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Category: Public Services

Most Popular Federal Publications

Most Popular Federal Publications

What are you Reading in 2016? Consider adding federal publications to your reading pallet. According to GPO Book Talk here are the  most popular topics of people seeking to purchase GPO publications. May we help you find a state or federal publication? Contact Us by phone, email, chat or visit us. Details at http://www.sos.wa.gov/library/ask.aspx  Washington State Library/Washington Secretary of State Washington State Library — Your Source for State and Federal Publications  

2016 New Year

2016 New Year

Celebration of the new year is the perfect occasion to build your 2016 reading list. Why not include federal publications? Here is a sampling of the best Federal publications, past and present, compiled by the GPO Bookstore. Get the full list with descriptions by following this link. Many depository libraries have these books for public use, the Washington State Library included. Astronomical Phenomena 2017 and 2018 Defense Department. (2014) Available at WSL! D213.8/3;  D213.8/3:2018 Available online at http://aa.usno.navy.mil/publications/reports/ap17_for_web.pdf (2017 issue) Purchase it at the GPO…

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Bill of Rights Day

Bill of Rights Day

From the desk of Rand Simmons Vol. 1 no7 December 15, 2015 The Founding Fathers drafted the United States Constitution during the First Constitutional Convention, held from May through September 1787 in Philadelphia. The completed draft constitution, sent to the States for ratification in September 1787, did not include any mention of individual rights. The framers’ focus was largely on structuring a strong government, and getting that structure put into place. Without such a structure, the Founding Fathers feared the…

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Active Shooter Resources

Active Shooter Resources

From the desk of Rand Simmons December 2015 Because of recent events in the media there is national concern over active shooting and keeping family and friends safe. Here is one list of resources, many of which focus on children.* Disaster Distress Helpline: 1-800-985-5990. The helpline is also available in Spanish, by text and by TTY. http://www.disasterdistress.samhsa.gov/ Talking to Children about the Shooting http://www.nctsn.org/sites/default/files/assets/pdfs/talking_to_children_about_the_shooting.pdf How to talk to your child about the news. http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/talk/news.html Tips for Parents on explaining media coverage to…

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Why Do We Need a State Library?

Why Do We Need a State Library?

To quote a prominent library administrator: “Every library is designed to serve a specific community: Public libraries serve the people of a specific city or county. Academic libraries serve the faculty, staff, and students of a specific college or university. School libraries serve the students and teachers of a specific school. Medical libraries serve doctors, nurses, and patients at a specific hospital. Law libraries serve the attorneys and staff of a specific law firm. Each library is designed to add value…

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Weeding the Library Garden

Weeding the Library Garden

From the desk of Mary Paynton Schaff Fall might seem an odd time to think about weeding, but in the world of libraries weeding happens all the time. Weeding is the term libraries use to describe removing books from a collection. And contrary to what one might assume about the State Library’s collections, books don’t just come here to gather dust in perpetuity. We weed like other research libraries weed, and a book might find its way out the door…

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A Sudden Light by Garth Stein

A Sudden Light by Garth Stein

Washington Reads – A Sudden Light by Garth Stein (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2014. 416 pp.) Recommendation by Mary Paynton Schaff, Reference Librarian, Washington State Library Fall means ghosts, creepy old houses, and stories about families scarred by tragedy. So now’s the perfect opportunity to gather up your afghan, sit by the fire with a cup of hot cider, and dive into Garth Stein’s newest book, “A Sudden Light.” Fourteen-year-old narrator Trevor is brought to crumbling Riddell House in…

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Our Pacific Northwest card file is now online!

Our Pacific Northwest card file is now online!

From the desk of Steve Willis, Program Manager for Central Library Services The Pacific Northwest Card File appears to have been started in the early 1950s as a finding aid for biographical and historical information in the Washington State Library. Information was indexed from newspapers across the state as well as many published local histories, creating a very unique point of access. Comprised of hundreds of thousands of cards, the drawers are divided into a Name File and a Subject File….

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Spotlight on Staff: Kathryn Devine

Spotlight on Staff: Kathryn Devine

Spotlight on Staff: Kathryn Devine When you think of detectives you may think of the hardboiled Sam Spade or perhaps Sherlock Holmes with his deerstalker hat, but working behind the scenes at the Washington State Library is a detective extraordinaire — Kathryn Devine. Kathryn is one of our Public Services Librarians and an expert at deep genealogical research. As her supervisor Crystal Lentz says, “Kathryn has solved many a genealogical mystery for us.” She has a BA in History from…

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