Few Washington State Library employees have had to adapt and grow as much as Shirley A. Lewis (a.k.a. SAL) in the course of the past three years. But the series of events that led her into the unexpected positions of Head of Acquisitions and then Head of Technical Services has given WSL an opportunity to benefit from the many facets of her professional experience. In her nearly quarter century of service at WSL alone, SAL has worked in Library Development,…
Volume 8, December 13, 2012 for the WSL Updates mailing list Topics include: 1) RAND SIMMONS NAMED WASHINGTON STATE LIBRARIAN 2) DON’T MISS THE DEADLINE FOR WLA SCHOLARSHIPS 3) ONLINE NW – IT’S NOT TOO LATE FOR THE EARLY BIRD 4) CALL FOR SPEAKERS – BIG TALK FROM SMALL LIBRARIES 5) FREE CLASS – CARING FOR THE MIND 6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK
Place, specifically the Olympic coast, plays a major role in this fast-paced adventure story.
If your thoughts are focused on shopping, candy canes, vacation or something else related to the holiday season, here is a fun, quick diversion for you: the online poll for our December Library jewels. As we do monthly, we’re featuring three rare, cool or interesting collections or items found in our State Library. This month’s contestants are: 1) Washington Territory Volunteer papers 2) Collection of documents of 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Commission 3) An 1893 telephone book for much of Western…
(Image courtesy of Washington State Library) Nowadays, many people dislike receiving their own hard copy of the telephone directory. But even the anti-phone book crowd might be intrigued by our third and final Library jewel for December: an 1893 telephone directory published by the Sunset Telephone and Telegraph Company. The phone book was for the company’s Northwest Division and covered much of the Puget Sound region south to Portland and other communities in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. As the photo shows,…
Libraries are no longer simply a holding area for books, they are community hubs. People gather at the library to share ideas and enrich their lives. Computers and internet are now standard in libraries and are often in demand. Unemployed individuals can come to the library and apply for jobs. Kids can do their homework (or play games) at the library. But did you know that libraries are now becoming much more than books, computers and internet? Libraries are becoming…
From the desk of Steve Willis, Central Library Services Program Manager of the Washington State Library: The irony of hermits is that the more they desire to be alone, the more attention they garner. The hermit becomes an object of curiosity. For example, a character by the name of “Buckskin Joe” certainly got my interest when I randomly found the following short article on the front page of The Concrete Herald, Feb. 21, 1914: HERMIT OF UPPER SKAGIT IS FOUND DEAD…
Washington has enjoyed its share of world fairs over the years. Simply viewing the iconic Space Needle is a reminder that Seattle hosted the 1962 World’s Fair. And visitors to Spokane’s Riverfront Park can see several buildings and other structures from the ’74 World’s Fair held in the Lilac City. But not many people know that Washington hosted another international fair more than a century ago. The Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition took place in 1909 on what is now the University of…
It had been whispered for weeks, but on Monday a coalition of the 23 minority Republicans and two Democrats seized control of the Washington State Senate. Rodney Tom of Medina and Tim Sheldon of Potlatch, both fiscally conservative Democrats who have voted with Republicans on some issues in the past, announced that they had agreed to partner with the Republicans to operate the Senate. Tom, who began his political career as a moderate Republican, will be majority leader and Sheldon…
Rand Simmons Kim Wyman, who will be sworn in as Washington’s 15th Secretary of State, announced her choices for her executive team Friday December 7. In making her appointments, Wyman consulted with outgoing Secretary of State Sam Reed, senior managers and others both inside and outside of government. In her email, she described the team as “a mix of people from within and outside the office, with a wide variety of experience and perspectives.” Rand Simmons was chosen as Washington…