I met Patience Rogge when I first came to Washington State in 2001. She and her husband, Dave, and I became fast friends. Patience has been a wonderful mentor about library advocacy.

Her leadership within the Washington library community includes her service as a trustee of the Jefferson County Rural Library District; Chair of the Washington Friends, Foundations, and Trustees Association and the Grassroots! interest group of the Washington Library Association; and memberships on the boards of the Washington Library Association, the Pacific Northwest Library Association, and Friends of the Washington State Library. In 2005, she received the Washington Library Association’s Honorary Lifetime Award and was named to the American Library Association’s National Advocacy Honor Roll.

Patience has advocated for environmental, political, and educational efforts in California and Washington. So, it was no surprise that she became deeply involved in transparency in government through actively participating in the Washington Coalition for Open Government.

On September 23, 2011, the Coalition bestowed its James Andersen award on Patience. The Andersen Award is given to an individual or organization that has done something extraordinary to advance the efforts of the Washington Coalition For Open Government. For those attending the ceremony, the award to Patience came as no surprise.

Patience holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in American Government and a Master of Library Science degree from the University of California, Berkeley. She has worked in academic, school, and public libraries in Delaware, California, and Saudi Arabia.

She currently directs the Fort Worden Oral History Program at Fort Worden State Park Conference Center in Port Townsend and is vice president of the Friends of Fort Worden. Congratulations, Patience.

Secretary of State Sam Reed was presented with the James Madison award by the Washington Coalition for Open Government. You can read more at https://blogs.sos.wa.gov/FromOurCorner/index.php/2011/09/reed-awarded-top-open-government-honor/.

Imaging a historic newspaper article, Tacoma Public Library’s Northwest Room.

Evan Robb is the project manager for the Washington Rural Heritage project (WRH). WRH staff bring expertise in digitization to small and rural libraries, teaching them the elements of imaging, metadata creation and digital asset management.

The libraries often work with a community partner to digitize materials documenting the early culture, industry, and community life of Washington State. The State Library hosts the images for the local library and the collections are accessible to anyone with an Internet browser.

Kirsten Furl, Evan’s former colleague, had this to say about Evan: “Evan’s excellent work on the project is fueled by his passion for bringing incredible historic materials to light. He works tirelessly to ensure quality control, to inspire innovation within the project, and to motivate the librarians that we work with. He dearly loves his job, and the proof is in the excellent sites that WRH continues to produce.”

Jeff Martin, Manager for Library Development notes, “His management and leadership of the Washington Rural Heritage project has firmly established this project within the Washington library, historical society, and museum communities. More than 60 cultural institutions now participate in the project in 25 locations throughout the state. New libraries and other cultural institutions are added to the project each year.”

Evan possesses a unique combination of project leadership and technical skills. This allows him to work closely with the individual project managers and contributors within each local community and at the same time roll up his sleeves and digitize unique and fragile materials onsite to further support the community’s work.

Rand Simmons, State Librarian, observes, “When I’m out visiting libraries and ask about Washington Rural Heritage typically people respond, “Evan? He’s great!”

Evan exhibits a can do attitude which allows obstacles to be explored and then removed. He leads in this project inspiring in-house staff and local libraries alike to continue to move WRH forward.

Thanks, Evan, for motivating all of us to continue to do our best work.

Project web site: www.washingtonruralheritage.org.

Melisa Gilbert, in addition to managing the largest Institutional Library Service (ILS) branch, Coyote Ridge Corrections Center (CCRC) in Connell, Washington, with the utmost professionalism, exhibits leadership among the program. Melisa volunteered to maintain and update the critically important Re-Entry Resources Notebooks used by all ILS branches. She is working to move everything from the ILS Public Folders in Outlook to a shared wiki for greater ease of updating and finding information.

Melisa is professional, supportive, and thoughtful. She worked with Library Development’s Carolyn Peterson to acquire materials for the first “CRCC Reads” event that will take place later this year. The Read is planned for next March and Melisa is exploring funding. The event will be in collaboration with WSU-Tri-Cities campus and will bring author Jamie Ford to both settings to discuss his book, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, a book is set in 1940s Seattle that describes the evacuation of Japanese Americans to prisoner of war camps in Puyallup and Idaho. Melisa is also planning to bring Portland author Patrick DeWitt to read from his book Sisters Brothers in November.

