From Our Corner

'Mr. Moderate'? That's our boss!

Image We are very proud of our boss Sam Reed, who was recently recognized as a Public Official of the Year. Now comes a tribute to his public service career by Shelby Scates in the winter edition of… Read more

Court to decide Jan. 15 whether to take R-71 case

The U.S. Supreme Court recently announced that it will decide on January 15, 2010, whether to accept or reject the Image appeal of last fall’s 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decision that upheld Washington State’s practice of treating ballot measure petitions as releasable… Read more

Washington’s Road to Women’s Suffrage: 1871

Image Women went on a bit of a rollar coaster ride to get the right to vote in Washington, and it took a lot of fight to reach a final victorious outcome in 1910. (A fact that Washington is celebrating next year, the centennial of women's suffrage!) One… Read more

Digital Archives' Top 10 Treasures

Image It might not elicit as much laughter or attention as Letterman’s Top 10 lists, but our State Digital Archives has a must-see list for history buffs and any of you who are curious about Washington’s past. DA’s Top 10 Treasures can be found… Read more

From Your Corner of Washington

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- Stevens Pass

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Clippings, December 24, 2009

Library News Pasco and Mid-Columbia Libraries will begin contract negotiations next month now that the state attorney general says the city can get a la carte library services. If negotiations do not result in a compromise, Pasco would need time to create its own library and the city may want to see if it could extend the current contract. (Tri-City Herald [Kennewick], 12.19.09) http://www.tri-cityherald.com/yahoonews/story/… Read more

UPDATE: We're a perfect 10

Image Washington apparently is in line for a new 10th congressional district, according to analysts at Election Data Services. The analysis, reflecting fresh population estimates from the Census Bureau on Wednesday, says if the numbers hold up in the 2010 Census, as expected, Washington will take the 435th of 435 House seats as a net gain. The report says six other states, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, South Carolina and Utah, also would pick… Read more

Lucky 13? WA population keeps on growing

Image New Census projections show that we're on the move in Washington -- people moving in from other states and folks having babies. In the past decade, we've grown by 13 percent and are now the 13th largest state! And it could be Lucky 13 if we wind up gaining a new congressional seat. We've grown by nearly 100,000 during the last year and -- drum roll please -- our new statewide… Read more

Happy Holidays from Secretary Reed

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Secretary Reed has been spreading holiday cheer by delivering cookies to staff ... yum! He and the agency wish you a wonderful holiday weekend. Remember: The Secretary of State's Office is open and services are available on December 24, but the… Read more

Holiday Giving Tip No. 4

Image Don’t let all those hot chocolates and candy canes cloud your good judgment! Today’s Holiday Giving Tip: Don’t pay cash and don’t give out your credit card number! Seriously! This may seem like a no-brainer, but sometimes when people are in the giving spirit… Read more

Training in Tight Times: Introduction

Times are tight once again and have been for awhile now. I remember reading a picture book as a young child about a family facing tough economic times. Later, in library school, I rediscovered this children’s picture book. It is called “Tight Times” by Barbara Shook Hazen and illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman. At the time it was an Out of Print book by a great illustrator. I had no idea that many years later this book would once again be timely and needed in our public libraries to help… Read more

Holiday Giving Tip No. 3

Image Today’s Holiday Giving Tip: Don’t be fooled by the name! Are you terrible with names? Well when you’re dealing with charities, you better tighten up! Often, fraudulent groups will use a name that closely resembles a reputable, well-established charity. Other times,… Read more

Happy Holidays from the Archives

Image Hey, if you can't bend the ear of the Big Man in Red... maybe Governor Evans can get you that bike? Evans is seen here with "Santa" in 1968 in the rotunda. The Archives: Washington's giant family scrapbook. What memorabilia… Read more

8 Washington Newspapers Added to Chronicling America!

[caption id="attachment_2315" align="alignleft" width="208" height="300" caption="Front page of the Colville Examiner
December 18, 1909"] Image [/caption] On Friday, December 18, more than 42,000 historic newspaper pages from 8 Washington newspapers were contributed by the Washington State Library to the Chronicling America web site, hosted by the… Read more

From Your Corner of Washington

Image - Kent- This display at the Kent Historical Museum, where Secretary Reed visited recently, is a replica of a real traveling carnival. A family made it as a toy several years ago.… Read more

Clippings, December 18, 2009

Library News On November 24 Waterville Elementary School first graders were presented with their first library cards and a special lanyard on which to hold them safely. As part of the annual North Central Regional Library System sponsored program, librarian Sandy Bareither visited the first grade classroom and made a presentation encouraging the students to read instead of watching TV or playing video games. (Photo) (Douglas County Empire Press [East Wenatchee], 12.3.09) A large screen… Read more

From Your Corner of Washington

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- Leavenworth, Tree Lighting Festival

Submit us your photo from your corner of Washington, and add our… Read more

Eyman initiative and R-71: How we voted

There's no suspense – Washington voters last month approved Referendum 71 upholding the state's new "everything but marriage" domestic partnership law, and trounced Tim Eyman's latest ballot measure, Initiative 1033 dealing with revenue limits and property tax relief. The statewide and county-by-county numbers have been posted since election night.… Read more

"Speaker for the Salmon" featured on Library poster

Image A long-time activist of tribal rights who has a reputation for conversing with salmon is the latest face to appear… Read more

Spokane Public Library benefits from $2.2 Million BTOP award

Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke today announced the award of two grants totaling $2,264,232 to Tincan under the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP). Tincan’s funding will enhance connectivity to the Spokane Public Library’s public access computers, establish or upgrade public computer centers at four city… Read more