WA Secretary of State Blogs

WSL Updates for August 17, 2017

Wednesday, August 16th, 2017 Posted in Digital Collections, For Libraries, Grants and Funding, News, Training and Continuing Education, Updates | Comments Off on WSL Updates for August 17, 2017


Volume 13, August 17, 2017 for the WSL Updates mailing list

Topics include:

1) SEEKING LIBRARY COUNCIL MEMBERS

2) RURAL HERITAGE GRANT AWARDS

3) WIKIPEDIA + LIBRARIES: BETTER TOGETHER

4) ACADEMIC LIBRARIES TRANSFORMING COMMUNITIES

5) STATEWIDE PURCHASING & CONTRACTING WORKSHOP

6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK

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1) SEEKING LIBRARY COUNCIL MEMBERS

The mission of the Library Council of Washington (LCW) is to help all Washington citizens access library services, information, and resources. The LCW advises the State Librarian and the Office of the Secretary of State on statewide library issues and the expenditure of federal LSTA funding. The fifteen members represent all types of libraries and library users. The Council meets in person three to four times each year.

Members may include library employees, volunteers, trustees, foundation board members, advocates, consultants, or educators. We seek new members that are active and knowledgeable, have great communication skills, and can advocate for all libraries while representing a specific interest group’s views as well. There are currently four open positions on the LCW, representing:

  • Special libraries,
  • Technology,
  • Underserved populations,
  • Schools (western Washington).

If you want to help shape our libraries, have at least three years’ experience working with libraries in Washington State, and are interested in applying, please send a copy of the application form and your resume. Application information is available at sos.wa.gov/q/vacancy. Applications must be postmarked by September 22, 2017.

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2) RURAL HERITAGE GRANT AWARDS

Congratulations to the latest group of public libraries and heritage organizations recently awarded digitization grants through the Washington Rural Heritage program! Over the next year Washington State Library staff will be working with these organizations to digitize unique, historically significant materials held in their collections. Awardees will be trained in all aspects of digitization and their collections will be publicly hosted and digitally preserved through the Washington Rural Heritage website and digital repository.

Below are this year’s grant recipients. Read about the details of each project.

  • $6,157 – Fort Vancouver Regional Library District: the La Center, Ridgefield, and Woodland community libraries will partner with the La Center Historical Museum, Woodland Historical Museum Society, and Charlotte Clevidence of Ridgefield.
  • $6,300 – Spokane County Library District, Moran Prairie branch, in partnership with the Moran Prairie Washington Grange #161.
  • $6,981 – Richland Public Library.
  • $4,689 – Whitman County Library in partnership with the Tekoa Museum and J.C. Barron Mill (Oakesdale, Washington).
  • $4,500 – Asotin County Library.
  • $7,000 – Whatcom County Library System, (Lummi) Island Library.
  • $6,958 – Kalama Public Library in partnership with the Kalama History House, the City of Kalama, and the Port of Kalama.
  • $5,669 – Orcas Island Public Library in partnership with the Orcas Island Historical Society.

To learn more about participating in Washington Rural Heritage, contact Evan Robb, Digital Repository Librarian at [email protected]. Washington Rural Heritage is supported with Library Services and Technology Act funding provided by the federal Institute for Museum and Library Services.

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3) WIKIPEDIA + LIBRARIES: BETTER TOGETHER

This fall, WebJunction will offer a free online training program for up to 500 US public library staff to learn to confidently engage with Wikipedia. The course, Wikipedia + Libraries: Better Together, will provide a collaborative learning environment for public library peers to build their Wikipedia skills, implement Wikipedia programming, and amplify the role of libraries as information literacy leaders in their communities.

The 9-week course will run from September 13 through November 15, and will consist of 6 live online sessions, online discussion forums, reading, plus skill and knowledge-building activities. As a result of participating, public library staff will be able to use Wikipedia to:

  • Engage and empower their community members to build information literacy skills and to access and create knowledge;
  • Raise the visibility of their libraries and their unique, local collections;
  • Build on their own digital, critical thinking, and community engagement skills—and encourage their colleagues to do the same.

Learn more about the program and enroll today.

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4) ACADEMIC LIBRARIES TRANSFORMING COMMUNITIES

Learn how to foster conversation and lead change on campus and beyond with Libraries Transforming Communities (LTC): Models for Change, a free learning series on dialogue and deliberation from ALA, ACRL, and the National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation. Through three free webinars in fall 2017, participants will learn to convene critical conversations with people with differing viewpoints; connect more meaningfully with library users and better meet their needs; and translate conversation into action.

Academic library professionals who view all three webinars, live or recorded, are invited to attend a free one-day pre-conference workshop on Feb. 9, 2018, at the 2018 ALA Midwinter Meeting in Denver.

