From Our Corner

National Endowment for the Arts Stimulus-Funded Grants

A recent announcement on Grants.gov describes a grant opportunity to, among other entities:

• County governments
• City or township governments
• Special district governments
• Independent school districts
• Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
• Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
• Private institutions of higher education

See… Read more

One Tough Cookie

The year was 1989 and I worked at Twin Rivers Corrections Center for one year. I trained at the Washington State Reformatory with Rod and Virginia . About six months into my work there I was asked by Rod if I could go over to the SOC and fill in while Virginia took some leave. What did I know ? I said sure. SOC stands for Special Offender Center and houses psychotic sex offenders. I will never forget my time working there. The library was underground and there was no officer anywhere near. I… Read more

HUD Community Development Block Grants

Image Curious as to how the stimulus funding will play out? US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced the availability of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding to states (and then by city/county within the state). You can find the… Read more

Pollster Elway: Find new ways to involve citizens

Image Independent pollster and political scientist Stuart Elway says government folks need to get a whole lot smarter about involving and engaging the citizens of Washington. Noting how much the media world has changed in the past year, Elway told a Capitol audience on Wednesday that government needs to change as well as it relates to citizens -- the "stakeholders" you hear bureaucrats talk about. It no longer works to have "education" programs where… Read more

Mark Your Calendars for Sam Green

From the desk of Mary Paynton Schaff In order to honor National Poetry Month, the Washington State Library is excited to announce that we will be hosting our state’s first poet laureate, Samuel Green, for an evening event on April 9, 2009, at 6:30 pm. Sam Green is a native of Washington and currently resides on Waldron Island. He… Read more

Ladies and gentlemen, file your initiatives!

Image For those of you who want to file an initiative to the 2010 Legislature, today is your lucky day. It's the first day that citizens can file such initiatives with the Secretary of State's Elections Division. So far, no such initiatives have been filed, and there is no word on any initiatives to be filed in the coming days. If someone wants to file an initiative to the Legislature, he or she can do so in person at our Elections Division office (… Read more

Clippings, March 4, 2009

Clippings, March 4, 2009

Elections:

Online poll results: What do you think about voters; rejection of the Timberland Regional Library and anticipated cuts to staffing, operating hours, and programs? Log on to www.yelmonline.com to answer this week’s online question. (Nisqually Valley News [Yelm],

2.13.09)

The failure of the Timberland Regional Library’s request to raise their limit to 50 cents per $1,000 valuation has… Read more

Honoring the history of women

March is Women’s History Month throughout the U.S. The Library of Congress and other national entities are paying tribute to the generations of women who have made a difference in nation’s history. Here is a link to a Web site about this month-long celebration. There have been many women who lived remarkable lives here in Washington. One is Bertha Knight Landes (1868-1943), who became the first woman to lead a major American city when she was… Read more

Hey, contest time, people

Image OK, so it’s not for fame and glory … but your idea might boost voter turnaround around the USA and abroad. The Federal Voting Assistance Program administered by the Pentagon is running a slogan contest for 2009 to use on posters and other messaging. The example slogan, which you no doubt can improve upon, is “Be Smart — Do Your Part. Vote!” To submit your entry: E-mail: [email protected]. Text only (e… Read more

Election Central: Mixed reception in Oly

Image Election reform bills are meeting mixed success in the budget-dominated legislative session in Olympia. Secretary of State Sam Reed’s Top 2 Primary bill has won thumbs-up from the Senate elections panel and awaits a full Senate vote. The plan, Senate Bill 5681, would eliminate now-outdated references to the unpopular old Pick-a-… Read more

2009 Washington Rural Heritage Grant Cycle Open

A new grant cycle is now open for Washington Rural Heritage. The purpose of this grant cycle is to support small and rural libraries in the development of sustainable digitization programs. To date, more than 25 libraries and cultural institutions throughout Washington have contributed to the initiative. Overall funding to support this grant cycle is $50,000, with a maximum award of $10,000 per application. It is anticipated that five… Read more

Re: Still crazy about Abe ...

Image As we move beyond the month of February and all the birthday attention to Abraham Lincoln, here's a keeper for Abe fans both new and continuing ...

Shop 'till ya drop...

Image Looking for that perfect gift for someone coming in from out of town, or a relative or for a co-worker’s birthday? Want to give a gift that screams “Washington”? Well, look no further than to our State Seal Store. Items ranging from crystal stemware, pewter desk sets, travel mugs, velvet wine bags and so much more can be found right in our lobby. And, all profits from the sale of each item go… Read more

Reaching the (dwindling) Cap Press Corps

Image Want to phone or e-mail the Capitol Press Corp members? Thanks to Mike Bay of TVW, here's a one-pager, including all credentialled media and journalism interns. The resident press corps has dramatically shrunk in recent months, now numbering nine year-rounders. Some bloggers also are covering the session.

New Washington Poet Laureate Sam Green Visits WSL

In order to honor National Poetry Month, the Washington State Library is excited to announce that we will be hosting our state’s first poet laureate, Samuel Green, for an evening event on April 9, 2009, at 6:30 pm.

Sam Green is a native of Washington and currently resides on Waldron Island. He has authored numerous poetry collections, has been a visiting poet and instructor for… Read more

African American Genealogy

From the desk of Mary Paynton Schaff In honor of African-American History Month, we would like to highlight some African American genealogical resources specific to Washington State and the Pacific Northwest that can be found here at the Washington State Library, as well as online. For starters, we have an outstanding collection of Washington historical and current newspapers on microfilm and… Read more

Funny, you don't LOOK 120!

Image Fresh-faced Washington state turns 120 this November 11, notes Brian Dirks, comm director for Lieutenant Governor Brad Owen. So he's wondering ... what's a good way to celebrate? He's think about a Press Expedition hike around the Olympic Peninsula might be a good thing -- presumably with some good brewskies. You got any bright ideas? It probably should be a no-cost thing, given that our budget is circling the drain.

Local Area Profiles – Employment Information by County

Workforce Explorer Washington has a tag line which reads, "Quality labor market information to help you make informed decisions". Within the home page for Workforce Explorer you will find information on statewide economic conditions, links to various reports, a description of What's New and now available, and both a set of quick links and a section titled, How do I Find? Tabs across the top of the page take you to the Career Center, WA Labor Market, or Publications and Reports sections. You… Read more

From Your Corner of Washington

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Winslow, Bainbridge Island -Submitted by Brian, who tells us hundreds of cyclists waited for the ferry after the Cascade Bicycle Club’s “Chilly Hilly” around the island this past weekend.

Submit us your photo from your corner of Washington

'Survivors' guilt' and layoffs ...

Image Government employees are looking over their shoulders as lawmakers grapple with the sea of red ink ... and pink slips are prepared. How can the survivors help their departing colleagues? What's lame and what's helpful? And how do you deal with your own "survivors' guilt'? Someone near and dear spots this reference in the new American Bar… Read more