Melisa has built an extremely positive relationship with Department of Corrections staff at CRCC, thus facilitating her ability to provide excellent customer service to the inmates. In addition to the all the extra work stated above, she planned and implemented legal services training workshops for the inmates in order to teach them how to use the LexisNexis database.

Melisa works in the one ILS branch that has two staff. She built a well functioning team at CRCC, at the same time as she mentored and trained her co-worker, Gayle Shonkwiler. According to Gayle, “Melisa is very intelligent and the best resource librarian ever. She is very helpful to all our patrons as well as very highly regarded. She’s a great boss, too!”

She is a valuable part of the entire ILS team, as evidenced by her volunteering for many tasks for the good of the group. Laura Sherbo, Manager for Branch Libraries says, “You won’t find a more ‘can do attitude’ than Melisa’s.she doesn’t go the second mile.she goes the third!” Thanks for your energy, dedication, and leadership, Melisa.

Glenn Parsons of Library Technical Services has had some major changes in his job duties, recently splitting hours between his longtime Acquisitions position and helping Public Services with interlibrary loan at the circulation desk.  “Glenn recently joined me in the lobby to do interlibrary loan. He picked up the tasks easily and we’ve been working well together!” notes Circulation Supervisor, Leslie Christensen. “He is reliable and customer service oriented. Glenn’s follow through is terrific!”

He is particularly talented at adapting to a wide variety of databases and computer applications, and has been especially helpful in assisting his co-workers in troubleshooting and navigating through difficult technical problems. The changes have provided an opportunity for Glenn to be both student and teacher, and has provided a vantage point to how Technical and Public Services can improve their inter-program workflow. A true gentleman, he has a gift for making suggestions without coming across as negative or personally critical. During these times of budget woes, Glenn has made suggestions resulting in savings of thousands of dollars.

“Glenn is one of those quiet and hardworking heroes who helps keep the WSL wheels rolling,” remarks Steve Willis, Program Manager for Technical Services. “His long history here and institutional memory of WSL has been invaluable to Technical Services as we strive to learn from the past while planning for the future. Also, his enjoyment of sharing general historical trivia is fun.”

Thanks, Glenn, for your steady, competent service to the people of Washington.

  The grand opening of the Grandview Library brings a new type of service to not only the people of Grandview but among Washington libraries. The new library will serve two very different missions. One mission is focused on serving the community as a public library. The other is to serve the Grandview satellite campus of the Yakima Valley Community College (YVCC) with its 1600+ students. The library is located on the college campus.

Director Elizabeth Jahnke and her staff are up to the challenge! Jahnke, a native of Grandview, brought her welcome message full circle at the September 12, 2011 celebration when she noted that she and siblings were beneficiaries of YVCC. Her mother, a widow with 4 children at home, determined that she needed a higher level of education to provide an acceptable quality of life for she and her children. It was from YVCC that Elizabeth’s mother earned a degree and became a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN). Now Elizabeth is giving back to the community as the Director of the Library. She will work closely with Joan Weber, Director of the Yakima Valley Community College, to help assure that campus students in addition to community residents will have their needs met. Photo above: left to right Elizabeth Jahnke, Director, Grandview Library; Joan Weber, Director Yakima Valley Community College; Rand Simmons, Acting State Librarian; not in photo but present Linda Dunham, former Grandview Library Director. Photo rights: Entrance to the new Grandview Library. Architectural design Brockway, Opfer, Raab Architecture, PLLC of Yakima; Contractor, Blew’s Construction of Spokane.

Yesterday Olympia area volunteers and agency staff met in Sam Reeds office. It was our annual event to pay homage to our agency volunteers. The State Library (WSL) has about 13 volunteers who work at the Main Library in Tumwater. We have around 400 volunteers who work at the Washington Talking Book & Braille (WTBBL) in Seattle! Their work is celebrated at a spring event separate from yesterday’s event. The work of our volunteers is integral to accomplishing our mission. No longer do volunteers work on “special projects” alone. Their work is not the icing on the cake, it is the cake itself.

With heavy losses of staff during this decade – a nearly 52% loss – we can no longer continue to offer quality service without volunteers. Over the next few years WSL will add more volunteers at the Main Library. Marilyn Lindholm, Administrative Assistant to State Librarian, Rand Simmons, will recruit and coordinate our volunteers in Tumwater. Program staff will orient, train, evaluate, nurture and support them. We will follow the skilled use of volunteers at WTBBL where David Junius is the Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator. David has been quoted as saying that the per hour value of a volunteer in Washington is more than $21.00. The 32,000 hours annually contributed to WTBBL by volunteers equates to roughly 15 full-time staff or a contribution of more than $670,000! My gratitude to all our volunteers, in Tumwater and Seattle, for all they do to help us effectively serve the people of Washington. When you see a volunteer, wherever they may be, say, “thanks.” They really do make a difference.

