Washington State Library News
Going digital will help the Washington State Library adjust to leaner times. The Legislature approved $498,000 in cuts from the state library’s operating budget for next year, continuing 10 years of reductions. “It will be more cost effective to be digital,” state librarian Rand Simmons said. (Photo) (The Spokesman-Review, [Spokane] 12.28.11) http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2011/dec/28/libraries-boost-devotion-to-digital/

Library News
For 2012, the Enumclaw city budget will call for library money to be taken from Fund 180, a pot of cash built through property sales and lease collections. It is seen as a one-time expenditure as the city moves toward placing an item on the April ballot asking voters to annex into the King County Library System. (Enumclaw Courier-Herald, 12.7.11)

More than two dozen handheld electricity monitoring devices are now available for checkout through the Fort Vancouver Regional Library District. Wells Fargo donated 26 “Kill a Watt” devices to the library district, which are available to cardholders in the district. (Columbian, [Vancouver] 12.8.11) http://www.columbian.com/news/2011/dec/08/fort-vancouver-library-district-offers-energy-moni/

After a somewhat heated review of yet another proposed library contract, the Walla Walla City Council refused to consider a $245,000 reimbursement contract approved by the district earlier that day because the district had added a stipulation that city and district form a committee to develop a plan for a joint library district. The Council did vote 6-1, to approve a new contract proposal for the same amount, but without the committee stipulation. (Union-Bulletin, [Walla Walla] 12.8.11)

Mid-Columbia Libraries’ Board of Trustees hired Kyle P. Cox as the library district’s executive director following an executive session at their special board meeting on Thursday, Dec. 1. Cox has served as Mid-Columbia Libraries’ interim executive director since June, 2010. (The Outlook, [Othello] 12.8.11) http://www.othellooutlook.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=21109&SectionID=5&SubSectionID=30&S=1

Big Bend Community College has donated eight more computers to the local library for the community to use. There are already seven computers at Ritzville High School and five at Lind High School that have been donated by Big Bend. All of these computers are being donated because of a grant that Big Bend received earlier this year. (Ritzville-Adams County Journal, [Ritzville] 12.8.11)

Peggy Bryan and James Morasch from Whitman County Library journeyed to Los Angeles to help answer the question, “What is the future of public libraries in the digital age?” Gathering in Los Angeles, 60 leaders from academic and public libraries, foundations, digitization and support organizations, and technology firms nationwide were charged with creating a blueprint for a National Digital Public Library. (Whitman County Gazette, [Colfax] 12.8.11)

Librarian Cathy Miller attended a Collaborative Library Resource Sharing meeting at Ritzville on Wednesday, November 30th. Each librarian in attendance was able to try using the Nook, Kindle, and iPad2. Carolyn Petersen, Washington State Librarian, will be in the Wilbur library on January 18 for a workshop on e-readers. Anyone interested is welcome. (Wilbur Register, 12.8.11)

The White Center and Boulevard Park libraries once again received a reprieve from closure after King County Library System trustees voted Nov. 29 to postpone action on a staff recommendation to consolidate the two libraries into one facility near Southwest 128th Street in Burien. (Photo) (Highline Times/Des Moines News/SeaTac News [Burien], 12.9.11) http://www.highlinetimes.com/2011/12/01/news/library-board-once-again-postpones-decision-closi

The city of Vancouver, in collaboration with 13 nonprofit partners, has published a new website devoted to growing business in Clark County. Officially launching January 23, VancouverBusinessResource.org, will also contain a ‘Good Reading’ section with Fort Vancouver Regional Library resources. (Photos) (Vancouver Business Journal, 12.9.11) http://www.vbjusa.com/2011/12/09/city-of-vancouver-set-to-launch-business-resource-website/

Walla Walla city and county library patrons are already feeling the effects of a major change due to start in 2012. This week, the three library agencies that make up the WALNET Consortium – Walla Walla Public Library, Walla Walla Rural County Library District and Walla Walla Community College Library – stopped loaning materials to one another’s patrons because in 2012 the city of Walla Walla is pulling out o f WALNET. The reason the city is leaving WALNET is to save money. (Union-Bulletin, [Walla Walla] 12.11.11)

