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LEGOs® at the MAC: Q&A with Nature Connects artist Sean Kenney

Posted in Explore and Discover, For You on November 19, 2015 at 6:00 am

By Alison Highberger Guest Writer The Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture’s new exhibit, Nature Connects: LEGO® Brick Sculptures, features 27 flora- and fauna-inspired works of art by New York City artist Sean Kenney. Made of nearly 500,000 LEGO pieces, the exhibit includes a 4-foot-long bee, a 7-foot-tall rose, an 8-foot-tall hummingbird, an […]

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4 Things to consider before letting your preschooler use a tablet

Posted in For You, kids, Parents and Teachers on November 18, 2015 at 6:00 am

By Gwendolyn Haley I admit it was a rookie mistake. I had just upgraded my smartphone but all the apps were still loaded on my old phone. I thought my then 5-year-old would enjoy playing some of her games on it during a family car trip. After putting it in airplane mode, I passed the phone […]

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You don’t have to be a kid to love these picture books

Posted in For You, kids, Parents and Teachers on November 12, 2015 at 6:00 am

By Kelsey Hudson Although I am an adult (allegedly), I spend enough time working with children that it’s safe to say my personal taste is a bit more child-like than most. I love that part of my job entails digging through picture books for storytime, school visits, and other occasions. Every once in awhile though, […]

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Navigating Lexiles: Book suggestions for elementary readers

Posted in For You, kids, Parents and Teachers on November 10, 2015 at 6:00 am

By Rachel Edmondson This is the time of year when the library starts to be inundated with kids looking for the “right” book. I usually define a “right” book as one that makes a kid’s face light up. I love helping match readers to books, and when a kid can hardly wait to get home […]

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Gain marketable skills with LinkedIn Learning

Posted in News on November 9, 2015 at 7:00 am

Learn technology, creative, and business skills with LinkedIn Learning, now available to all Spokane County Library District members. With nearly 4,000 online courses all taught by industry experts, LinkedIn Learning offers on-demand training to help members achieve their personal and professional goals. Every LinkedIn Learning course includes free […]

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Library Hack: Get college ready with the Digital Library

Posted in Business and Careers, For You, Parents and Teachers, Teens on November 5, 2015 at 6:00 am

By Brian Vander Veen As a first generation college student, I found the whole process of college planning absurdly confusing. My frustration was compounded by the fact that my peers from college-educated families seemed to navigate the whole process with relative assurance and ease. Many of them ended up going out of state with generous […]

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How to have a Pinterest-worthy holiday season without going crazy

Posted in Explore and Discover, For You on November 4, 2015 at 6:00 am

By Clarissa Fidler Halloween is over and November is upon us, which means the holiday season is kicking into high gear. Thanks to lifestyle magazines, blogs, Instagram, and especially Pinterest, we’re bombarded with images of the perfect holiday decor, gourmet meals made from scratch, and seemingly easy DIY gifts. I’m an admitted Pinte […]

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5 Thanksgiving picture books that shed new light on the holiday

Posted in For You, kids, Parents and Teachers on November 3, 2015 at 6:00 am

By Sheri Boggs Thanksgiving wasn’t my favorite holiday as a child. For one, no presents. But also, it meant being on my best behavior all day, staying out of the kitchen, and having to eat things I didn’t have to eat the rest of the year (green bean casserole, my grandmother’s terrifying creamed corn dish […]

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Not afraid of subtitles? 4 frightening foreign-language films to watch this Halloween

Posted in Explore and Discover, For You on October 27, 2015 at 6:00 am

By Brian Vander Veen I blame 80s hair metal band Dokken. When I first realized that my favorite song from their album Back for the Attack was originally from the Nightmare on Elm Street 3 soundtrack, I promptly ran to the nearest video store, one that apparently had few qualms about letting a twelve-year-old kid […]

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Halloween craft tutorial: How to make a sock zombie

Posted in For You, kids, Parents and Teachers, Teens on October 22, 2015 at 6:00 am

By Kelsey Hudson Zombies invaded the library this month at Tween Club. There was zombie poetry, zombie makeup, and we even created our very own sock zombies. But don’t fear! For those of you who missed Tween Club, you can make your very own no-sew sock zombie at home. For my own sock zombie, I was […]

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