Library News

Starting Jan. 1, 2010, the Pierce County Library System is going paperless when it comes to notifying customers about books and materials they’ve requested or reminders about overdue items. The majority of customers already use e-mail or phone as their preferred notification method.  Only 17,000 of the Library’s 240,000 customers get notices via the mail.  In 2008 the Library sent 85,400 postcard notices for a cost of $28,000.  The Library hopes this move to phone and e-mail notices will eliminate that cost. (South Pierce County Dispatch [Eatonville], 11.11.09)

Stories Told by the Early Pioneers of Klickitat Valley, a new book by Friends of the Goldendale Community Library, a member of the Fort Vancouver Regional Library District, is at the printers and will be available for sale by Thanksgiving. Stories is a revised, edited and enhanced edition of a publication originally compiled by the late Homer Townsend of Goldendale. Stories is a fundraising project by the Friends of the Goldendale Community Library and all proceeds go to support programs and activities of the library.  (The Enterprise [White Salmon], 11.12.09)

Grandview’s Bleyhl Community Library will host a reception, giving community members an opportunity to meet and greet the three finalists being considered for the library director position. Linda Dunham, the current library director, will be retiring at the end of the year. (Daily News [Sunnyside], 11.13.09)

From issuing thousands of library cards to new customers to re-welcoming 11,776 returning customer, Pierce County Library System’s third annual card drive was a giant triumph. During the one month drive in October, 8,117 people signed up for new cards.  Also, for the first and only time the library gave amnesty to people with outstanding fines and fees due to overdue books and other materials. (South Pierce County Dispatch [Eatonville], 11.18.09)

The original section of the Langley Library, a member of the Sno-Isle Libraries, has been added to the Langley Historic Preservation Commission’s Register of Historic Places.  The front portion of the library at Second Street and Camano Avenue, which dates back to a brainstorming session by the Ladies’ Civic Improvement Club in 1916, is the fifth historic property in the city to be added to the list. (Photo) (South Whidbey Record [Langley], 11.18.09) http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/whidbey/swr/news/70325717.html

The Pierce County Library System and Tacoma Public Library are making permanent a 15-month-old reciprocal agreement that allows any member of one system to get a card from the other. The two library systems recently agreed to continue the program permanently after a pilot program, though it will be reviewed annually, Pierce County Library spokeswoman Mary Getchell said. (The News Tribune [Tacoma], 11.23.09) http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/965526.html

Elections

If election results received last week hold steady, libraries throughout the Sno-Isle Library System won’t have to cut their hours. As of 5 p.m. Friday, November 6, the system’s proposed property tax levy increase was passing with 52.53 percent of the vote in the library district, which includes both Island and Snohomish counties. The measure needs 50 percent plus one vote to pass. (Photo) (The Whidbey Examiner [Coupeville], 11.11.09) http://www.whidbeyexaminer.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=3198&SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&S=1

Buildings

The Grand Opening Celebration for the new Cascade Park Community Library, a member of the Fort Vancouver Regional Library District, will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 15, 4:00-8:00 p.m.  The new 24,000 square foot library is funded by a library facilities bond measure passed by Vancouver voters in 2006. The new library will have 10 times the square footage of the current library and will feature two community meeting rooms available for outside group use, a children/tween area, a teen area, fireplace, two study rooms, state of the art book sorting system and capacity for 90,000 volumes. (Photo) (Vancouver Family, 11.2009)

Rainier Library opens its doors during this weekend’s Rainier Area Building Community, or RABC, holiday bazaar. Though some of the computer may not be up and running, the library will be checking out materials that are barcoded. Julie Dallavo, library coordinator, said RABC is still taking book donations. (Photo) (Nisqually Valley News [Yelm], 11.13.09)

Whitman Library District directors late November 10 voted to award the bid for renovation of the Colfax headquarters building to Blews Construction, Inc., of the Spokane Valley. The Blews bid, including six alternative projects which are expected to be included in the contract, totaled $660,940.  Moving day for the library at Colfax has been set for Monday, Nov. 23 to relocate library operations to the rear of the U.S. Bank building with the renovation project to begin at the start of next month. (Whitman County Gazette [Colfax], 11.19.09)

Last month’s spate of bidders for the new Kenmore Library is a sign of just how tough the public sector has become for general contractors.  The project had 22 bidders and the low bid by Sierra Construction was nearly 25 percent below the original estimate. (Daily Journal of Commerce [Seattle], 11.23.09)

