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Tag: Rand Simmons

March on Washington, a Washington State Perspective

March on Washington, a Washington State Perspective

From the desk of Rand Simmons As a boy of 12 living in “whitebread” rural Oregon I was little aware of the significance of Wednesday, August 28, 1963. Today we celebrate the 50th anniversary of this significant moment in history most commonly know as the March on Washington. National Public Radio’s Kat Chow wrote: “The summer of 1963 was bursting with drama and would become a pivotal moment of the Civil Rights movement. It was the year that Alabama governor George Wallace tried…

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160 Years and Counting — National Library Week

160 Years and Counting — National Library Week

From the desks of Rand Simmons, State Librarian, and Steve Willis, Manager for the Central Library. We celebrate National Library Week by harkening back to our founding 160 years ago. The Washington Territorial Library, the predecessor to the Washington State Library, was born from the Organic Act of 1853 which established the Washington Territory. Section 17 states that “the sum of five thousand dollars … be expended by and under the direction of the governor of Washington, in the purchase…

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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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Secretary of State Elect Kim Wyman Names Simmons State Librarian

Secretary of State Elect Kim Wyman Names Simmons State Librarian

Rand Simmons   Kim Wyman, who will be sworn in as Washington’s 15th Secretary of State, announced her choices for her executive team Friday December 7.  In making her appointments, Wyman consulted with outgoing Secretary of State Sam Reed, senior managers and others both inside and outside of government.  In her email, she described the team as “a mix of people from within and outside the office, with a wide variety of experience and perspectives.” Rand Simmons was chosen as Washington…

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30 Years of Service to Western State Hospital

30 Years of Service to Western State Hospital

Kathleen is a wonderful storyteller with a patience that has served her well as the Library Associate at Western State Hospital.  On June 15, 2011 Kathleen will become the longest working member of the Institutional Library Service team.  30 years of wonderful service was celebrated with a presentation of a certificate and award by State Librarian Rand Simmons.