Hoquiam city officials unanimously passed an amended budget cutting about $490,000 in expenses to balance tax revenue lost from the Grays Harbor Paper mill closure earlier this year. The largest savings came from voters approving the annexation of the Hoquiam Library into the five-county Timberland Regional Library District. The annexation allows the district to tax residents directly, saving the city about $160,000 in annual operational expenses. (Daily World, [Aberdeen] 12.13.11)

The end of 2011 will bring major changes to a nearly 40–year–old radio reading service for the blind in Washington, put on by the Washington Talking Book and Braille Library (WTBBL). Evergreen Radio won’t go off the air, but state budget cuts mean most of its local programs will disappear. (KUOW.org, 12.22.11) http://www.kuow.org/program.php?id=25466

Buildings
A new library being built in Buena will have new furniture, shelves and computers when it opens, thanks to a $19,700 grant from the Yakima Valley Community Foundation. Construction of the 2,000-square-foot Buena Library, a part of Yakima Valley Libraries, is expected to begin this month. (Yakima Herald-Republic, 12.2.11) http://www.yakima-herald.com/stories/2011/12/01/community-grant-furnishes-new-buena-library

The Pierce County Library System opened the Fife branch December 3 with a grand opening. The Fife branch will be one of the first libraries in the state – and one of the few in the nation – to be non-Dewey. Numbered aisles will be replaced by subject listings that range from parenting to crafts and history. (Photo) (Fife Free Press, 12.2.11) http://www.fifefreepress.com/news/view/fife-branch-set-to-welcome-library-users/

A fundraiser was held Saturday, Dec. 3, to raise some of the $300,000 needed to bring a Whatcom County Library branch to Sudden Valley. A lease was signed about a month ago for a 6,500-square-foot barn in Sudden Valley, with the understanding that it would be renovated and able to function as a library by the end of 2014. (Bellingham Herald, 12.3.11) http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2011/12/02/2295744/holiday-craft-event-at-sudden.html#storylink=misearch

The Jefferson County Library is low on space and low on staff, yet high on demand. A bond request for nearly $9 million in expansion and renovation funds failed at the polls last August, but the problems that prompted the bond proposal still exist. The library plans to use $400,000 to $500,000 of existing funds to complete a remodel project in 2012. (Photo) (The Leader, [Port Townsend] 12.7.11)

The new Quincy Library, a part of North Central Regional Library, opened to the public December 19th with a small ribbon-cutting ceremony. There will be a larger grand opening event in January. (Photo) (Quincy Valley Post, 12.8.11) http://www.qvpr.com/articles/new-quincy-library-open-dec-19

King County Library System staff and Schacht Aslani Architects introduced community members to their vision for the expansion of Fairwood Library, at a forum last week. The plan is to expand the 15,000-square-foot library, built in the 1980s, to 20,000 square feet. Construction is anticipated to begin in early spring 2013. (Photo) (Renton Reporter, [Kent] 12.9.11) http://www.rentonreporter.com/news/134942918.html

The Timberland Regional Library District is working with city and school officials to put a public library at Cosmopolis Elementary. The library would be used by school kids during the day and be open after hours for use by the general public. The idea is to have a 3,509 square foot library located within the school as well as a 960 square foot community room. (Photo) (Daily World, [Aberdeen] 12.11.11)

At 4,800 square feet, the Silverdale library is the smallest facility operated by the Kitsap Regional Library system in relation to the population it serves. The KRL board of directors and Kitsap County Board of Commissioners have entered into an agreement that will determine whether there is enough financial support in Central Kitsap to see a new library built. (The Kitsap Sun, [Bremerton] 12.13.11) http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2011/dec/12/agreement-paves-way-for-expansion-of-silverdale/

