Golden-mantled ground squirrel at Crater Lake NP. These little guys will steal your sunflower seeds and your heart. Photo by Tore.

From the desk of Rand Simmons

This August 25th the National Parks Service (NPS) celebrates one hundred years of service to the nation and, indeed, to the world. The year was 1916, but national parks, designated by various federal agencies, have existed far longer than the NPS.  The first was the District of Columbia, authorized on July 16, 1790. It included the National Capital Parks, National Mall and the White House.

Summer view of Crater Lake NP, Oregon. Photo by Maciek Lulko.

My personal relationship with National Parks was shaped by where I was born and where my father was born.

I was born in Canyonville, Oregon in Douglas County and spent my childhood in the little burg of Myrtle Creek. It was easy for my family to head to Crater Lake in the Oregon Cascade Mountains.

Established in 1902 as a national park, Crater Lake National Park predates the establishment of NPS and is the only national park in Oregon. An eruption of Mt. Mazama, a volcano in the Oregon Cascade Mountains, caused an implosion of the mountain and formed the lake. It is the deepest in the United States, has no inlets or outlets, and the blue of the water is almost indescribable. You can learn more about this the deepest lake in the United State at this site. Two childhood memories: Trying to spy the wizard on Wizard Island, the larger of two islands in the caldera-formed lake and, second, trying as I might to catch one of the wily park chipmunks or ground squirrels. No doubt I would have rued the results had I caught one.

State Highway 287 slumped into Hebgen Lake.

My father was born and raised in Eastern Idaho. On the occasions that we would go to visit my aunts, uncles and dozens of cousins we would often make a trek to Yellowstone National Park. All my memories of Yellowstone are positive except for three — first, visiting the devastation caused by the Madison River flood in 1959 and seeing the ghostly lines of trees along the bank of the water marking the water level when the river was dammed and formed Quake Lake. That visit formed an indelible memory in my brain. Second, sadness upon learning that Old Faithful geyser was no longer predictable as a result of the same earthquake.  And finally, as an adult with two young sons, viewing the damage of the great fire of 1988 and remembering stories effectively told by a park ranger.

This August we will celebrate 100 years of the marvelous work of the National Park Service through posts to our blog, Facebook site and Twitter account (look for #NPSCentennial). We will focus on Washington State’s national parks and feature other Washington NPS sites. We will connect you to resources in our collections. We hope we will inspire you to take pride in our historic and cultural treasures made possible by the stewardship of the National Park Service.

What is your connection to National Parks? A funny/scary story of a woman in a car that tried to feed a bear? Leaning over a guard railing to see what was in the canyon below while your dad held on to your shirt tail? Catching your first rainbow trout? Seeing your first moose? A solemn moment at a national historic site? A family reunion? The antics of ground squirrels stuffing their cheeks with peanuts tossed to them by tourist?

What’s your story? We would like to hear it. Or maybe you want to build some memories.

Here’s to another great 100 years of service to the people of the United States and the world.

Resources

The National Parks: Index. Washington, D.C: National Park Service, U.S. Dept. of the Interior, 1985. Print. Available at WSL: I 29.103:  2012-2016

The National Park Service released its 2012-2016 Index in time for the Centennial celebration. This is a must have for travelers especially if they are visiting multiple National Parks and other national sites, reserves and recreation areas maintained by the NPS.

“This index is a complete administrative listing of the National Park System’s parks and related areas, including historical documentation to distinguish between the types of National Park Service sites. It has been revised to reflect congressional actions. The entries, grouped by state, include administrative addresses and phone numbers, dates of authorization and establishment, boundary change dates, acreages, website addresses, and brief statements explaining the areas’ national significance.” However, this book is not intended as a guide for park visitors. “This resource should provide beneficial information to historians, especially State historians.” (Both quotes, GPO Bookstore, June 28, 2016).

Centennial junior ranger activity book. Not distributed to Federal Depository libraries. Available from the Government Printing Office.

