WA Secretary of State Blogs

WSL Updates for February 1, 2018

Wednesday, January 31st, 2018 Posted in For Libraries, Grants and Funding, News, Training and Continuing Education, Updates | Comments Off on WSL Updates for February 1, 2018


Volume 14, February 1, 2018 for the WSL Updates mailing list

Topics include:

1) FREE UPCOMING WORKSHOPS

2) SAVE AMERICA’S TREASURES

3) LIBRARY VOTER SERVICES SURVEY

4) TOPNOTCH NONPROFIT TRAINING

5) LEVY LID LIFT WEBINAR

6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK

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1) FREE UPCOMING WORKSHOPS

The Washington State Library (WSL) is offering two sets of half-day workshops in February and March at a variety of locations around the state. The topics are:

Sign up now to ensure your spot in one of these free workshops near you. Check the WSL CE Calendar for exact dates, locations, and times. Don’t miss out!

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2) SAVE AMERICA’S TREASURES

The National Park Service is accepting proposals for the Save America’s Treasures Grant Program. The application deadline is February 21, 2018.

The National Park Service, in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), is now accepting applications for $5 million in matching grants to support the preservation of nationally significant historic properties and collections through the Save America’s Treasures program. For the complete announcement, use this shortcut: sos.wa.gov/q/save.

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3) LIBRARY VOTER SERVICES SURVEY

Student researchers in The Evergreen State College Masters of Public Administration, Second Year Cohort, are examining the relationship between public access to local ballot measure information and voter participation. Researchers want to identify gaps in current data and utilize these gaps to create a framework for increasing voter knowledge about where to access locally relevant ballot measure information and if this can increase civic participation in the form of voting.

Researchers will examine what role libraries currently play in providing the public with voter information, identify opportunities to provide desired services, and if suggested services are provided, determine if these services are marketed to the public with easy access in-person and online. You are encouraged to take a “Library Services” survey, which should require about 10 minutes of time to complete.

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4) TOPNOTCH NONPROFIT TRAINING

Washington Nonprofits in cooperation with the Charities Division of the Office of the Secretary of State is offering several free webinars this coming week:

Finance Unlocked is an interactive, hands-on workshop that will work through the why, what, who, and how of nonprofit finance including the five main financial topics that every nonprofit person needs to know: Balance Sheets, Income Statements, 990, Giving, and Oversight.

All nonprofits need bylaws. Bylaws are the governing document for the nonprofit and its board of directors. But what does that mean? What is the real purpose of the bylaws and what provisions should be in bylaws? Nonprofit Bylaws is excellent for those who would like to review and update their nonprofit provisions. Highly recommended for nonprofit board members.

Boards play an important role in the success of any organization. Boards in Gear will cover board responsibilities, operations, development, fundraising, and advocacy. This webinar is designed for board members and the people who work with them, namely executive directors and program staff.

For a more complete list of related training events, both live and online, visit www.sos.wa.gov/charities/training/workshops.aspx.

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5) LEVY LID LIFT WEBINAR

Are you thinking about a levy lid lift? The 101% limit on property tax levies restricts revenue growth for Washington local governments. With costs rising at a faster pace than the 1% allowed by state statute and assessed values of property increasing at a pace well beyond inflation for many areas of the state, the only method to access this available levy capacity is through a ballot measure to the voters for a levy lid lift. But what type of lid lift to choose, among the bewildering array available, and timing are both critical components to crafting a successful measure.

This webinar will review how the levy lid lift works and discuss the various levy lid lift options, and it will address the importance of the ballot title and the timing of your ballot measure to assure collection in the next calendar year. Cities, counties, and special purpose districts will come away from this webinar with a better understanding of what type of levy lid lift would best serve their needs and the process for ensuring the measure is brought to public vote.

Webinar details:

  • Date & time: February 7, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PST
  • Sponsor: MRSC (Municipal Research and Services Center)
  • Cost: $35.00
  • Registration deadline: Feb. 6, 11:00 a.m.
  • Shortcut link: sos.wa.gov/q/lift.

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6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK

Monday, February 5

Tuesday, February 6

Wednesday, February 7

Thursday, February 8

Friday, February 9

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DISCLAIMER: The State Library regularly highlights third-party events and online resources as a way to alert the library community to training and resource opportunities. By doing so, we are not endorsing the content of the event, nor promoting any specific product, but merely providing this information as an FYI to librarians who must then decide what is right for them.

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Newly Received Federal Publications April – June 2017

Monday, August 14th, 2017 Posted in Articles, Federal and State Publications | Comments Off on Newly Received Federal Publications April – June 2017


The following publications were received during April – June 2017.
The titles included in this document represent the many valuable publications produced by the Government Publishing Office (GPO) and distributed to federal depository libraries through the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP). The Washington State Library is the Regional Federal Depository Library for the states of Washington and Alaska.

History

Photograph of the Women Senators of the Wikimedia Commons

Women Senators of the 10th Congress. Courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

Office of the Historian, U.S. House of Representatives. “Women in Congress.” US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives. Government Publishing Office, 2017. Online: http://history.house.gov/Exhibition-and-Publications/WIC/Women-in-Congress/.

