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Year: 2012

Archives treasure #2: Pearl Harbor telegrams

Archives treasure #2: Pearl Harbor telegrams

Dec. 7 marked the 71st anniversary of the Japanese attack on the U.S. Navy fleet stationed in Pearl Harbor and other American military installations nearby. A day after the attack in Hawaii, the United States declared war on Japan. Starting just hours following the Pearl Harbor attack, Washington Gov. Arthur Langlie received a series of telegrams from the U.S. War Department. These telegrams are the second Archives treasure for December. Archives treasures is a monthly blog feature in which we…

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Too Good to be True– The Hubbard Coil

Too Good to be True– The Hubbard Coil

From the desk of Steve Willis, Central Library Services Program Manager of the Washington State Library: The Hubbard Coil sounded too good to be true. As it turned out there was a little secret component the inventor neglected to share with the press. This week’s random article about the seemingly magical energy-producing device demonstrated by Alfred M. Hubbard was found in The Monroe Monitor, Sept. 17, 1920:  MYSTERIOUS COIL PROVES SUCCESS RUNS AUTOMOBILE ON EVERETT STREETS AND BOAT IN SEATTLE LAKE….

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WSL Updates for December 20, 2012

WSL Updates for December 20, 2012

Volume 8, December 20, 2012 for the WSL Updates mailing list Topics include: 1) ENERGIZE YOURSELF WITH FIRST TUESDAYS 2) FREE COMMON CORE TOOLS WORKSHOP 3) DEADLINE APPROACHING FOR DIGITAL AGE SURVEY 4) STORYCORPS @ YOUR LIBRARY GRANTS 5) FREE ONLINE COLLECTIONS CARE COURSES 6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITY NEXT WEEK

December Archives treasure #1: First Territorial Supreme Court case

December Archives treasure #1: First Territorial Supreme Court case

Going back, back, back to our territorial days, Washington’s Supreme Court has heard hundreds of cases. So what was the first case ever heard by the Washington territorial high court? It was George Palmer v. United States, filed Dec. 14, 1854. The case involved the conviction of Palmer, who was charged with “selling and giving spirituous liquor to an Indian.”  He was sentenced to pay a fine of $500 to the feds and spend three months in the County Jail….

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6th and largest Library Reads Program at Airway Heights Corrections Center

6th and largest Library Reads Program at Airway Heights Corrections Center

     Airway Heights Correction Center Library is starting its 6th Library Reads Program. We started this program one year ago with John Steinbeck’s “Cannery Row”. After that we read “Sky Fisherman” by Craig Lesley, “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, “Little Bee” by Chris Cleave and “Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet” by Jamie Ford.      This program has been very exciting and I am amazed at the way the guys get into the books,…

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Gregoire unveils $34b budget & tax plan

Gregoire unveils $34b budget & tax plan

Gov. Chris Gregoire, in one of her last major acts as governor, has unveiled a $34 billion, two-year budget for state government, along with a tax package devoted largely to upgrading the K-12 budget. The Democratic governor, leaving office in January after serving eight years, laid out spending priorities for every sector of state government, including schools and colleges, parks, social and health services, prisons, the courts and Legislature, Puget Sound cleanup, and the departments of government.  She also released…

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1893 phone book tops Library jewels poll

1893 phone book tops Library jewels poll

December’s Library jewels online poll showed that telephone directories are still popular, at least really old ones. Of the three contenders this month, the 1893 phone book for Western Washington topped the poll with 46 percent, easily defeating the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Commission documents (28 percent) and the Washington Territory Volunteer papers (26 percent). The next Archives treasures segment will start later this week, so watch for that.

Free WSL Webinars in January

Free WSL Webinars in January

2013 is nearly here! WSL is pleased to offer the following FREE webinars in January. Happy Holidays!  Registration is available here.  First Tuesdays: Burnout: Avoiding the flames January 8, 9:00-10:00 a.m. PT Library staff trying to keep up with changes in technology, demographics, & services may feel somewhat at sea. In this interactive session, Debra Westwood, Library Cluster Manager, King County Library System will look at how libraries are changing. Debra will help attendees learn about individual and group responses…

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WA Electoral College: All 12 votes for Obama

WA Electoral College: All 12 votes for Obama

Reflecting the winner-take-all nature of the Electoral College system, Washington’s electors on Monday awarded all 12 of the state’s electoral votes to the Democratic ticket of Barack Obama and Joe Biden. The event, convened by Secretary of State Sam Reed and Gov. Chris Gregoire, went off the clockwork.  The carefully scripted, time-honored process was much like the one taking place in all state capitals. As flags outside the Capitol stood at half-staff, electors gathered in the State Reception Room and…

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Clippings for the week of December 7, 2012

Clippings for the week of December 7, 2012

Library News The Port Townsend Public Library is once again on the Library Journal’s list of top libraries in the U.S. The Journal gave the library three out of five stars in the category of $499,999-$1 million in expenditures. (The Leader, [Port Townsend] 11.28.12) http://www.ptleader.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=32603&SectionID=36&SubSectionID=55&S=1 In an unannounced move, the Walla Walla City Council voted unanimously to allow county residents to buy city library cards starting next year. The cards will cost $68 per household. (Union-Bulletin, [Walla Walla] 11.29.12) The…

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