Ask a Librarian: your friendly neighborhood state-government resource

March 25, 2021 Secretary of State's Office

How often have you heard someone tell you the information you are looking for is “on our website,” only to give up looking because you could not find it? More than likely quite often. Unfortunately, however, and despite the best of intentions, government agencies are not always immune to this issue. Over 190 agencies comprise Washington state government. Thousands of Washingtonians visit their websites every day, often for urgent reasons — whether to make an appointment, pay a fee, or…

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Federal publications at the Washington State Library

April 17, 2018 Secretary of State's Office

The Washington State Library, a division of the Office of Secretary of State, is the Regional Federal Depository Library for Washington and Alaska in the FDLP program administered by the Government Publishing Office. This means that the Library receives almost all of the federal publications produced and distributed by the Government Publishing Office. In addition to providing historical and current information about federal programs and affairs, federal publications offer a surprising amount of state and local information for researchers. Perhaps…

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Washington State Library providing timely and professional service in a virtual world

August 22, 2014 Secretary of State's Office

As the Washington State Library adjusts to recent budget reductions which required a reduction in hours open to the public, we continue to provide excellent service. As a 21st century library, we provide service to information seekers using tools of the online world such as talking with a reference librarian through chat. Questions come into our Washington State Library specific “Ask a Librarian” page via email or live online chat every day and our reference librarians are cracker jacks at…

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Let’s head back to those heady days of 1962…

July 8, 2011 Secretary of State's Office

From the desk of Sean Lanksbury. PNW & Special Collections Librarian 49 years ago, Seattle’s Lower Queen Anne district was abuzz with excitement. Many locals were curious to what the futurist wonder of the Century 21 World Exposition – still in construction – would hold for them when it opened. Others were skeptical of the prospects for success and debated the costs involved. Seattle now prepares for the 5oth Anniversary of the Fair, and it feels like a good time to…

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WSL Updates for August 12, 2010

August 11, 2010 Secretary of State's Office

Volume 6, August 12, 2010 for the WSL Updates mailing list Topics include: 1) ASK-WA LAUNCHES SMART PHONE APP 2) FULL SCHOLARSHIPS FOR DENVER LIBRARY CONFERENCE 3) TRANSFORMING LIFE AFTER 50 4) ACTIVATE YOUR LYRASIS MEMBERSHIP NOW 5) FALL BOOK BUZZ 2010 6) FREE FUNDRAISING E-BOOK 7) FREE ONLINE CE EVENTS NEXT WEEK

Ask-WA(tch): Stats, Kudos and Comments for Nov 2009

December 2, 2009 Secretary of State's Office

Ask-WA Statistics – November, 2009 Ask-WA slowed down a bit in November compared to October, but since we were super-extra busy in October, that isn’t saying too much. November numbers were still well ahead of September, August, and July numbers, especially in terms of chat sessions requested. In numbers: Email questions received: 3743 Chat sessions requested: 4912 Chat sessions accepted: 3645 Qwidget requests (% of total): 965 (19.6%) As a cooperative we maintained an answering percentage of 74% for the…

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Ask-WA(tch): Stats, Kudos and Comments for Oct 2009

November 16, 2009 Secretary of State's Office

Ask-WA Statistics – October, 2009 Ask-WA picked up significantly in October, beating September and August in every category. Except Qwidget requests, which remained about even, percentage-wise. In numbers: Email questions received: 4287 Chat sessions requested: 5303 Chat sessions accepted: 4343 Qwidget requests (% of total): 1282 (24.2%) As a cooperative we maintained an answering percentage of 81.9% for the month, which is down nearly 5% from September (probably because of the increased traffic), but remains well over the goal rate…

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Get great answers to tough questions, online and 24/7.

September 22, 2009 Secretary of State's Office

Your librarians will answer your questions, day or night. Have you ever had a question you couldn’t answer? Has Google left you empty-handed – or overwhelmed? Have you considered asking an expert for help? Your library has professional information specialists (we just call them librarians) who know how to go beyond Google to find you the information you need. And now asking a librarian is just as convenient as searching the Web. Over 60 libraries in Washington State have joined…

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Ask-WA(tch): Stats, Kudos and Comments for August 2009

September 3, 2009 Secretary of State's Office

Ask-WA Statistics – August, 2009 Ask-WA maintained a busy service during the month of August, with email again outpacing chat service. In numbers: Email questions received: 3821 Chat sessions requested: 3067 Chat sessions accepted: 2599 Qwidget requests (% of total): 789 (25.7%) As a cooperative we maintained an answering percentage of 84.7% for the month, which is lower than in July but remains well over the goal rate of 75%. Keep up the good work! The email aspect of the…

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Ask-WA(tch): Stats, Kudos and Comments for July 2009

August 14, 2009 Secretary of State's Office

Ask-WA Statistics – July, 2009 Despite a fairly quiet academic cooperative, Ask-WA maintained a busy service during the month of July. In numbers: Email questions received: 3512 Chat sessions requested: 3238 Chat sessions accepted: 2927 Qwidget requests (% of total): 883 (27%) As a cooperative we maintained an answering percentage of 90.4% for the month, which is well over the goal rate of 75%. Keep up the good work! The email aspect of the service remains robust, and outpaced chat…

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