Letters and Editorials

Last week, in an attempt to balance a $1.3 million budget deficit, City Council gave Mayor Dean Bunkers authority to lay off all staff at the Ocean Shores Public Library and Interpretive Center, and temporarily close both. The North Coast News’ “Readers Input Group” (“R.I.G. the Paper”) met on Thursday at the Library’s meeting room.  The agenda: “How to balance the budget, without closing the Library and Interpretive Center.” Asked what we saw as ways to save these two important assets to our community, RIG came up with four major areas that we believe should be looked at: 1) Hire an experienced labor negotiator, 2) Cities across the nation have reduced the standard workweek to reduce the ‘cost of doing business’ without losing valued employees, 3) Across the board Lay-offs. Instead of closing the Library and Interpretive Center, consider across the board lay-offs, 4) Implement and/or update the processes for regular formal employee reviews. (The North Coast News [Ocean Shores], 11.18.09)

People

Timberland Regional Library has announced the hiring of Beth Warner as the new Director of the Timberland Regional Library Foundation. She brings a decade of experience in the professional management of multiple non-profit foundations in New Mexico. She has a long history of volunteering and is excited to return to the Pacific Northwest where she lived for several years and has family nearby. (The Daily World [Aberdeen], 11.12.09)

Local children’s librarian Sunny Strong’s recent book, ‘Imagine Children’s Museum: The Early History’, bursts with color photos of Snohomish County children and colorful tales of the many efforts that led to the opening of Imagine Children’s Museum in Everett  (The Edmonds Beacon [Mukilteo], 11.12.09) http://www.edmondsbeacon.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2668:local-author-documents-childrens-museum-history&catid=78&Itemid=186

He’s earned Oscar nominations, captured Emmy and Tony awards, shined as a villain in “Dreamgirls” and starred as the zany alien commander on the TV sitcom “3^rd Rock from the Sun.” All involve some darned good stories.  But for well-traveled John Lithgow, 64, one stands above the rest, and he shared it with a sellout crowd Tuesday at the 2009 Fort Vancouver Regional Library Foundation’s “Authors and Illustrators” dinner and silent auction, held in the Vancouver Hilton’s main ballroom. Lithgow told 900-plus guests how his father, Arthur, would regale him and his three siblings with riveting stories from “Tellers of Tales,” a thick, red anthology of 100 short stories, published in 1939. (Photos) (Columbian [Vancouver], 11.18.09) http://columbian.com/article/20091118/NEWS02/711189944/-1/archives

Awards

Thanks to a San Juan Community Foundation grant awarded to the Friends of the San Juan Island Library the library’s meeting room is getting a makeover.  We have recently installed a 65” HD Plasma TV.  In addition to that we will have a Blu-ray DVD player, VHS player, an integrated computer with internet access and basic cable television.  We also received an individual donation and money from the Friends of the San Juan Island Library to install a dedicated phone line and purchase a conference call phone. (Island’s Weekly Newspaper [Lopez Island], 11.17.09) http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/sanjuans/isw/community/70057512.html

Columbia County Rural Library District received “The Renew Washington” grant in the amount of $10,808. The Renew Washington grant will make it possible to expand the library’s Education/Job Information Center (EJIC) collection to include topics on education, colleges, employment, careers, job skills, scholarships, grants, resumes and more.  The EJIC collection will be expanded to include various formats, i.e., print, DVDs, software and a database. Some print and DVD materials will also be purchased in Spanish to meet the needs of our county’s Hispanic population. {Editor’s note: this grant was funded with IMLS funds by the Washington State Library } (Dayton Chronicle, 11.18.09)

Programs & Displays

For local sculptors Mark Twain Stevenson and Sarah Ohman-Ybarra Lopez, a longtime dream combining romance, environmental awareness and public art came together just up the waterway from here on Saturday, Oct. 24. On that day, their bronze sculpture “Turtle Island, Puget Sound” was dedicated for the Des Moines Public Library, a member of the King County Library System (KCLS). KCLS commissioned the piece for the Des Moines Public Library to be placed outdoors, greeting visitors from a grassy mound in front of the library.  (Photo) (The Leader [Port Townsend], 11.11.09) http://ptleader.com/main.asp?SectionID=101&SubSectionID=471&ArticleID=25626&TM=71248.25