Photograph of cannon overlooking Malvern Hill, Richmond National Battlefield Park, Virginia.

Photograph by Sarah Stierch. Courtesy Wikimedia Commons. Malvern Hill, Richmond National Battlefield Park, Virginia.

Hammond, John W. “Cultural Resources for Richmond National Battlefield Park.” National Parks Service. U.S. Department of the Interior, 2016. Available at the Washington State Library: Print: I 29.86/4:R 41/PT.2.
Online: https://www.nps.gov/stateoftheparks/rich/index.cfm.

Military

Department, Defense and Borden Institute. Pediatric Surgery and Medicine for Hostile Environments.  S.l.: U S Govt Printing Office, 2011. U.S. Army Medical Department. Borden Institute. Online: http://bit.ly/2osVC1v.

Parco, James E., and David A. Levy. Attitudes Aren’t Free: Thinking Deeply about Diversity in the US Armed Forces. Maxwell Air Force Base: Air UP, 2010. Available at the Washington State Library. Print: D 301.26/6:AT8. Online: http://www.af.mil/Portals/1/documents/diversity/attitudes-arent-free.pdf.

U.S. Army Center of Military History. The Surge, 2007-2008. N.p.: U.S. Army Center of Military History, 2017. Available at the Washington State Library. Print [pamphlet]: D 114.2:IR 1/3/SURGE.

“The Surge 2007-2008 is one of a series of commemorative pamphlets, the U.S. Army Center of Military History aims to provide soldiers and civilians with an overview of Operations Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn. They serve as an account of what the Army did in Iraq and a means of commemorating the hundreds of thousands of servicemen and women warriors who fought, and the thousands killed or wounded in one of the longest conflicts in American history.” (GPO)

United State. Department of Defense. Office of the Secretary of Defense. Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China 2017. Online: http://bit.ly/2tw1Pbk.

Politics and Government

1903 picture of the Government Printing Office

1903 Government Printing Office

United States. Government Publishing Office. “Picturing the Big Shop: Photos of the U.S. Government Publishing Office, 1900-1980.” Government Publishing Office, 2017. Available at the Washington State Library. Print: GP 1.2:P 58. Online: https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/GPO-PICTURINGBIGSHOP-2017/pdf/GPO-PICTURINGBIGSHOP-2017.pdf.

Recreation and Travel

Picture of a duck in the water

Secretive Sora. Photo credit: Sora – Kelly Colgan Azar. US Fish and Wildlife Service. Toppenish National Wildlife Refuge

National Park Service. Lewis and Clark Trail. N.p.: National Park Service, 2016. Available at the Washington State Library. Print [brochure]: I 29.88/3:L 58/2/2016.

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Toppenish National Wildlife Refuge. N.p.: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, 2016. Available at the Washington State Library. Print [brochure]: I 49.44/2:T 62/3/2016.

Science

Cover of Astronomical Almanac 2018The Astronomical Almanac is a joint publication of the U.S. Nautical Almanac Office, United States Naval Observatory (USNO), in the United States and Her Majesty’s Nautical Almanac Office (HMNAO), United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO), in the United Kingdom. This annual publication contains precise ephemerides of the Sun, Moon, planets, and satellites, data for eclipses and other astronomical phenomena for a given year, and serves as a world-wide standard for such information.” (GPO Book Talk)

The Astronomical Almanac for the Year 2018: And Its Companion the Astronomical Almanac Online. , 2017. Available at Washington State Library. Print: D 213.8: 2018. Online: http://asa.usno.navy.mil.

Rockman, Marcy, et. al. “Cultural Resources Climate Change Strategy.” National Parks Service. U.S. Department of the Interior, 2016. Available at the Washington State Library. Print: I 29.2:C 61/5. Online: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/climatechange/culturalresourcesstrategy.htm.

This list is provided to create awareness of the breadth and depth of the Washington State Library’s federal publications collection and to alert readers to specific titles available to them either online or in print (or other tangible mediums such as microfiche).

It Keeps Getting Better: Access to Historic Congressional Information

Monday, May 22nd, 2017 Posted in Articles, Federal and State Publications, For Libraries, For the Public | 2 Comments »


Caricature of British rock group, the Beatles.

Courtesy of Josh, Caricature The Beatles Cartoon Wallpaper Free desktop background wallpaper at wallarthd.com.

The Government Printing Office (GPO) in partnership with the Library of Congress just announce the release of the digital (online) availability of the Bound Congressional Record, 1961 – 1970 on govinfo.gov.  This means you can now search the Bound Congressional Record from 1961 to the present!

If you remember that era there is probably some iconic event that stays fresh in your mind such as the invasion of the Beatles and other British rock groups, the Assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Bobby Kennedy. Did you watch the 1969 U.S. landing on the moon on television? What about these (thanks to GPO for the list)?

