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The Federal Depository Library Program: A History

The Federal Depository Library Program: A History

The Washington State Library has been a member of the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) since 1858, when it was the Washington Territorial Library. As an FDLP member, the Washington State Library receives federal government publications in numerous formats, and offers access to these resources and reference assistance. The FDLP provides free access to U.S. government information. Beginning in 1813, the program was initially headed by the U.S. Secretary of State and disseminated Congressional journals to the public through select libraries and historical societies….

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Profiles of Washington Territorial Librarians – Eleanor (Ellen) Sharp Stevenson, 1888-1890

Profiles of Washington Territorial Librarians – Eleanor (Ellen) Sharp Stevenson, 1888-1890

Eleanor (Ellen) Sharp Stevenson, 1888-1890 From the Desks of the Central Library Staff She was the last Territorial Librarian and by default became the first State Librarian when Washington attained statehood on Nov. 11, 1889. Born July, 1848 in Logan County, Ky., she surfaced as a teacher in Olympia in 1882. In 1884 she was apparently teaching in Mason County. By 1886 Ellen was employed as a clerk for the Legislature and in that brief window of time (1883-1888) when…

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Profiles of Washington Territorial Librarians – Eliza Des Saure Newell, 1882-1887

Profiles of Washington Territorial Librarians – Eliza Des Saure Newell, 1882-1887

From the Desks of the Central Library Staff Eliza Des Saure Newell, 1882-1887 The longest serving Territorial Librarian was born in 1853 in New Jersey. In 1882 her father, the eccentric William Augustus Newell, was the Governor. Gov. Newell had appointed his daughter Eleanor as his personal secretary. His other daughter, Eliza, he appointed to the post of Territorial Librarian. The Governor’s nepotism forced the Legislature to change the Territorial laws regarding women in office. Maryan Reynolds picks up the…

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Profiles of Washington Territorial Librarians – Walter Newlin and James Ferry

Profiles of Washington Territorial Librarians – Walter Newlin and James Ferry

From the Desks of the Central Library Staff Walter W. Newlin, 1879-1880 Born in Pennsylvania ca. 1841, Walter W. Newlin was living and working in Olympia as early as 1870 as a lawyer. Appointed Territorial Librarian in Aug. 1879 by Gov. Ferry, his tenure was brief but eventful. With Newlin, we see the first glimmer of the kind of librarian we recognize in modern times. His Oct. 1, 1879 report laments the lack of a catalog and the poor facilities….

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State Library’s past, future celebrated

State Library’s past, future celebrated

Central Library Services Manager Steve Willis holds up the new booklet about the Washington Territorial Library during his talk at Tuesday’s celebration event. Political turf battles. Unsavory characters. Nepotism. You normally wouldn’t associate these terms with a library. But they help describe the turbulent, ever-changing  era of the Washington Territorial Library, which was established in 1853 in Olympia and remains Washington’s oldest cultural institution. The Washington State Library hosted a public celebration of the Library’s 160th anniversary at its Tumwater…

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Celebrating 160 years as Washington’s flagship library

Celebrating 160 years as Washington’s flagship library

Way back on October 23, 1853, a shipment including 2,000 books reached the Olympia waterfront after traveling from New York City, around the  tip of South America and then stopping briefly in San Francisco. The arrival of those  books, maps, globes and other items led to the birth of Washington’s oldest cultural institution — the Washington Territorial Library, now known as the Washington State Library. In honor of  the Territorial Library’s 160th anniversary, the State Library planned a celebration at…

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160 Years of Service to the People of Washington

160 Years of Service to the People of Washington

From the desk of Kim Wyman, Secretary of State. From its beginnings as the Washington Territorial Library in 1853, the Washington State Library has played a major role preserving and providing public access to books, maps, collections, documents and other vital information about Washington’s history and government. For the past 160 years, the State Library has lived up to its mission and purpose, which is to “collect, preserve and make accessible to Washingtonians materials on the government, history, culture, and natural…

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Profiles of Washington Territorial Librarians – Elwood Evans 1877-1879

Profiles of Washington Territorial Librarians – Elwood Evans 1877-1879

From the Desks of the Central Library Staff It is difficult to get away from Elwood Evans while reading about the political history of Washington Territory. Born in Philadelphia Dec. 29, 1828, he was appointed a Deputy Collector of Customs under Simpson P. Moses and arrived in Olympia with the Moses brothers in 1851. Admitted to the bar shortly after setting up shop, he became one of the Territory’s earliest lawyers. His initial stay in Washington Territory was brief, in…

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Profiles of Washington Territorial Librarians – Frederick S. Holmes, 1875-1877

Profiles of Washington Territorial Librarians – Frederick S. Holmes, 1875-1877

Frederick S. Holmes, 1875-1877 From the Desks of the Central Library Staff He was born May 8, 1849 in Chicago and spent his early years in Kenosha, Wis. Holmes arrived in Olympia Nov. 9, 1853 with his parents, Samuel and Mary. Only 25 years of age, he was the first Territorial Librarian to be appointed directly by the Governor. According to Maryan Reynolds in The Dynamics of Change, When Yantis vacated the position of librarian in 1875, members of the…

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