Friends of the Library Fall Book Sale!

This is a not-to-be-missed event! A great way to jump start your holiday shopping and stock up on books for the cooler season ahead.

The Friends of the Library will take over the meeting rooms in the Downtown Library and have over 400 boxes of books, CDs, DVDs, VHS and audiobooks available for your purchasing pleasure.

Aprons @ the Shadle Library – Monday, October 3rd

Join apron designer (and former librarian) Bobbe Schafer for an entertaining look at how aprons tell stories about women's historical roles, fashion trends, and 20th Century American culture. Using slides of vintage apron styles and her collection of historical aprons, Ms. Schafer will share the joys of this American folk art.

Don’t miss this fun program – Monday, October 3, 6:30 pm @ the Shadle Library.
 

Looking for a copy of Packing for Mars? We have copies available on the Star Collection shelves in all the libraries. These copies cannot be reserved so if you're tired of being on the hold list try the Star Collection shelves, it might be your lucky day and you'll find a copy!

Kindle Questions

We’ve been getting a lot of questions lately from Kindle owners who would like to see us switch to Overdrive media so that they can download ebooks from the library to their Kindles. The County Library has this capability as do many other libraries around the state. When we first looked at Overdrive it was extremely cost-prohibitive and that made it not plausible for us. The price has come down since then, but the model they use requires purchase of individual copies of books instead of just subscribing to a package of books and that makes it still an expensive option in order to get a good selection of titles. The recent agreement between Kindle and Overdrive definitely makes Overdrive a more attractive service despite the cost. We are actively discussing it and will keep customers posted. Thank you for your feedback thus far.

About our current eBook and eAudiobook service: As we have reported previously, the vendor we used for this service was bought by another vendor (Ebsco) who promised significant improvements to the access platform for the books. We are still working with the new vendor to make the service as functional as possible. With the promised improvements and the much greater number of titles than we could afford with Overdrive we decided to stay with Ebsco. The delay on the improvements in addition to advancements with Overdrive are spurring conversation about how we provide this service. We will definitely keep you posted!

Thanks!

Please Take Our Survey…Starting 10/3

On Monday, October 3 we will be launching a survey which is being administered by the University of Washington and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. This nationwide survey of library customers measures how the American public benefits from Internet access through their library.

Our participation in the survey is free and we will receive a detailed report containing both local data and comparisons to libraries across the country. The more people who participate the better, since it will add to the local data section. The report is designed as an advocacy tool for library funding so active participation by customers is crucial.

We will send a link to the survey on Monday. It will also be available on our website. If you use an Internet computer at the library you can take the survey from one of our catalog computers so it doesn’t interfere with your allotted Internet time.

Thank you for your participation!

Explore Your Family's History

October is Family History Month and the Eastern WA Genealogical Society will sponsor a class featuring the genealogy resources available from the library. Come learn how to make the most of the library's genealogy department - October 4 at 6:30 pm in the Genealogy Department (3rd Floor, Downtown Library). For more information and to find additional classes check out the Eastern WA Genealogical Society’s website at: www.ewgsi.org.  

Spokane Public Library's excellent genealogy collection is staffed and maintained by incredible volunteers who also assist visitors. Volunteers are available for assistance every Tuesday from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm.

Quilt Season at the Downtown Library

Every fall we display quilts at the Downtown Library. This month and next we have quilts on loan to us from FOQ – a local quilting group who have been quilting together for many years. The work is stunning and definitely worth a trip downtown to see!

Pictured at right is Pansy Color Wash which was designed, sewn and quilted by Naomi Hall. It is from her vast collection of pansy fabrics and there are no duplications in the quilt!

Movies!

Join us for Little Big Man on October 12 at 5:30 at the Downtown Library. Free, of course!

Space!

Astronauts train, not just for spending time in zero gravity, but also for the occurrence of INCREASED gravity which occurs during the return to earth. Mark your calendar for this year's Spokane is Reading!

Winner?

Voting is closed for teens' top picks of this year. Winners will be announced during Teen Read Week - October 16 - 22. Regardless of who wins, there are some great reads here. Find out more!

Job Hunt

Our WorkSource lab is open for those needing assistance with job searches, resume preparation and other employment-related work.

Discussion

South Hill's Heart of Spirituality book discussion group continues this month with a discussion of Mitch Alboum's Have a Little Faith on Oct. 18 at 6:30.

Friends?

F stands for "Friend." Be our "Friend" or "like" us or whatever - it's a good way to hear the latest about the library. "Share" us with your "friends" so they'll "like" us too. :)