Volume 14, March 8, 2018 for the WSL Updates mailing list

Topics include:

1) DIGITIZATION GRANTS

2) FREE BOOKS

3) TURNING OUTWARD TO LEAD CHANGE

4) RENDEZVOUS WITH LOCKED DOORS

5) NATIVE AMERICAN LIBRARY GRANTS

6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK

—————————————————————————————————————

1) DIGITIZATION GRANTS

A new round of grant funding from the Washington State Library (WSL) is available to support Washington libraries in carrying out a variety of digital initiatives related to archival and special collections. Public, academic (two and four year colleges and universities), and tribal libraries are eligible to submit applications. Institutions may also use this grant opportunity to develop Washington Rural Heritage collections.

Proposals may include or involve:

• Digitization/reformatting of archival and special collections;
• Metadata creation, remediation/cleanup, and/or re-cataloging;
• Development of local standards, practices, and/or policies related to digitization, metadata creation, digital preservation, etc.;
• Creation of born-digital multimedia content (e.g., oral histories, digital exhibits);
• Integration of primary sources or archival collections into educational settings by way of lesson plans/curricula, and/or Open Educational Resources (OERs).

Overall funding to support this grant cycle is $80,000 with a limit of $8,000 per award. We anticipate that ten (10) or more applicants may receive awards. Details:

• Grant guidelines and application materials;
• Application deadline: Friday, June 1, 2018.

Potential applicants are encouraged to contact Evan Robb, Digital Repository Librarian, at 360-704-5228 or [email protected] for questions and to discuss potential projects.

—————————————————————————————————————

2) FREE BOOKS

The Washington State Library has the following titles available to redistribute to libraries in Washington State:

• Forget Sorrow, by Belle Yang – 12 copies
• Motherless Brooklyn, by Jonathan Lethem – 9 copies
• Atonement, by Ian McEwan – 10 copies
• Gemini, by Carol Cassella – 12 copies
• While the City Slept: A Love Lost to Violence and a Young Man’s Descent into Madness, by Eli Sanders – 34 copies

A minimum of five copies per order is required. They can be a mix and match of titles. This is a first come, first serve process. Place your order at blogs.sos.wa.gov/book-sharing. Questions? Please contact Leanna Hammond: [email protected].

—————————————————————————————————————

3) TURNING OUTWARD TO LEAD CHANGE

How can small, rural libraries transform their communities? Find out at this full day, experiential workshop, Community Engagement Training: Turning Outward to Lead Change. Participants will learn how to create community-based libraries by identifying local resources, improving communication with stakeholders and “turning outward,” using tools developed by the Harwood Institute for Public Innovation.

Join Amber Williams, from the Spokane County Library District, and Erica Freudenberger, from the Southern Adirondack Library System, to adapt and customize a roadmap to engage your community, build the capacity of your library, and incorporate the tools used by the American Library Association’s Libraries Transforming Communities initiative. Libraries are invited to send a team consisting of library staff, trustees, and/or community leaders.

By the end of the workshop, participants will confidently:

• Use free tools, such as the Ask, Aspirations and Community Conversation, to gather public knowledge;
• Assess public needs;
• Use community-based decision-making to inform library services;
• Utilize the free resources available through ALA.org/LTC.

There are three locations and dates for this important and transformative training experience, which will run from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. each day:

• April 16, 2018: Pierce County Library Administrative Center, Tacoma;
• April 18, 2018: Wenatchee Public Library;
• April 19, 2018: Ritzville Public Library.

Don’t miss out! Register now.

—————————————————————————————————————

4) RENDEZVOUS WITH LOCKED DOORS

PNR Rendezvous is a monthly webinar series presented by the National Network of Libraries of Medicine Pacific Northwest Region. Each session focuses on various topics such as health, research, resources, librarianship, and technology for attendees to incorporate into their work.

The Washington State Library operates a network of eleven libraries in state hospitals and prisons. The March session of PNR Rendezvous will provide an overview of institutional library services in Washington State, including history, challenges, and information regarding services for hospitalized and incarcerated populations. Presenters are Anna Nash, Institutional Librarian, and Kathleen Benoun, Library Associate, Washington State Library. Mark your calendar now.

Details:

• Wednesday, March 21, 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. PDT
• Registration is encouraged but not required.