McDonnell, Janet, and Barry Mackintosh. The National Parks: Shaping the System. Washington, D.C: U.S. Dept. of the Interior, 2005. Print. Available at WSL: I 29.2:SH 2/2005; Online at: https://ia800301.us.archive.org/20/items/nationalparkssha05system/nationalparkssha05system.pdf (other formats are available)

“US National Parks Timeline.” Travel, Landscape, and Nature Pictures – QT Luong Stock Photos and Fine Art Prints. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 June 2016. http://www.terragalleria.com/parks/info/parks-by-date.html.

Check out the Government Bookstore’s National Parks Collection, National Parks. U.S. Government Bookstore. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 June 2016.

From the desk of Jeff Martin:

Maps add a visual element to history. The State Archives and the State Library hold extensive map collections dealing with the Washington State and the surrounding region. Maps for these digital collections are drawn from state and territorial government records, historic books, federal documents and the Northwest collection. Here are two examples from this growing collection.

Author: Roberts, Henry, Lieut.

Title: Chart of the N.W. coast of America and the N.E. coast of Asia, explored in the years 1778 and 1779 [electronic resource] / prepared by Lieut[enan]t Hen[r]y Roberts, under the immediate inspection of Capt. Cook ; engraved by W. Palmer.

Imprint: London : Wm. Faden, geographer to the King, Charing Cross, 1784.

Note: Electronic data.

  “July 24, 1784.”

Relief shown pictorially. Depths shown by soundings.

“The unshaded parts of the Coast were taken from a Manuscript Chart which a Russian furnished us with …”

Includes notes.

Vertically fold-lined at center.

This link will take you to the online map.

Corporate Author: Illman & Pilbrow.

Title: Oregon Territory [electronic resource]

Imprint: [New York] : Illman & Pilbrow, [1833]

Description: 1 map : hand col. ; 25 x 31 cm.

Notes: Electronic data.

Shows locations of Native American tribal groups.

Relief shown by hachures.

Prime meridians: Greenwich and Washington.

Probably drawn by David H. Burr.

“Entered according to act of Congress in the year 1833 by Illman & Pilbrow in the Clerk’s office of the District Court for the Southern District of New-York.”

Longitude coordinates given inaccurately.

“1837” and “48” handwritten at lower right corner in margin.

Would you like to see the map in all it’s glory?  Click here to go to the map of the Oregon Territory.

Here is Jeff’s latest spy; a fascinating record of travels in Washington and Oregon at the turn of the 20th Century.

From the desk of Jeff Martin

Written by

Elma MacGibbon

Shaw & Borden Co., Printers and Publishers, Spokane, Washington

Publication date: 1904

INTRODUCTION

I have had the opportunity, during the last few years, to travel very extensively throughout the West, and considerable in the East, with my husband, and finding people in general greatly interested in my oral description of the numerous places I have visited. I decided to give a history of the many cities and their surroundings as I saw them during my visits, at different seasons of the year.

Realizing that it will be of interest and information to the reading public, I now present to you Leaves of Knowledge.

Elma MacGibbon

Classics in Washington History – Leaves of Knowledge, Elma MacGibbon, 1904

The latest state document discovery from Jeff Martin

The Fourteenth Session: A brief history of the men who represented the million and a half people of the state of Washington in the legislature of 1915

Prepared by
Alfred T. Renfro
Beaux Arts Village, Washington
Publication date: 1915

A brief history of the men who represented the million and a half people of the State of Washington in the Legislature of 1915.
It is not the purpose or object of this book to discuss the Legislature as a whole or the merits of the bills. Neither is it a manual. The acts of the Legislature are recorded in the Journal, the results in the Session Laws, and the pocket manual covers the field.

This work will endeavor to treat [sic] of the personnel of the Legislature. Devoting its pages to the personal side of the men who made the laws. In some cases where the author knew, there will be found an “intimate peep” [sic] into the lives and characters of the members.

Another gem from within the document… “Governor Lister will be remembered in political history as the ‘Veto Governor.’  Of all vetoes recorded since statehood there appears to be over 40 percent credited to his administration.”