 

  • The Administrations of Presidents John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, and the first two years of the Administration of President Richard M. Nixon
  • The Civil Rights Era
  • The Vietnam War
  • Legislation of the Great Society and the War on Poverty, including:
    • Civil Rights Act of 1964
    • Voting Rights Act of 1965
    • Fair Housing Act of 1968
    • Medicare and Medicaid
    • Economic Opportunity Act of 1964
    • Immigration Act of 1965
    • Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965
    • Endangered Species Act of 1966
    • Public Broadcasting Act of 1967
Photo of US GPO eagle logo

Courtesy of the Government Publish Office

 

“This latest digital release of the Congressional Record now gives the public easy access to the historic debates of Congress from the 1960s via smartphones, tablets, laptops, and personal computers.” (GPO Director Davita Vance-Cooks.)

Library of Congress logo

Courtesy Library of Congress

Need more information or assistance in finding congressional information? We love to help! You can reach us by clicking here.

WSL Updates for May 18, 2017

Wednesday, May 17th, 2017 Posted in For Libraries, Grants and Funding, News, Training and Continuing Education, Updates | Comments Off on WSL Updates for May 18, 2017


Volume 13, May 18, 2017 for the WSL Updates mailing list

BOOKS, BOOKS, BOOKS: Topics include:

1) FREE BOOKS

2) FIRST BOOK

3) WIN $100 IN BOOKS

4) LC SURPLUS BOOKS PROGRAM

5) MEASURES THAT MATTER

6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK

Read the rest of this entry »

Lights, Signals, Buoys, and Daymarks — Our Rich Heritage

Monday, April 10th, 2017 Posted in Articles, Digital Collections, Federal and State Publications, For Libraries, For the Public | Comments Off on Lights, Signals, Buoys, and Daymarks — Our Rich Heritage


From the desk of Rand Simmons

The meagre lighthouse all in white, haunting the seaboard, as if it were the ghost of an edifice that had once had colour and rotundity, dripped melancholy tears after its late buffeting by the waves. ~Charles Dickens, Little Dorrit

A lighthouse is … Although we often think of a tower with a bright light at the top, located on an important or dangerous waterway, lighthouses are quite varied in architecture. They had, and still have, two main purposes — to serve as navigational aids and to warn ships of dangerous areas.

Historical record tell us that one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, Pharos located in Alexandria, Egypt, was the first lighthouse recorded in history, built around 280 BC and as tall as a 45-story building. An open fire at the top of the tower was the source of light.

(“Lighthouses: FAQ.” Fact Monster from Information Please, Sandbox Networks, Inc., Publishing as Fact Monster, www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0800631.html. Accessed 24 Mar. 2017.)

Following Independence from England, the newly formed U.S. Congress created the Lighthouse Establishment as an administrative unit of the federal government on 7 August 1789.

Benjamin Franklin, a United States founding father, is sometimes attributed with having said, “Lighthouses are more useful than churches.”

What Franklin actually wrote to his wife after narrowly escaping a shipwreck was, “The bell ringing for church, we went thither immediately, and with hearts full of gratitude, returned sincere thanks to God for the mercies we had received: were I a Roman Catholic, perhaps I should on this occasion vow to build a chapel to some saint, but as I am not, if I were to vow at all, it should be to build a light-house.

(“A Quote from Memoirs of the Life and Writings of Benjamin Franklin.” Goodreads, Inc. Accessed 27 Mar. 2017.)

Not all safety/navigational lights are in lighthouses. There are signals, buoys, daymarks and light ships as well.

My own fascination with lighthouses began when as a child our family took short trips to the middle and southern Oregon coasts. We visited lighthouses on the Coquille River in Bandon; Umpqua River in Reedsport; and later, as an adult I explored the Yaquina Bay lighthouse in Newport.

So, recently when grubbing about among the State Library’s shelves of historic federal publications and coming across Light List Pacific Coast, United States, 1933 I naturally began leafing through the Oregon and Washington sections to see how many lighthouses I recognized.

(Light list including lights, fog signals, buoys, and daymarks. Pacific coast, United States, Canada, Hawaiian, and Samoan Islands / U.S. Department of Commerce, Lighthouse Service. Washington : U.S. G.P.O., 1933. Print: C 9.19:1933)

A short history

“The Aids to Navigation mission of the U. S. Coast Guard has a history dating back to the building and illumination of the first American lighthouse on Little Brewster Island in Boston Harbor in 1716. At first, because of the indifference of England, local or colonial governments had to shoulder the responsibility of making the waters safe for mariners.” Hence, the founding of the Lighthouse Establishment created by the U.S. Congress of the United States in 1789. Alexander Hamilton, Secretary of the Treasury, was its first administrator.

(Strobridge, Truman R. “Chronology of Aids to Navigation.” Historic Light Stations, United State Coast Guard, 21 Dec. 2016, www.uscg.mil/history/articles/h_USLHSchron.asp. Accessed 6 Mar. 2017.)

The first federal agency formally charged with responsibility for lighthouses was the Treasury Department.