—————————————————————————————————————

5) NATIVE AMERICAN LIBRARY GRANTS

The Institute of Museum and Library Services is accepting applications for projects that support libraries and archives serving Native Americans and Native Alaskans. Applications for Native American Library Services Enhancement Grants are due May 1, 2018.

Native American Library Services Enhancement Grants augment existing library services or implement new library services for eligible Native American libraries. Successful grant projects will align with one of three project categories:

• Preservation and Revitalization;
• Educational Programming;
• Digital Services.

To learn more, interested applicants may participate in a series of webinars. Next up: Enhancement Grant Accountability Paperwork (Budgets and Performance Measures), Tuesday, March 13, 11:00 a.m. PDT.

Read the entire press release for additional information.

—————————————————————————————————————

6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK

Monday, March 12

• Mental Heath Awareness and the Library Profession (American Libraries Live) 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. PDT
• Disaster Preparedness: Planning & Crisis Communication (Federal Depository Library Program) 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. PDT
• Using Data and Reports to Improve Student Engagement and Inform Reading Instruction (edWeb.net) 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. PDT

Tuesday, March 13

• NEH Preservation Assistance Grants (LYRASIS) 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. PDT
• Current in Comics: Upcoming Graphic Novels for Your Library (Booklist) 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PDT
• Digital Content Contributors: Increasing Access to Digitized Content (Federal Depository Library Program) 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PDT
• WorldCat Discovery search fundamentals (OCLC) 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PDT
• Increase Library Hours & Access with open+ (Library Journal/bibliotheca) 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. PDT
• Creating Modern Learning Environments (edWeb.net) 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. PDT

Wednesday, March 14

• NCompass Live: Tops and Flops of Library Programs (Nebraska Library Commission) 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. PDT
• Reduce the Anxiety: A Roadmap to Planning a Stress-Free Library Staff Development Day (Georgia Public Library Service) 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. PDT
• Sustaining your Organization’s Future: Mentoring and Succession Planning in Libraries (National Network of Libraries of Medicine) 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. PDT
• Training ROI: Investing in Training (Training Magazine Network) 9:00 – 10:00 a.m. PDT
• Access and Transparency – Records held at the National Archives (U.S. National Archives) 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PDT
• Develop Your Teachers Into Literacy Experts (Education Week/Voyager Sopris Learning) 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PDT
• Federal Government Databases and Websites: A Surprising Source of State and Local Data (Federal Depository Library Program) 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PDT
• Growing Your Library’s Role: Creating a Community Garden with Impact (Programming Librarian) 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PDT
• Improving the Health, Safety and Well-being of LGBT Populations Part 2 (National Network of Libraries of Medicine) 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PDT
• Introduction to Corporate Giving (GrantSpace) 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PDT
• View Beneath Their Feet: Thinking Critically About Classroom Rugs (edWeb.net) 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PDT
• Extending the Book Experience: Strategies That Promote Language and Literacy Development in Dual Language Learners (Early Childhood Investigations) 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. PDT
• Introduction to WorldShare ILL (OCLC) 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. PDT
• WorldCat data sync collections: Processing paths for optimal outcomes (OCLC) 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. PDT
• Convert Supporters with Powerful Landing Pages (FireSpring) 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. PDT
• Insurance Basics for Nonprofits (Washington Nonprofits) 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. PDT
• Trends in Learning: Where Should I Focus Today (Training Magazine Network) 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. PDT
• Visualizing Funding for Libraries: You’ve Gathered the Data, Now What? (WebJunction) 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. PDT

Thursday, March 15

• Outdoor Learning at the Library: It’s Only Natural (Indiana State Library) 7:00 – 8:00 a.m. PDT
• Creating a Modern Learning Culture (Training Industry) 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. PDT
• Local Gov Data Part 3: Governance (ICMA International City/County Management Association) 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. PDT
• PubMed for Librarians – MeSH (National Network of Libraries of Medicine) 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. PDT
• 2018 Economic Programs Webinar Series: Healthcare (U.S. Census Bureau) 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PDT
• Can AI and Chatbots Really Revolutionize the Citizen Experience? (GovLoop) 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PDT
• Collection Manager: What it is and why it matters (OCLC) 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PDT
• How to Create Safe and Active Learning Environments (Demco) 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PDT
• Information Literacy Committee Monthly Chat (ACRL Science and Technology Section) 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PDT
• OSTI.GOV: Making Science More Open, Efficient, and Reproducible (Federal Depository Library Program) 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PDT
• CultureGrams (ProQuest) 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. PDT
• Get a Grip on Grants: From Searching to Spending (Library Journal/Ingram Library Services) 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. PDT
• Why Design Matters: How a Well-Designed Website Can Increase Engagement (edWeb.net) 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. PDT
• From Frustration to Freedom: Engaging Adolescent Striving Readers (edWeb.net) 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. PDT
• Bitcoin for Good: Digital Currencies and Blockchain for Nonprofits (GrantSpace) 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. PDT
• The Need for Quality Edtech Professional Development (PD) (edWeb.net) 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. PDT

