Yesterday, Mike Thompson, Custodian at the Washington State Library, received the Employee of the Year award from the Administrative Services Division of the Office of the Secretary of State.

Mike was nominated by several staff members from the library, and here are excerpts from their comments about Mike:

Mike exhibits outstanding work ethics and attention to detail. He keeps all the buildings he’s responsible for in top form.

Regardless of his heavy workload, he is always pleasant and makes time to say hello. He can be counted on to help out with events or wherever else is needed at the drop of a hat. Mike’s an all around great asset to the agency by making many of our work lives better.

Did we say, “He even DUSTS!”

The building has never looked better since Mike came on board. He goes above and beyond, with a cheerful and professional attitude. Thanks, Mike, for everything you do!

In the picture, Dan Speigle, Deputy Secretary of State (left), comments on Mike’s service while Sam Reed, Secretary of State (right), applauds; Mike is the guy in the middle holding the plaque.

Congratulations, Mike, on this well-deserved award! We salute you!

Recently the Washington Anytime Library celebrated the addition of its 30th member library to the group. The Grandview Library became library number 30, meaning that almost half the state’s 62 public library entities are now members of the Washington Anytime Library!

The Washington Anytime Library provides a substantial collection of downloadable eBooks and audiobooks to its patrons. The Anytime Library is the cooperative effort of a consortium of Washington public libraries, coordinated by the Washington State Library. A list of participating libraries is available on the Anytime Library’s web site.

Congratulations to Grandview Library, and to the Washington Anytime Library for providing this valuable service to library users throughout the state!

This project is funded in part through the use of LSTA (Library Services and Technology Act) funds provided under the auspices of the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) through the coordinating efforts of the Library Development Program at the Washington State Library. Additional funding comes from the participating libraries.

Other Washington libraries provide similar services to their patrons. A list of libraries offering downloadable  audiobooks is available on the project website.

Questions about the project may be directed to Will Stuivenga, Cooperative Projects Manager, Washington State Library.

According to a recent Reuters news item, the country of Brazil is offering a novel way for prisoners to shorten their sentences: read a book!

Inmates in 4 federal prisons can read up to 12 works of literature, classics, science, or philosophy, and shorten their incarceration by 4 days per book, up to a maximum of 48 days off their sentences.

The program, which is called “Redemption through Reading,” requires the inmates to read the book within 4 weeks, and to write an essay that meets certain standards. A special panel will decide which prisoners are eligible to participate.

Somehow I doubt that this program will be adopted here in these United States of America anytime in the not-too-distant future! But why not?

Today, August 9, is said to be Book Lovers Day. I can’t find out much about the origins or history of this “holiday,” but it’s all over the web, so it must be true, right?! ☺ Also, I heard it on my local NPR station this morning.

I thought I’d celebrate the occasion by posting this picture I took in the Ft. Vancouver High School Library Media Center a while back. The picture features one of my favorite book quotes, which happens to be from poet Emily Dickinson:

There is no frigate like a book to take us lands away.

I love books, and I love reading, so this is definitely MY day. I hope it’s your day, too!

If anyone knows anything more about Book Lovers Day, please feel free to post a comment.

Happy Book Lovers Day, everyone!

Volume 8: June 14, 2012 for the WSL Updates mailing list

Topics include:

1) GRANT CYCLE – TLA50 INITIATIVE

2) LIBRARY 2.012 CONFERENCE PROPOSALS SOLICITED

3) BUILD-A-BEAR GRANT OPPORTUNITY

4) BEST BUY COMMUNITY GRANTS PROGRAM

5) DIGITAL CURATION BIBLIOGRAPHY

6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK

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1) GRANT CYCLE – TLA50 INITIATIVE

The Transforming Life After 50 (TLA50) initiative is designed to help libraries better serve and engage midlife adults by positioning libraries as catalysts, resources, meeting places, and partners in creating opportunities for midlife adults to learn, teach, lead, build skills, prepare for new careers, and become civically-engaged. The 2012 TLAA50 grant cycle still has funding available to support a minimum of three additional awards. Applications received from the re-opened grant cycle will form their own application pool and will be reviewed separately from applications received in response to the first application deadline. Applicants that submitted an application to the first 2012 deadline are not eligible to submit an additional request.