  • In 1852 Congress established the Lighthouse Board. The Lighthouse Board was responsible for issuing the List of lights and fog signals of the United States and the Dominion of Canada on the Pacific coast of North America, and of the United States on the Hawaiian, Midway, Guam, and Samoan Islands (titles vary)
  • In 1903 the Lighthouse Board was transferred to the newly created Department of Commerce and Labor where in June 1910 the Lighthouse Board was succeeded by the Bureau of Lighthouses.
  • In 1939 the Bureau’s functions were transferred to the Coast Guard, a part of the Treasury Department, and now part of Homeland Security.

With each organizational shift the Light List continued to be published.

Currently, the Light List is published in 7 volumes each reflecting one of seven regions. The Pacific and Pacific Islands volume includes the eleventh (California, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona), thirteenth (Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana), fourteenth (Hawaii), and seventeenth (Alaska) districts. It contains a lists of lights, sound signals, buoys, day beacons, and other aids to navigation. As it has been from the beginning of The Light List, it is published by the Government Publishing Office, the official publisher of the federal government. Learn more.

Light List is available online: Pacific Coast and Pacific Islands. Contemporary issues may be available either in print or microfiche and since 2002 they have been distributed to federal depository libraries (like us) only in microfiche. Check with the State Library’s public services staff if you need assistance.

Washington Lighthouses

Man in cape with a disappointed look on his face

“Cape” Disappointment

There are eighteen active lighthouses in the state, one of which serves as a museum. In addition, three are standing but inactive (one of these is now a museum), three were supplanted by automated towers, and two have been completely demolished. The Cape Disappointment Light was the first lighthouse in the state (lit in 1856) and is still active. It sits where the Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean following its 1,243 mile journey.

(“List of Lighthouses in Washington.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_lighthouses_in_Washington. Accessed 23 Mar. 2017.)

Click on a Washington lighthouse name for information about it

Admiralty Head Alki Point Browns Point
Burrows Island Bush Point Cape Disappointment
Cape Flattery Cattle Point Destruction Island
Dofflemeyer Point Ediz Hook Gig Harbor
Grays Harbor (Westport) Lightship Swiftsure LV 83/WAL 513 Lime Kiln
Marrowstone Point Mukilteo New Dungeness
North Head Patos Island Point No Point
Point Robinson Point Wilson Skunk Bay
Slip Point Turn Point West Point
(The Lighthouses, Lighthouse Friends, Inc., lighthousefriends.com/pull-lights.asp. Accessed 27 Mar. 2017. Arranged by state.)

A list of Washington State lighthouses can also be found at “Historic Light Station Information & Photography.” on the U.S. Coast Guard Historian’s Office web site.

The history includes both active and deactivated lighthouses. Some entries point to photographs.

Washington Rural Heritage

The Washington State Library’s Washington Rural Heritage is a collaborative project that facilitates sharing of local history materials from libraries, museums, and private collections of citizens across Washington State. To date one hundred twenty-nine cultural institutions have participated in the project.

The Orcas Island Heritage Collection was a collaboration of the Orcas Island Public Library  Orcas Island Historical Museum. One of the interesting stories in the collection is about the Pole Pass Light. Search the collection and you will find 19 entries.

Pole Pass Light

Map showing location of Pole Pass, Washington

Courtesy LighthouseFriends.com

“Pole Pass, is a narrow rocky pass in Deer Harbor between Orcas and Crane islands. In the late 1800s and early 1900s steamboats hired someone to hold a light if they had to go through at night. Finally about 1940 a permanent light was constructed.”

(Geoghegan, James T. “Pole Pass Light.” Orcas Island Heritage, Washington State Library, 11 June 1914, http://bit.ly/2nGKT2C. Accessed 21 Mar. 2017. )
 “In 1883  the captain of the mail boat S.S. LIBBY asked William Cadwell, a Pole Pass homesteader, to suspend a lantern at the pass to guide the steamer during its evening runs. In exchange for this service, the vessel provided William’s family with free transportation and shipment of produce grown on the Cadwell farm. In 1887 the federal government placed a larger lantern containing a red globe at the site. William manually lit this lantern every night which was fueled by kerosene to ensure the flame wouldn’t be extinguished during bad weather. After Cadwell’s death around 1890, son-in-law Robert McLachlan took over the role of light keeper. Then McLachlan’s son. Kirk, continued the lamp-lighting tradition by supervising the beacon from 1907 to 1949. At that point the U.S, Coast Guard replaced Orcas Island’s only navigational light with a blinker- which continues to operate today.”
(“History Corner [Newspaper Column].” Orcas Islander, bit.ly/2mR5Rb9 Accessed 21 Mar. 2017.)
Steamboat passing through Pole Pass between Orcas and Crane Islands, Washington.

Pole Pass (Washington) 1909. Photograph by J. A. McCormick [Public domain], via Wikimedia Common

 

Pole Pass Light

Pole Pass Light. Geoghegan, James T., 1869-1953, Orcas Island Heritage — James T. Geoghegan Collection

Pole Pass light show in vintage postcards

Pole Pass Light. Used by permission, Cherie Christensen, Saltwater People Historical Society.

“Watching the blinkers on a dark night brings back many memories to the old settlers still living near Pole pass. They recall shipwrecks in the old days and have a warm place in their hearts at the thoughtfulness of the lightkeepers through the years. They are glad, too, for the progress that brings new lights as they are needed.”

