The Washington State Library (WSL) has compiled fact sheets to illustrate funding and support from WSL to libraries across the state. We do this annually organized by legislative and congressional district. Our Congressional District fact sheets are now available online and we expect to have Legislative District fact sheets posted on our website by the end of February.

The Washington State Library is the only agency in Washington that is specifically designated by law to assist libraries and to ensure that residents of the entire state have access to library and information services. WSL achieves these goals using federal Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. We offer numerous projects supporting the enhancement of library services. We provide consulting services on a variety of topics, and provide grants, subsidies and training to libraries.

Local libraries support the educational and lifelong learning needs of the people in their communities. Their staff participate in statewide projects sponsored by the Washington State Library.  While the Congressional Fact Sheets reflect the projects that are funded by LSTA, the State Library offers much more to Washington residents.

Our Central Library Service is a research library which specializes in Washington State and Pacific Northwest history, culture and government.  Historians and genealogists find our resources invaluable as we have information that is unavailable anywhere else. As mandated by State Law [(RCW) 40.06.010 (4)], the Washington State Library collects publications published by all Washington State agencies that are intended for distribution to the state government of the public in print and electronic format. State publications provide current and historical information about State government.  They are a resource for research into Washington’s past and they are a cornerstone for Washington’s future.

WSL is the only state library that has branch libraries in prisons.  There are libraries and librarians in nine prisons and two state hospitals.  These libraries are a lifeline for the patients and inmates providing a small island of normalcy in their lives.  Inmates find not only recreational materials at the library; many use their time to further their education.  The State Library is partnering with the Department of Corrections and local libraries to help prisoners achieve a successful re-entry.

The Washington Talking Book & Braille Library (WTBBL) provides a comprehensive, statewide library service for Washington residents unable to read standard print material due to blindness, a visual impairment, deaf-blindness, a physical disability that makes it difficult to hold a book or turn a page, or a reading disability. Books and magazines are available in audio and braille and sent free by mail or downloaded from the website or app. WTBBL offers materials in Spanish, a youth services program, local book production, and more.

WSL offers several digital collections from its many historical resources, including books, maps, newspapers and manuscripts. These collections will continue to grow as more of our resources are scanned, providing a multitude of information to students, teachers, historians and genealogists on Washington’s rich heritage.

All of these services are offered statewide, and each one impacts your community in both small and large ways. For a more detailed analysis of our work in your community return here in a few weeks to find the newly minted Legislative Fact Sheets.

We received this message from Jamie Allwine, the Library Manager at Timberland’s Winlock Library.  It was such a great story that we asked her permission to share it.  Thanks Jamie, you’ve made our day.

The Winlock Library’s ascent into STEM really started with a WSL workshop that Joe Olayvar and Evelyn Lindberg put on at Timberland’s Service Center.  I had never touched a programmable robot but I left that day KNOWING that the kids (all ages) of Winlock would love them.  On my way out the door, I ran the idea by my supervisor and the director and they both gave me the green light to pursue robotics.  I contacted my Friends group and they enthusiastically funded the purchase of two Legos Mindstorms EV3 Core kits.  We now own four of the Core kits and three expansion sets.  Although we routinely hold formal “Robots Rock” programs, all of our equipment is available on demand.  Kids (often families) can come in any time and ask to use the “toys”, and we happily get them out.

Why am I so committed to STEM?  When I was a kid, we needed to learn the 3 R’s.  But kids today also need a strong foundation in a new language–coding.  As with all languages, the earlier that a child is exposed, the easier they pick it up.  Although there are many schools who provide STEM programs, most are still focused on the teaching and testing of the original 3 R’s.  I read a study that said only 10% of school aged kids have access to STEM programming, and that is often on a limited basis and sometimes not until high school.  For many kids, we are really missing that ideal window of opportunity to introduce coding, construction, robotics, etc.  I believe that through the public library system, we can help bridge that gap.

