All locations are closed for Independence Day on Friday, July 4. Our Digital Library is available 24/7.

All Posts

Incredible reads to finish out your summer

Posted in Explore and Discover on July 31, 2019 at 6:00 am

By Rachel Underwood I am not a picky reader. I love recommendations from other readers, especially those that lead to finding an amazing and unexpected read. It’s one of my most favorite things! If you are on the lookout for a great read, here are just some of my all-time favorite novels, biographies, poetry/short story […]

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Things to do during a sedentary summer

Posted in Explore and Discover on July 24, 2019 at 6:00 am

By Dana Mannino The way I see it, there are two phases of summer: active summer and sedentary summer. For me, active summer occurs when temperatures reach 70–85 degrees. At those temps, I try to spend most of my time outside, preferably in the mountains or at a lake, in the garden will do as […]

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Blast Off! for summer fun with space-themed crafts, books, and programs

Posted in kids, Parents and Teachers on July 8, 2019 at 6:00 am

By Rachel Edmondson This year the library’s summer reading program has been celebrating A Universe of Stories. If you haven’t already poured through Engage, our programs and events guide, to circle the programs that interest you, I suggest you do so soon. We still have lots of summer programs you won’t want to miss! This […]

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Saving seeds from the garden: Lovage, snap peas, and coriander

Posted in Explore and Discover on July 3, 2019 at 6:00 am

By Abra Cole Ah, summer. Here you are again, bringing all that sunshine and heat and gardening goodness with you. For most of us gardeners, our seasonal plants have not only been selected by now, but they’re planted and fairly well established in our gardens. Many perennials are blooming, or nearly so. The time has […]

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Creating a furever home: Adopting & fostering pets

Posted in Explore and Discover on June 26, 2019 at 6:00 am

Image by Susan Goertz By Susan Goertz Have you been thinking of adopting a furry friend now that summer has arrived? Someone to hike by your side in the sunshine or cuddle up by the fire pit on those long summer nights? House training and puppy fangs didn’t exactly meet my family’s needs as we already had a senior […]

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Teens in-between: Finding your first summer job

Posted in Explore and Discover, Teens on June 18, 2019 at 6:00 am

By Stacey Goddard I got my first paying job—that wasn’t babysitting or doing chores—pretty much by accident. The summer before my sophomore year of high school, my younger and much more industrious brother found his own job: delivering the afternoon edition of the local newspaper. The route he was taking on was big enough that […]

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Explore the arts for enormous rewards

Posted in Explore and Discover on June 12, 2019 at 6:00 am

by Melissa Rhoades Writer Kurt Vonnegut survived being a soldier and prisoner of war during WWII. He also suffered from depression. Knowing these facts adds extra weight to Vonnegut’s thoughts about the importance of art: “The arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more […]

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Civic Lab poses questions and invites discussion about community issues

Posted in News on June 6, 2019 at 6:00 am

Each month, you can find information, activities, and discussion on an issue facing our community at the Civic Lab. Take a look at thought-provoking materials and activities for teens and adults that allow us to engage in open conversation and grow together as a community. CIVIC LAB NORTH SPOKANEJune–September 2019 JUNE: The Final Frontier When […]

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Special collections and archival materials for Pride Month

Posted in Explore and Discover 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: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Day in the life of a librarian

Posted in Explore and Discover 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: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,