“Church of the Old Mermaids,” a book by Stevenson author Kim Antieau, is the focus at White Salmon Community Library, a member of the Fort Vancouver Regional Library District, on Saturday, Nov. 21, at 1 p.m. This discussion of Antieau’s latest book is part of the “Read the Book, Meet the Author” series, which meets certain Saturdays through November.  (The Skamania County Pioneer [Stevenson], 11.11.09)

The Tacoma Public Library’s main branch has a dual mixed media exhibit up now in its Handforth Gallery. Artists Deborah Greenwood and Mindy Barker are showing an array of unique handmade works highlighting each woman’s unique skills and careful eye. Greenwood and Barker’s art is currently on display at Handforth Gallery inside of the main branch of the Tacoma Public Library through Nov. 28. (Tacoma Weekly, 11.12.09) http://www.tacomaweekly.com/article/3723/

In collaboration with the Lopez Island School Music Advocacy Foundation and Dean and Carolyn Jacobsen, the Lopez Island Library has a nice collection of musical instruments that we will check out to patrons just like a book. All items come with carrying cases, tuners, how-to-guides and an amplifier for the electric guitar.  The items circulate for 28 days, like most other library items.  Included in the “Check Out the Music” program are two ukuleles, one violin, two keyboards, two acoustic guitars and one electric guitar. (Island’s Weekly Newspaper [Lopez Island], 11.17.09) http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/sanjuans/isw/community/70057512.html

Vlatko Kolega never imagined becoming a fisherman, let alone one who fished the Bering Sea. Armed gunman wrested him away from his homeland and, through the whims of fate, he became an Anacortes commercial fishing boat owner. Saturday he joins a panel of fishermen speaking at a program at the Anacortes Public Library.  He will add his perspective on the salmon fishing industry. (Photo) (Anacortes American, 11.18.09) http://www.goskagit.com/home/article/fish_tales_croatian_gill_netter_among_speakers_at_library_series/

Orcas kids will be finding out there are many different ways that stories can be their playmates on Saturday, Nov. 21 at the Family Literacy Carnival.  From 1 to 4 p.m. at The Funhouse, kids and their parents will see how stories, usually contained in the pages of a book, can come alive in front of their eyes. The Family Literacy Carnival will bring stories to life through puppet shows, music, book and bookmark making, fishing for letters and storybook hat making. Part of Orcas Island’s celebration of National Family Literacy month coordinated by Orcas Family Connections and the Orcas Island Public Library, the carnival is intended to focus on language development for preschool and school-aged children. (Photos) (The Island Sounder [Eastsound], 11.18.09)

Economy/Hard Times

Most Fort Vancouver library users won’t see notable service reductions under a 2010 budget plan adopted this week.  That’s because staff layoffs, reduced operating schedules and across-the-board pay freezes introduces last winter have cushioned a drop in local tax revenues, officials said. Fort Vancouver Regional Library District trustees approved a $16.95 million spending plan without too much gnashing of teeth. That’s down about $800,000, or 4.5 percent, from the 2009 budget approved one year ago. (Columbian [Vancouver], 11.13.09)

With little changes anticipated at Bleyhl Community Library, the city clerk’s office and with parks and recreation programs, the Grandview City Council Monday heard much of the 2010 budgets will remain as they were in 2009 in those three areas.  Library Director Linda Dunham was the first to speak about her budget, stating there isn’t a lot that can be cut from the library budget.  If anything, she said, the $900 budgeted for travel could be taken from her budget. (Daily News [Sunnyside], 11.17.09) http://www.sunnyside.net/ARCHIVES/Story.aspx/17223/library-parks-city-clerk-holding-2010-budget-to-2009-numbers

The entire North Olympic Library System, with branches in Sequim, Port Angeles, Forks and Clallam Bay, will shut down for a week in spring and another week next fall, because of furloughs of all 51 library employees. That’s one result of the public library system Board of Trustees’ unanimous adoption of the 2010 budget Thursday night. The board also unanimously adopted a property tax levy increase of 1 percent. (Peninsula Daily News [Port Angeles], 11.20.09) http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009311209983

[This summary of library news was created by Bobbie DeMiero and Leanna Hammond of the Washington State Library Division of the Office of the Secretary of State.  It represents a selection of newspaper clippings about Washington libraries from all Washington newspapers received in the packets on the dates shown. For more information about any of these stories, contact Carolyn Petersen at 360.570.5560 or [email protected] ]

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