Volume 7, December 1, 2011 for the WSL Updates mailing list

Topics include:

1) FIRST TUESDAYS – TWO THUMBS UP

2) WANTED – ISSUES OF DEER PARK TRIBUNE AND SAMMAMISH REPORTER

3) BRAINS AT THE CAFÉ

4) TECHNICAL SERVICES – THE NEXT GENERATION

5) COMPETITION FOR LIS STUDENT AUTHORS

6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK

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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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Glass lantern slide advertisement from Sedro-Woolley’s Dream Theatre.

From the desk of Evan Robb

The Sedro-Woolley Public Library and Sedro-Woolley Museum recently completed work on a digital collection celebrating the history of Sedro-Woolley and neighboring communities of the Lower Skagit River Valley. Consisting of more than 300 digitized resources, the Sedro-Woolley Heritage Collection was funded by a Washington Rural Heritage grant from the Washington State Library.

According to Debra Peterson, Director of the Sedro-Woolley Public Library, “This has been such an exciting project.  Many of the photos in this collection have never been seen outside of the Sedro-Woolley Museum; it is such a great way to share these wonderful resources with our community.  Our students do extensive local history projects at several grade levels, and now they have instant access to historic documents that will assist them in their research.”

While most of the collection comes from the holdings of the Sedro-Woolley Museum, some of the material comes from the private collections of Sedro-Woolleyans themselves. For example, these fantastic photos from a community member, which depict the city’s businesses, buildings, community events, and local landmarks throughout the 1920s, 30s, and 40s. When the owner heard about the Library and Museum’s digitization project he enthusiastically offered up his collection for scanning.  “Most of these photos have not been seen by anyone (other than the donor) for years,” said Carolyn Freeman, Director of the Sedr0-Woolley Museum.

Additional collection highlights include:

• Photos depicting the grounds, building, and staff at Northern State Hospital.
• Early images of the downtown Sedro-Woolley business district.
• Logging and lumber industry photos.
• Materials documenting the 1914 robbery of Sedro-Woolley’s First National Bank.
• A collection of glass lantern slides from Sedro-Woolley’s Dream Theatre.
• Early Sedro-Woolley School System photos.

Sedro-Woolley’s City Hall, 1937.

The Sedro-Woolley Public Library and Sedro-Woolley Museum join more than 65 cultural institutions throughout the state that have digitized material with assistance from the Washington Rural Heritage initiative. These collections include historic photos, texts, objects & artifacts, and audiovisual materials that were, in some cases, relatively inaccessible.  To date, Washington Rural Heritage has published 21 collections including more than 10,000 unique items which document local history from every corner of the state.

Staff at the Whitman County Library, a Washington Rural Heritage participant, have been hard at work this summer and fall adding almost 200 more items to the Whitman County Heritage digital collection.

Many images of natural disasters in the region — including the Palouse River Flood of 1910 and the aftermath of the 1980 Mount Saint Helens eruption —  are now accessible online, as well as early images from the very small communities of Ewan and Revere, Washington, west of St. John.

The  Athenaeum Club and the private collection of Bob Bowen have also become sources of historic images and material for Whitman County Heritage this year, contributing to an already wonderful and rich digital collection. We salute Patti Cammack and staff of Whitman County Library for their continued effort in providing access to these important resources through the Washington Rural Heritage project.

Volume 7, October 27, 2011 for the WSL Updates mailing list

Topics include:

1) NEW FROM WASHINGTON READS – FREDY MONTERO POSTER

2) FIRST TUESDAYS – GRAPHIC NOVELS

3) FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR LIBRARY SUPPORT STAFF

4) TAKE NETWORKING TO A GLOBAL LEVEL

5) COME TO EGATHERING 2011

6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK

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Are you a genealogist or family historian?  Would you like to find out more about the resources available at the Washington State Library and Washington State Archives for researching your Washington relatives?  Then you’re in luck this weekend!  Librarian Kim Smeenk will be highlighting genealogical resources at the State Library and Archives in a free presentation at the Heritage Quest Research Library on Saturday, October 22 at 10 AM in historic downtown Sumner.  HQRL is a nonprofit genealogy library, managed and staffed entirely by volunteers.  You can find directions to HQRL here.  Hope to see you there!