Friday, March 16

• Issues in Predatory Publishing – How Can Librarians Lead the Way? (National Network of Libraries of Medicine) 7:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. PDT
• ArchivesSpace Lone Arranger Hosting Services Demo (LYRASIS) 9:00 – 10:00 a.m. PDT
• Are You Ready? Essential Disaster Health Information Resources for Keeping Your Loved Ones Safe (National Network of Libraries of Medicine) 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. PDT

—————————————————————————————————————

DISCLAIMER: The State Library regularly highlights third-party events and online resources as a way to alert the library community to training and resource opportunities. By doing so, we are not endorsing the content of the event, nor promoting any specific product, but merely providing this information as an FYI to librarians who must then decide what is right for them.

Subscribe to WSL presents: News from Washington Libraries!

The Washington State Library has gone social! Friend/follow us at:

• Facebook: fb.me/FBWSL;
• Twitter: com/WAStateLib.

From the desk of Anna Nash

Every year I look forward to April because it’s National Poetry Month. It is my favorite time for programming in the Institutional Library Services branches. The talent I see each year is at time overwhelming. It is a labor of love. We arrange workshops, presentations, and open mics and in return we get to listen to and read truly amazing poetry.

I don’t think I can say it any better than I did in when we released our first collection of Percipience: A collection of poems from the Institutional Library Services Poetry Month April 2014. Below is the intro to that collection:

 Poetry is the journal of a sea animal living on land, wanting to fly in the air.

― Carl Sandburg

When I hosted my first poetry program two years ago I didn’t realize how powerful poetry could be. Poetry is many things to many people. Some may find comfort in hearing or reading poetry that expresses their feelings. Some may use it as a vehicle to express what might be otherwise inexpressible. It is, above all, expression. Language, verbal and written communication, can be frustratingly limiting. Poets are those who are able to use that frustration. They manipulate language; the words, the cadence, the pronunciation, and spelling to communicate what other can only think or feel.

I chose the title Percipience because it means good understanding of things; perceptiveness. The authors represented in this book have a good understanding of their subject. Hopefully the reader will experience their own understanding and perception of the works presented.

I have seen great talent in the events I have hosted in the institutional libraries. Performances, great performances, by some I have never heard talk before. Others who never stop talking have performed thoughtfully constructed subtle poetry that beautifully articulates love, or pain, or anger or all three. One of the greatest revelations I had was that we are surrounded by poets. Not people who write poetry, poets.

It was a great undertaking to transcribe nearly 150 poems from 11 institutional libraries. It gave me a chance to read and appreciate each one. I hope I have done all the poets around the state justice. Thank you to everyone, patrons and staff, who participated in the first Institutional Library Services Poetry Month. I look forward to seeing and hearing all the poetry our patrons produce in the future.

I want to once again thank the poets and artist from the prisons and state hospitals in Washington who have contributed in past years. Thank you for trusting us with your poetry and art work. I am so incredibly happy to announce that this year’s edition of Percipience will be published AND we will be expanding our collection of artwork from Eastern and Western State Hospitals!

We have copies of our two collections of Percipience the 2014 edition and the 2015/2016 edition in each of our branch libraries and available digitally right here. Print copies of Percipience will be available for purchase for the first time this year as well as a digital copy available for free. Stay tuned for more information on how and when to purchase your copy of Percipience 2017!

Disclaimer –we are unable to profit off of the sales of Percipience 2017. Our goal is to provide a platform to the artist and poets in our branch libraries. Your purchase and/or download of Percipience gives them an audience. Thank you!

