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Category: State Library Collections

Protecting the treasures of Washington State, or a peek into the vault.

Protecting the treasures of Washington State, or a peek into the vault.

The Washington State Library has a collection of very special books we keep in our “vault”.  This includes the Territorial Library Collection, as well as many other beautiful and rare books.  These books are old and fragile and special considerations need to be used to view them.  If you make an appointment and travel to Olympia during the library’s open hours, we would love to help you view these rare books. However thanks to the wonders of modern digitization many of…

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Electronic State Publications: Invasive Weeds of Eastern Washington

Electronic State Publications: Invasive Weeds of Eastern Washington

Thinking about your garden?  Look to State Publications for help. This time Jeff Martin has found another beautiful and informative State Publication. Prepared by Stephen M. Van Vleet, Ph.D. Washington State University Whitman County Extension Publication date: 2009 The rapid spread of invasive plants threatens natural resources across the United States, and the Pacific Northwest is no exception. Invasive species displace natural plant communities… The control of any weed begins with early detection. The objective of this guide is to…

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The Washington State Library is a depository for state publications

The Washington State Library is a depository for state publications

Are you aware that the Washington State Library is not only a Federal Depository Library but also a Washington State Depository?  This means that we collect, preserve and provide access to all publications created by Washington State Agencies. In 1963 the State Legislature created Washington State Depository Program and RCW Chapter 40.06 to ensure that our citizens have economical, convenient and permanent access to state publications. We have publications dating back to 1853, when Washington became a territory, which can be found in our…

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Winter Travel in early Washington

Winter Travel in early Washington

This is the time of year where our thoughts turn to family and celebration.  As we ask our neighbor to feed the cat, stop the mail for a week, pack our cars for a trip over the mountains, or head towards the airport it’s easy to forget the challenges of travel in the early days of our state’s history. With winter travel in mind we’ve compiled photographs from the collection; pictures of snowy travel by sleigh, train and automobile.  So…

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The National Union Catalog never looked so good!

The National Union Catalog never looked so good!

We all know the joy that a book can give us.  I suspect that curling up with a good book is one of life’s great pleasures for most of our readers.  But I doubt there are many people who would say that the National Union Catalog ever made them feel “warm and fuzzy”.  However this holiday season it has done just that.  The National Union Catalog is, of course, not traditionally used for tree construction.  According to Wikipedia “The National…

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Federal Documents for Everyday Living: Bullying Prevention Awareness Month

Federal Documents for Everyday Living: Bullying Prevention Awareness Month

Federal Documents for Everyday Living: Vol. 1 no 1 October 19, 2015. Bullying Prevention Awareness Month October is Bullying Prevention Awareness Month and it’s a perfect opportunity to talk about federal publications, web sites and blogs. Did you know that the Washington State Library has a comprehensive collection of federal and state publications going way back into the 1880s? We are the Regional Federal Depository Library for Washington and Alaska. Most government publications can be located through the State Library’s…

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Even boring machines can be interesting.

Even boring machines can be interesting.

With Big Bertha in the news on a regular basis we got to thinking about boring machines in general. Or rather, interesting boring machines.  One in particular comes to mind, from the historic coal mining community of Roslyn, Washington: From Roslyn local historian, Sue Litchfield: Steep-pitched mines predominated the Roslyn-Cle Elum Coal Field, making it more expensive to extract coal than the relatively flat coal seams in the east and Midwest. In an effort to cut costs Tom Murphy the…

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Washington State Library Co-hosts Pacific Northwest Digital Collections Summit

Washington State Library Co-hosts Pacific Northwest Digital Collections Summit

In March 2015, the Oregon and Washington State Libraries co-hosted a summit of approximately 50 library, archives, and museum professionals to explore avenues for increased collaborative digitization throughout the region. The one-day meeting, held at the Oregon State Library in Salem, Oregon, featured presentations by collaborative projects at local, state, regional, and national levels and allowed participants to discuss topics ranging from leadership and funding of collaborative projects to metadata standards and shared infrastructure for digital projects. WSL staff representing…

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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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New Arrivals in the NW Collections

New Arrivals in the NW Collections

From the desk of Sean Lanksbury, PNW & Special Collections Librarian A listing of some recent additions to the Pacific Northwest Circulating Collection at Washington State Library’s Central Library.   Last Chapter and Worse: A Far Side Collection. By Gary Larson. (London: Warner Books, 1996. 107 pp. Illustrations.) NW 741.5973 LARSON 1996 http://stlow.iii.com/search~S2?/o43221795 Astoria: John Jacob Astor and Thomas Jefferson’s Lost Pacific Empire: A Story Of Wealth, Ambition, and Survival. By Peter Stark. (New York: Ecco, 2014. 366 pp. Illustrations, map, bibliographical…

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