Library News
Dayton Memorial Library, a part of the Columbia County Rural Library District (CCRLD), is one of the best places to download e-books. CCRLD hosted an e-reader “Show and Tell” in January. (Blue Mountain News, [Dayton] 1.2012.)

North Olympic Library System Director Paula Barnes said she has made two resolutions for the public libraries in Port Angeles, Sequim, Forks and Clallam Bay. “In 2012, the libraries will do more to help people who are trying to cope with the poor economy,” Barnes said. Her second resolution is to expand electronic services at the libraries. (Peninsula Daily News, [Port Angeles] 1.1.12) http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20120101/news/301019981

Sno-Isle Libraries staff are prepared for the onslaught of post-holiday questions such as: I received an eReader as a gift, now what? How do I check out an eBook? Can I download library eBooks for free? Funded by the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation and Sno-Isle Libraries Foundation, classes titled “Librarians as Information Guides: Downloading eBooks at Your Library” are available through February in Snohomish and Island counties. (Lake Stevens Journal, 1.4.12)

There are several things happening that will make 2012 an exciting year for the La Conner Regional Library. As of January 1, they have agreements with the Mount Vernon and Burlington libraries, adding to the ones they already have in place with Sedro-Woolley, Upper Skagit and Anacortes. On March 1, the library will become part of Washington Anytime, an Overdrive consortium, where you can get more downloadable audiobooks and ebooks that are Kindle compatible. (LaConner Weekly, 1.4.12)

Two of the most popular ebook readers right now are the Amazon Kindle and the Barnes & Noble Nook. In hopes of easing the frustration and confusion that many are experiencing, the Ferndale Public Library is offering weekly drop-in classes on Thursday afternoons at 2 p.m. (Photo) (Ferndale Record, 1.4.12)

Walk into the Mukilteo Library, a part of the Sno-Isle Libraries, and you’ll see a huge shelf of books behind the information desk. Except those books aren’t just for anyone to check out – they’re reserved for the library’s Teen Galley Group. These teens make up one of 16 groups throughout the United States that read and review books before they are published. (Photo) (The Mukilteo Beacon, 1.4.12) http://www.mukilteobeacon.com/community/article.exm/2012-01-04_mukilteo_teens__book_reviews_help_publishers_

New Bellingham Mayor Kelli Linville wants to get the city refocused on the Bellingham Public Library. Plans for a new main library have been stalled for several years, and Linville plans to devote some energy to the project. Among other things, that means taking a hard look at the cost of a new library. (Bellingham Herald, 1.4.12) http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2012/01/03/2330645/linville-taking-cautious-approach.html#storylink=misearch

The Columbia County Rural Library District will be updating their circulation, cataloging and public access catalog software, known as an Integrated Library System (ILS), in February. The Library District will go live with their new system on February 21st. (Dayton Chronicle, 1.4.12)

News that the Merrill’s Corner Branch of the Mid-Columbia Libraries would be closing but Bookmobile services would be taking its place brought mixed reviews from citizens of Merrill’s Corner and Eltopia. At their regular board meeting on December 20, 2011, Mid-Columbia Libraries’ Board of Trustees reaffirmed its decision to provide bookmobile service to the residents of southern Franklin County. (Franklin County Graphic, [Connell] 1.5.12)

The Quincy City Council will explore the idea of breaking away from the North Central Regional Library District and solely funding the Quincy Public Library. That was the direction the council took during its meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 3 after meeting with representatives from the NCRL. (Quincy Valley Post Register, 1.5.12) http://www.qvpr.com/articles/city-looks-library-de-annexation

The city of Cle Elum will eliminate staff and make cuts to its police, library and public works departments to balance its 2012 budget, partly because it doesn’t expect to receive payments from Suncadia agreed upon in a 2002 development agreement. It will trim $35,000 from the Carpenter Memorial Library’s budget, reducing the current full-time librarian position to a half-time position. (The Daily Record, [Ellensburg] 1.26.12) http://www.dailyrecordnews.com/uppercounty/city-of-cle-elum-lays-off-staff/article_dfe19c44-4855-11e1-9004-001871e3ce6c.html

A Seattle woman is complaining that she was at the Lake City library with her kids recently, when she saw a man watching hard-core porn on a computer, with the screen facing toward the room. Andra Addison, spokeswoman for the Seattle Public Library, said the libraries do not filter content on computers, unless the computers are in the kids’ section. “We’re a library, so we facilitate access to constitutionally protected information,” she said. (Seattle PI, 1.31.12) http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/Seattle-library-lets-man-watch-porn-despite-2873692.php

