Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday and Giving Tuesday @ the Library

What does this spate of snappy-named days in November have in common with libraries, you ask?

Black Friday – The common name for the day after Thanksgiving when people line up at stores to officially begin the holiday shopping season.  It's also a day when kids are out of school and the libraries are OPEN. Get it? Perfect day for a visit to the library. The Discover Tech exhibit at the Downtown Library will still be open, so stop on by!

Small Business Saturday – This is the name that was given to the day after Black Friday, when people are encouraged to shop locally and support small businesses in their city.  In Spokane, this is especially important, since money spent within the city limits generates tax revenue which directly supports the city – your library services included! Shopping locally is good for the library.

Cyber Monday – This is the common name for the Monday after Thanksgiving, when retailers are hoping that lots of people are shopping online. When it comes to cyber, the library is the place. With free, unlimited Wi-Fi, as well as internet computers that are free to use (with a current, unblocked library card), the library is certainly cyber.

Giving Tuesday – This is our favorite. From the Giving Tuesday website, “[This] is a campaign to create a national day of giving at the start of the annual holiday season. It celebrates and encourages charitable activities that support nonprofit organizations.” Even though the library is a city department supported by tax dollars, not all our operating funds come from the city. The Library Foundation and the Friends of the Library are two non-profit organizations that support the library. The Friends receive lots of donated materials, which they sell in their bookstore and periodic book sales. The money raised goes right back to the library. The Library Foundation is building an endowment to support the library for the long-term. When active fundraising began in 2005, the Foundation had only $9,000 and about 100 donors.  Today the endowment is approaching $200,000 in assets and has over 1500 supporters.  Gifts of every size contributed to this success, even the small change. The Foundation has donation boxes at each of the library's check-out desks – let's see them overflowing this year on Giving Tuesday (November 27)!

Discover Tech

There’s still plenty of time to enjoy Discover Tech at the Downtown Library! It’s a hands-on look at science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), and it runs through November 27. You can come in during regular library hours and build an arch, experiment with electricity, or enjoy some of the other fun experiments on hand. Kids love it (and adults seem to be having plenty of fun with it, too).

Combine your visit with one of the after-school programs we have on Mondays (11/5, 11/12 and 11/19 – 4pm). These programs boost the hands-on learning from the exhibit, taking the knowledge one step further. We also have programs at the branches; click here for more information, including a complete schedule. Want to schedule a tour for a school group? Contact Susan Creed at 444-5342.

Spokane Public Library is the first of only eight libraries in the country to showcase Discover Tech. We even got profiled on Comcast Newsmakers for the exhibit. The exhibit is a unique and exciting opportunity for the city and for the library, so don’t miss out!

Pictured above: Courtney, Wade and Ella Shepherd build an arch.

Every Floor’s an Adventure: Exhibits @ the Downtown Library

From top to bottom, there’s plenty to see right now at the Downtown Library! In addition to Discover Tech (see article above), there are three other exhibits currently on display—one per library floor. In the first floor gallery, you’ll find a photographic exhibit showcasing historic mid-century modern architecture by two Spokane firms—McClure & Adkison and  Walker & McGough. Then head up to the second floor, where the Ned M. Barnes Northwest Room features “Spokane’s Historic Architecture,” a photo exhibit of local architectural landmarks—some of which still stand today.

These two exhibits are timed to coincide with the 2012 National Preservation Conference, which will be held in Spokane from Oct. 31-Nov. 3. Finally, Deer Park’s Fat Quarter Quilters loaned us 19 of their colorful quilts to adorn the long wall on the east end of the third floor. It’s all free, of course—come in and browse all of it for as long as you like!

Pictured above: Forty-two Sunbonnet Sues and Overall Bills appliquéd and handquilted by Sonny Clemetson adorn one of the quilts on the 3rd floor at the Downtown Library.

