Library Advisory Board Forums

On June 20th and June 27th, the King County Library System hosted members from all of its participating city library advisory boards. Like the overall KCLS mission, the purpose of the forums is to Inform, Connect, and Share knowledge across each of the communities in which the library operates.

INFORM

Bill Ptacek, KCLS Director, began the forum with highlights and political background of the system. Did you know that King County Library System is an independent entity operated by the state? While King County Council appoints the KCLS Board of Directors, the relationship with King County government ends at this responsibility. Next, Linda Glenicki presented the financial picture of KCLS. Nearly all of the General Fund for the system is collected from property taxes and a recent performance audit conducted by the state auditor generally found that KCLS manages its construction projects with appropriate controls.

CONNECT

Become a fan of KCLS on Facebook! Read what has KCLS all a-twitter! In this segment of the forum, Jennifer Wiseman, Public Services Project Manager, discussed social media tools available for use to connect to the community. KCLS actively engages its community on various sites (see all the ways you can connect with KCLS on their website) and encourages Library Advisory Boards to engage their communities with these free tools too. Training is also provided at the Library's public Learning 2.0 site. The Redmond Library Board of Trustees offered a handout with quick tips on maintaining an active and engaging blog (Thanks to Lorin!)

SHARE

Finally, before and after the forums, board members from different cities discuss how they are engaging their communities with their library. There is opportunity to discuss what is and isn't working and offer suggestions for further training from KCLS to assist the advisory boards in their missions. Redmond's Library Board of Trustees "purpose is to consider library policy, promote interest in the library and to inform Redmond citizens of library needs."

Cat Capers & Dog Days: The Faces of Books

On a weekend trip to Langley earlier this year, I passed by Moonraker Books on 1st Street. Looking out of the bookstore window were a pair of animal faces staring at me. I couldn’t resist photographing them:

Moonraker Books
Nancy Wells and Josh Hauser, who call themselves the book ladies, run “a more fun bookstore”. “We like to find the things that people won’t see other places. Things they didn’t know they wanted til they got here.”

Here’s a video of their eclectic collection at Moonraker Books:

Be Creative @ Your Library: 2009 Summer Reading Program

Beginning June 15, all 44 KCLS community libraries will host summer reading programs with the theme, Be Creative @ Your Library. There will be activities, books, and adventures targeting three age groups:

	Babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers can participate with their parents in special pre-reading activity games.
	Kids in elementary school have a full array of programs and events to accompany their reading, with prizes for reaching their reading goal.
	For teens, KCLS has a Summer version of the popular Read Three, Get One Free reading program with books for prizes.

To learn more about this KCLS program, see Summer Reading Program. For info on reading activities at the Redmond library, see Schedule of Events.

About the Be Creative Artwork
The whimsical, creative kids and critters are the innovations of illustrator and cartoonist David Catrow. He has illustrated more than thirty books and one film, Horton Hears a Who. He was a long time cartoonist for the Springfield News Sun (Ohio). He now focuses entirely on books for children and movies. For an entertaining visit to this gifted artist’s world, see Catrow.com.

Read. Flip. Win.

More proof that good books make good "TV". . .the King County Library System is again hosting its summer contest for teens - Video Book Reviews. The King County Library System Foundation sponsors this event. Middle/junior high to high school students are invited to read a great book and then create and post a short (up to 3 minutes) review or trailer to the book. Grand prize winning teens will take home Flip Video Cameras!

A selection of recent entries are posted as they are submitted in June and July - check out the 2008 winners! KCLS embraces Web 2.0 technologies like Facebook and YouTube to host this event - a great way to "partner" with other free services to make participation in this event as easy as possible.

Complete rules for entry are on the KCLS website.

Microsoft Lincoln Square: A Lunchroom with a View

The next time your Microsoft friends talk about getting together for lunch, beg them to take you to the Microsoft Café on the 28th floor of Lincoln Square in Bellevue. The views are fantastic! Here’s the view looking west towards the Seattle skyline. 

Looking towards the southwest are spectacular views of Meydenbauer Bay.

The Bellevue Hyatt Regency, built in 1989, looks considerably smaller from the 28th floor of Lincoln Square.

Looking eastward, you can see the changing downtown Bellevue skyline, framed by the Cascades in the background.

Bon appétit!

Other Blog Postings on Microsoft
Here’s a list of other Redmond Library blog postings on Microsoft:

Microsoft Commons: It’s a Mall World After All

The Microsoft Visitor Center: An Interactive Experience

A New Bridge for Redmond: The NE 36th Street Overpass

Redmond Town Center: A View from Virtual Earth 3D

Exploring the Skies with the WorldWide Telescope

Microsoft Building 83 under Construction