(McLachlan, Edith. “1883 ❖ POLE PASS LIGHT ❖.” Saltwater People Log, Saltwater People Historical Society, http://bit.ly/2o13aEf. Accessed 21 Mar. 2017. Original source: They Named it Deer Harbor, McLachlan, Edith. 1970.)

Irene Barfoot O’Neill, daughter of the light keeper on Obstruction Island provides insight into life in a lighthouse:

“All of these lights were fueled by kerosene (coal oil). If the flame was not carefully adjusted, the chimney would be smoked and the light not seen clearly, thus endangering the lives of those traveling on the boats which depended upon the light being visible for the required distance.

The lamp itself was much the same as an ordinary household lamp and chimney, but the outer glass protection globe was thick because of the magnification in the manufacturing process. As I remember, the round globes were about 10″ high by 8″ in diameter. The oil tank held enough to last seven days, requiring a trip once a week to refill the tank and clean the lamps. If a storm seemed imminent, father wouldn’t wait, especially in winter.

The only weather forecasting was done by reading the sky and cloud formations. Of course, the wind and tides were a consideration, as the only power was by oars or perhaps a sail …

The pay for this work wasn’t generous, but many times the $13.00 per month pay was our only cash income.

One of the highlights of our year was the semiannual visit of the lighthouse tender “Heather”, which brought oil, towels, extra chimneys, and other supplies which were stored on an 8′ by 8′ white-painted “oil house” near the beach. Oil came in wooden cases, with two five-gallon tins in each. When empty, these sturdy boxes and tins served many uses around the farm. With the top cut off and the sharp edges neatly hammered down, two of these tins sat of the back of our wood stove as a supply of hot water for dishes or whatever.”

(O’Neill, Irene Barfoot. 125 Years Olga: Memories and Potlucks: Orcas Island Heritage, Washington State Library, 10 June 2008, Washington Rural Heritage Orcas Collection. Accessed 24 Mar. 2017.)

Washington State Parks

Some lighthouses have become the property of and are managed by Washington State Parks:

Exploring Coastal Guardians at State Parks

In honor of National Lighthouse Day, August 7, 2016, Washington State Parks posted an article to their blog:

Exploring Coastal Guardians at State Parks | Adventure Awaits, WA, Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, http://www.adventureawaits.com/201/Exploring-Coastal-Guardians-8-5-16. Accessed 12 Apr. 2017.
Photo of lobby, North Head Lighthouse in Ilwaco, Washington

Interior Lobby, North Head Lighthouse, Ilwaco, Washington

From our state agency documents collection

The Washington State Library is the depository of state agency publications published in many different formats. Publications from 1889 onward provide current and historical information about State government.  They are a resource for research into Washington’s past and they are a cornerstone for Washington’s future. The State Library also maintains a system of depository libraries geographically spread across the state.

McCroskey, Lauren. Washington State Parks Historic Properties Condition Assessment Phase Ii: Eastern Region. Olympia, Wash.: Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, 2000. Print: WA 719.3 P231was s23 2000.

Conconully State Park; Dalles Mountain Ranch, Horsethief Lake State Park;  Northrup Canyon, Steamboat Rock State Park; Ohme Gardens State Park; Olmstead Place Park; Fort Simcoe State Park; Riverside State Park.

McCroskey, Lauren. Washington State Parks Historic Properties Condition Assessment Phase Ii: Northwest Region. Olympia, Wash.: Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, 2000. Print: WA 719.3 P231was s22 2000.

Burrows Island lighthouse; Fort Casey State Park; Cowan Ranch, Hoko River State Park; Fort Flagler State Park; Lime Kiln Point State Park; Old Fort Townsend State Park; Patos Island lighthouse; Point Wilson lighthouse, Fort Worden State Park; O’Brien-Riggs property, Rockport State Park; Rothschild house. Burrows Island lighthouse; Fort Casey State Park; Cowan Ranch, Hoko River State Park; Fort Flagler State Park; Lime Kiln Point State Park; Old Fort Townsend State Park; Patos Island lighthouse; Point Wilson lighthouse, Fort Worden State Park; O’Brien-Riggs property, Rockport State Park; Rothschild house.

McCroskey, Lauren. Washington State Parks Historic Properties Condition Assessment Phase Ii: Southwest Region. Olympia, Wash.: Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, 2000. Print: WA 719.3 P231was s28 2000.

Battleground Lake State Park; Fort Canby State Park; Fort Columbia State Park; Grays Harbor State Park; Pe Ell Section House; Siminiski House; Rainbow Falls State Park.

McCroskey, Lauren. Washington State Parks Historic Properties Condition Assessment Phase Ii: Technical Specifications & Technical Drawings. Olympia, Wash.: Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, 2000. Print: WA 719.3 P231was s24 2000.

North Head Lighthouse: Established 1898. Olympia, WA: Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, 2000. Print: WA 719.3 P231nor h 2012.

