Sunday, May 12, 2013

May 2013











Friends & Partnership Contact: Carol Van Baalen

LOCAL NEWS

Comings & Goings

Carrie Litowitz is the new member of the Des Moines Library Advisory Board.  She was approved by the Des Moines City Council in March, and will serve a 3-year term.  She replaces Virg Staiger, who retired from the board at the end of December 2013.  Other members of the board are Tony Wilson, President, Robin Lamoureux, Melissa Ponder, and Janet Sorby.

Jill Whealon is the new president of the Friends of the Kent Library.  She replaces out-going president Marvin Clark.


Program Highlights at our Libraries

For TeensSequential Storytelling; The Graphic Novelist’s Perspective
Saturday, May 18, 2pm at the Kent Library
Presented by Elizabeth Guizzetti
Learn how graphic novels are written and produced from this independent comic book author and artist.  Workshop is 2 hours long; all supplies are included.

For AdultsSTARS Workshop; Learning Styles in Action
Saturday, May 18, 1pm at the Woodmont Library
Learn about three learning styles (visual, auditory and kinesthetic) and discover ways to make activities in your early childhood classroom supportive of these styles.  Provides 2 STARS credit hours.  Register online or by calling the Woodmont Library, beginning May 4.



For Adults:  Book Group Extravaganza! 
Saturday, May 18, 9am at the KCLS Service Center in Issaquah
Featuring Molly Wizenberg, author of A Homemade Life.

For a complete list of programs at your local library, click here:


Upcoming Meetings:  The Des Moines Library Advisory Board will meet Thursday, May 23, at 7:00pm at the Des Moines Library.


SYSTEM HIGHLIGHTS

FROM THE APRIL DIRECTOR”S REPORT

As the process continues, progress is being made on the Renton Library project. KCLS held a public meeting on March 26 to present the design for the new library over the Cedar River. Even though some of the 150 attendees objected to breakout stations, staff gathered good input from those who participated as well as from the audience comment period at the end of the meeting. Miller-Hull architects identified some of the main concerns raised by the public and addressed them in a follow-up presentation to the Renton City Council on April 15. Council members responded well to the design changes and the City has indicated it will consider increasing the budget to build a larger library that is closer to the size of the existing building. It is anticipated that the City Council will make a decision on the schematic design and project budget at its meeting on Monday, April 29.
 
KCLS and the Washington State Housing Finance Commission have reached agreement on a term sheet for the property at SW 107th Street and 14th Avenue SW in White Center and will soon begin reviewing drafts of the purchase and sale agreement. The property is anticipated to close this summer. In the meantime, KCLS has issued a Request for Qualifications and twelve architectural firms have responded. KCLS will invite a Board member to participate in the architect selection process and will also include staff and community members.
 
KCLS’ new adult programming series, A Place at the Table is off to a great start. More than 120 people turned out to hear Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Moss discuss his book Salt, Sugar, Fat at the Redmond Library and attendees gave the event high marks. KCLS has also already collected close to 5,000 pounds of food that will be donated to local food banks. A Place at the Table is garnering a lot of attention throughout the community and KCLS is receiving numerous inquiries from organizations, restaurants and chefs who are interested in becoming program partners.

Upcoming Meetings

Board of Trustees – Public Forum – Tuesday, May 21st, 5 p.m. – Service Center
 

April 2013








APRIL 2013

Friends & Partnership Contact:  Carol Van Baalen

LOCAL NEWS

King County Library System is presenting a year-long series of authors, presenters and programs featuring fresh ideas about food, cooking, nutrition and using locally produced food.  Join us for these programs at local libraries in the next month:




Eating Green:  Growing Fruits and Vegetables
Wednesday, April 17, 6:30pm, at the Woodmont Library.
Presented by Kathryn Wadsworth and David Deardorff. 

Vegetarian Cooking – Ethiopian Style
Saturday, April 17, 2pm, at the Des Moines Library.
Presented by Nibret Aga, Owner of Nibret’s Wholesome Cuisine.

Dining at Downton Abbey:  A Trial by Fork
Wednesday, May 1, 7pm, at the Des Moines Library
Presented by Tames Alan, Food historian.

Building Your Urban Pantry – Canning 101
Saturday, May 4, 11am, at the Kent Library
Presented by Amy Pennington, author and gardener.

Donations of nonperishable foods are also being accepted at all KCLS libraries, to be distributed to local food banks.

New Member for the Des Moines Library Advisory Board

Carri Litowitz was approved by Des Moines City Council on March 28 for membership on the Des Moines Library Advisory Board.  She will serve a 3-year term, and will join Tony Wilson, Robin Lamoureux, Melissa Ponder and Janet Sorby on the 5-member board.  The board meets bi-monthly on the 4th Thursday of the month at 7pm, alternating between the Des Moines and Woodmont libraries.  Their next meeting will be May 23 at the Des Moines Library.

