November 13, 2007

HOLIDAY BOOKS AND MORE SALE

The Friends of the Roslyn Library will hold its annual holiday “books and more” sale on Sunday, December 2nd from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm. The sale will take place indoors, in the Council Chambers next door to the Roslyn Library, at 201 South First Street in Roslyn. 

New and used books, including fiction and non-fiction for adults, many children and young people’s books, audios and videos, will be sold to benefit the Roslyn Library.

Other unique items also will be offered for sale, all for the benefit of the library, such as: the 2008 Dog Calendar; the Roslyn Repast cookbook; the second Heritage Interviews CD; the Historical Cemeteries of Roslyn, Washington CD; notecards; and lapel pins. These items can also be purchased by mail; you can find an online order form at www.roslynlibrary.org/orderform.html. 

The annual book sales are popular and effective fundraisers for the local, nonprofit organization. The proceeds from the sales go toward buying brand new books and magazines for the library’s collection. By the end of this year, the Friends of the Roslyn Library will have purchased $2,000 worth of books and magazines for the library’s collection.

For more information, call the Roslyn Public Library at 649-3420 or visit the library online at www.roslynlibrary.org.  The Library is open five days a week, from 1:00 pm to 7:00 pm on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday and from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm on Tuesday.

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October 23, 2007

ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION ON “EATING LOCALLY IN KITTITAS COUNTY” NEXT UP FOR THE SUNDAYS @ YOUR LIBRARY SERIES

ROSLYN –  Sundays @ Your Library, an informal seminar series for adults presented by the Roslyn Library, continues in November with an informal discussion on local food options on Sunday, November 4^th at 2:00 pm in the Roslyn Library / Old City Hall.

Eating Locally in Kittitas County will bring together local growers and residents who are interested in eating food grown or found in Kittitas County. The discussion will be facilitated by Ellensburg resident Colleen Donovan, who brings experience, knowledge, and passion about local food sources to the table.

Ms. Donovan will focus the discussion on the many different reasons participants are interested in eating food from Kittitas County, the resources available in Kittitas County, such as farm direct sales, farmers markets, growing and gathering your own food, and the issues associated with seasonality. And it will include a component on how to make eating locally grown food a part of your life and/or community.

“There are many local food sources available in our county, and this discussion will share them with the community,” says Erin Krake, Roslyn Librarian. “At the same time, it is my hope that those who truly care about their food source, for whatever reason, will bring their own ideas, resources and energy to the table.”

Growers in Kittitas County have been invited to attend, and there will be handouts detailing those resources and others available at the discussion.  

Local apple cider and dessert will be provided. This seminar is free and open to the interested public.

Upcoming seminars include a “holiday stress relief” snowshoe nature hike up the Roslyn Ridge followed by hot cocoa in the library in early December, and a Women’s Health Forum presented by the Kittitas County Health Department on January 13^th.

For more information, call the Roslyn Public Library at 649-3420 or visit the library online at www.roslynlibrary.org. 

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October 2, 2007

“WINE 101” CONTINUES THE SUNDAYS @ YOUR LIBRARY SERIES

ROSLYN –  Sundays @ Your Library, an informal seminar series for adults presented by the Roslyn Library, continues this month with an introduction to wine class on Sunday, October 28^th.

Wine 101 will allow people to explore the nuances of wine with a local expert. Upper county resident Kristi Payne is a wine educator who has offered to share her time and knowledge for this month’s event.

“This is going to be fun and informative,” says Erin Krake, Roslyn Librarian. “We are really lucky to have Kristi’s expertise and to have jones, the new wine bar, as our host.”

The class will take place at 4:00 pm on Sunday, October 28^th at jones, the new coffee and wine lounge at 104 North First Street in Roslyn. Participation is limited to 10 attendees, and there is a $10 registration fee to cover the cost of the wine. Snacks will be provided. Participants must pre-register by October 21^st for the class, by calling the Roslyn Library at 649-3420.

Free seminars over the next few months include a participatory discussion on eating locally grown and raised food in Kittitas County on November 4th, a “holiday stress relief” snowshoe nature hike up the Roslyn Ridge in early December, and a Women’s Health Forum presented by the Kittitas County Health Department on January 13^th.

