NEW — 11:37 a.m. Feb. 3, 2010
King County Library System children’s librarian Jennifer Loomis reads a book about a chameleon at Snoqualmie Library’s pajama story time. KCLS is running a levy for voters in the Feb. 9 election. Part of the levy would pay for the salaries of library employees, like Loomis. (Photo by Laura Geggel)
King County Library System officials are asking voters to increase property taxes to maintain programs and services in the third-busiest library system in the nation. Read more
Owen Rooney, a Snoqualmie resident, uses a library computer to pay bills and write e-mails. Shane Marston, a North Bend resident, searches for jobs online. Both said they started using the North Bend more often about a year ago. (Photo by J.B. Wogan)
NEW — 12:27 p.m. Jan. 6, 2010
Shane Marston hunched over the North Bend Library computer, his calloused fingers resting on keys almost too small for his fingertips. It’s been four months since the North Bend resident has had a job.
Marston used to work in construction and demolition as a laborer in Seattle. Read more
By Laura Geggel
As the libraries gear up for a busy summer, so do restless readers. That’s why the King County Library System is offering a medley of prizes for prolific readers and a variety of free workshops for local youth.
The library invites teenagers entering a middle- or high-school grade to participate in the Read Three, Get One Free program. Teenagers who read three books and write short reviews for each can enter in a monthly drawing to win a $25 gift certificate to Barnes and Noble, Target or Zumiez. For every three books they read and review, teenagers can choose a free book at the library, including novels and manga.
All teenage readers who complete reviews before Aug. 31 will be eligible for a laptop drawing. All prizes are made possible by funds from the KCLS Foundation.
“It’s a great way to win free prize books and build your personal library,” KCLS Teen Services Librarian Sarah Lynch said. “If you’re reading anyway, it’s a great incentive to get free books and get entered in contests.”
Teenagers with a technical slant can also showcase their skills. For the second year, KCLS is sponsoring a contest called, “Read. Flip. Win.” The contest asks teenagers to make a book trailer or a book review of their favorite read. All entries must be posted to YouTube by July 31 and be shorter than three minutes. For a complete list of rules, visit www.kcls.org.
A panel of five librarians will judge the video clips and award two winners with a Flip Video.
“We have been absolutely amazed by the abilities of teens throughout King County,” said Jerene Battisti, education and teen services coordinator for KCLS.
King County libraries are also offering programs for elementary- and preschool-aged children. Children who read for 1,000 minutes can work their way to a free pizza and an art kit. After signing up online at the library’s Web site, children can log the minutes they read or the minutes in which someone else reads to them.
“They can read aloud to someone else, even the family dog,” KCLS Children’s Librarian Jennifer Loomis said. “Studies have shown that, if they don’t read over the summer, they can lose as much as a full grade level of reading skills.”
Once they make it to the 500-minute mark, children will earn a coupon for a free pizza at Pizza Hut. After 1,000 minutes of reading, children will receive a free 68-piece art kit, complete with pens, paints and pastels. All children who enter the program before Aug. 31 will be entered into a drawing for a bright red laptop computer.
In addition to these reading programs, Snoqualmie Valley libraries invite youth to attend some of their many workshops, including yoga and writing.
Carla Orellana, who teaches yoga and belly dancing in North Bend, will lead free yoga classes at the North Bend Library from 3-4 p.m. from July 27 to Aug. 3 at the Snoqualmie Library.
Orellana asked teenagers to wear loose clothing, bring a yoga mat or a towel, as well as a sturdy blanket and a bathrobe tie, or some sort of rope. Participants should remember not to eat a big meal before attending the class.
Students face many challenges both in and out of school, and Orellana said she looked forward to helping them use yoga as a way to focus on personal goals.
“It’s more than just the physical poses,” Orellana said. “The poses are used to help with discipline and to remove suffering from the body so you can sit still and focus your mind on whatever it is that you choose.”
Redmond science fiction and fantasy writer Louise Marley will lead workshops on character development at the North Bend Library from 2-4 p.m. July 22 and publishing avenues for young writers at the Snoqualmie Library from 2-4 p.m. Aug. 19.
“There are some areas where young writers can publish that don’t publish adult writers,” Marley said. “We’re going to talk about some of those markets.”
Young writers are encouraged to bring writing materials, although the library will provide them with pencils and paper, just in case.
To learn about more library events, go to the SnoValley Star’s community calendar.
Reach reporter Laura Geggel at 392-6434 .221 or lgeggel@snovalleystar.com. To comment on this story, visit www.snovalleystar.com.
As the libraries gear up for a busy summer, so do restless readers. That’s why the King County Library System is offering a medley of prizes for prolific readers and a variety of free workshops for local youth.
The library invites teenagers entering a middle- or high-school grade to participate in the Read Three, Get One Free program. Teenagers who read three books and write short reviews for each can enter in a monthly drawing to win a $25 gift certificate to Barnes and Noble, Target or Zumiez. For every three books they read and review, teenagers can choose a free book at the library, including novels and manga.
All teenage readers who complete reviews before Aug. 31 will be eligible for a laptop drawing. All prizes are made possible by funds from the KCLS Foundation.
“It’s a great way to win free prize books and build your personal library,” KCLS Teen Services Librarian Sarah Lynch said. “If you’re reading anyway, it’s a great incentive to get free books and get entered in contests.”
Elise Womersley, left, looks at a picture book at North Bend Library with her 3-year-old sister, Evelyn.
Read more
The Snoqualmie Library Anime & Manga Club sang happy birthday to Garrett Sharpe April 8, but Marissa Monahan sang a different set of words — Japanese lyrics to go with the anime and manga culture.
Sharpe got an earful of the Japanese song — 15-year-old Monahan gave her a big bear hug and let her voice soar above the others. After the song, the middle and high school students split into different activities. Some children watched an anime show, others read manga comics and a third group drew its own manga.
Read more
Knitting is only a stitch away, especially for the knitters young and old who frequent Snoqualmie Library with their yarn and needles.
The library plays host to two groups — Purl One, Listen Too and Knitting for Boys and Girls. The first group started in spring 2008 when Managing Librarian Irene Wickstrom and Snoqualmie resident Jann Glisson put out the word that knitters could cast on their stitches at the library the first Thursday of every month from 1-3 p.m. The next meetings are Jan. 8, Feb. 5, and March 5. Read more
