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Celebrating the Mermaid: From Bubbly, Sweet Creatures to Fearsome Sea Monsters

Posted in Explore and Discover on May 3, 2023 at 6:00 am

By Abra Cole Most people are familiar with the tale of the bright-eyed, bubbly Ariel from Disney’s animated version of The Little Mermaid. However, in most tales, mermaids are not quite so friendly, or aesthetically pleasing. The oldest recorded mermaid story is the Syrian goddess Atargatis, the woman who dove into a lake and was […]

Journey of a Citizen Scientist: Finding Meaningful & Helpful Interactions with Nature

Posted in Explore and Discover on April 26, 2023 at 6:00 am

By Savannah Stewart For the past few years, I’ve been working on connecting more with my environment—not just in a meditative sense, although I have been doing that as well. I’ve been focusing on doing things that are impactful to our community and that get me outside more. A couple years ago, I stumbled across […]

New Read-Along Books for Kids Offer Built-In Audio Along with Page-Turning Fun!

Posted in kids, News on April 25, 2023 at 6:00 am

By Sheri Boggs With summer just around the corner, many families are looking for convenient, inexpensive ways to keep the kids entertained and engaged. That’s why we’re excited to share the launch of a new collection that ticks all the boxes. Read-Along books (or simply, Read-Alongs) are regular hardcover children’s books with a sturdy audio […]

New Stay Sharp Kits Include Supportive Activities to Help Reduce Memory Loss

Posted in Explore and Discover, News on April 12, 2023 at 6:00 am

We recently added Stay Sharp Kits to our collection. Stay Sharp Kits are designed to be used with individuals who are experiencing memory loss or other cognitive issues related to dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and other memory disorders. They’re also great for anyone who wants to improve their short-term memory and overall mental speed. Each k […]

Helpful Spring Gardening Programs, Informative Books & the Latest from the Master Gardeners

Posted in Explore and Discover on April 11, 2023 at 6:00 am

By Crystal Miller Spring is upon us and that means there’s a new crop of gardening programs on offer at our libraries, fresh gardening books on our shelves, and seed libraries to visit. Our long-time community partner, the WSU Extension Spokane County Master Gardeners, has been presenting gardening programs and hosting a plant clinic at […]

Ways to Connect with Poems & Celebrate National Poetry Month this April

Posted in Explore and Discover on April 5, 2023 at 6:00 am

By Melissa Rhoades Since 1996, April has been designated as National Poetry Month to recognize and honor this long-lived and varied artform. Poems can be emotional expressions, political statements, a spiritual practice, a way to convey narrative, a whimsical play with language, and many other things. Likewise, poems can fulfill specific rhythms, s […]

World Languages at the Library: A Multitude of Experiences & Opportunities

Posted in Explore and Discover on March 29, 2023 at 6:00 am

By Dana Mannino Did you know that the library has books in languages other than English? Currently, our largest non-English collection is in Spanish. We are actively building a collection in Russian and looking ahead to grow our collection in Marshallese and Arabic as well. These are the most common non-English languages spoken in the […]

Preparing to Get Outdoors: Helpful Books, Guided Hikes & A Spring Essentials List

Posted in Explore and Discover on March 15, 2023 at 5:00 am

By Alison Johnson Around this time of year, I anxiously await getting outdoors with my pup. I have a high energy dog who loves tramping through the mountains and just about anywhere we can find a trail. If I can’t wait, this means we’ll run into mud, ice, snow, rain, and cold. But early spring […]

Inclusivity, Awareness & Literacy: Sensory Storytime & Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month

Posted in Explore and Discover, Parents and Teachers on March 2, 2023 at 4:30 am

March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month and prompts us to consider our level of awareness, what is and isn’t in place in our community for inclusion of all people of all abilities, and what we can do as individuals and as a community to be open to and inclusive of everyone. In this guest blog, learn about Sensory Storytime and browse […]

The BookEnd Closes as a New Chapter Starts in Spokane Valley

Posted in News on March 1, 2023 at 6:00 am

The BookEnd Closure: In anticipation of the new Spokane Valley Library opening this summer, The BookEnd located in the Spokane Valley Mall will be permanently closing on Friday, March 31, 2023. You may be wondering, "How does this affect me?" If The BookEnd is your preferred pickup location... […]

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