Winlock currently offers programming with the Legos EV3s, Dash & Dot, Ozobots, Snap Circuits, Code-a-pillars, Eggbots and a wide variety of building toys, such as Legos, Lincoln Logs, K’nex, and Erector sets.  We participated in the Hour of Code™ during Computer Science Education Week.  We have borrowed the Legos We-Do 2.0 kits from our service center and the Roominate kits from the Washington State Library.  Our kids have loved them all!

Here’s a “tickler” from our new newsletter.  Intrigued?  Click here to read the entire issue.  Would you like to have the next issue show up in your inbox? You’ll find a subscribe button in the upper left corner of the newsletter’s page.

A letter from our State Librarian, Cindy Aden

Here at the Washington State Library, we’re excited about the New Year and what 2017 has in store! We’re also excited about the winter 2017 edition of For Your Information, the State Library’s newsletter. We’ve continued to receive helpful comments and constructive feedback on FYI since we published the first edition last July. Because of your feedback, we’ve made tweaks to the design and layout. We think this will make the newsletter easier and more enticing to read.

In this edition, we’ll give you the scoop on what’s new and what’s staying the same at the State Library. We’ll talk about the Office of Secretary of State’s proposal to the Legislature for a new building to house the State Library and State Archives. We’ll share the latest news about the Washington Digital Newspapers and Washington Rural Heritage programs. And we’ll let you know about the Teen Video Challenge contest deadline. Thanks for your interest in the Washington State Library!

From the desk of Rand Simmons

In the year 2017 “Fake News” is on everyone’s lips and lately the news has been dominated by speculation that Russia intervened in the US election.  As librarians we know to look for a reputable source and to verify information. Federal publications help keep the public informed. The Washington State Library is a federal depository library (Federal Depository Library Program, Government Publishing Office) and serves as the Regional Depository Library for the states of Washington and Alaska.

The latest from National Public Radio: “CIA Concludes Russian Interference Aimed To Elect Trump. The CIA has concluded that Russia intervened in the 2016 election specifically to help Donald Trump win the presidency, a U.S. official has confirmed to NPR. … Now they [the CIA] have come to the conclusion that Russia was trying to tip the election to Trump.” (Kelly, Mary Louise. “CIA Concludes Russian Interference Aimed to Elect Trump.” NPR – the two-way, 10 Dec. 2016, http://n.pr/2j20Ygk. Accessed 10 Jan. 2017.)  

The media — television, radio, newspapers and social media — have been rife with stories like these. As the calendar rolls toward the Inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the United States on January 20th the focus on Russian interference with the 2016 Presidential Election remains hot.

President Obama directed the CIA, the FBI and the National Security Agency to prepare a report on their findings regarding Russian cyber attacks during the 2016 election cycle. A highly redacted version was made public on January 6, 2017. If you would like to read the report you will find it at https://www.dni.gov/files/documents/ICA_2017_01.pdf.

For information assistance contact our Ask A Librarian staff.

The following are publications received during September – December 2016. The purpose of this list is two-fold: one, to create an awareness of the breadth and depth of the Washington State Library’s federal documents collection and two, to alert readers to specific titles available to them either online or in print (or other tangible mediums such as microfiche).

The titles included in this document represent the many valuable publications produced by the Government Publishing Office (GPO) and distributed to federal depository libraries through the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP). The Washington State Library is the Regional Federal Depository Library for the states of Washington and Alaska.

Government

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. (2012). The naturalization test: Overview of requirements and available resources. Washington, D.C.?: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Double-sided poster. Available at WSL: HS 8.2:T 28/2016; Also online: http://permanent.access.gpo.gov/gpo22600/M-685.pdf.

United States. (2016) Intelligence community legal reference book. Washington, D.C.: Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Office of General Counsel. Available at WSL: PREX 28.20:2016/SUM. Request ahead of visit.