For more information, call the Roslyn Public Library at 649-3420 or visit the library online at www.roslynlibrary.org. 

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August 20, 2007

LIBRARIES RECEIVE NEW COMPUTERS TO “STAY CONNECTED”

 ROSLYN – The Roslyn and Cle Elum libraries received new computers this month with funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s Staying Connected Grant program, provided through the Office of the Secretary of State / Washington State Library Division.

“It is imperative that libraries keep pace with technology and connectivity, so that we can offer those information tools and services to everyone in the community who needs them, whether it is once a year or every other day,” Erin Krake, Roslyn librarian explains. “The state library and the Gates Foundation understand that smaller libraries struggle to keep up. These new high-capacity computers help.”

According to Krake, technology has become a primary focus for libraries around the world. Even so, she sees it as another step in the same old direction.

“Libraries have always provided their public with information and a place to learn. They’ve always offered the means to gain a broader understanding of the world. And librarians have always acted as guides through the continuum of knowledge. Today, libraries and librarians are still doing these things, but they are using new tools. We’ve moved beyond the book.”

The main tool today is the personal computer with a connection to the Internet. More than a third of Americans don’t have Internet access at home, according to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, but 99% of public libraries now offer free access to the Internet (thanks in great part to the Foundation’s U.S. Libraries program.) That means that millions of people can use their libraries for online information, communication and learning, and they have the benefit of a professional “guide,” the librarian, to show them how.

Libraries give this service to all people equally. At the library, all members of the community are able to search for a job; to take a certification test; to build computer skills; to find grants to start a new business; to search for a relative; to interact with the government. The list goes on and on.

Krake says the Roslyn Library plans for and works toward staying technologically current and relevant. The Library Board has made this one of its main overall goals, and they have identified specific objectives related to technology for the library to accomplish in the next three years.

“We want to be able to provide up-to-date computers with relevant software applications. This grant helps us maintain this main goal,” Krake explains. “We also want to continue to provide fast and dependable access to the Internet, and we hope to provide wireless access by the end of the year for those people who prefer to use their own laptops at the library.”

The Friends of the Roslyn Library helps the library meet its technology goals with its growing “Technology Fund,” a portion of the group’s fundraising set aside for replacing and enhancing computers and other technology. And, the library’s city budget includes a technology line item to cover routine maintenance costs. An ongoing contribution of DSL service from Inlandnet assures that fast connectivity to the Internet is maintained.

With the need for current technology available to the public comes the need for professionals to help them use it. In supporting the technology needs of libraries, the Gates Foundation shows that they understand this basic fact. Librarians teach people more than the Dewey Decimal System these days; they teach people how to be information literate, which means how and where to search for information, and how to tell if it is relevant and accurate, too.

“We want to help the public find good information,” says Krake. “In Roslyn, I do a lot of off-the-cuff, as-needed computer training that meets the person’s immediate need. But, we’ve also done more structured classes on Computer Basics, Using Email, and Introduction to the Internet.”

At the most basic level, the new computers will help meet increased demand.  The Roslyn Library has seen an increase in the number of its computer log-ons – up almost 30% so far this year. The grant adds two new computers at each library, and in Roslyn, this means two more public Internet stations, making a total of five. Krake says that adding computer stations means more people in the community can get online and stay online. With all that is out there waiting to be discovered, this means a lot.

August 9, 2007

AREA CHILDREN CELEBRATE READING WITH AUGUST 15^TH PICNIC

ROSLYN – Hundreds of hours have been spent reading or being read to by upper county kids over the past 2 months. To celebrate the joy and discovery found in recreational reading, the upper county libraries will bring the 2007 Summer Reading Program to an exciting and fun end with a picnic at the Roslyn Park on Wednesday, August 15^th.

The Roslyn librarian, Erin Krake, says “This is a special time of year for us, because in the summer, kids are not just using the library for homework, but for the fun things going on.” She says everyday kids come down to the Roslyn Library to check books out, to play games, and to get their weekly reading prizes. Every week, the program has hosted a craft activity or special presentation at both libraries. “It is great to be able to give our kids fun and constructive things to do, especially getting them interested in reading books for pleasure,” Krake adds.