Academic, public, and tribal libraries that serve adults over the age of 50 are eligible to apply. Available funding to support this re-opened grant cycle is $15,000, with a limit of $5,000 per application (limit of one application per library system).

The deadline to apply is Friday, June 29, 2012. More details may be found at www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/grants. For questions, contact Jennifer Fenton, TLA50 Project Manager, 360.570.5571, [email protected], or Anne Yarbrough, LSTA Grants Manager, 360.704.5246, [email protected].

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2) LIBRARY 2.012 CONFERENCE PROPOSALS SOLICITED

The Library 2.012 Conference will be held October 2-5, 2012. This fully online conference is currently calling for presentation proposals. The conference plans six subject strands:

• Libraries – Physical and Virtual Learning Spaces;
• Librarians & Information Professionals – Evolving Professional Roles in Today’s World;
• Content & Creation – Organizing and Creating Information;
• Changing Delivery Methods;
• User Centered Access
• Mobile and Geo-Social Information Environments.

The deadline for proposal submission is September 15. For more information, or to submit a proposal, use this shortcut: www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/2.012.

The San Jose State University School of Library and Information Science is a founding partner of the Library 2.012 Conference.

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3) BUILD-A-BEAR GRANT OPPORTUNITY

Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. is accepting grant applications as part of its annual giving program. The Build-A-Bear Workshop Bear Hugs Foundation supports charities in the US and Canada through grant programs including Literacy and Education Grants which provide support for children in literacy and education programs such as summer reading programs, early childhood education programs, and literacy programs for children with special needs. Grants are a one-time contribution, and range from $1,000 to $5,000 USD.

The application deadline is August 31, 2012. For more information or to apply, visit www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/bear.

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4) BEST BUY COMMUNITY GRANTS PROGRAM

Through the Community Grants program, Best Buy teams across the United States select non-profit organizations that give teens access to opportunities through technology to help them excel in school and develop 21st century skills. This year, the Best Buy Children’s Foundation will give $2.8 million in Community Grants. Grant amounts will average $4000-$6000 and will not exceed $10,000.

The application deadline is July 1, 2012. For more information and to apply, visit www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/bestbuy.

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5) DIGITAL CURATION BIBLIOGRAPHY

Digital Scholarship has released the Digital Curation Bibliography: Preservation and Stewardship of Scholarly Works. In a rapidly changing technological environment, the difficult task of ensuring long-term access to digital information is increasingly important. This selective bibliography presents over 650 English-language articles, books, and technical reports that are useful in understanding digital curation and preservation. It covers copyright issues, digital formats (e.g., data, media, and e-journals), metadata, models and policies, national and international efforts, projects and institutional implementations, research studies, services, strategies, and digital repository concerns.

Most sources have been published from 2000 through 2011; however, a limited number of key sources published prior to 2000 are also included. The bibliography includes links to freely available versions of included works, such as e-prints and open access articles. The bibliography is available as a paperback and an open access PDF file. All versions of the bibliography are available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.

This bibliography, and a list of other Digital Scholarship publications is available at bit.ly/ffWu9D.

