Down in the southwest corner of our state the State Library, High School and Public Library have formed a great partnership.  Before the State Library began working with Microsoft to provide free access to IT Academy training courses for all Washington residents, our public High Schools offered the trainings to their students.  Kalama students have been taking IT Academy classes for several years, in fact their students routinely qualify to represent Washington state at the Microsoft Office Specialist World Championships each year.  Along with providing access to hundreds of IT Academy classes the State Library’s program also provides free exam vouchers to over 20 sites across Washington who have agreed to offer the exams to the public.  Kathy Schmit, Business & Technology Instructor at Kalama High school, saw this as an opportunity to help the community as well as help her students.  MOS certified Kalama High school students are offering in-person classes to their community members for $100 which includes the price of the exam, including one free retake, as well as the course itself.  The exam alone, even without the accompanying instruction, normally costs $150.  The money raised from teaching the classes is a fundraiser for the school’s Future Business Leaders of America club.  Interest is already high with a predicted 20 people thinking of taking classes this summer.  This all sounds like a win/win to me.

Image courtesy North Pend Oreille Heritage collection

Library Clippings for the week of May 29, 2015

Library News

Beyond the cover – Shelton library addresses changing reader needs
When people hear the word library, they often conjure images of quiet, stuffy rooms filled with books and dust. The Shelton Timberland Library is so much more. “The future of the library, in my opinion, is as a community space, solving community issues,” said Senior Library Manager Patty Ayala Ross. “If we don’t show our relevance to our community, we won’t be viable.” The Shelton library shows its relevance through providing community outreach and being at the table to solve community issues, Ross said. (Mason County Journal, Shelton, 4/23/15)

125 years young: A milestone for Tacoma’s legal paper (Tacoma Daily Index, Tacoma, 5/1/15)
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From the desk of Karen S. Diehm, Secretary Senior, Stafford Creek Corrections Center

Write fat, edit lean – Garth Stein

SCCC’s Library crew with Garth Stein (L-R): Clerks Harold E., Jacob M., and Nate H., stand with Stein, Program Manager Laura Sherbo, and SCCC Librarian Jeannie Remillard stand to the right.

On Friday, May 8th, 2015 Garth Stein made his 3rd visit to Stafford Creek Corrections Center (SCCC) . We think he’s beginning to like it here!

We originally invited Garth to SCCC due to his novel, The Art of Racing in the Rain, which is narrated by a dog. This beautiful book has over 4 million copies in print and was on the New York Times bestselling novel list for 3 years! Garth graciously accepted our invitation, met with the Freedom Tails handlers and dogs, and proceeded to discuss the book with program volunteers. With some cajoling from the handlers, Garth agreed to come back for a book read which involved the general population and was an overwhelming success.

Recently, when we contacted Garth, he was happy to visit SCCC for another book read. Not only that, but he donated all the books! This time, How Evan Broke His Head and Other Secrets was introduced to the SCCC’s general population. The theme of this novel is based around a man who has found out, long after the fact, that he has a 14 year old son. There are many offenders who have been in, or are in, this situation, so it made for a great novel of choice. 

While discussing the book, many other questions came to light – especially on the art of writing itself. Stein informed his audience that the first and foremost rule of writing is: “There is no rule”. Questions abounded from the offenders ranging from dialog tagging, point of view, the voice, and the process. One by one, Garth answered all questions – and of course more questions ensued. One point Stein stressed to the offenders was: “The easiest thing to do in the world is to not write. The hardest thing to do is write – and, it’s easy to find excuses not to write.”

Among the questions asked, many offenders wanted to know how to deal with editing your work. Garth explained that is was necessary to get people you trusted and who would give you honest feedback, but to keep in mind that “other people can tell you where you went wrong, but they can’t fix it. Only the writer can fix it.”

As usual, Stein’s visit was an overwhelming success. Everyone at SCCC truly appreciated him taking the time to come share his talent and knowledge, and we look forward to him coming for another book read in the future!