Washington State Library Electronic State Publications – The Fourteenth Session

Let us know in the comments if you find anything else that is particularly compelling.

The Washington State Library has a collection of very special books we keep in our “vault”.  This includes the Territorial Library Collection, as well as many other beautiful and rare books.  These books are old and fragile and special considerations need to be used to view them.  If you make an appointment and travel to Olympia during the library’s open hours, we would love to help you view these rare books. However thanks to the wonders of modern digitization many of these titles are available in digital format through the internet archive.   We thought you might like to have a peek into some of these beautiful old books that the Washington State Library keeps safe for you.

An interesting fact about this book is that it is the first known use of the word “Oregon” used to describe areas to the west of Carver’s travels.

Travels through the interior parts of North-America, in the years 1766, 1767, and 1768/ by Jonathan Carver, which you will find in our catalog. 

This book includes a vocabulary of the Chippewa language (beginning on page 420)

Beautiful maps, descriptions of the strange animals and plants encountered on his travels and engravings of the things he saw.

If you’d like to see the book in its digital entirety use this direct link to the internet archive. Or the next time you’re in the area, why not make an appointment and come and view the original.

Let us know in the comments how you like these sneak peeks into the treasures of our state.

Thinking about your garden?  Look to State Publications for help. This time Jeff Martin has found another beautiful and informative State Publication.

Prepared by
Stephen M. Van Vleet, Ph.D.
Washington State University
Whitman County Extension
Publication date: 2009

The rapid spread of invasive plants threatens natural resources across the United States, and the Pacific Northwest is no exception. Invasive species displace natural plant communities…

The control of any weed begins with early detection. The objective of this guide is to aid in the identification and control of invasive weeds found in eastern Washington. For further information about noxious weed identification, control options, and control requirements under state law, please contact your local noxious weed coordinator or a Washington State University Extension educator.

Read the entire publication at: Washington State Library Electronic State Publications – Invasive Weeds of Eastern Washington

Are you aware that the Washington State Library is not only a Federal Depository Library but also a Washington State Depository?  This means that we collect, preserve and provide access to all publications created by Washington State Agencies.

In 1963 the State Legislature created Washington State Depository Program and RCW Chapter 40.06 to ensure that our citizens have economical, convenient and permanent access to state publications. We have publications dating back to 1853, when Washington became a territory, which can be found in our online catalog, and are continually collecting new items as they are published.  We also distribute copies of state publications to libraries around the state, and capture and preserve electronic publications, so that citizens can more easily access them.

As you can imagine this is an enormous job but also one that is highly gratifying as we get to see all sorts of fascinating and often beautiful documents as they are published.  We decided to share some of our finds with you as they make their appearance.  So for the inaugural post we give you the Teanaway Community Forest Management Plan. 

Prepared by

Washington State Department of Natural Resources

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

April 2015

In 2013, Washington State paid $100 million to acquire 50,241 acres in the Teanaway, First Creek and Cabin Creek river basins of Kittitas County from American Forest Holdings LLC. The purchase was the largest single land transaction by Washington State government in 45 years, resulting from more than a decade of collaboration by many people and organizations.

The Governor and Legislature authorized the acquisition to protect a key segment of the Yakima River Basin watershed under the provisions of the Yakima Basin Integrated Water Resource Management Plan (known as the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan, or YBIP). Lawmakers directed the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to manage the property in consultation with the Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) as the first state-run community forest under the terms of a 2011 law that emphasizes community participation in forest management.

This plan was developed to meet the requirements of the law and to reflect the priorities of the Washingtonians who cherish the Teanaway and view it as a special place.

Want to see the document?  Click on the links below.

Washington State Library Electronic State Publications – Teanaway Management Plan

Washington State Library Electronic State Publications – Teanaway Management Plan Appendices

This is the time of year where our thoughts turn to family and celebration.  As we ask our neighbor to feed the cat, stop the mail for a week, pack our cars for a trip over the mountains, or head towards the airport it’s easy to forget the challenges of travel in the early days of our state’s history.

