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Author: Secretary of State's Office

New Capitol exhibit profiles three-term Governor Dan Evans

New Capitol exhibit profiles three-term Governor Dan Evans

An excerpt from the upcoming autobiography of former governor Dan Evans is the latest chapter in Legacy Washington’s new project, “1968: The Year that Rocked Washington.” The chapter—part of an exhibit that will open Sept. 13 at the State Capitol — is now online at the project’s homepage. The August 9, 1968, edition of Time magazine featured the keynote speaker for the Republican National Convention at Miami Beach: 42-year-old Daniel J. Evans, described as the prototype of the party’s dynamic “New…

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Exploring the old school records of the State Archives

Exploring the old school records of the State Archives

It’s September and the start of a new academic year, so the branches of the Washington State Archives are abuzz with new and returning student interns. This inspired us to think about about school records, so let’s explore what Archives’ school collections encompass. Some of the records we have are from either the state or county levels, including: maps for school boundaries, bus routes, teacher contracts, superintendents’ reports, school annual reports, county school district audit examinations, school censuses, yearbooks, and…

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Public and traveling libraries 1904
Throwback Thursday: What Washington libraries looked like in 1904

Throwback Thursday: What Washington libraries looked like in 1904

J.A. Gabel, appointed Washington State Librarian in 1902 at just 29 years old, penned an insightful report on the condition of the state library system as “an active and aggressive force” for state education and governance. We found the document well worth sharing, both as an interesting historic record and as an explanation of how the State Library came to grow to its current form. Enjoy! Above is a map of the state’s library system as it existed then: the…

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Longtime civil rights sentinels Lem Howell and Larry Gossett attended the 50th anniversary of a March 29, 1968 sit-in at Seattle’s Franklin High School. John Hughes photo
New Capitol exhibit features profiles of civil rights activists Gossett and Howell

New Capitol exhibit features profiles of civil rights activists Gossett and Howell

Profiles of longtime civil rights activists Larry Gossett and Lem Howell are the latest chapters in Legacy Washington’s new project, “1968: The Year that Rocked Washington.” The profiles — part of an exhibit that will open Sept. 13 at the State Capitol — are now online at the project’s homepage. Gossett and Howell took different paths in fighting for civil rights over the last five decades. One thought elections were a bourgeois trap. The other was president of Young Democrats….

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Author Patricia Briggs visits Coyote Ridge Corrections Center

Author Patricia Briggs visits Coyote Ridge Corrections Center

On August 28th, author Patricia Briggs gave a presentation in the library at Coyote Ridge Corrections Center to inmates and the Institutional Libraries Services staff of the State Library, which is a division of the Office of Secretary of State. Nearly 50 inmates attended, and many posed insightful questions about how Briggs approaches the writing process. She said that if you want to be a writer, the first thing you should do is read anything and everything. Her mother was a…

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Evergreen State College - Tacoma
How Maxine Mimms brought Evergreen State College to Tacoma: a new Capitol exhibit

How Maxine Mimms brought Evergreen State College to Tacoma: a new Capitol exhibit

A profile of Dr. Maxine Mimms is the latest chapter in Legacy Washington’s new project, “1968: The Year that Rocked Washington.” The profile — part of an exhibit that will open Sept. 13 at the State Capitol — is now online at the project’s homepage. There is an Evergreen State College Tacoma campus because of Dr. Maxine Mimms. She was born in Newport News, Virginia on March 4, 1928 — or “March Forth,” as Mimms puts it with a wry…

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Open data literacy and the Washington State Library

Open data literacy and the Washington State Library

The Washington State Library has been pleased to host University of Washington Information School (iSchool) Open Data Literacy (ODL) intern Kathleen Sullivan this summer. This was the second year of the open data internship program at the UW iSchool, funded in part by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Open Data is the concept of freely-available, non-personal, machine-readable data. This year, four iSchool students were matched up with the City of Seattle, the Washington Department…

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Rep. Norm Dicks with Sen. Warren Magnuson in the 1970s
Longtime legislator Dicks profiled in new 1968 exhibit

Longtime legislator Dicks profiled in new 1968 exhibit

A profile of former congressman Norm Dicks is the latest chapter in Legacy Washington’s new project, “1968: The Year that Rocked Washington.” The profile — part of an exhibit that will open Sept. 13 at the State Capitol — is now online at the project homepage. Dicks came of age at the University of Washington. And when he departed with a law degree in 1968, he landed a job as an aide to Warren G. Magnuson, the powerful U.S. Senator. “Maggie,”…

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New exhibit explores Vietnam war experiences of Washington Green Beret

New exhibit explores Vietnam war experiences of Washington Green Beret

A profile of Bryon Loucks, a Green Beret medic who served with a secret reconnaissance group in Vietnam, is the latest chapter in Legacy Washington’s new project “1968: The Year that Rocked Washington.” The profile — part of an exhibit that will open Sept. 13 at the State Capitol — is now online at the Legacy Washington 1968 homepage. Loucks, a tree farmer who lives in Lewis County, grew up in Port Angeles. When he arrived in Vietnam in 1968,…

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Shawn Reynolds, Jr., 26 and his daughter, Kailee Reynolds, 5 (PETER HALEY/THE NEWS TRIBUNE)
Discover unique collections in Washington libraries

Discover unique collections in Washington libraries

From our standpoint here at the Washington State Library, one of the best things about this summer’s Washington Library Passport Project is that every week, we learn interesting and unique things about the libraries in Washington. Everyone knows about the spectacular architecture of Seattle’s flagship branch, but often our small libraries fly under the radar. By encouraging people to visit Washington libraries and post about something they’ve learned during their visit, all sorts of interesting stories have emerged. This morning,…

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