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6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK

Tuesday, June 19:

• TOPIC: Researching "Censorship" in ProQuest K-12 Resources (ProQuest); 10:00 – 10:30 a.m. PDT: www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/PQ-317;
• “That’s Not What I Said!”: Foundations of Interpersonal Communication (WebJunction); 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. PDT: www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/WebJ05;
• OneClickdigital Staff Training: Tour, Administration, Promotion (Recorded Books); 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. PDT: www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/RB-02;
• ProQuest Administrator Module (ProQuest); 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PDT: www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/PQ-312;
• K12 ProQuest Administrator Module (ProQuest); 11:00 – 11:30 a.m. PDT: www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/PQ-315;
• K12 Introduction to the New ProQuest Platform (ProQuest); 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. PDT: www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/PQ-316;

Wednesday, June 20:

• All About ALTAFF: A Conversation with Sally Gardner Reed (NCompass Live); 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. PDT;
• TOPIC: Researching "Censorship" in ProQuest K-12 Resources (ProQuest); 10:30 – 11:00 a.m. PDT: www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/PQ-318;
• After The Gift: How To Build A Satisfied, Loyal Donor Base (Nonprofit Webinars); 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. PDT;
• Introduction to the New ProQuest Platform (ProQuest); 12:00 – 12:45 p.m. PDT: www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/PQ-313;
• K12 eLibrary for Schools (ProQuest); 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. PDT: www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/PQ-319;

Thursday, June 21:

• Proposal Budgeting Basics (GrantSpace); 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. PDT;
• My Research (ProQuest); 11:00 – 11:45 a.m. PDT: www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/PQ-314;

For more information and to register (for those not linked above), visit the WSL Training Calendar at www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/training.

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The “other” Washington, that is, Washington D.C. Mark Ray, Washington’s 2011 Teacher of the Year, and a librarian and media specialist from Skyview High School, Vancouver, WA, is currently in the nation’s capitol where he, along with the teachers of the year from the other states, got to visit the White House, and shake the president’s hand. While in town he also plans to meet with Washington’s senators, and others to advocate for school libraries. In this picture, Mark is in the back row, far right. The full story is printed in today’s Columbian. We previously saluted librarian Ray when he won his award, back in October, 2011.

Volume 12: April 5, Year for the WSL Updates mailing list

Topics include:

1) WSL RELEASES LSTA 5-YEAR EVALUATION

2) DEADLINE APPROACHES FOR LIBRARY COUNCIL VACANCIES

3) RESOURCE SHARING GRANT CYCLE NOW OPEN

4) YOUTH SERVICES & OUTREACH POSITION AVAILABLE

5) LETTERS ABOUT LITERATURE CHAMPIONS ANNOUNCED

6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK

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1) WSL RELEASES LSTA 5-YEAR EVALUATION

As required by law, the Washington State LSTA Five-Year Evaluation Report was submitted to the Institute of Museum and Library Services on March 27, 2012. The purpose of conducting an LSTA Five-Year Evaluation is to independently evaluate the activities supported with federal LSTA funding. The evaluation provides an opportunity to measure progress in meeting the targets set in the approved five year plan and is designed to help state libraries make more effective resource allocation decisions in their upcoming five year plans.

As stated in the report’s executive summary, “The WSL’s most significant strength is their ability to convene and promote collaboration between and among libraries of all types in the state. Building on this strength, analysis of past performance, and emerging priorities for WSL and Washington libraries has surfaced six main recommendations for the Washington State Library with regard to future activity funded through LSTA.” Visit www.sos.wa.gov/library/libraries/dev to read the entire LSTA Five-Year Evaluation 2008 – 2012 report.

For those of you who have contributed to the development of this report through your participation in focus groups, telephone interviews or surveys, thank you. If you have questions, contact Jeff Martin, Acting Library Development Program Manager at 360.704.5248 or at [email protected].

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2) DEADLINE APPROACHES FOR LIBRARY COUNCIL VACANCIES

Applications are currently being accepted for two Library Council of Washington positions. One position represents Special Libraries; the other represents Public Libraries serving fewer than 100,000 persons. The Library Council of Washington advises the State Librarian and the Office of the Secretary of State on statewide library issues and the expenditure of federal LSTA funding.

Applications must be postmarked by Friday, April 6, 2012 to be considered. These positions begin September 2012. More information is available at www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/vacancy. If you have questions, please feel free to contact Jeff Martin, at 360.704.5248, [email protected], or Anne Yarbrough at 360.704.5246, [email protected].