 Health and Nutrition

U.S. Army Public Health Center (Provisional),. (2016). Healthy eating made easy: Save time and money in the kitchen. Available at WSL: D 101.6/5:H 34. Download the publication at: http://bit.ly/2fBcJa8

History and Culture

Kolakowski, C. L., & Center of Military History,. (2016). The Virginia camp[a]igns, March-August, 1862. Available at WSL: D 114.2:C 49/2/V 81; online: http://permanent.access.gpo.gov/gpo72995/cmhPub_75-5.pdf.

Library of Congress Magazine: Lcm. , 2012. Print. At WSL: LC 1.18:2016/5; online:  http://www.loc.gov/lcm/pdf/LCM_2016_0910.pdf.

September/October 2016 issue features “Making of the Modern Map.”

United States. (2016). Legacy of the Banner Creek Railroad Station. Available at WSL: I 20.2:B 22.

White House Initiative on American Indian and Alaska Native Education (U.S.),. (2016). More than mascots: A resource guide for ensuring native youth experience safe and welcoming school environments. Available at the Washington State Library: ED 1.8:N21. Order free copies and find a link to a pdf version on the web at: http://bit.ly/2hY9Ioz.

Military

Cameron, Robert S. Armor in Battle: Special Edition for the Armored Force 75th Anniversary. , 2015. Print. Available at WSL: D 101.2:AR 5/105. Available online at: bit.ly/2hSAXAS

Lowrey, Nathan S. The Chairmanship of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, 1949-2016. 2016. At WSL: D 5.2C 34/2/2016

U.S. Army Basic Combat Training Museum,. (2016). The birth of Camp Jackson: A collection of photographs, maps and papers documenting the development of Camp Jackson near Columbia, South Carolina. Including a discussion of the need for training camps and soldiers in World War I, the offer presented by the city of Columbia to the Army to help fill that need, the construction of Camp Jackson and the structures built there, the units and people who populated the camp, and the training that converted [the] average American citizens into the world’s greatest soldiers. At WSL: WSL Fed Doc Oversize (Call ahead) OVERRSIZ D 101.2:J 13/2

Nefëdkin, A. K., Bland, R. L., & Shared Beringian Heritage Program (U.S.),. (2014). Warfare of the Chukchi: (mid-17th to early 20th century).  Available at WSL: I 29.2:C47

Science

Lunularia_cruciata. Public Domain, http://bit.ly/2icbYoi

Exeter, Ronald L, Judith Harpel, and David H. Wagner. Rare Bryophytes of Oregon. , 2016. Print. Includes CD-ROM. Available at WSL: I 53.2:B 84

Mazza, Rhonda. “Volcano Ecology: Flourishing on the flanks of Mount St. Helens.” Science Findings, no. 190, Oct. 2016, pp. 1-6.  Available at WSL: A 13.66/19:190; also available online at: https://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/sciencef/scifi190.pdf.

Exeter, Ronald L, Charity Glade, and Scot Loring. Rare Lichens of Oregon., 2016. Print. Available at WSL:  53.2:L 61

Social Issues

United States. Federal Trade Commission, issuing body. Identity Theft: a Recovery Plan. 2016. Available at WSL: FT 1.2:ID 2/10; online at: http://bit.ly/2iR4c3A.

The Social Security Administration issues as series of informative publications. Many are written in braille, or are online, or both.

Recent issues include:

• If you’re blind or have low vision — How we can help
• What you need to know when you get supplemental security income (SSI)
• What you need to know when you get retirement or survivors benefits
• Working while disabled: How we can help
• Working while disabled — A guide to plans for achieving self-support
• Please contact our Ask-a-Librarian staff for assistance. Contact information is at the end of this publication.

Travel and Recreation

Olympic: Olympic National Park, Washington. , 2016.  map. Available at WSL: I 29.6:OL 9/3/2016

As 2016 comes to a close, we here at Washington Rural Heritage are at a crossroads. We’re steadily working with our grantees on this past year’s collections, and at the same time, we’re looking forward to the new projects that we will be helping with next year. But before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s take the time to stop and reflect on what our community has accomplished from 2015 to 2016 in their efforts to preserve Washington’s cultural heritage.

