Washington State Library News
Not many Republicans get elected statewide in Washington, but Sam Reed probably could have the secretary of state job for life if he wanted it. He’s been that popular. Instead, Reed is retiring after three terms. But he has the satisfaction of knowing that the position will be in the capable hands of Kim Wyman, currently the Thurston County auditor and the candidate he strongly endorsed to succeed him. (The News Tribune [Tacoma], 11.15.12) http://www.thenewstribune.com/2012/11/15/2368037/sam-reed-set-the-standard-for.html#storylink=misearch

Library News
Columbia County Rural Library District announces a “new” program. Schedule an uninterrupted 30-minute, personalized computer session with a librarian at the Dayton Memorial Library. Among other topics, you will learn about using the library catalog, online databases, and researching a topic. (Dayton Chronicle, 10.31.12)

As the City of Cle Elum enters its budget planning cycle, Lauren Shuck, president of the Carpenter Library Advisory Board said she hopes in store is a full restoration of city funding for the library. (Photo) (Northern Kittitas County Tribune, [Cle Elum] 11.1.12)

In her quarterly department report to the City of Roy, Library Director Cecelia Hanson said about 74 percent of the library budget is spent, which is in line with three-quarters of the year. Hanson said she sent a proposal to the advisory board and hopes to receive grants for additional funding to get technology upgrades. (Photos) (Nisqually Valley News, [Yelm] 11.2.12)

Starting this week, some people who live outside the city are now eligible for Everett Public Library cards without paying a fee. The change, approved by the library’s board of trustees on Oct. 16, extends borrowing privileges to people, 18 and older, who work in Everett or own property or a business in the city. (The Herald [Everett], 11.3.12) http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20121103/NEWS01/711039976/0/SEARCH

Grant County’s law library is now open to the public. The library’s trustees approved allowing people to use the library for free. The library will be open during the courthouse’s normal hours, and is located on the first floor of the courthouse. (Columbia Basin Herald, [Moses Lake] 11.6.12)

Despite facing an overall reduction in funding for 2013, the Walla Walla Public Library will actually see an increase in its portion of the general fund from the previous year. City Manager Nabiel Shawa plans to give the library an additional $120,000 to help offset the loss of funds from the lack of a Rural Library District contract. (Union-Bulletin, [Walla Walla] 11.6.12)

Timberland Regional Library will host community forums this week for the three finalists vying for its director position. The three finalists are: Ann Hammond, who has served as executive director of the Lexington Public Library in Kentucky since 2010; Cheryl Heywood, who has served as interim public services manager at TRL for several months; and Jeff Scott, who is the deputy director of the Tulare County Library in Visalia, California. (The Olympian [Olympia], 11.7.12) http://www.theolympian.com/2012/11/07/2310880/3-librarians-want-top-job.html

Members of the Terrace Heights Friendship Tea group, who had gathered at the Terrace Heights Library every week for 30 years until last August, when they were told they could no longer convene there, have begun meeting in the civic center, which is housed in the same building. (Yakima Herald, 11.15.12) http://www.yakimaherald.com/news/yhr/thursday/514646-8/terrace-heights-tea-partiers-ousted-from-library-move

Elections
The city of Morton will be annexed to become a part of the Timberland Regional Library as a result of the Nov. 6 election. As a part of the TRL district, Morton residents no longer have to pay the $82 fee for a library card each year and will have access to TRL services. (The Chronicle, [Centralia] 11.8.12)

Buildings
Enumclaw’s library will be closed for more than two weeks, beginning Nov. 11. The closure is planned to extend through Nov. 27, with doors opening again on the 28th. The King County Library System has announced a series of interior upgrades that make closing the library necessary. (Enumclaw Courier-Herald, 10.31.12)

The Key Center branch of the Pierce County Library System will be closed from Nov. 14 through Feb. 27 to provide an upgrade in service. Interior changes, including increased access to materials, can be expected in Key Center, where the library has reached it capacity. (Peninsula Gateway, [Gig Harbor] 10.31.12) http://www.thenewstribune.com/2012/10/19/2338054/key-center-library-to-close-nov.html#storylink=misearch

Supporters of a new Ferndale Library got something more to cheer for when it was announced last week that an anonymous match donation of up to $1 million has been pledged toward the new facility being planned. Previous to the match, the capital campaign was at about 70 percent of the $5.4 million goal. Now, if new funds are raised in the match program, the library may be funded in time to break ground in August 2013. (Photo) (Ferndale Record, 10.31.12)

Letters & Editorials
Please vote “yes” for Proposition 1, the establishment of a rural partial-county library district. (Skagit Valley Herald, [Mount Vernon] 10.31.12)

Morton needs a public library. Please vote in favor of our city joining the Timberland Library System. (The East County Journal, [Morton] 10.31.12)

Libraries have always been considered a bastion of learning and a center of the community, dating from the days of Andrew Carnegie and before. Expanding the scope of the Sedro-Woolley Public Library would offer more programs to a larger segment of the community. Please vote for this important issue on Nov. 6. (Skagit Valley Herald, [Mount Vernon] 11.1.12)

The effort by the central library to control all activities at the Terrace Heights branch is resented by this community. It seems that effort is meant only to destroy our sense of community; the only winners are the bureaucrats who gain a silly sense of their own importance. (Yakima Herald-Republic, 11.4.12) http://www.yakimaherald.com/search/466701-14/library-move-resented

People
Nancy Tessman was hired in June as the new executive director of the Fort Vancouver Regional Library District. “She’s learning fast,” said Bill Yee, chairman of the seven-member board of trustees. “She’s a good administrator, to begin with. She’s spending a lot of time in the field, and we’re glad she’s doing that.” (Photo) (The Columbian, [Vancouver] 10.31.12) http://www.columbian.com/news/2012/oct/31/new-library-directors-career-far-from-quiet/

Programs & Displays
High school teens have an opportunity to enter the Timberland Regional Library online contest, “Teens Database Challenge,” through Dec. 15 for chances to win an e-reader. When teens correctly answer 14 questions using the TRL reference databases and submit their online form, their names will be entered in a drawing to win one of five e-readers. (The Chronicle, [Centralia] 11.1.12)

The Food for Fines program at Mid-Columbia continues until the end of December. The traditional autumn program allows patrons with overdue fines to provide non-perishable food items to the library to pay off what’s owed. The library then gives the food items to one of seven Mid-Columbia food banks. (Tri-City Herald, [Kennewick] 11.1.12) http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2012/11/01/2155495/libraries-food-for-fines-program.html#storylink=misearch

The Forks Library will resume its fall storytime series this month. Preschool storytimes will be Fridays at 10:30 a.m. through Dec. 21. Storytimes are for children ages 3 to 5. (Peninsula Daily News, [Port Angeles] 11.4.12)

[This summary of library news represents a selection of current newspaper clippings about Washington libraries received from Washington newspapers. The summary is created by Bobbie DeMiero and Leanna Hammond of the Washington State Library, Division of the Office of the Secretary of State. For further information about this summary or the clippings listed, contact Martha Shinners at 360.570.5567 or [email protected]]

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.