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3) RESOURCE SHARING GRANT CYCLE NOW OPEN

The purpose of the Connecting Libraries through Resource Sharing (CLRS) grant cycle is to provide grant funds for collection development with materials that are rotated between partnering libraries, thus encouraging cooperation among public libraries in counties, or those with contiguous borders, where inter-local agreements to share materials do not exist, or did not exist before participation in a previous CLRS grant cycle.

Grants of up to $715 per library may be awarded qualifying partnerships. A single application from each group of partnering libraries is required. A partnership must include two or more public libraries; with one library acting as the lead library in both the application process and, if awarded, the grant implementation.

The application deadline is Friday, June 1, 2012. More details may be found at www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/grants. For additional information or questions, contact Carolyn Petersen, CLRS Project Manager, 360.570.5560 [email protected] or Anne Yarbrough, LSTA Grants Manager, 360.704.5246, [email protected].

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4) YOUTH SERVICES & OUTREACH POSITION AVAILABLE

The Washington Talking Book & Braille Library (WTBBL), a program of the Washington State Library and the Office of the Secretary of State, is seeking a Youth Services & Outreach Librarian. This part-time (30 hours per week), permanent, entry-level position is located in Seattle. Statewide travel will be required to implement outreach events and activities.

For more information, including job description, qualifications, and application instructions, visit www.sos.wa.gov/office/employment.aspx.

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5) LETTERS ABOUT LITERATURE CHAMPIONS ANNOUNCED

“Letters About Literature” encourages young readers to write letters to their favorite authors, competing at the national level to win a $500 Target gift card and $10,000 for their community or school library. This is the seventh year Washington State Library has sponsored the competition as part of Washington Reads.

Clare Doran, a sixth grader at The Bush School in Seattle, is the 2012 Level 1 champion. Samantha Smith, an eighth grader at Blue Heron Middle School in Port Townsend, is the Level 2 champion. Oliver Reed, a tenth grader at North Central High School in Spokane, is the Level 3 champion. The three champions’ letters have been sent to the Library of Congress for the national competition. The results of the national judging will be released in early May. Read the winning letters at www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/LAL2012.

Approximately 5,500 Washington students entered the 2012 contest. 98 semifinalists advanced to round 3 state judging. All state semi-finalists will receive an award certificate in the mail. There will be a ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda in Olympia at 11:00 a.m. May 11 during which the winners and semi-finalists will be acknowledged for their achievement.

To learn more about the 2012 competition, judging, and to see a list of the participating schools, use the link provided above. Thank you to all the students, teachers, librarians, and families who participate in Washington’s Letters About Literature program. Keep reading and writing!

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6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK

Monday, April 9, 2012:

• Deflection on WorldCat Resource Sharing (OCLC); 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. PDT;
• Everything I Need and Want is in the Teen Section: YA Spatial Practices in New U.S. Public Libraries (SJSU SLIS); 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. PDT;

Tuesday, April 10, 2012:

• The New Science of Building Great Teams: Analytics for Success (Harvard Business Review ); 9:00 – 10:00 a.m. PDT;
• 25 Twitter projects to engage your community and benefit your business (O’Reilly Community); 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. PDT;
• Custom Holdings on WorldCat Resource Sharing (OCLC); 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. PDT;
• ProQuest Research Library – With so many publications, how do you find the right one to search? (ProQuest); 11:00 – 11:30 a.m. PDT; www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/PQ245;
• Virtual Connections (WebJunction); 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PDT;
• Picture These: What’s New with Graphic Novels (Booklist); 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PDT;
• Apps for Speech Therapy and Autism (Accessible Technology Coalition ); 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PDT;
• Spring Adult Book Buzz (Library Journal); 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. PDT;

Wednesday, April 11, 2012:

• Snapshot Day: What It Is and How Your Library Will Benefit from Participating (NCompass Live); 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. PDT;
• Advanced Searching: Beyond the Single Search Box (ProQuest); 11:00 – 11:45 a.m. PDT: www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/PQ242;
• Intermediate Tips & Tricks for Microsoft Office 2010® Level 200 (New Horizons ); 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. PDT;
• Patron-Initiated Resource Sharing (OCLC); 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. PDT;
• Before You Seek a Grant: A Checklist for New Nonprofits (GrantSpace ); 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. PDT;
• Information Professional to Intelligence Analyst: Translating your LIS Skills (SJSU SLIS); 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. PDT;

Thursday, April 12, 2012:

• K-12 ProQuest Administrator Module (ProQuest); 8:30 a.m. PDT: www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/PQ243;
• Maximize the Value of Your OCLC ILL Subscription (OCLC ); 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PDT;
• K-12 Introduction to the New ProQuest Platform (ProQuest): www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/PQ244;
• History Study Center (ProQuest); 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. PDT: www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/PQ246;

Friday, April 13, 2012:

• eLibrary for Schools (ProQuest); 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. PDT: www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/PQ247.

For more information and to register (for those not linked above), visit the WSL Training Calendar at www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/training.

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Volume 8: March 29, 2012 for the WSL Updates mailing list

Topics include:

1) FUNDS FOR LIBRARY SUPPORT STAFF CERTIFICATION

2) FIRST TUESDAYS – MOVING TO EVERGREEN

3) LEARNING FROM BILINGUAL COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH

4) CELEBRATE SCHOOL LIBRARY MONTH

5) LIBRARIES FOR ALL – SERVING DIVERSE POPULATIONS

6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK

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1) FUNDS FOR LIBRARY SUPPORT STAFF CERTIFICATION

The Washington State Library offers financial assistance to library support staff participating in the American Library Association’s Library Support Staff Certification (LSSC) Program. The LSSC Program offers library employees the opportunity to achieve recognition for their experience and to increase skills and knowledge in areas like the foundations of librarianship, technology, and communication.

The Washington State Library will be offering five Registration Assistance Awards this spring. The Awards are for $175, one-half of the LSSC registration/application fee. To be eligible, applicants must have a high school degree or its equivalent and must have worked for the equivalent of one year (1820 hours) as a library staff member or volunteer within the past five years.

The LSSC Program is funded by a grant to ALA from the federal Institute for Museum and Library Services, and managed by the ALA-Allied Professional Association. The Registration Assistance Awards are part of this grant.

Applications are due May 1, 2012. Recipients will be notified by May 30. For more information and to apply, visit www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/LSSC-RAA. LSSC information is available at ala-apa.org/lssc.

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2) FIRST TUESDAYS – MOVING TO EVERGREEN

Have you thought about leaving your library catalog vendor in the dust for Evergreen Open Source? King County Library System did, learning many valuable lessons along the way. You can benefit from the experience of KCLS as they describe and demonstrate their implementations and share other insights, from preparing the patrons, to training the staff. Participants will leave with valuable tips on how to, and how not to, successfully implement Evergreen.

Moving to Evergreen Open Source ILS: If we knew then what we know now, is the topic for April’s First Tuesdays webinar, presented by Darlene Pearsall, Jed Moffitt, Matthew Carlson, Lisa Hill, and Maggie Buckholz, April 3, 2012, 9:00 – 10:00 PDT. For more information about First Tuesdays, visit www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/tuesdays. To join the presentation, and for instructions, go to www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/FirstTuesdays.

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3) LEARNING FROM BILINGUAL COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH

We know that the best time to learn a second language in life is to start as a baby, but why is that so? New studies are uncovering details on how experiences early in life literally shape babies’ brain and language development, and relate to other cognitive capacities. While there are marked differences between monolingual and bilingual patterns of learning, there are also fundamental similarities, observable from infancy. Whether learning one language or three, research findings can be applied to support all children’s learning, starting from their first relationships, and the quality of their interactions with adults in the first years of life.