Spokane is Reading Inspires More Reading

In reviewing the checkout numbers for Little Bee, we were amazed to see that, from June to October 2012, the regular print copies of Little Bee checked out over 980 times! In addition, nearly 400 people attended the presentations by author Chris Cleave on October 12. Participants commented that hearing Chris Cleave talk made them think about bigger issues, in particular, the experiences of refugees and the situations that cause people to flee their countries. Conversation about these issues led to requests for further reading. Spokane is Reading creates a recommended reading list each year with books that relate to the subject of selected title for that year. This list is a great place to start expanding your reading on the subjects of Little Bee; check it out.

Spokane is Reading is a joint effort of Spokane Public Library, Spokane County Library District and Auntie’s Bookstore designed to encourage reading by adults in Spokane. The Friends of the Library groups contribute the necessary funds for the program and the program also received a grant from Humanities Washington; we are very grateful for this support. Without the readers, though, this program wouldn’t exist. Many thanks are due to everyone who participated either by reading Little Bee or attending the programs. It is obvious that Spokane is a community that cares about books and reading and that fact was not lost on our visiting author; he commented that his visit to Spokane was the highlight of his U.S. tour which included cities such as San Francisco and Washington D.C.. He was truly impressed by the reception he received by readers in Spokane!

Bookmyne = Your Library Account on Your Phone

Spokane Public Library on your iPhone, iPod, or Android device? Yes! Search the App Store (Mac) or Google Play (Android) for “Bookmyne” and download it for free. Find Spokane Public Library, log in with your library card number and PIN and you’re set. This easy app allows you to search for items in our catalog, check your account, place holds, and renew items. And it’s FREE! You can even log in to more than one library with it, so if you have a library card with the county library district, you can check your account there as well. Try it!

Library Budget Presentation at November 12 Council Meeting

Library Director Pat Partovi will present to the City Council on Monday, November 12 about the Library’s 2013 budget. Members of the public are welcome and encouraged to attend this budget hearing, held in City Hall’s Council Chambers. Public comment is accepted at all City Council meetings. If you can’t attend in person, please try to watch the meeting on City Cable 5.

Adequate funding for the Library has been a challenge in recent years. The library’s share of the city general fund has remained flat for three consecutive years. In order to balance the 2012 budget, the Library made significant line item cuts and eliminated five positions. For 2013, the Spokane Public Library Board has instructed the Library to use all of its anticipated 2012 savings to balance the budget. The money available will just barely be enough to maintain services for 2013. The budget situation for 2014 will likely be even more dire. You can learn more by attending the budget hearing on November 12 at 6pm in City Council Chambers, located on the lower level of City Hall.

Library Visit Broadens Horizons

The Structured Alternative Confinement (SAC) School has been visiting the Downtown Library’s Genealogy section this past month with its students. The students are learning about personal family histories as well as Spokane neighborhood histories. The genealogists report that the students and teachers have been a delight to work with. The students walked away with new knowledge about their heritage that, they told us, has opened conversational doors at home. The SAC School  is located at Spokane County Juvenile Court and is operated by Educational School District 101.

School visits to the library are valuable for any age and level of student. If you’d like to schedule a tour call Susan Creed at 444-5342.

Pictured above: front row: Jeb and Elana with their teacher, Elisa (center); back row: Kenny (second from Left) and John (fourth from left), with their teacher, Kathi (second from right) and EWGS volunteers Susan, Pat and Dolly.

CLOSURES

Nov. 22

All branches will be CLOSED on November 22 for Thanksgiving. We are OPEN the day after Thanksgiving!

Open!

All Spokane Public Library locations are OPEN the Friday after Thanksgiving - stop by and check out some books, DVDs and CDs!

Save a Stamp!

All city library locations have ballot boxes so that you can save a stamp when you vote. The ballot boxes are available 24/7 during voting season.

Movies!

Join us for The Wolf Man on November 14 at 5:30 at the Downtown Library. Free, of course!

Top Ten!

Have you read any of the top ten books that teens all over the U.S. have chosen? There are some really good ones!

Job Hunt

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

Updates

Fun library stuff gets posted on our page. Stop by.