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Tag: Laura Sherbo

Celebrating ILS Supervisor Laura Sherbo’s 60th Birthday

Celebrating ILS Supervisor Laura Sherbo’s 60th Birthday

The staff of ILS wanted to give our supervisor Laura a special “60th” surprise birthday party at Palisades.  We wanted Laura to know that we really do appreciate all she does for us and give her a very special birthday to remember.  Jeannie and I had been talking, and since Laura has a “Goat collection” we decided we should come up with a live goat for her party.  Since I have friends who own goats I thought I could get…

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Reed wraps up prison library visits

Reed wraps up prison library visits

After 12 years in office, Sam Reed has completed his mission of visiting all of the State Library’s prison and hospital branches. The Washington State Library partners with the Department of Corrections and the Department of Social and Health Services to provide library services to inmates in adult correctional facilities and patients in Western State and Eastern State adult psychiatric hospitals at Steilacoom and Medical Lake.  There are branch libraries in two DSHS facilities and nine in prison facilities. Reed’s last stop…

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Laura Sherbo honored at ALA

Laura Sherbo honored at ALA

One of the first sessions I attended was the Unconference (wonderful, by the way).  At the Unconference I was talking with one of the other attendees about this being our first ALA and she said, “Oh wait! Someone forwarded this to me this morning.  There is free food on Saturday! Give me your phone number and I’ll send you the information.” Lo and behold it was the ASCLA Awards Ceremony.  Initially I was a little indignant.  How could these moochers…

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Typical Year at WSP

Typical Year at WSP

It was a typical year for both of the Washington State Penitentiary (WSP) Branch Libraries, the East-Complex (EC) and the West-Complex (WC). In January 2011, our newest Library Associate, Molly Mooney had been on the job for 4 months.  Her training was going well and she enthusiastically participated in special projects:  working with our ILS Wiki pages and Library-Snapshot day.  In March the WC was open full-time again for the first time since February of 2010 and everyone was happy. …

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State Library’s Sherbo receives national honor

State Library’s Sherbo receives national honor

Laura Sherbo of the Washington State Library is the 2012 recipient of a prestigious national award for her exemplary leadership of the branch libraries that serve Washington prison inmates and state mental hospital patients. The award is from the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies, a division of the American Library Association.  The award honors a professional who “exemplifies leadership and achievement in consulting, library cooperation, networking, statewide service and programs, and/or state library development.” Sherbo, branch library services manager,…

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Program Manager honored by national organization

Program Manager honored by national organization

  The American Library Association (ALA) has just released the news that Laura Sherbo, Program Manager for Washington State Library’s Institutional Library Services, will receive the 2012 ASCLA Leadership and Professional Achievement Award. After more than thirty years of library service to incarcerated patrons, no doubt Laura has some interesting tales to tell……perhaps in future blog posts! In the meantime, we’ll let her bask in the glory of the Anaheim sunshine as she travels to the ALA Conference this summer…

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When You Need a Friend: Gayle Shonkwiler

When You Need a Friend: Gayle Shonkwiler

In times like these, folks need all the friends they can get.  That goes double for librarians who work in the state’s correctional and psychiatric institutions.  Since the 1960s when the U.S. government provided start-up funding to establish libraries in state institutions (ILS) ,  support for these critically needed libraries has plummeted.  As of October 2011, funding for the state’s ILS collections was terminated. This crisis is not new to Gayle Shonkwiler, library associate at the Coyote Ridge Corrections Center. …

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$1000 Donation from inmates at WCCW

$1000 Donation from inmates at WCCW

Doug Gelis, one happy librarian with $1000 donation When the inmates at Washington Corrections Center for Women heard that my book budget was frozen ( again ) , they asked me if there was anything that they could do. I informed them that I could take donations. Soon after this the tier reps approached me and said they were going to do a fundraiser for the library. Last week I sent a check to Laura Sherbo for $1000.00 which is…

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Representative Troy Kelley visits Western State Hospital Library

Representative Troy Kelley visits Western State Hospital Library

Representative Troy Kelley accepted an invitation to visit the Western State Hospital Library on June 7.  Despite the grueling legislative session and hectic personal schedule, he made the time to meet with hospital superintendent Jess Jamieson and the library staff.  State Library Branch Manager Laura Sherbo and library associate Kathleen Benoun welcomed Rep. Kelley into the Patients Library and told him about the State Library’s role in providing services to enhance the recovery and re-entry of those currently housed in…

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