Photo of the Mukilteo Lighthouse

Mukilteo Lighthouse by “Jon Zander(Digon3)” courtesy Wikimedia Commons

From our Northwest collection – a sampling of publications on lighthouses

The State Library preserves and provides access to a comprehensive collection of information on the geographic area we now know as Washington State and the other identified regions of the Pacific Northwest: Oregon, Idaho, and Western Montana. The collection also contains works on Alaska, British Columbia and the Yukon Territory to reflect our shared histories.

Aliberti, Ray. Lighthouses Northwest: The Designs of Carl Leick. Coupeville, Wa. (P.O. Box 827, Coupeville 98239-0827): Aliberti, 2000. Print: NW 387.155 ALIBERT 2000; Historic Research and Rare Collection copies available for in-library use only.

Bache, Hartman. Early West Coast Lighthouses: Eight Drawings and Paintings. San Francisco: Book Club of California, 1964. Print: Historic Research and Rare Collection copies for in library use only.

Ehlers, Chad, and Jim Gibbs. Sentinels of Solitude: West Coast Lighthouses. San Luis Obispo, CA: EZ Nature Books, 1989. Print: R 387.155 EHLERS 1981, in-library use only.

Groth, Karen N. Westport’s Masterpiece: Building the Grays Harbor Lighthouse, 1897-98. Portland, Or: Nicholson Press, 2010. Print: NW 387.155 GROTH 2010; Historic Research copy available for in-library use only.

Hanable, William S. Lighthouses and Lifesaving on Washington’s Outer Coast: 15 Historic Postcards. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Pub, 2009. Print: NW 387.155 HANABLE 2009; Historic Research copy available for in-library use only.

Leffingwell, Randy, and Pamela Welty. Lighthouses of the Pacific Coast: Your Guide to the Lighthouses of California, Oregon, and Washington. Minneapolis: Voyageur Press, 2010. Print: NW 387.155 LEFFING 2000; Historic Research copy available for in-library use only.

Lighthouses of the Northwest. Howes Cave, N.Y: Hartnett House Map Publishers, 2005. Print: NW 387.155 HARTNET 2000; Historic Research copy available for in-library use only.

Lucero, Donella J, and Nancy L. Hobbs. Guardian of the Columbia River: Cape Disappointment Lighthouse, 1856-2006. Long Beach, Wash.?: Willapa Communications, 2006. Print: NW 387.155 LUCERO 2006; Historic Research copy available for in-library use only.

Lucero, Donella J, and Nancy L. Hobbs. North Head Lighthouse. Long Beach, Wash.?: Willapa Communications, 2006. Print: NW 387.155 LUCERO 2006; Historic Research copy available for in-library use only.

McCurdy, James G. Cape Flattery and Its Light: Life on Tatoosh Island. Seattle: Shorey Book Store, 1966. Print: R OVERSIZ 387.155 MCCURDY 1966 in-library use only.

McDaniel, Nancy L. A Sound Defense: Military Sites, Lighthouses, and Memorials of Puget Sound. Chimacum, Wash: Nancy L. McDaniel, 2013. Print: NW 917.9704 MCDANIE 2013; Historic Research copy available for in-library use only.

Nelson, Sharlene P. Umbrella Guide to Washington Lighthouses. Friday Harbor, WA (PO Box 1460, Friday Harbor 98250-1460): Umbrella Books, 1990. Print: NW 387.155 NELSON 1990; Historic Research copy available for in-library use only.

Roberts, Bruce, and Ray Jones. Lighthouses of Washington: A Guidebook and Keepsake. Guilford, Conn: Insiders’ Guide, 2006. Print: NW 387.155 ROBERTS 2006

Roberts, Bruce, and Ray Jones. Pacific Northwest Lighthouses: Oregon to the Aleutians. Old Saybrook, Conn: Globe Pequot Press, 1997. Print: NW 387.155 ROBERTS 1997; In-library use only copy also available.

Survey Correspondence, Washington Territory: Records of the Bureau of Land Management. Washington? D.C.: The Bureau?, 1980. Microfilm: NW MICRO 333.16 SURVEY 188-?, 2 reels, for in-library use only.

Washington Lighthouses: Photographic Essay. Tacoma, WA: Smith-Western Co, 2000. Print: R 387.155 WASHING 200-?, in-library use only.

“Washington Secretary of State – Legacy Washington – Washington History: Historical Maps Detail.” Washington Secretary of State – Legacy Washington – Washington History: Historical Maps Detail, U.S. Corp of Engineers, 1881, www.sos.wa.gov/legacy/maps/maps_detail.aspx?m=22. Accessed 21 Mar. 2017.

In print: Symons, T. W. (Thomas William), 1849-1920. [Washington, D.C. : Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army], 1881. In library use only. Request ahead of time.

Symons, T. W. (Thomas William), 1849-1920. [Washington, D.C.] : Office of the Chief of Engineers, U.S. Army, 1885. In library use only. Request ahead of time.

Other Resources

Society, Saltwater People Historical. “Saltwater People Log, Saltwater People Historical Society, 6 Nov. 2013, http://bit.ly/2n4v1UE. Accessed 21 Mar. 2017.