With winter travel in mind we’ve compiled photographs from the collection; pictures of snowy travel by sleigh, train and automobile.  So if you get caught up in traffic snarls or flight delays on your travels remember how comparatively easy you have it.

Washington Rural Heritage  is a collection of historic photographs from around the state.  The Washington Rural Heritage Program helps small libraries and museums digitize their historic photo and archival collections. It is also a digital archive for Washingtonians, with more than 300 family photo collections included in the website/database.  Each picture in the collection tells a unique story.  Think about taking time over the holidays to explore and lose yourself in these images of early Washington.

Pictures in this slide show are from: Ellensburg Heritage, Roslyn Heritage, Skamania County Heritage, Orcas Island Heritage and Whitman County Heritage.

We all know the joy that a book can give us.  I suspect that curling up with a good book is one of life’s great pleasures for most of our readers.  But I doubt there are many people who would say that the National Union Catalog ever made them feel “warm and fuzzy”.  However this holiday season it has done just that.  The National Union Catalog is, of course, not traditionally used for tree construction.  According to Wikipedia “The National Union Catalog (NUC) is a printed catalog of books catalogued by the Library of Congress and other American and Canadian libraries, issued serially beginning in the 1950s… the set is a massive bibliography (754 volumes) compiled during the period from 1968 to 1981”  754 volumes of large green books what could be better for tree building?

Our tree is the brainchild of Mary Schaff one of the State Library’s crackerjack reference team.  It started with inspiration found on library Pinterest pages.  It turns out many libraries across the country have come up with the idea of a holiday tree made of books.  And a lot of libraries use Pinterest.  The NUC is an obvious choice because of the large green volumes, but other successful library trees have been made of bound journal volumes and other lesser-used publications.  And no one is better at documentation than librarians; instructions on how to create a book tree were found easily.

Once she had the go ahead from Crystal, Mary started building our tree.  The end result is a 7 foot ever evolving “tree” of joy.  Library patrons and staff check regularly to see what new items were added the previous day.  Some additions are anonymous, some are public but each change brings delight.  The public services staff report that the patrons love the tree and that it has completely changed the atmosphere in the library. The tree has served as a both a physical representation of holiday spirit, as well as a conversation starter about the NUC and the future of print books in libraries in general.  Many people are interested to know that only a fraction of the NUC was used to create the tree (about 220 volumes of the possible 754).  Other speculations include the weight (a lot), the physical strain of moving the volumes (a good cardio workout), and what would happen if someone took a volume out at the bottom (highly improbable due to the weight of the volumes above, but let’s not test it out).  Rest assured that we are not utilizing books that are frequently used, nor are the books in danger of being damaged.  In fact, some resting time on their boards is probably a relief to these NUC volumes which have spent decades resting on their fragile edges and spines.  And that isn’t to say that the NUC isn’t still valuable.  As the Wikipedia article indicates, as of 2008 nearly ¼ of the volumes’ contents were still not listed in OCLC’s Worldcat.

We wonder if other libraries in our state have built trees from books this year.  We’d love to see what you’ve made.  Please send us your pictures of book trees or even general holiday decorations to [email protected].  If we get enough we might start our own Pinterest board.  We love seeing the creativity happening around Washington State.

Federal Documents for Everyday Living:
Vol. 1 no 1 October 19, 2015.

Bullying Prevention Awareness Month

October is Bullying Prevention Awareness Month and it’s a perfect opportunity to talk about federal publications, web sites and blogs.

Did you know that the Washington State Library has a comprehensive collection of federal and state publications going way back into the 1880s? We are the Regional Federal Depository Library for Washington and Alaska. Most government publications can be located through the State Library’s online catalog (indicated below as At WSL).

Stop Bullying.Gov is a great place to learn about Bullying Prevention Awareness Month. There are materials for parents, teachers, and kids (http://www.stopbullying.gov/resources). You can also find the policies and laws of various states. Here’s a link to the Washington State page: http://www.stopbullying.gov/laws/washington.html. In Washington State harassment, intimidation or bullying are terms used in anti-bullying laws. The laws also cover cyberbullying.