The picnic will feature a traditional kids’ picnic lunch with hot dogs, chips, fruit, and beverages. There will be a pickup kickball game, face painting, and a scavenger hunt with prizes for everyone who participates.

The raffle prize winners will also be announced. Each person who turns in at least 20 hours of reading time before the 15th is eligible for the raffle. Prizes include a $50 Fred Meyer shopping spree, an MP3 player, a copy of the new Harry Potter book from Jerrol’s, and other great prizes for kids of all ages.

The program has many great sponsors and supporters that have made this the best program yet, including Kittitas County, the Friends of the Roslyn Library, Kiwanis, Puget Sound Energy, Roslyn Eagles, Shoemaker’s, Ken Fowles, Fred Meyer, Jerrol’s, Bi-Mart, the Roslyn Theatre, Central Sundries, and Sportland Mini-Mart.

(CHICAGO) Ten years after some experts predicted the demise of the nation's system of libraries as a result of the Internet explosion, the most current national data on library use shows that the exact opposite has happened. Data released today by the American Library Association (ALA) indicates that the number of visits to public libraries in the United States increased 61 percent between 1994 and 2004.

According to the 2007 State of America's Libraries report, there were nearly two billion visits to U.S. libraries in fiscal year 2004. The study was released today by the ALA as the nation begins its observance of National Library Week, April 15-21. In the case of academic libraries, the number of visits exceeded more than one billion for the first time in 2004, up more than 14 percent in just the previous two years.

 "Far from hurting American libraries, the Internet has actually helped to spur more people to use their local libraries because it has increased our hunger for knowledge and information," said Loriene Roy, president-elect of the American Library Association. According the ALA report, virtually every library in the United States - 99 percent - provides free public computer access to the Internet, a four-fold increase in the percentage of libraries providing such free access over the last decade. By comparison, Roy pointed to another study released in March showing that only 69 percent of U.S. households have Internet access.

But unlike the Internet, particularly when accessed at home, Roy said libraries still serve a unique function in providing those who seek knowledge and information with guidance from trained and educated professionals.

Even as libraries continue to evolve their services in response to changing needs and technologies, the report shows that people continue to go to their public library to read or check out a book in record numbers. Overall circulation at public libraries in the U.S. rose by 28 percent during the decade, partly driven by significant growth in circulation of children's materials, which grew by 44 percent. Attendance in library programs for children was also up 42 percent for this same period.

The 2007 State of America's Libraries reports that while use of libraries continues to increase and while the general public supports strong funding for libraries, many school library media centers are experiencing budget cuts resulting in staffing reductions, shortened hours, and even closures. The new federal requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act are cited most frequently as the reasons for these funding cuts.

"Our libraries are investments in our communities and in our future, with an incredibly high return on each dollar spent," said the ALA's Roy.

Roy pointed to the report's findings from studies in Florida and Ohio that provide a compelling case for the return on public investment in libraries. Every dollar of public support spent on Florida's public libraries produced an increase of $9.08 in gross regional product and an increase of $12.66 in total state wages. A similar study of nine public library systems in southwestern Ohio reported an annual economic impact nearly four times the amount invested in their operations. Other data in the report describes how public libraries build a community's capacity for economic activity and resiliency.

The report also highlights the library community's continued work in defense of the First Amendment against intrusive legislation, including the USA Patriot Act, and to refute challenges that would restrict the free flow of information and ideas to all adults and children.

The 2007 State of America's Libraries also follows up on last year's report, which described the library community's response to Hurricane Katrina. Since its creation, the ALA's Hurricane Katrina Library Relief Fund has raised more than $500,000 in donations, which has been distributed to libraries by ALA chapters in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. By August 2006, 62 percent of the libraries in metropolitan New Orleans that were open before Katrina had reopened their doors.

A full copy of the 2007 State of America's Libraries is available at www.ala.org/2007State.

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1. To check out library materials
2. To use the Internet
3. To attend adult programs

1. Keep historic features intact
2. Bigger collection of books
3. Local public art

1. Bigger collection of books
2. Keep historic features intact
3. Provide wireless Internet access and / or laptop ports

February 6, 2007

AREA CHILDREN DELIGHT IN BRAND NEW BOOKS BOUGHT WITH COMMUNITY’S SPARE CHANGE

ROSLYN – Over $1,000 worth of brand new, award-winning books for children have been delivered to the Roslyn Public Library through a winning partnership between the Friends of the Roslyn Library and the Libri Foundation.