Strobridge, Truman R. “CHRONOLOGY OF AIDS TO NAVIGATION.” Historic Light Stations, United State Coast Guard, 21 Dec. 2016, www.uscg.mil/history/articles/h_USLHSchron.asp. Accessed 6 Mar. 2017. Excellent chronology and list of resources.

 “Lighthouses: FAQ.” Fact Monster from Information Please, Sandbox Networks, Inc., Publishing as Fact Monster., www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0800631.html. Accessed 21 Mar. 2017.

“List of Lighthouses in Washington.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 20 Mar. 2017, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_lighthouses_in_Washington. Accessed 21 Mar. 2017.

“Historic Light Station Information & Photography.” Coast Guard Lighthouses, U.S. Coast Guard, www.uscg.mil/history/weblighthouses/LHWA.asp. Accessed 21 Mar. 2017.

Thiesen, William H. “Coast Guard Lighthouses and the History of the ‘Flying Santa.” The Retiree Newsletter, pp. 9–10, www.uscg.mil/hr/psc/retnews/2017/January17newsletter.pdf. Accessed 3 Apr. 2017.

 “U. S. Coast Guard Monuments & Memorials .” Coast Guard Monuments & Memorials, US Coast Guard, www.uscg.mil/history/faqs/uscgmemorials.asp. Accessed 21 Mar. 2017.

 “Washington Secretary of State – Legacy Washington – Washington History: Historical Maps Detail.” Washington Secretary of State – Legacy Washington – Washington History: Historical Maps Detail, U.S. Corp of Engineers, 1881, www.sos.wa.gov/legacy/maps/maps_detail.aspx?m=22. Accessed 21 Mar. 2017.

Just for Fun

How to purchase a lighthouse: “Coast Guard History.” USCG: Frequently Asked Questions, U.S. Coast Guard, Historian’s Office, www.uscg.mil/history/faqs/Lighthouse_Keepers.asp. Accessed 22 Mar. 2017.

How to become a lighthouse keeper: “Coast Guard History.” USCG: Frequently Asked Questions, U.S. Coast Guard, Historian’s Office, www.uscg.mil/history/faqs/Lighthouse_Keepers.asp. Accessed 22 Mar. 2017.

“Stay at a Washington Lighthouse.” Stay at a Washington Lighthouse, United States Lighthouse Society, www.stayatawashingtonlighthouse.org/. Accessed 21 Mar. 2017.

Need assistance finding state or federal publications? Contact our Ask a Librarian service.

The following State Library staff contributed to this article: Sean Lanksbury, Pacific Northwest and Special Collections Librarian, Evan Robb, Digital Repository Librarian; Nikki Chiampa, Digital Projects Librarian.

Access to Historic Congressional Information

Tuesday, March 7th, 2017 Posted in Articles, Federal and State Publications, For Libraries, For the Public | Comments Off on Access to Historic Congressional Information


Photo of a puzzled emoticon (smiley face)

Courtesy Wikimedia commons

From the desk of Rand Simmons

Remember these?

  • The Administrations of Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Jimmy Carter
  • Passage/ratification of the 26th Amendment (allowing 18-year-olds to vote)
  • Watergate
  • The end of the Vietnam War
  • The US Bicentennial
  • Civil Service Reform Act of 1978
  • The Iran Hostage Crisis
  • OPEC and the Oil Crises of the 1970s
  • Title IX Amendment of the Higher Education Act

The 1970’s. Ugh! High gas prices, low mpg, and 55 mph speed limits! So what was going in Congress?

The U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) just announced that in partnership with the Library of Congress the have released the digital version of the bound Congressional Record from 1971-1980. You can search it on GPO’s govinfo. This release covers debates and proceedings of the 92nd through the 96th Congresses.

Photo of US GPO eagle logo

Courtesy Government Printing Off

The Congressional Record is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress. It is published daily when Congress is in session. The Congressional Record began publication in 1873, and is still published today. Click here to learn more.

Library of Congress logo

Courtesy of the Library of   Congress

Issues dating from 1995 (beginning with the 104th Congress) are available online. Many federal depository libraries (like us) will have issues available in print. Current issues become available on Congress.gov shortly after they are published on GPO’s FDsys.

Need more information or assistance in finding congressional information? We love to help! You can reach us by clicking here.

WSL Updates for January 19, 2017

Thursday, January 19th, 2017 Posted in For Libraries, Grants and Funding, News, Technology and Resources, Training and Continuing Education, Updates | Comments Off on WSL Updates for January 19, 2017


Volume 13, January 19, 2017 for the WSL Updates mailing list

Topics include:

1) WSL SERVICE CHANGES

2) FREE COMPUTERS – MIA LAB GRANTS

3) PRESERVATION GRANTS FOR SMALLER INSTITUTIONS

4) RECORDINGS AT RISK GRANTS

5) BEYOND GOOGLE – FINDING GOVERNMENT INFORMATION

6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK

Read the rest of this entry »

50 YEARS OF NORTHWEST HISTORY NEWS NOTES

Tuesday, January 3rd, 2017 Posted in Articles | Comments Off on 50 YEARS OF NORTHWEST HISTORY NEWS NOTES


pnq-issues

image courtesy of Pacific Northwest Quarterly

From the desk of Sean Lanksbury. PNW & Special Collections Librarian

Did you know that for the last 50 years, the Washington State Library has compiled a quarterly bibliography of recent Pacific Northwest history publications, including notable journal articles, for the journal Pacific Northwest Quarterly?

