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Tag: public library

“Technology has a way of bridging language barriers”

“Technology has a way of bridging language barriers”

No matter what type of library you work in or what your role, we all have something in common.  We care about the people we serve, we care about providing excellent resources and we care about connecting those two things.  Library Development is the branch of the state library which administers federal (LSTA) funds.  We create programs to support the libraries of the state which we hope in turn will benefit the residents of Washington state.  We love what we…

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Washington Libraries and Microsoft IT Academy

Washington Libraries and Microsoft IT Academy

From the desk of Rand Simmons Imagine walking into your local public library, community college library, or tribal library and registering to take one of Microsoft’s IT course … for free! Through a partnership with Microsoft, the Washington State Library, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State, is seeking funding from the legislature which will be used to pay for the non-discounted portion of the cost of taking a Microsoft course. (Microsoft has discounted these courses by…

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Seattle Public Library, Down But Not Out

Seattle Public Library, Down But Not Out

From the desk of Steve Willis, Central Library Services Program Manager of the Washington State Library: This week’s random article comes from the Jan. 5, 1901 issue of The Ballard News, published at a time when Ballard was an independent incorporated city. But the news itself is actually about Seattle, and the almost total destruction of the Seattle Public Library by fire on the evening where 1900 turned into 1901. According to John Douglas Marshall’s book, Place of Learning, Place of…

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Cultural Icons of Puget Sound TV Childrens Shows

Cultural Icons of Puget Sound TV Childrens Shows

The recent death of local cultural icon J. P. Patches has reminded me of other children’s TV shows I watched devotedly in the 1960s.  Shari Lewis, Stan Boreson, Brakeman Bill, Captain Puget and Wunda Wunda were all entertaining and educational. Wunda Wunda was the persona of Ruth Prins who was hired by Seattle’s KING-TV.  She wore a harlequin’s clown outfit (adorable) and told a story on every episode.  Back in the day, my mother was too busy with siblings and housework…

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