Here are some federal publications at WSL that may be of interest:
Bullying is not a fact of life (HE 20.427:B 87/2/2008). (n.d.). [Rockville, Md.] : U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services [Rockville, Md.] : U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services. At WSL: Print: HE 20.427:B 87/2008

Ending the school-to-prison pipeline :. (2012). At WSL: Print: WSL Fed Docs Annex (Call Ahead) Y 4.J 89/2:S.HRG.112-848; Microfiche: WSL Fed Doc Fiche Annex (Call Ahead) MICRO Y 4.J 89/2:S.HRG.112-848; Online http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CHRG-112shrg86166/pdf/CHRG-112shrg86166.pdf

Lumsden, L. (2002). Preventing Bullying. ERIC Digest. At WSL: Online: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/ERIC-ED463563/pdf/ERIC-ED463563.pdf.; Print: ED 1.310/2:463563; Microfiche: MICRO ED 1.310/2:463563

School bullying : extent of legal protections for vulnerable groups needs to be more fully assessed : report to congressional requesters (eBook, 2012) [WorldCat.org]. (n.d.). At WSL: Online: http://www.gao.gov/assets/600/591202.pdf.; Print: GA 1.13:GAO-12-349

Stop bullying now! [videorecording] : take a stand, lend a hand. (n.d.). [Rockville, Md.] : U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration ; [Washington, D.C.] : Dept. of Education, [2006?]. At WSL: Video: WSL Fed Doc CDROM Annex (Call Ahead): CDROM HE 1.60:B 87/DVD

United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, author. (2014). Bullying-free schools: How local, state and federal efforts can help : field hearing … June 8, 2012 (Des Moines, IA). At WSL: Online: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CHRG-112shrg91970/pdf/CHRG-112shrg91970.pdf; Print: Y 4.L 11/4:S.HRG.112-913

State Documents

Dept. of Labor and Industries. (2006). Workplace bullying [electronic resource] : what everyone needs to know. At WSL: Online: http://digitalarchives.wa.gov/WA.Media/do/323B27DC85A0F8D224E101E22BE60FF1.pdf

Office of the attorney general. (2006). Bullying is not okay [electronic resource] : when your child is the victim, the bully, or a bystander. At WSL: Online: http://digitalarchives.wa.gov/WA.Media/do/1489D5AC5546CA3205A0D9367BDD7FB1.pdf

Washington (State). Office of the Education Ombudsman. (2007). Bullying at school: What a family can do. Olympia, WA: Office of the Education Ombudsman. At WSL: Online: digitalarchives.wa.gov/WA.Media/do/C84C22CEF3AA7AC529363CE419E88AD3.pdf; Print: Wa 379 Ed82 Bul S 2007

Other Resources

How Libraries Help Kids Stand Up to Bullying

http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2014/10/01/how-libraries-help-kids-stand-up-to-bullying/

To find federal publications available at the Washington State Library go to the online catalog at www.sos.wa.gov/library/catalog.aspx.

How to search the online catalog:  (1) set “search by” to keyword, (2) enter a search term, e.g., bullying, in the “search words box,” (3) set “additional options/search in” to “federal publications” (4) then click on the search button.
You should get a list of federal publications about bullying. Documents may be online, in print or in a variety of other medium. Entries indicating “call ahead” mean you should call us and ask that the document be retrieved from storage and brought to the central library for your use.

Your local library can send us an “interlibrary loan” request and borrow materials on your behalf. In many circumstances, our librarians also are able to scan and send you electronic copies. Contact Ask a Librarian to inquire about specific titles and availability. Our Ask a Librarian service is available  at 360-704-5221 (Monday – Friday noon to 5:00 p.m.) or use our chat box at http://1.usa.gov/1OoGTct. It’s easy.

This publication was prepared by Rand Simmons, Federal Collection Executive Manager, with the assistance of Staci Phillips. For more information contact Rand at [email protected].