The three webinars are scheduled as follows:

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5) STATEWIDE PURCHASING & CONTRACTING WORKSHOP

Registration is now open for a two day Purchasing and Contracting Workshop in Lynnwood on August 22 and 23. The first day of this workshop will be on purchasing and the second day on public works contracting. Registration is open to all local agencies and private consultants statewide. Presented by the Municipal Research and Services Center (MRSC) and the Contract Administration Education Committee (CAEC) of the American Public Works Association (APWA).

Details:

  • August 22, 23, 2017 at the Sno-Isle Regional Library, Lynnwood
  • Workshop fees are $70 for one day or $90 for both days, per person. Attendees can attend either both days or only one day, depending on their interests.
  • More information and registration: sos.wa.gov/q/MRSLwkshp.

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6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK

Monday, August 21

Tuesday, August 22

Wednesday, August 23

Thursday, August 24

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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.

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WSL Updates for March 30, 2017

Wednesday, March 29th, 2017 Posted in Federal and State Publications, For Libraries, News, Training and Continuing Education, Updates | Comments Off on WSL Updates for March 30, 2017


Volume 13, March 30, 2017 for the WSL Updates mailing list

Topics include:

1) LIBRARY SNAPSHOT DAY

2) FIRST TUESDAYS RAISES RELEVANCY

3) APPLY FOR PNLA LEADS

4) LIBRARY DEGREE PROGRAMS

5) CENSUS DATA WEBINAR SERIES

6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK

Read the rest of this entry »

WSL Updates for March 23, 2017

Wednesday, March 22nd, 2017 Posted in For Libraries, Grants and Funding, News, Training and Continuing Education, Updates | Comments Off on WSL Updates for March 23, 2017


Volume 13, March 23, 2017 for the WSL Updates mailing list

Topics include:

1) REFRESHING SCHOOL LIBRARIES GRANTS

2) RAISING VISIBILITY AND RELEVANCY

3) PUBLIC LIBRARY POLICIES UPDATE

4) THINK, DO, SHOW – EVALUATION WORKSHOP

5) IMLS RELEASES STATEMENT ON BUDGET

6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK

Read the rest of this entry »

A Good Year for Library Elections

Thursday, September 2nd, 2010 Posted in Articles, For Libraries, For the Public | Comments Off on A Good Year for Library Elections


Sequim Public Library With the final votes tallied, and some close calls, libraries have come out on top in the recent Washington elections with a perfect 6 for 6 score.

In Cowlitz County, the levy for the Castle Rock Public Library succeeded with 62.34% of the vote, which is great because it needed a supermajority (at least 60%) to pass. The final tally was 298 votes for and 180 against. A levy failure in 2008 forced the library to rely solely on donations to continue operating until a new levy passed last year. While the library relies entirely on levy funding, it is hoped that donations will continue to help bolster the budget moving forward.

The Fort Vancouver Regional Library, which covers a section of Cowlitz County, as well as Clark, Skamania, and Klickitat counties, also succeeded, though by an even smaller margin, with 50.28% of the vote (they needed 50% plus 1 vote to succeed). Klickitat County showed the strongest support, with over 63% approval, while the other counties hovered right around the 50% mark. Part of the success may be attributed to the recent closing of all three Hood River County libraries across the river in Oregon, which could have helped energize Washington voters to avoid a similar fate.

In Clallam County the levy lid lift succeeded with nearly 60% of the vote (again they needed 50% plus 1 vote), with 14,299 votes for and 9,895 votes against. This success has immediate results for Clallam County’s four public libraries. The libraries in Clallam Bay, Forks, Port Angeles, and Sequim were all prepared to close for an unpaid furlough week from Monday, August 27th through Saturday, September 4th. Thanks to the success of the levy lid lift, however, they’ve decided to keep their doors open instead, which of course is great news for library users and employees alike.

In Spokane County the levy passed with nearly 55% of the vote (they needed 50% plus 1 vote). The levy lift will allow the Spokane County Library District to maintain its current level of operations and maintenance for the next three years.

In the closest race of them all, Ocean Shores voted to support their library with a scant 50.07% majority (1,069 votes for, 1,066 votes against). This will mean a .22 cent lid lift/levy for the Ocean Shores Library in the years 2011 and 2012.

In another kind of library vote, citizens in Port Orchard voted to annex into the Kitsap Regional Library. The vote passed with high (nearly 72%) approval, and will allow Port Orchard voters to weigh in on the Kitsap Regional Library levy lid lift proposal that is coming up on the November ballot.

In a tough economy, libraries are more and more the focal points in their communities. They offer technology training, help finding jobs, a community meeting space, and of course access to books and other materials for their users to check out. It’s great to see that Washington’s residents are recognizing the value of their libraries, and supporting them in a time when they can do the most good.

(With thanks to Emmett O’Connell for keeping track of vote results on his blog.)