On the eve of the second World War in 1941, Ellensburg city engineer and amateur photographer Fred L. Breckon began a multi-year pursuit documenting men and women of his town through his camera’s lens. An astoundingly ambitious project, Breckon made many of these photographs during his lunch break on the sidewalks of downtown Ellensburg. These images, along with detailed biographical notes on his fellow townspeople, amount to a documentary series of almost 1300 photographs.

Ellensburg Public Library has also been hard at work through the support of a 2010 Washington Rural Heritage grant digitizing another historically rich collection of Buildings, Businesses, and Schools in Ellensburg and the Kittitas Valley. Images date between 1904 and 1969, many of which also made by Fred Breckon.

A hearty congratulations to Carol Rich,  Milton Wagy, and everyone at the Ellensburg Public Library for their sustained dedication and contributions to Washington Rural Heritage! Be watching for more wonderful photos and documents from Ellensburg in the coming months.

Volume 7, August 25, 2011 for the WSL Updates mailing list

Topics include:

1) TWO NEW DIGITAL COLLECTIONS FROM EASTERN WASHINGTON

2) GRANT CYCLE CLOSES SEPTEMBER 2 – TLA50 INITIATIVE

3) UW RECRUITING LIBRARIES FOR IMPACT SURVEY PILOT

4) FREE VOLUNTEER ENGAGEMENT WORKSHOP

5) DISCOVER EARTH EXHIBIT OPPORTUNITY

6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK

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From the desk of Evan Robb

A collection of historical photographs documenting the community of Prosser, Washington is now available online thanks to a partnership between the Prosser Branch of Mid-Columbia Libraries and the Benton County Museum & Historical Society. Funded by a 2010-2011 Washington Rural Heritage grant from the Washington State Library, the Prosser Heritage Collection documents the early days of this important agricultural center on the Yakima River.

Project partners chose to focus on several thematic sub-collections for this round of digitization: Women in the Valley, Downtown Prosser, Rural Schools, and Dry Land Farming & Homesteading.  Some highlights from the collection include:

• Sheep on summer pasture in the mountains.
• Hans Smith combining on Horse Heaven in 1907.
• Prosser High School boys basketball team.
• Hauling water from the county well, Horse Heaven, 1900.
• Wheat harvest at Anderson Ranch on the Rattlesnake Hills.
• 1902 Prosser High School production of “The Merchant of Venice”.

Prosser Heritage marks the 20th digital collection published by Washington Rural Heritage, an initiative of the Washington State Library providing small and rural libraries with the technical infrastructure to both digitize and serve unique historical collections to a widespread audience. More than 60 cultural institutions throughout the state (including 25 public libraries) have contributed material to the project, which currently includes over 10,000 individually digitized and cataloged resources. These include historic photos, texts, objects & artifacts, and audiovisual materials that were formerly hidden or relatively unknown. A number of participating libraries have also facilitated the digitization of unique materials residing in the private collections of community members–important documents which may have otherwise been lost to time, or remained virtually inaccessible.

Additional collections are slated for publication this fall, and seven libraries are currently working on grant funded digitization projects through summer 2012.  To find out more about participation in Washington Rural Heritage, contact Evan Robb, Project Manager at [email protected], (360) 704-5228 or Ross Fuqua, Digital Projects Librarian at [email protected], (360) 570-5587.

Volume 7, August 18, 2011 for the WSL Updates mailing list

Topics include:

1) WANTED — NATIONAL DIGITAL NEWSPAPER PROJECT MANAGER

2) CLOCK HOURS FOR PROQUEST K-12 TRAINING

3) FREE TRAINING FOR DISASTER PREPAREDNESS

4) EARLY LEARNING FELLOWS PROGRAM

5) FINAL SET OF CONNECT THE DOTS PRESENTATIONS NOW ONLINE

6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK

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