From the desk of Jean Baker – Library Associate, Washington State Penitentiary

I was sitting in the office yesterday and someone pointed to the hallway and said, “Look at all of the puppies”.  I went out in the hallway and found about a dozen puppies spilling out of a basket and climbing over each other.  Standing around in a circle were about 10 grown men some with tattoos and ponytails cuddling, petting and cooing at the little canines thus erasing the stereotype of tough convicts with a few simple gestures.   The men told me they were about 3 weeks old and had every sort of coloring, black and white, brown and red, all brown, all white.

The men and the puppies are residents, some for a longer period than others of Coyote Ridge Corrections Center (CCRC), a medium custody facility in Connell, WA.   One of the prized jobs at CRCC is to be a dog handler.  These men are very dedicated care-takers of their charges who are brought to the prison to receive training and socialization before being adopted out to families in the community.

This program is one of the many normalizing activities these inmates can experience to help them learn new behaviors and skills for when they can re-enter society.   I was very excited to see this interaction of inmates and puppies while visiting the CRCC library.  The library is located in the building where inmate programs are held and is a branch of the Washington State Library.   The Institutional Services program of the State Library operates libraries in nine prisons and 2 mental hospitals in Washington.

I am the Branch Library Associate at Washington State Penitentiary and my visit was to assist newly hired CRCC Branch Library Associate, Justin Dickson with some final details of his training.    The CRCC library is the newest and largest of the institutional libraries, opening in February 2009.  At any time there can be 50-60 inmates using the library for one-hour periods.  Justin has 4 inmate library clerks who handle patron customer service as well as shelving materials and keeping the collection in good order.

The library program at CRCC is another normalizing activities that is highly used and appreciated by the inmates.  It is a neutral, comfortable environment which provides the opportunity to pursue interests, learn something new, find recreational reading and prepare for re-entry to the world outside the prison walls.

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!

photo by Eelke de Blouw https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/

CDs… do people still use CDs or is all music “consumed” digitally these days?  Across the state, people are cleaning out their CD collections and think that these “dinosaurs” are no longer viable.  But wait… we have an audience in Washington who will gratefully, happily and enthusiastically take those CDs off your hands.  One of the more popular items in WSL’s Institutional libraries, the library branches in our prisons and state hospitals, are the CDs.  The inmates and patients do not have access to streaming music or digital players so CDs are an excellent alternative.  We are always on the lookout for donations of CDs so if you or anyone you know are cleaning out their music please keep the State Library in mind.

Donations may be sent to:

Washington State Library (attention Laura Sherbo)

6880 Capitol Blvd SE

Tumwater, WA 98504

To quote a prominent library administrator: “Every library is designed to serve a specific community:

• Public libraries serve the people of a specific city or county.
• Academic libraries serve the faculty, staff, and students of a specific college or university.
• School libraries serve the students and teachers of a specific school.
• Medical libraries serve doctors, nurses, and patients at a specific hospital.
• Law libraries serve the attorneys and staff of a specific law firm.

Each library is designed to add value to the specific community that it serves.”

The Washington State Library (WSL) is none of the above. Its broad mission is to collect and preserve materials of value for the entire State of Washington.

This theme is developed in the current issue of the WLFFTA newsletter, the Advocate. WLFFTA stands for Washington Library Friends, Foundations, Trustees & Advocates, and is an interest group of the Washington Library Association.

The current issue of the Advocate focuses on the Washington State Library and some of its key services and programs. It also highlights the precarious budget situation in which the State Library currently finds itself. Read the entire newsletter at http://sos.wa.gov/q/AF2014.

Libraries are the setting for many good memories, and over the next few weeks, Washington State Library’s Institutional Library Services staff would like to share a few of their memories about libraries.  Some of them will date back to childhood, others will tell stories of their own children or grandchildren, but all of them show the impact libraries have had on our lives. I wish you happy reading as we bring you our memories.

Western State Hospital Library

The last few years have been difficult for all due to the state of the economy.  In spite of shrinking budgets and the uncertainty of the future, the staff in Institutional Library Services have lived up to their mission by continuing to serve their customers “with spirit and fortitude”. Over the next few weeks ILS will be sharing what they have been thankful for in the year 2011 and how they look forward to 2012.  Please check out the upcoming posts from the library staff in the prisons and psychiatric hospital libraries across the state.