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Category: For Libraries

Goodbye and Hello

Goodbye and Hello

Did you know that the Washington State Library was one of the first state agencies to jump into blogging? We’ve been blogging since 2006. Our loyal readers will remember Steve Willis’s “Random News” posts, the fascinating newspaper stories that Marlys Rudeen unearthed, Rand Simmon’s well researched articles on Federal documents, or the wonderful Washington Reads book recommendations, as well as all the other stories about the State Library written over the years. However, after all these years of maintaining our own…

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WSL Updates for March 29, 2018

WSL Updates for March 29, 2018

Volume 14, March 29, 2018 for the WSL Updates mailing list Topics include: 1) IMLS FUNDING INCREASE 2) PUBLIC LIBRARY POLICIES UPDATE 3) TURNING OUTWARD TO LEAD CHANGE 4) LIBRARY SNAPSHOT DAY RETURNS 5) DIVERSITY RESEARCH GRANT PROGRAM 6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK ————————————————————————————————————— 1) IMLS FUNDING INCREASE On Friday, March 23, President Donald Trump signed into law a $1.3 trillion spending bill to fund the federal government through the end of September 2018. The legislation includes $240 million…

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WSL Updates for March 22, 2018

WSL Updates for March 22, 2018

Volume 14, March 22, 2018 for the WSL Updates mailing list Topics include: 1) CHAOS WITH A PURPOSE 2) ALL ABOARD FOR STORYTIME 3) PROMOTING HEALTHY COMMUNITIES 4) WHAT’S HIDING IN YOUR LIBRARY? 5) GRANT – ACTIVATING COMMUNITY OPPORTUNITIES 6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK ————————————————————————————————————— 1) CHAOS WITH A PURPOSE It started off with a simple idea: bring your NERF gun (or use ours), and a friend (or make some here), and let’s battle! What began as a serendipitous…

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WSL Updates for March 15, 2018

WSL Updates for March 15, 2018

Volume 14, March 15, 2018 for the WSL Updates mailing list Topics include: 1) EVERYLIBRARY TRAINING 2) CULTIVATING COMMUNITIES, HARVESTING IDEAS 3) HEALTH INFORMATION FOR PUBLIC LIBRARIANS 4) LIBRARY SCIENCE COURSES 5) DPLA’S NEW WEBSITE 6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK ————————————————————————————————————— 1) EVERYLIBRARY TRAINING Before you consider asking for any new funding for your library, it is critical to understand that supporters, constituents, and donors are driven by their perceptions and attitudes, and not by their library user experience….

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WSL Updates for March 8, 2014

WSL Updates for March 8, 2014

Volume 14, March 8, 2018 for the WSL Updates mailing list Topics include: 1) DIGITIZATION GRANTS 2) FREE BOOKS 3) TURNING OUTWARD TO LEAD CHANGE 4) RENDEZVOUS WITH LOCKED DOORS 5) NATIVE AMERICAN LIBRARY GRANTS 6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK ————————————————————————————————————— 1) DIGITIZATION GRANTS A new round of grant funding from the Washington State Library (WSL) is available to support Washington libraries in carrying out a variety of digital initiatives related to archival and special collections. Public, academic (two…

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Girl wearing VR headset
Reality Check

Reality Check

From the Desk of Joe Olayvar If you haven’t noticed, there’s a device craze going on.  Nearly everywhere you look in any town or city across the globe, someone is absorbed in conversation, web searching, or game play.  Yes, we’ve come a long way since the Atari or the early phone and its five pound battery pack.  But like every technology, there’s always something new that will eventually overshadow it, or at least add a new facet; in this case,…

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WSL Updates for March 1, 2018

WSL Updates for March 1, 2018

Volume 14, March 1, 2018 for the WSL Updates mailing list Topics include: 1) ALL ABOARD FOR STORYTIME 2) COPYRIGHT LIBRARIAN STARTER KIT 3) READ-A-RAMA 4) DIVERSITY INTERNSHIPS 5) FEDERAL BUDGET WOULD CLOSE IMLS 6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK ————————————————————————————————————— 1) ALL ABOARD FOR STORYTIME Registration is now open for All Aboard for Storytime: Preparing for Kindergarten Readiness. Join the Washington State Library (WSL) for this workshop on what children need to know before they start kindergarten and how…

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Zine winners collage
Announcing the winners of our 3rd Annual Zine contest!

Announcing the winners of our 3rd Annual Zine contest!

How many of us remember sitting through dry history classes in school?  And yet history done right is a fascinating and important subject.  Here at the Washington State Library we take history seriously.  One of our strategic goals is to “Preserve and share Washington’s stories.” We have several paths to achieving this goal. There are our historic digital newspapers, the digitized “Classics in Washington History” collection, our collection of Historic maps, and the  Washington Rural Heritage Collection.  But making the resources…

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Bees on a honeycomb
Beekeepers at the Airway Heights Corrections Center

Beekeepers at the Airway Heights Corrections Center

From the desk of Sue Box, Library Associate at the Airway Heights Corrections Center. On February 15, I had the pleasure and privilege of watching sixteen men be congratulated on a one-of-a-kind accomplishment.  About two years ago, Mr. Jim Miller, a master beekeeper and longtime member of the West Plains Beekeepers Association, decided to give of himself and his time to help the prison really get the beekeeping program going.  He helped set up hives, he taught the brand new…

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WSL Updates for February 22, 2018

WSL Updates for February 22, 2018

Volume 14, February 22, 2018 for the WSL Updates mailing list Topics include: 1) INCREASE YOUR EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE 2) FINANCIAL LITERACY – FACTS VS. FICTION 3) FREE EXHIBITS – WILL TRAVEL 4) LC – FREE TO USE AND REUSE 5) OCLC – CONNECTING WITH YOUR COOPERATIVE 6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK ————————————————————————————————————— 1) INCREASE YOUR EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE Work that focuses on public service can be both rewarding and costly. Being mindful of our own work narrative and understanding how…

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