The Eugene, Oregon-based Libri Foundation’s mission is “donating quality children’s books to rural public libraries.” The foundation matched a portion of the community’s spare change, which was collected in 2006 with the Friends of the Roslyn Library’s “Buy a Kid a Book” donation boxes. These colorful book-shaped boxes appear on the counters of many businesses in the upper county.

“Without the ongoing, wonderful support of our business community, both from the owners and from their employees, we wouldn’t be able to buy so many books and other materials for the library,” said Katia Merkel, Friends of the Roslyn Library treasurer. “The Buy-A-Kid-A-Book campaign is a great example of what a small community can accomplish together.”

The matching grant from the Libri Foundation made it possible for the library to buy three times as many children’s books. Add it all up, and the community’s spare change added $2,000 worth of new children’s books to the Roslyn Library’s shelves in the past year.

The new Libri books were available for checkout within two weeks of their arrival in January, thanks to the tremendous efforts of Greg Luckman, another vital link in this community effort. Luckman is a volunteer citizen who gets all of the books ready for the Roslyn Library’s shelves.

The kids were most appreciative. Excited cries of “I want that one” and “Daddy, look at this one” have been heard by children when they see the colorful books on display in the children’s section. The library also showcased the granted books in special story times with the Headstart class and the Upper County Cooperative Preschool in the last couple of weeks. “The kids know the books are here,” the librarian said. “They are eager to get their hands on them.”

Krake says she expects to see a sharp increase in the number of kids’ books being borrowed from the library. “These bright, new additions enliven the entire collection,” she explains, “and we have a great collection of books for children here, from preschoolers to beginning readers to chapter books and beyond. This grant represents another step in the library’s plan to truly enhance the collection.”

It all goes to show you that the change a person drops in a donation box at a local business really does make a difference, especially with a little help from a foundation that supports rural libraries. Merkel agrees: “These new children’s books are a testament to all the people who care about kids and who want to foster in them a joy of reading, learning and growing.”

For a complete list of new books, including the Libri grant’s children’s books, please visit the library online at www.roslynlibrary.org and click the link for “New Books.” Or stop by and see them for yourself! The Library is open five days a week, from 1:00 pm to 7:00 pm on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday and from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm on Tuesday.

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ROSLYN – Do you need to fix your car but don’t have the manual? Do you want information on a newly diagnosed health disorder in your family? Do you want to see an article that appeared in the Wall Street Journal last year? Does your child have a social studies report due next week for which she needs a map and current statistics? Do you want to find out if the Roslyn Library has a specific book on CD?

If you answered “yes”, or even “maybe someday,” to any of these questions, online databases can help, and they are available for free through the Roslyn Public Library, both in the library or from your own home computer.

The Automotive Repair Reference Center is a free database that works like the Chilton’s auto repair reference books. You enter the year, make and model of your vehicle to find all repair and recall information for your car, including printable diagrams.

CultureGrams is a free database for students who need social studies and geography information. It includes maps, statistics, even recipes, from around the world and the fifty states. One great option for students is to make a comparison table, so she can look at things like literacy rates, birth rates, and life expectancy rates across countries. Fascinating!

E-library is a free database for students from elementary school to high school to find newspaper and magazine articles, photos and other images and audio/video clips for reports. This would be the perfect database for middle school students who needed to find articles on a foreign country of their choice just this week.

The Community Health Library offers free videos on hundreds of health issues and disorders that are viewable on your own computer or at the Roslyn Library. The Roslyn Library’s website offers links to this amazing resource in our community.

And, the Roslyn Library’s collection is finally searchable online, thanks to a tremendous six year effort involving dozens of volunteers, hundreds of hours, a genius programmer with a big heart for rural libraries, and a financial investment from the Washington State Library.

To find out how to access the databases and the library catalog, visit the library online at www.roslynlibrary.org. From there, follow the links to “Library Catalog” for the online catalog of library materials. Click “Free Databases” or “Reference & Information” for the links and password information for the free databases. You can even click on “New Books List” for a list of all the new titles added to the library in the past 60 days. 

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