From Our Corner

Happy 125th birthday, Washington!

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Members of the 2014 Capsule Keepers sit on the Rotunda floor as they and hundreds of others listen to the state's 125th birthday celebration program in the Capitol.

You only turn 125 once. And the state of Washington did it right. Hundreds gathered… Read more

New Arrivals in the NW Collections

Image From the desk of Sean… Read more

Library Clippings November 7, 2014

[caption id="attachment_4996" align="alignright" width="227"] Image Image courtesy North Pend Oreille Heritage collection[/caption] Library News Commissioners seek applicants to serve on regional library board: One of three Clark County positions to be filled (Reflector, Battle… Read more

WA has lowest ballot rejection rates for military, overseas voters

Image Our Elections Division has long prided itself on helping ensure that our state’s… Read more

WSL Updates for November 6, 2014

Volume 10, November 6, 2014 for the WSL Updates mailing list Topics include: 1) WORKFORCE INNOVATION AND OPPORTUNITY ACT 2) LETTERS ABOUT LITERATURE 2015 3) FREE BOOKS FOR WASHINGTON LIBRARIES 4) EARLY LEARNING STEM INSTITUTE 5) CAYAS FALL WORKSHOP REGISTRATION OPEN 6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) WORKFORCE INNOVATION AND OPPORTUNITY ACT The Workforce Innovation and… Read more

Shoalwater Library honored by the Chamber of Commerce

Image On October 14th, Mary-Jean Grimes, President of the Tokeland-North Cove Chamber of Commerce notified the Tribal Council that they have voted the Shoalwater Bay Tribal Community Library as the Business of the… Read more

SecWyman hits airwaves reminding voters to return ballots

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Secretary Wyman with Q13 morning news anchor Liz Dueweke. (Photos courtesy of Stephanie Horn)

With the 2014 General Election just hours from ending, Secretary of State Kim Wyman was in Seattle Tuesday to do a round… Read more

From the Archives: key letter leading to statehood

Image With Washington’s 125th birthday celebration as a state just a week away, our State Archives is… Read more

Weeding the Library Garden

Image From the desk of Mary Paynton Schaff Fall might seem an odd time to think about weeding, but in the world of libraries weeding happens all the time. Weeding is the term libraries use to describe removing books from a collection. And contrary to what one might assume about the… Read more

‘14 Mock Election: good turnout, interesting results

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Three students from Cascade High School in Leavenworth show off their "I Voted" stickers after taking part in the Mock Election. (Photo courtesy of Cascade High School)

While Washington… Read more

A Sudden Light by Garth Stein

Image Washington Reads – A Sudden Light by Garth Stein (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2014. 416 pp.) Recommendation by Mary Paynton Schaff, Reference Librarian, Washington State Library Fall means ghosts, creepy old houses, and stories about families scarred by tragedy. So now’s the perfect opportunity to gather up your afghan, sit by the fire with a cup of hot cider, and dive into Garth Stein’s newest book, “A Sudden Light.” Fourteen-year-… Read more

WSL Updates for October 30, 2014

Volume 10, October 30, 2014 for the WSL Updates mailing list Topics include: 1) LIFE AFTER GETTING AN MLIS 2) ONECLICK + ZINIO RENEWAL OPTIONS 3) ALA STRATEGIC PLANNING 4) OCLC MEMBER FORUM 5) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) LIFE AFTER GETTING AN MLIS November’s First Tuesdays program features Life After Getting an MLIS, a panel discussion facilitated by Adrienne Doman… Read more

Secretary Wyman urges strong turnout as voting period winds down

Image As Washington’s 18-day voting period winds down, Secretary of State Kim Wyman is urging a strong turnout – and offering some important tips. Ballots and Voters’ Pamphlets went out in mid-October – even earlier for our 65,000… Read more

Election results app now has local results, too

Image Once the General Election ends Nov. 4 at 8 p.m., many candidates, voters, the media and political junkies will again use our free election results mobile app to get the latest results on statewide races or ballot measures. Since the app debuted a few… Read more

Protect your business! Don’t be easy prey for crafty sales tactics

Image The Secretary of State’s Corporations and Charities Division recently received several calls about a notice to file annual minutes for shareholders, directors, and officers for the princely sum… Read more

Summer Reading at our Institutional Libraries

Image This past summer the innovative staff in eleven of our Institutional Libraries tried something new. They formed a Summer Reading Program for the inmates and patients. Starting with the theme “Spark a… Read more

The Koreshans, a World Turned Outside In

From the desk of Steve Willis, Central Library Services Program Manager of the Washington State Library: There's a great independent filmmaker in Utah I used to correspond with and even met once named Trent Harris. In his movie Plan 10 From Outer Space (1995) a character utters one of my all time favorite lines in cinema history: "Just because it's made up doesn't mean it isn't true." For some reason this little soundbite seems appropriate for the following story. The random news article… Read more

Come see our new exhibit on 1889 Washington!

Image The official grand opening event for our next great historical exhibit isn’t until Nov. 11, but why wait until then? Everyone is welcome to see the exhibit because it’s now on display in our office. Called… Read more

From the Archives: Anniversary of letter leading to WA statehood

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(Courtesy of Washington State Archives)

With Washington’s 125th birthday celebration on Nov. 11 just days away, we’re always looking to highlight key documents that led to our… Read more

WSL Updates for October 23, 2014

Topics include: 1) CE GRANTS FOR STEM INSTITUTE 2) CAYAS FALL WORKSHOP REGISTRATION OPEN 3) $2.2 BILLION REASONS TO PAY ATTENTION TO WIOA 4) PNLA CONFERENCE PROGRAM PROPOSALS SOUGHT 5) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) CE GRANTS FOR STEM INSTITUTE Continuing Education (CE) grants are available from the Washington State Library (WSL) for librarians and support staff who… Read more