Highlights of these collections include:

• Asotin County Library’s collection now has images by the photographer, Asahel Curtis, providing a glimpse at everyday life during the turn of the century in eastern Washington, as well as a collection of postcards, which span the first half of the 20^th century.
• The Ellensburg Public Library has digitized various items in City of Ellensburg’s art collection. Included in this selection are works by local artist, muralist, and author, Ernest R. Norling.

• Continuing the theme of Washington based artists, the La Conner Regional Library collaborated with the Museum of Northwest Art and Western Washington University to create a collection that highlights the works, ephemera, and personal letters of three members of the Northwest School art movement.
• The Port Angeles Public Library of the North Olympic Library System has expanded upon its already sizable collection of photographs and negatives donated by Bert Kellogg. Notable additions include images of Olympic Peninsula tribes, as well as maritime photos of the Northwest.

• Kettle Falls Public Library has added to its collection of local history. Included in this year’s project are images of local residents, Kettle Falls, and a “bunny”
• The Whitman County Library has collaborated with a number of institutions this year, combining items from the Staley Museum, the City of Colfax, and the Colfax Fire Department, as well as private holdings, which were all added to Whitman County’s 2015 collection. The diversity of items in this year’s project is reflected in the cultural artifacts, which include women’s clothing, farm equipment, uniforms, and badges.

• The Spokane County Library District teamed up with the Rockford Area Museum and Historical Society and digitized a number of items, which consists of photographs, early 20^th century machinery, and textile objects, including this early 20^th century Corona typewriter.

Digitization of these collections in 2015-2016 was accomplished with a grant award from the Washington State Library, funded by the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) through the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).

Washington public and tribal libraries will be eligible for our next round of digitization grants to be announced in early 2017. Questions about the grant opportunity should be directed to Evan Robb, Digital Repository Librarian, [email protected], (360) 704-5228.

From the desk of Rand Simmons

For those of us, yes even the most mature of adults, and those who through deductive reasoning have ruled out the possibility of a jolly old elf in a sleigh packed with toys pulled by flying reindeer traveling faster than possible delivering a gift to every boy and girl in the world in just one night, the child within each of us listens to hear the tinkling of bells on the roof top …

Trudy Hawkins in Government Book Talk tells an amusing story:

‘Twas Christmas eve 1955 when a misprinted Sears Roebuck & Co. newspaper ad directed kids to a Soviet alert hotline instead of Santa’s direct dial. The top secret hotline that was used only in national emergencies to alert the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) if the USSR attacked. Wrong red phone!

On the receiving end, U.S. Air Force Col. Harry Shoup, CONAD’s director of operations, grabbed the red emergency phone and braced for an imminent attack. Instead, a little 6 year-old boy’s voice trembled over the phone, “Are you really Santa Claus?” Shoup, thinking it was a prank, barked, “Would you repeat that?” The little voice started to cry, then hesitantly asked, “Is this one of Santa’s elves, then?”

Soon the phone began ringing off the hook with kids wanting to gab with Santa. Col. Shoup played along. He even turned his team of Cold War-era radar operators into North Pole elves—they scanned monitors for indications of Santa on the move. And that’s how the U.S. Government got into the business of Santa tracking.

Today, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD, CONAD’s successor) is a bi-national U.S. and Canadian organization tasked with aerospace warning and control. As a frontline in homeland defense, its slogan is “Deter, Detect, Defend.” But its most famous and favorite mission is watching the winter skies for the “big red one,” much as it has done since Col. Shoup answered the phone over 60 years ago.

For young and old alike, even for those hardened skeptics, and those who simply cannot contain the excitement in anticipating Santa’s arrival, and those who must be in the know, there is the NORAD Santa tracker.

NORAD’s web site features a Santa tracker countdown, Santa music, information in eight languages, games, music and movies.

You can also track Santa on your mobile phone!

Find the NORAD Santa Tracker here and enjoy!

Want more information? Try NORAD is ready to track Santa’s flight.

