Explore and Discover
Special collections and archival materials for Pride Month
Posted on June 3, 2019 at 6:00 am
by Caitlin Wheeler I love library special collections. They’re like microhistories you get to assemble yourself. While popular collections—like the kind you usually find in a public library—are assembled based on the interests of a broad population with a wide variety of needs, special collections are assembled based on a special interest of […]
Tags: archival materials, archives, history, identity, Inland Northwest Collection, LGBT, LGBTQ, LGBTQ2IA+, library, local collection, museum, preservation, pride, Pride Month, pride parade, reading, special collections
Day in the life of a librarian
Posted on May 16, 2019 at 6:00 am
By Dana Mannino When kids tour the library, I like to ask them what they think a librarian does. Usually I get answers like “You tell us not to run.” I think to myself, “If I wanted to do that, I would have become a life guard!” I don’t think kids are the only ones […]
Tags: #dayinthelife, #ProjectMemory, adults, appointment, book a librarian, book club, day in the life, encyclopedia, finances, kids, LEGO, librarian, library, library card, overdrive, parents, preschool, Prime Time, Project Memory, reading, referenceusa, STEM, stories, story time, storytime, teens, World Book
Microhistories: Extremely specific knowledge (aka fun facts!) you can share with others
Posted on May 7, 2019 at 6:00 am
By Rachel Underwood I have recently discovered an intense love for nonfiction titles and it all started with a compendium of terrible medical cures through history. Those 24-karat golden face masks that are in vogue right now? They’ve already been done long before the present day (and the masks still don’t have any proven benefits; […]
Tags: adults, Arowana, book list, booklist, books, butter, cadavers, cure-all, death, dragon, facts, fish, history, knowledge, medicinal, medicine, nonfiction, octopus, orchids, quackery, rain, reading, science, teens, trivia, witches
Cloud watching 101
Posted on April 30, 2019 at 6:00 am
By Abra Cole Springtime in the Inland Northwest is peak cloud watching time. Simple steps for cloud watching: Put away your wristwatch and prepare your imagination. Find a good spot, either sitting or lying down, with a good view of the sky. Talk about what you see: Shapes, colors, creatures, or other things in the […]
Tags: adults, art, clear sky, cloud paint, clouds, colors, contemplation, creatures, cumulonimbus, cumulus, free, games, imagination, kids, lenticular cloud, parents, relaxation, science, shapes, skygazing
“Palaces for the People”: Spaces and places for all of us
Posted on April 23, 2019 at 6:00 am
By Rachel Edmondson I often hear people refer to Spokane as a big city with a small-town feel, and I think this is one of the reasons many people enjoy living in Spokane. However, when talking with customers and friends, I also hear more and more about how people don’t know their neighbors anymore. How […]
Tags: civic life, community, grandparents, inequality, kids, libraries, library, neighborhoods, neighbors, nonfiction, Palaces for the People, parents, parks, places, polarization, public life, schools, social, social infrastructure, social science, society, spaces, teachers, together
Spring brings kittens and puppies and poetry, oh my!
Posted on April 16, 2019 at 6:00 am
By Susan Goertz April come she will when streams are ripe and swelled with rain. –from “April Come She Will” composed by Paul Simon This time of year the song “April Come She Will” inevitably gets stuck in my head. If I just shared my earworm with you, then you may want to check out […]
Tags: animals, April, books, cute animals, humor, music, National Poetry Month, Pets are Wonderful Month, poems, Poet Laureate, poetry, poetry slam, Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month, reading, spring
Literary field guide: Local authors at the 2019 Get Lit! Festival
Posted on April 11, 2019 at 6:00 am
By Caitlin Wheeler In the past 20 years, the Get Lit! Festival has hosted a whole slew of authors of exciting written work: Kurt Vonnegut, Jane Smiley, and Tim O’Brien are just a few. This year is no exception. At the 2019 festival, you’ll find the opportunity to hear from Roxane Gay, Tommy Orange, Kaveh […]
Tags: author, book list, books, festival, fiction, Get Lit!, guide, Inland Northwest Collection, literary, literary festival, literature, local, music, nonfiction, poet, poetry, prose, reading, writer
From the Library of Things: Machine sewing at your fingertips
Posted on April 2, 2019 at 6:00 am
By Melissa Rhoades Did you know you can borrow a sewing machine from the Library District? Our Library of Things offers two Elna eXplore 320 sewing machines to check out for up to seven days at a time. One is available for pick up at the Spokane Valley Library and the other can be picked […]
Tags: adults, arts, books, clothes, crafts, creativity, economical, Elna, environmental, fabric, hobbies, Hobbies & Crafts Reference Center, hoopla, how-to, kids, Library of Things, overdrive, quilting, resources, sewing, sewing guides, sewing machine, sewing notions, teens, textile arts, textiles
Project Memory: Your old photos and home movies transferred to digital
Posted on March 12, 2019 at 6:00 am
By Dana Mannino Is your family history collecting dust in a closet? Have a box of slides from Grandpa’s 1978 trip to Europe? How about those little 8mm film reels in their tiny cardboard boxes? If you have photos, film reels, or slides stashed away, now is the time to pull them out! Perhaps Mom’s […]
Tags: 120 film, 35mm, 8mm, adults, audio recording, cassette, cassette tape, CD, digital mp3, DVD, film, Hi8, home movie, jpg, LP, mp4, pdf, photo, photography, Project Memory, record, records, slides, Super 8, teens, transfer, VHS, video, video recording
Celebrate the Lunar New Year with family, food, and festivities
Posted on February 5, 2019 at 6:00 am
By Susan Goertz Congratulations! You made it to 2019. I hope the year so far is treating you kindly. If your resolutions are starting to fall by the wayside, or the glum weather is getting to you, don’t worry. There is another chance for a fresh start—the Lunar New Year! As you know, the modern […]
Tags: Chinese Chunjie, Chinese New Year, cookbooks, cooking, dragon dance, family, hoopla, kids, kids books, Korean Seollal, Lunar New Year, new year, Nian, parents, picture books, reading, Spring Festival, Tibetan Losar, tradition, Vietnamese Tet