Letters & Editorials
WSU campus libraries fail to satisfy student needs. Separate areas are needed for group work and quiet study. The Holland Terrell Libraries have many functions that differ for different types of students. As a freshman just starting off at college, Holland Terrell is laughed off by most and thought of as lame. (The Daily Evergreen, [Pullman] 12.1.11) http://dailyevergreen.com/public/readmore.castle?id=1316

It makes me sad to think that Michael Cronin’s opinion may be representative of the opinions of many WSU students. A brief look at library statistics, which can be found online at www.wsulibs.wsu.edu/assessment/, makes it very clear that library services and collections continue to get a lot of use. (The Daily Evergreen, [Pullman] 12.8.11) http://dailyevergreen.com/public/readmore.castle?id=1389

On the evening of November 29th, I and a number of Burien residents watched as the King County Library Board voted to push off voting to close the White Center and Boulevard Park libraries for a second time this year. (High Times/Des Moines News/SeaTac News, [Burien] 12.9.11) http://www.highlinetimes.com/2011/12/07/letters-editor/letter-push-back-library-proposal

We like Kyle Cox and expect that he will be energetic and thoughtful in his new post at the head of the Mid-Columbia library system. But no matter how good Cox proves to be as a library director, we can’t see how making the selection inside a black box helped build community confidence. (Tri-City Herald, [Kennewick] 12.14.11) http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2011/12/14/1752562/search-for-library-director-should.html#storylink=misearch

People
Katy Myers started Nov. 14 as the new Branch Manager of the Prosser library, a part of the Mid-Columbia Libraries. Katy grew up in the TriCity area and moved recently from Yakima, where she also worked as a Librarian. (Record-Bulletin, [Prosser] 11.30.11)

Seattle Public Library’s new city librarian Marcellus Turner can’t wait to see how libraries will evolve, and works to renew faith in the written – and digital – word. (Interview) (Photos) (Real Change, [Seattle] 12.14.11) http://www.realchangenews.org/index.php/site/archives/6149/

Awards
Lopez Island Library has received a star rating from the Library Journal for the third consecutive year. The Journal compared nation-wide library circulation, visits, public Internet use, and program attendance and found that Lopez Island Library was well above the average in these categories for similar-sized libraries across the country. (Island’s Weekly Newspaper, [Lopez Island] 12.6.11) http://www.islandsweekly.com/community/134710018.html

The Library Journal Index of Public Library Service 2011 recently awarded the Seattle Public Library the top rating of five stars among large libraries for the second year in a row. Library Journal developed its national ranking of public libraries based on per-capita statistics for library visits, circulation, program attendance and public Internet computer use. (Lynnwood Journal – King Co. Edition, 12.6.11)

Programs & Displays
The Snohomish Library is offering a free six-week class to anyone interested in passing the history/civics examinations which is a requirement for naturalization. (Everett News Tribune, [Snohomish] 12.14.11)

The “2012 Teen Video Challenge” is a national video competition now underway. Its goal is for more teens to get involved with reading and their public library’s summer reading program. The contest ends March 9, 2012. The Washington State Library is partnering with the Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP) to promote the video contest. (Othello Outlook, 12.20.11) http://www.othellooutlook.com/m/Articles.aspx?ArticleID=21152

The Wahkiakum Community Network (WCN) wanted to see a safe, fun place for teens to spend time when they funded the Cathlamet Public Library’s $2,000 proposal to create a Teen Library Night. The Teen Library Night is funded on Saturdays through June. (The Wahkiakum County Eagle, [Cathlamet] 12.29.11) http://www.waheagle.com/news/article.exm/2011-12-29_library_sponsors_teen_library_night

[This summary of library news was created by Bobbie DeMiero and Leanna Hammond of the Washington State Library Division of the Office of the Secretary of State. It represents a selection of newspaper clippings about Washington libraries from all Washington newspapers received in the packets on the dates shown. For more information about any of these stories, contact Carolyn Petersen at 360.570.5560 or [email protected] ]