Hats off to the men and women of the The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), a United States and Canada bi-national organization charged with the missions of aerospace warning and aerospace control for North America. Aerospace warning includes the detection, validation, and warning of attack against North America whether by aircraft, missiles, or space vehicles, through mutual support arrangements with other commands.

From all of us at the Washington State Library we wish you the happiness of this holiday season and the best for the new year.

Volume 12, December 15, 2016 for the WSL Updates mailing list

Topics include:

1) WSL REMEMBERS JOHN GLENN & LIBRARY 21

2) 2017 WLA CONFERENCE PROPOSALS SOLICITED

3) NEA BIG READ GRANTS

4) EZRA JACK KEATS MINIGRANTS

5) TEEN SUMMER READING WEBINAR

6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK

Read the rest of this entry »

From the desk of Rand Simmons

We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

You probably recognize the quote as the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States. Perhaps you memorized it in school. The Constitution laid out the system of government and the rights of the Americans. The Constitution became law in 1788 when two-thirds of the states ratified it.

There are twenty-seven amendments to the Constitution and the first ten are called the Bill of Rights. They are changes to the Constitution that specify specific freedoms and rights.

Would you believe that today, December 15, 2016 is the 225 anniversary of the Bill of Rights?

How many rights or freedoms named by the Bill of Rights can you name? You can find the answers at Bill of Rights: 1789-91.

John Glenn and Washington State Librarian Maryan Reynolds at Century 21.

From the desk of Mary Paynton Schaff

American hero John Glenn died yesterday after an action-packed 95 years. Glenn was a decorated fighter pilot who earned the Distinguished Flying Cross five times, the first American to orbit the Earth in the Friendship 7 capsule, a 24 year public servant as a Senator from Ohio, and the oldest person to ever fly in space when he flew aboard the shuttle Columbia in 1998. It would be hard to underestimate Glenn’s impact on American culture. His legacy was cemented for many during his first historic space flight in February 1962 – the same year as Seattle’s World Fair, Century 21.

Century 21 opened on February 21, 1962, a mere two months after Glenn’s achievement. As a celebration of science and technology, Century 21 was a natural outlet for celebration of this triumph.  John Glenn  visited the Fair on May 21, 1962 and that’s when a fascinating intersection with Washington State Library occurred.

At the urging of the Washington Library Association, the American Library Association had sponsored a Century 21 exhibit on the library of the future, which was called “Library 21.” Employees from the State Library staffed the exhibit through a deal with the U.S. Office of Education that was brokered by Senator Warren Magnuson. Former State Librarian Maryan Reynolds takes up the story in her book about the history of the State Library, “Dynamics of Change”:

In May 1962, the State Library hosted the Western State Library Conference in Olympia. Naturally, a visit to Library 21 was on the agenda. In the middle of the conference I was summoned to take a call from Senator Magnuson’s office; lo and behold, Magnuson had arranged for the celebrated astronaut John Glenn to visit the Library 21 exhibit and wanted me to be present. Library conference or not, there was no refusing this request. I was present as the famous man toured the exhibit. I recall remarking, near the end of Glenn’s visit, ‘I’m never going to participate in another mob scene like this!’ A newsman, overhearing me, gleefully commented, ‘Oh, yes you will!’

Most of the details about Library 21, as well as Glenn’s reaction to it, are currently lost to history. But several photos of Glenn touring the exhibit with Maryan Reynolds remain. The prints are stored in Manuscript 321, which contains the draft and source materials for “Dynamics of Change.” The one below appears in the book, but we’re partial to the top image that shows Glenn examining something (or perhaps signing an autograph) while a beaming Maryan looks on, decked out in a fine paisley suit (possibly space inspired), hat, and beaded necklace. If only the photo was in color – that outfit must have been amazing.

John Glenn and Maryan Reynolds shake hands at Century 21.

The Washington State Archives has posted additional photos of Glenn’s visit to Century 21 on its Facebook page. Godspeed, John Glenn.