Image courtesy North Pend Oreille Heritage collection

Library Clippings for the week of May 8, 2015
(Published May 22, 2015)

Library News

Edmonds Library will change its hours in May
Sno-Isle Libraries is changing, in some cases, expanding library hours to meet customer needs, according to library district officials. The changes will take place May 3. “We’ve realigned hours to better match the needs of our local communities, and will provide morning, evening and weekend hours in every location,” Deputy Director Kendra Trachta said. (The Edmonds Beacon, Mukilteo, 4/16/15)

Roslyn Library receives grant (Daily Record, Ellensburg, 4/22/15)

Shelton Timberland Library a popular place
Visitors to the Shelton branch of the Timberland Regional Library are borrowing fewer physical books while increasingly downloading more electronic books. That’s also the trend nationwide, Library manager Patty Ayala Ross told the Shelton City Commission Monday at its regular meeting. The library is evolving into a community center where patrons not only read, but also knit, hook up to Wi-Fi, and participate in activities, said Ross, who has managed the library for nine years. “People are coming,” she said. “They’re coming in droves.” (Mason County Journal, Shelton, 4/23/15)
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The Anytime Library in Russian

Part of Will’s job involves managing the Washington Anytime Library, a collection of eBooks and eAudiobooks shared by 43 of the smaller libraries throughout the state. Recently they added a Russian language interface to the digital library. Now patrons can choose to have the Anytime Library menus and instructions appear in English, Spanish, Chinese, or Russian. The books are still in English (for the most part), but the interface that helps you find them can be displayed in these other languages for the convenience of patrons who are more comfortable using them.

Checking out the new Russian language interface, Will noticed that the language interface selection box options were capitalized for English and Spanish (don’t ask him about the Chinese!), but not for the Russian, which uses the Cyrillic script. Uncertain if Cyrillic uses the same capitalization conventions as the Roman script used for English and Spanish, Will took a look at the rest of the Russian interface, and sure enough, he saw that the first character of most words was larger than those used for the rest of the word, but perhaps there was some exception to the rule for the word “Russian” itself when displayed in Cyrillic?

So he wrote back to the vendor rep and asked, who promised to check with the translation team. By the next day, the interface had been updated to show the word “Russian” in Cyrillic with the first character capitalized. So yes, Will can proof-read (albeit to a VERY limited extent) even for Russian Cyrillic!

Image courtesy North Pend Oreille Heritage collection

Library Clippings for the week of May 1, 2015
(Published May 15, 2015)

Library News

Kitsap Regional Library rebrands to inspire county (Independent, Port Orchard, 4/17/15)

Buildings

Kettle Falls to expand library
The City of Kettle Falls is planning to expand its library facilities this summer to include new study areas, a new community area, and bathroom upgrades. The city was recently awarded a $750,000 Community Development Block Grant from the Washington State Department of Commerce for the project. The grant, which requires matching funds from the community, has found financial support from a $40,000 contribution from the Friends of the Kettle Falls Library and $13,500 from the City of Kettle Falls. (The Independent, Chewelah, 4/9/15)
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Image courtesy North Pend Oreille Heritage collection

Library Clippings for the week of April 17, 2015
(Published May 13, 2015)

Library News

Working to engage through excellence in books, services (Tri-City Herald, Kennewick, 3/26/15)

Library bond set to be on August ballot
The Spokane County Board of Commissioners adopted a resolution in March regarding a proposition to finance new and expanded libraries in the greater Spokane Valley and Millwood. This action places a proposition on the Aug. 4 ballot that would more than double the public library space in the greater Valley area. Ballots will be mailed July 17. For more information, visit www.scld.org. (The Current, Liberty Lake, 4/–/15)
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Image courtesy North Pend Oreille Heritage collection

Library Clippings for the week of April 10, 2015

Library News

Puyallup to start search for new library director (The Herald, Puyallup, 3/18/15)

Library bond headed back to ballot
Area voters are going to get another chance to build two new libraries in Spokane Valley. The Spokane County Board of Commissioners adopted resolution No. 2015-0219 Tuesday regarding a proposition to finance the new construction and an expansion of the Argonne branch. This action places a proposition on the Aug. 4 ballot that more than doubles the public library space in the greater Spokane Valley and Millwood. Ballots will be mailed and voting begins July 17. (Valley News Herald, Spokane, 3/20/15)
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Courtesy of the Legislative Planning Committee, Washington Library Association Library Related Legislation. The Washington Library Association (WLA) tracks state legislative activity that will potentially affect Washington Libraries. Their tracker is posted weekly on this blog.

For information on the legislative process or becoming involved, see the WLA site referenced above.

Courtesy of the Legislative Planning Committee, Washington Library Association Library Related Legislation. The Washington Library Association (WLA) tracks state legislative activity that will potentially affect Washington Libraries. Their tracker is posted weekly on this blog.

For information on the legislative process or becoming involved, see the WLA site referenced above.