There is a new feature on the Secretary of State’s website. History Makers is a biographical database of Washington elected officials and activists from territorial times to present. Each individual’s entry includes a photograph, links, and basic biographical information, for example, occupations, offices, affiliations, birth and death dates, and marriage information.

To date: Governors, Lieutenant Governors, Secretaries of States, Treasurers, U.S. Senators and U.S. Representatives are included. This resource is made possible by dedicated volunteers and will continue to be updated. Please visit History Makers at the Legacy Project webpage: http://sos.wa.gov/legacyproject/HistoryMakers.aspx

David Junius, Volunteer Coordinator at the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library (WTBBL), is featured in the first Spirit of Service column in the Library of Congress National Library Service Update (January-June 2011).

David has been with the Library since August 2008 and he brought with him a rich background in nonprofit organizations (Seattle and San Francisco) and a master’s degree in library and information science from the University of Washington. David is a natural fit. WTBBL hosts around 400 volunteers annually who contribute about 32,000 hours, the equivalent of 15 full-time staff members. He reports that the per hour value of a volunteer in Washington is more than $21.00 bringing the annual contribution of WTBBL volunteers to more than $670,000.

WTBBL Director, Danielle Millers say, “David has a real knack for getting along with anyone. He is kind and fair with all our volunteers, and we do have a very, very diverse group. David is great at finding the best fit for a volunteer and making them feel good about what they are doing. We are very lucky to have him!”

As the Outreach Coordinator, David promotes WTBBL and its services through presentations, exhibits at information fairs and the Reading Matters newsletter which he edits.

It is a pleasure to have David on the staff of the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library and the Washington State Library. Rand Simmons, State Librarian (Acting).

From the desk of Rand Simmons

Certainly when it comes to libraries many issues remain constant. While preparing a retirement letter for Karen Goettling (26 years with the Washington State Library) I came across a publication Action! Results! of the governor’s Conference on Library and Information Services. The document published by the State Library in 1997 was an outgrowth of the 1991 Governor’s Conference on Library and Information Services.

I was fascinated that the issues of concern roughly 20 years ago when I was just a library pup are issues that still rank high for us now that I’m an old library dog. Consider access for all, basic literacy, libraries and information, life-long learning, services to children, marketing and competition, national information policy, censorship, training, and cultural diversity.

In the past 20 years some of these have shifted in prominence. Regarding access, certainly no one is seriously pining for the return of the card catalog. But, many people and groups are discussing the role libraries should play in eBooks now. The introduction of Amazon’s Kindle and Barnes and Noble’s Nook and their popularity as 2010 Christmas gifts brought a flurry of demand for eBook content at public libraries. My peers in other state library agencies are heavy into discovery and debate about the role of State Libraries regarding eBooks. We also have a representative on the Digital Public Library of America planning group – dealing with other access issues.

A good portion of our future centers around preservation of and access to the past: access to Washington State government publications, both printed and electronic, our digital collections, our genealogical and history materials, our statewide newspapers, and our Washington Rural Heritage project to name a few.

That’s my opinion. I’d like to hear yours.

Rand Simmons
Acting Washington State Librarian

From the desk of Rand Simmons

Each year, the month of May is set aside to recognize the value of older Americans to our society. The theme this year, “Older Americans: Connecting the Community,” reminds us that age has no bounds when it comes to enriching lives and contributing to our country.

Many older adults are no longer able to read standard print books due to vision problems or physical barriers. Be it macular degeneration; glaucoma; diabetic retinopathy; or other vision problems, or severe arthritis; MS; Parkinson’s; or other conditions that make it difficult or impossible to hold a book or turn its pages, the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library provides a world of information for free to those who are eligible for its many services. For more information go to www.wtbbl.org.

The Washington Talking Book & Braille Library can be a lifesaver. It provides players and a steady supply of talking books chosen to suit the interests of the individual reader. Audio books and magazines are also available instantly through download from the library’s website, and staff will coach patrons and their caregivers in downloading what they need.

This service is especially helpful for homebound readers who can go through more than a book a day. And for those who want to see or feel their books, rather than listen to them, the library provides Braille and large print books.

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