Author – Spokane County Library District

World Languages at the Library: A Multitude of Experiences & Opportunities

Posted in Explore and Discover on March 29, 2023 at 6:00 am

By Dana Mannino Did you know that the library has books in languages other than English? Currently, our largest non-English collection is in Spanish. We are actively building a collection in Russian and looking ahead to grow our collection in Marshallese and Arabic as well. These are the most common non-English languages spoken in the […]

When Kids Say the Darndest Things & Surprise Us at the Library…

Posted in kids, Parents and Teachers on January 11, 2023 at 6:00 am

One of the best parts of working in a public library is interacting with children. Their wonder challenges adult cynicism. Their questions often make us think about the world in a new way. I asked my colleagues to share some of their favorite interactions children in the library. Here are some of those stories that we love. Kids can be tough custom […]

Library of Things: Save Old Photos & Family Movies as Digital Media with Project Memory

Posted in Explore and Discover, News on October 6, 2022 at 7:00 am

By Dana Mannino While the pandemic caused us to pause many of our most popular library services, this year has been a joy to start bringing them back. We are excited to announce that we have resumed Project Memory appointments! You can once again get help at the library with transferring your personal photos, home […]

What Makes a Good Book? Here’s How Appeal Factors Result in Great Book Recommendations.

Posted in Explore and Discover on June 29, 2022 at 6:00 am

By Dana Mannino At least once a week, I have a variation on the following conversation. Library customer: Can you suggest a good book? Librarian: Sure! What do you like to read? Library customer: Anything, as long as it’s well written. We all want a good book. It’s universal. But often we don’t know how […]

Level Up Your Nerd Quotient with 6 Superhero Research Tips & Our Digital Resources

Posted in Explore and Discover on April 28, 2022 at 4:45 am

... To find cool things like this, you need high-level searching skills! But you don’t need to be a librarian to memorize a list of the Valar (the demi-god like beings from Tolkien’s The Silmarillion). Here is a step-by-step guide to nerding out with some super research skills. […]

Humanities Washington Lectures: True Stories Full of Excitement, Intrigue, Hope & Forgiveness

Posted in Explore and Discover on February 9, 2022 at 6:00 am

If I were going to write a prescription for my pandemic-weary soul, I would pen it for some excitement, intrigue, hope, and reconciliation. One way to experience these is to be safely transported to another time and place by a skilled storyteller. The library has two such experiences for you. […]

An End of Life Story: Considerations & Planning for Death

Posted in Explore and Discover, Prime Time on November 3, 2021 at 6:00 am

Most people don’t like to think about death. Often, we think of “setting one’s affairs in order” as a task that only belongs to the mature crowd. But life is fragile at every age. Car accidents happen, as do natural disasters. It’s not a bad idea to put a few instructions in writing even if death feels far off. An added benefit of explori […]

Hard-won Victories and Lessons Learned During the Pandemic

Posted in Explore and Discover on August 20, 2021 at 6:00 am

By Dana Mannino There is no sugarcoating how hard this pandemic has been for all of us, and for some, more than others. It is also true that the pandemic has forced us to think in new and creative ways. For us at the library, we’ve been focused on how the library can serve you. […]

Tags: lessons, librarian, life, work

What Do Forensic Psychology, