposition 1, a requested levy lid lift, boosting the tax revenues that libraries receive. (Photo) (Snoqualmie Valley Record, 1.20.10) http://www.… Read moreLibrary Legislation Tracker – February 05, 2010
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… Read moreDigitizing Newspapers: Part III – Outsourcing
I got off a long conversation with our newspaper digitization vendor and thought I should do something cathartic ... like continuing our running discussion of newspaper digitization. Washington's National Digital Newspaper Program (outsourcing): [caption id="attachment_2506" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Click to see OCR example from the Pullman Herald at 100% resolution"]… Read more
Judge says state isn't properly funding K-12
Image In a bombshell ruling that comes as Olympia deals with a deep budget gap, King County Superior Court Judge John… Read more
WSL Updates for February 4, 2010
Volume 6, February 4, 2010 for the WSL Updates mailing list
Topics include:
1) MARCH 1 LAUNCH FOR OCLC DOWNLOADABLE AUDIOBOOKS
2) BTOP & BIP – HOW TO CONNECT WEBINAR
3) SINGLE-SEARCH ACCESS THROUGH WORLDCAT LOCAL
4) TECHTRENDS – ALA MIDWINTER 2010
5) FREE WILL JAMES BOOK TITLES
6) FUNDING FOR HEALTH INFORMATION SERVICES
… Read moreTapeworm initiative, part deux
Image Not to be a killjoy, but it's been pointed out that one can't willy-nilly (or Willy… Read more
A tale of the tapeworm: An initiative message
Image For five bucks and an idea, anyone can file an Initiative to the People – and they do. Most are very serious, while others can be kooky or simply send a message. We've run across one that goes away from the beaten path: It's a plan to change the prim-and-proper… Read more
Library Legislation Tracker – February 01, 2010
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… Read moreGregoire: More money coming from Uncle Sam
Image Governor Gregoire says a $435 million windfall from the feds -- in the form of more money for Medicaid -- will help reduce the size of a proposed revenue package. Gregoire, in a news conference called to report on the billions the state has received in federal… Read moreTalking Ruddells, riddles and more
Part Ruddell family reunion and part a series of workshops on how to research your own family’s history, our “Ruddell Riddle” event attracted more than 100 people last Saturday. The event was held at the General Administration Building and hosted by the Office of Secretary of State.
Image… Read more
QuickFacts: Census tidbits on Washington
Image The main 2010 Census gets underway soon, but for those who don't want to wait to get a snapshot of Washington, our counties and our cities, the number-crunchers have a fun "Quick Facts" webpage that… Read more
Clippings, January 29, 2010
Washington State Library News A big round of spending cuts is coming to the Washington State Library, and agency leaders said it means 31 lost jobs and elimination of work to preserve many of the state’s oldest historic documents. “It’s over a third of our staff, if the governor’s budget goes through, which is what makes this so devastating,” State Librarian Jan Walsh says. (The Olympian, 1.19.10) http://www.theolympian.com/… Read moreSecretary of State
Steve Hobbs
Image