Upcoming Friends Meetings

Friends of the Kent Library                          Thursday, April 11, 12 noon
Friends of the Woodmont Library             Thursday, April 11, 6:30pm
Friends of the Des Moines Library            Wednesday, April 24, 7pm

All meetings will be held at the respective libraries. 

SYSTEM HIGHLIGHTS

From the Director: The KCLS  2012 Year in Review  marks another year of achievements, recognition and outcomes for KCLS. It was fun to share those accomplishments with over 500 guests at the Literary Lions Gala on March 23rd.  Along with an impressive list of award-winning libraries, the passion that all of you have for making sure KCLS’ programs and services touch everyone from preschoolers to immigrants is compelling – and helped the KCLS Foundation raise over $200,000. In the words of keynote speaker Dennis Lehane, “The best thing about the library is that it tells everyone in the community that they matter.”

Kudos to everyone in the KCLS family for a fabulous year. I hope you will enjoy looking back on 2012 knowing that what you do makes a difference in the lives of the people we serve.

The King County Library System’s 2012 Year in Review was recently completed. Please take a moment to review the report, which highlights events and achievements from the past year. The report details KCLS’ commitment to aligning services and staffing to meet current patron needs while preparing for the  future.  A few highlights from 2012 include more eBooks being downloaded from KCLS than any other public library system in the country and the System expanding to 48 libraries following the annexation of Enumclaw.

Once again, KCLS demonstrated its commitment to the community by remaining relevant to the lives of patrons. Thank you for your support of the King County Library System. The report is available at www.kcls.org/about/annualreport.

Upcoming Dates

Planning Committee Meeting - Thursday, April 18, Noon - Burien Library
Finance Committee Meeting - Tuesday, April 30, 4pm - Lake Forest Park City Hall Council Chambers
Board of Trustees Meeting - Tuesday, April 30, 5pm - Lake Forest Park City Hall Council Chambers



 

March 2013









Friends & Partnership Contact: Carol Van Baalen

LOCAL NEWS
March Program Highlights


Museum of Flight Robot Garage
Saturday, March 9, 12 noon, at the Des Moines Library. 
Grades 5-9, registration required.
Celebrate Teen Tech Week by building a robot!  Use robotics kits to explore basic engineering, build a successful terrestrial rover, and compete in a robot challenge.


It Takes a Village:  Sparks of Light
Saturday, March 16, 1:00pm, at the Kent Library
Presented by Gloria Burgess of Humanities Washington Speakers Bureau
Come for a lively conversation about the individuals who have shaped our lives and the impact one person’s generosity can make. 

What it Takes to Sell a Home in Today’s Market
Thursday, March 14, 7:00pm, at the Woodmont Library
A seminar presented by the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties, providing tips on preparing your home for sale, and selecting the right real estate agent, designer and contractor for a successful outcome

KCLS invites everyone to find A Place at the Table! We’ll toss around fresh ideas about food, cooking, nutrition and growing and using locally produced food. In addition to offering new food ideas, preparation and planning skills, and handy online classes, videos and resources, the series will help everyone create a nourishing table by accepting non-perishable food donations, to be distributed to local King County food banks.  Beginning in March, and continuing throughout the year in KCLS libraries.

For a complete list of programs at your library in March, click here:



Upcoming Dates

Des Moines-Woodmont Library Advisory Board
Thursday, March 28, 7:00pm at the Woodmont Library



SYSTEM HIGHLIGHTS



GOVERNMENT RELATIONS

Attendance was better than usual at the Washington Library Association’s Legislative Day on February 15. Of the nearly 100 participants, more than 30 were KCLS staff, Friends and Advisory Board Members. The biggest issue was an offer from Microsoft to make their IT Academy available to patrons of all Washington Public Libraries.  The Academy provides in-depth technical training and can help prepare participants for good paying jobs.  It is currently available through academic institutions around the U.S. and public libraries in Hawaii.  The cost to the state would be a little over $1 million and could help fill the nearly 7,000 technical positions in Washington State that are currently unfilled for lack of qualified candidates.  In her role of overseeing the Washington State Library, newly elected Secretary of State Kim Wyman is taking the lead on this project.

King County Executive Dow Constantine has invited KCLS to participate in a North Highline mediation meeting as a follow-up to previous sessions that included representatives from the Cities of Burien, Tukwila, Seattle and various service providers to the North Highline unincorporated area.  In light of the recent failure by voters to annex the unincorporated area to Burien, parties are being called together again for a mediated discussion regarding future governance and service provision for the area’s residents. Alan Kirtley from the University of Washington Law School will lead the discussion.  The group will meet on February 27 and possibly in early March if further discussions are needed.

Upcoming Dates

The next Planning Committee Meeting takes place on Tuesday, March 7, 4pm at the Mercer Island Library


The next Finance Committee Meeting takes place on Tuesday, March 19, 4pm at the Newcastle Way Library

The next KCLS Board of Trustees Meeting takes place on Tuesday, March 19, 5pm at the Newcastle Way Library