The historian, author, and Washington Room librarian Hazel Emery Mills started the column as a service to researchers of Pacific Northwest history. The first edition of Northwest History News Notes appeared in Volume 58 (January 1967). A staff librarian specializing in Pacific Northwest materials of the Washington State Library has performed this outreach continuously ever since.

The following is a list of the librarians who have produced Northwest History News Notes:

Hazel Emery Mills: Vol. 58 (January 1967)–Vol. 65 (April 1974)

Nancy Blankenship Pryor: Vol. 65 (July 1974) –Vol. 76 (January 1985)

Jeanne Engerman Crisp:  Vol. 76 (April 1985) –Vol. 82 (April 1991)

Gayle Palmer: Vol. 82 (July 1991) –Vol. 89 (Fall 1998)

Shirley Lewis: Vol. 89 (Fall 1998) –Vol. 100 (Fall 2009)

Sean Lanksbury: Vol. 101 (Winter 2009/2010) –current issue.

 

Pacific Northwest Quarterly (PNQ) began as The Washington Historical Quarterly (WHQ) in October 1907, making it 110 years old this year.  All of the Washington Historical Quarterly issues are available online free of charge at https://journals.lib.washington.edu/index.php/WHQ/issue/archive.

PNQ also has a freely accessible online index and a table of contents by issue at http://www.washington.edu/uwired/outreach/cspn/Website/PNQ/PNQ%20Main.html.

You can access physical copies of all WHQ and PNQ issues at the State Library Reading Room or other holding institutions, and you can access PNQ issues published more than five years ago online by JSTOR subscription at http://www.jstor.org/journal/pacnorwestq

For more information, contact the Pacific Northwest & Special Collections Librarian at [email protected] or 360-704-5279.

You can also contact the Public Services Staff via email, phone, chat, and mail.

 

Here comes Santa Claus … There goes Santa Claus

Wednesday, December 21st, 2016 Posted in Articles, Federal and State Publications, For the Public, Public Services | Comments Off on Here comes Santa Claus … There goes Santa Claus


NORAD's official 2016 photographFrom the desk of Rand Simmons

For those of us, yes even the most mature of adults, and those who through deductive reasoning have ruled out the possibility of a jolly old elf in a sleigh packed with toys pulled by flying reindeer traveling faster than possible delivering a gift to every boy and girl in the world in just one night, the child within each of us listens to hear the tinkling of bells on the roof top …

Trudy Hawkins in Government Book Talk tells an amusing story:

Illustration of a blue snowflake.

‘Twas Christmas eve 1955 when a misprinted Sears Roebuck & Co. newspaper ad directed kids to a Soviet alert hotline instead of Santa’s direct dial. The top secret hotline that was used only in national emergencies to alert the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) if the USSR attacked. Wrong red phone!

On the receiving end, U.S. Air Force Col. Harry Shoup, CONAD’s director of operations, grabbed the red emergency phone and braced for an imminent attack. Instead, a little 6 year-old boy’s voice trembled over the phone, “Are you really Santa Claus?” Shoup, thinking it was a prank, barked, “Would you repeat that?” The little voice started to cry, then hesitantly asked, “Is this one of Santa’s elves, then?”

Soon the phone began ringing off the hook with kids wanting to gab with Santa. Col. Shoup played along. He even turned his team of Cold War-era radar operators into North Pole elves—they scanned monitors for indications of Santa on the move. And that’s how the U.S. Government got into the business of Santa tracking.

Illustration of a blue snowflake.

Today, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD, CONAD’s successor) is a bi-national U.S. and Canadian organization tasked with aerospace warning and control. As a frontline in homeland defense, its slogan is “Deter, Detect, Defend.” But its most famous and favorite mission is watching the winter skies for the “big red one,” much as it has done since Col. Shoup answered the phone over 60 years ago.

For young and old alike, even for those hardened skeptics, and those who simply cannot contain the excitement in anticipating Santa’s arrival, and those who must be in the know, there is the NORAD Santa tracker.

NORAD’s web site features a Santa tracker countdown, Santa music, information in eight languages, games, music and movies.

Cell phone cartoon character in green shoesYou can also track Santa on your mobile phone!

Find the NORAD Santa Tracker here and enjoy!

Want more information? Try NORAD is ready to track Santa’s flight.

Hats off to the men and women of the The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), a United States and Canada bi-national organization charged with the missions of aerospace warning and aerospace control for North America. Aerospace warning includes the detection, validation, and warning of attack against North America whether by aircraft, missiles, or space vehicles, through mutual support arrangements with other commands.

happyholidays

 

From all of us at the Washington State Library we wish you the happiness of this holiday season and the best for the new year.

 

 

 

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