To the far west is a blur of activity in the Land of Imagination. At the eastern edge, Kendra Jones and her finger-puppet lion are holding court amid more than 60 toddlers and their grown-up companions. In between are all the other resources, materials and people that go into the second-best children’s library in the nation. That is the verdict of Livability.com, which just released its list of the nation’s Top 10 children’s libraries. In its assessment, Livability.com called the third floor of the new Vancouver Community Library “a sensory treat that draws as many as 12,000 visitors each week (The Columbian Online, [Vancouver] 1.31.12) http://www.columbian.com/news/2012/jan/31/no-2-us-kids-library-vancouver-community-lauded/

Buildings
Volunteers from the community prepared a wildlife garden at the Mukilteo Library for planting December 17. Planting in the Mukilteo Library Wildlife Garden is set for March. (Photo) (The Mukilteo Beacon, 1.4.12) http://www.mukilteobeacon.com/community/article.exm/2012-01-04_volunteers_break_ground_for_library_garden

The King County Library System is planning an expansion of the Vashon Library located at Ober Park. The expansion will add 3,800 square feet to the structure. (Photos) (The Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber, [Vashon] 1.4.12)

The Granite Fall’s City Library is changing hands. The 1.52-acre property is in the process of being transferred to Sno-Isle Libraries. A resolution authorizing the city to hand over ownership to Sno-Isle Libraries was approved in December by the Granite Falls City Council. (The Herald, [Everett] 1.6.12) http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20120106/NEWS01/701069930

It’s been more than six months since the Auburn Library, a part of the King County Library System, closed its doors for renovation. According to King County Facilities Manager Greg Smith, the bulk of the work on the new library – which was funded by a $172 million capital bond issue – is going according to schedule, with most of the exterior work completed. (Photo) (Auburn Reporter, [Kent] 1.6.12) http://www.auburn-reporter.com/news/136700518.html

Letters & Editorials
Cutting off Wal-Net resources dims library lights. Whether we appreciate the shared benefits of roads, bridges and libraries or not, we all benefit because of their existence. The best practice to sustain their existence is arriving at a means of each of us paying our fair share of taxes to be wisely spent by our public servants. (Union-Bulletin, [Walla Walla] 1.5.12)

The fact that King County libraries allow pornography on public computers shows that we really do not understand the correlation between human trafficking and pornography. My question in regards to pornography being allowed within the King County libraries is the following: When will we stand for what is right rather than standing for personal freedoms? (Federal Way Mirror, 1.6.12) http://www.federalwaymirror.com/opinion/letters/136705278.html

Programs & Displays
The Winter Art in the Port Angeles Library exhibit showcases the work of local artists Ed Morales, David Haight, Marilyn Santiago, Valerie Thomas and Mary Beth Bueke. Their work will be on display in the library January 12-March 7. (The Sequim Gazette, 1.4.12)

Beginning in January, new programs are being offered for children at the Sequim Library, a part of the North Olympic Library System. Along with weekly story times for toddlers and pre-schoolers on Wednesdays, the library offers bimonthly pajama story times and bimonthly baby lap-sits. Also new this year is “Book Breaks,” where children can hear a story twice a day every day the library is open. (The Sequim Gazette, 1.4.12)

A new Teen Writing Group will start at the Sequim Branch of the North Olympic Library System on Wednesday, January 18. Teens in grades 6-12 will meet to share their work, learn techniques for writing poetry and develop methods for critiquing others’ work. (Peninsula Daily News, [Port Angeles] 1.4.12)

In anticipation of a flurry of e-book reader questions, the Aberdeen Timberland Library hosted the eBook Roadshow to an audience of about 50 interested people Saturday morning. The program was a pilot for a presentation that will tour throughout the system’s 27 branches. (Photos) (Daily World, [Aberdeen] 1.8.12]

The Everett Public Library has selected Northwest author Sherman Alexie’s coming of age novel, “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian,” as its 2012 Everett Reads! title. As a part of the program, Alexie plans to make an appearance at a free event scheduled for February 4th at the Everett Performing Arts Center. (The Herald, [Everett] 1.91.12) http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20120109/NEWS01/701099921

Teens can get instruction from top Tacoma artists and writers over the next few months, thanks to the Tacoma Public Library and its main Branch’s StoryLab. “Hip Hop with Q-Dot” is a four-week Thursday night workshop in hip-hop taught by Quincy Henry (Q-Dot), one of South Sound’s prominent artists in funk, rap and hip hop. (Photo) (The News Tribune, [Tacoma] 1.20.12) http://blog.thenewstribune.com/arts/2012/01/16/tacoma-public-library-workshop-for-teens-to-tell-their-stories-through-words-music/#storylink=misearch

A couple of four-legged, furry officers of the Bellingham Police Department will make an appearance at the downtown location of the Bellingham Library for a presentation Thursday, February 2nd. The presentation ties in with this year’s Whatcom READS! Book, “In the Presence of the Enemy,” a police procedural novel by Elizabeth George. (The Bellingham Herald, 1.30.12) http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2012/01/30/2373034/bellingham-pd-to-bring-police.html#storylink=misearch

[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] ]