Please join the UW’s Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences (I-LABS) and the Washington State University (WSU) Parenting Education Series for a webinar on Early Bilingual Experience and its Relationship to Language and Cognitive Development by outreach specialist Gina Lebedeva, Ph.D. & SLP. This discussion will highlight current best evidence on early bilingual language development, key findings from early childhood bilingual brain research, and connections between executive function and bilingualism in young children.

The April 10, 2012 webinar will run from 11:50 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Pacific Time. Registration is limited to the first 100 applicants. To register, go to www.surveymonkey.com/s/parentingApril10 and complete the registration process.

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4) CELEBRATE SCHOOL LIBRARY MONTH

Recognizing school libraries as the centers of the school community where learning, research, and collaboration happen and technologies and information resources are available 24/7, the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) invites everyone to celebrate School Library Month in April. The 2012 theme, “You belong @ your library,” will highlight the role strong school libraries play in a student’s educational career. More information and resources can be found online at www.ala.org/aasl/slm.

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5) LIBRARIES FOR ALL – SERVING DIVERSE POPULATIONS

ASCLA, a division of ALA, offers expertise in serving special populations. Take advantage of this expertise: enroll in one of their upcoming webinars or online courses to gain valuable knowledge that will help transform your library’s services to Latino populations, the blind and visually impaired, and people with disabilities. These include:

• Webinar: Serving the Blind and Visually Impaired in Your Library: Thursday, April 5, 2012, 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. PDT;
• Online Course: Improving Library Services to People with Disabilities: April 23 – May 18, 2012;
• Webinar: Creating a Latino Friendly Library: May 17, 2012, Noon – 1:30 p.m. PDT.

Registration is open to all individuals interested in these topics, regardless of membership status, but discounts are available for ASCLA and ALA members, students, and retirees. For more information, and to register, use this shortcut: www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/ASCLA-learn.

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6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK

Tuesday, April 3:

• OneClickdigital for Library Staff: Tour, Administration, Promotion (Recorded Books); 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. PDT: www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/RB-01;
• First Tuesdays: Moving to Evergreen Open Source ILS: If we knew then what we know now (WLS); 9:00 – 10:00 a.m. PDT;
• Introduction to the New ProQuest Platform (ProQuest); 9:00 – 10:00 a.m. PDT: www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/PQ241;
• OCLC WorldCat Resource Sharing-Borrowing (Amigos); 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. PDT;
• You’ve Got Male: Great New Books for Boys (Booklist ): 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PDT;

Wednesday, April 4:

• Dream Big READ: Summer Reading Program 2012 (NCompass Live ); 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. PDT;
• ProQuest Administrator Module (ProQuest); 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. PDT: www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/PQ240;
• WorldCat Holdings: Why They Matter and the Tools to Maintain Them (OCLC ); 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PDT;
• OCLC WorldCat Resource Sharing-Lending (Amigos); 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. PDT;
• Skills for the Everyday Leader (WebJunction ); 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PDT.

For more information and to register (for those not linked above), visit the WSL Training Calendar at www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/training.

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Volume 7, November 24, 2011 for the WSL Updates mailing list

Rand Simmons, Acting Washington State Librarian, and the staff at the Washington State Library wish you and yours a bountiful and happy Thanksgiving holiday!

Topics include:

1) NEW DIGITAL COLLECTION – SEDRO-WOOLLEY HERITAGE

2) APPLY NOW FOR SCHOOL LIBRARY BOOK GRANTS

3) FUNDING FOR INNOVATIVE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH

4) GRANTS NOW AVAILABLE FOR THE BIG READ

5) BECOME A FOUNDATION CENTER COOPERATING COLLECTION

6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK

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Read the rest of this entry »

All sorts of creatures check out what the Washington State Library has to offer!

This time it happened to be a blue heron who was investigating what might live in the reed ponds which dot the grounds around the Washington State Library campus in Tumwater.

We spotted him (or her) last week from our fourth floor windows, perched on the roof of the adjacent building.

This blog posting was a combined effort by Carolyn Petersen and Will Stuivenga.