August 2013

Friends, Guilds, Associations & Partnership Contact: Carol Van Baalen  

Save the Date!

2013 Friends Day
Saturday, October 26, 8:30am-1pm

KCLS Service Center
960 Newport Way NW
Issaquah, WA 98027

Start at 8:30am with check-in, coffee, pastries and time to network with fellow Friends, Guild and Association members. Help celebrate the 2013 KCLS Foundation award winners.
Enjoy good food and workshops on cooking. Look at some templates created for your group.
Pick up a cookbook.
End the morning with Tames Alan’s presentation Dining at Downton: a Trial by Fork. Maybe win a prize before you go!

We look forward to seeing you there! RSVP online at kcls.org/friendsday

Local News

Des Moines Library Advisory Board president, Tony Wilson, reports to the Des Moines City Council at their meeting on July 25^th.

Friends Meetings in August

Thursday, August 8, 12noon       Friends of the Kent Library

Thursday, August 8, 6:30pm       Friends of the Woodmont Library

Wednesday, August 14, 7pm       Friends of the Des Moines Library

Friends meetings are held at their respective libraries in the library meeting room.  New members are always welcome!

Friends at the Market

Look for the Friends at the Des Moines Farmers Market in August!  The Woodmont Friends will be there on Saturday, August 10, and the Des Moines Friends on Saturday, August 17.  They will have information about the Friends and the library, as well as books to sell.  The market is held from 10am-2pm at the north end of the Des Moines Marina.

Annual Book Sales Coming in September

Save the Dates!

Friends of the Des Moines Library               

Friday, September 13, 10am-5pm

Saturday, September 14, 10am-5pm

                                                         

Friends of the Kent Library               

Friday, September 20, 10am-5pm

Saturday, September 21, 10am-5pm

Sunday, September 22, 1-3pm

Both sales offer a book lover’s paradise--thousands of books at bargain prices!  All proceeds support library programs.

Director’s Report – July 2013

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GOVERNMENT RELATIONS
After a contentious process that required reconvening twice, the State legislature concluded its current session with passage of a budget that includes something good for libraries. Through a partnership with Microsoft, the Washington State Library will receive funding to offer Washington residents access to Microsoft IT Academy (ITA) courses, without charge, through their local public libraries. The Washington Microsoft ITA will provide a wide range of Microsoft online courses, many of which can prepare individuals who are seeking employment in high tech positions. Microsoft ITA is currently available through school districts in the state but Washington is only the second state in the country to offer ITA courses through its public libraries.

OPERATIONS
The Washington Health Benefit Exchange selected Public Health Seattle-King County (PHSKC) as a lead assistance provider to ensure that all King County residents enroll in qualified health insurance plans established under the Affordable Care Act. Similar to tax assistance programs that have been offered successfully over the years, representatives from PHSKC will provide one-on-one assistance in twenty-nine KCLS libraries during open enrollment from October 1, 2013 through March 31, 2014. 

The KCLS READometer launched this month and is proving popular already. In the first two weeks, the app was downloaded by more than 500 users from 16 different countries, with a cumulative total of 20 days of reading recorded. The app is currently featured in a full-page ad in the August issue of Seattle Magazine.

The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation has awarded the KCLS Foundation a $100,000 Let’s Read: Connecting with Children in Their Communities grant. Based on its collaboration with the Community Center for Education Results (CCER) to improve academic achievement of students in south King County, the grant will allow KCLS to extend its participation in the Let’s Read! program to north King County in 2014. So far this summer, KCLS has visited over 50 Let’s Read! lunch sites connecting with children and families who are not currently visiting south end libraries.

The KCLS Foundation is pleased to announce that award-winning author Amy Tan will keynote the 2014 Literary Lions Gala on March 22 at the Bellevue Hyatt. Ms. Tan’s novels include The Joy Luck Club, The Kitchen God’s Wife, The Hundred Secret Senses, The Bonesetter’s Daughter and Saving Fish from Drowning, all award-winning, New York Times bestsellers. Her new book, The Valley of Amazement, will be published in fall 2013. Ms. Tan has also authored a memoir, two children’s books, numerous articles for magazines and a short story published in eBook format. KCLS Foundation

KCLS Foundation Executive Director Jeanne Thorsen has announced that she will retire in the fall. Starting as a page for the Spokane Public Library, Jeanne has worked in libraries since she was 16. In 1983, she joined KCLS as Public Information Coordinator until her move to the Foundation as Executive Director in 1999. Jeanne has been extremely successful in all her roles. She worked on the 1988 bond issue that funded construction of most of the libraries in the System and was the driving force behind many of the cities that annexed to KCLS in the 1990s. During her tenure, the Foundation has raised millions of dollars in support of KCLS, including construction of the Library Connection @ Southcenter and the addition of a Community Mosaic space at the soon-to-be constructed Tukwila Library. Through it all, she has cultivated a relationship between KCLS and the KCLS Foundation that is unique among library foundations for the positive connections she established with library constituents at all levels of the organization. Jeanne will be missed by all of us at KCLS.

Upcoming Meeting Dates

Planning Committee Meeting, Thursday, August 15^th, noon – Burien Library

Finance Committee Meeting - Tuesday, August 27th, 4pm - Service Center
Board of Trustees Meeting - Tuesday, August 27th, 5pm – Service Center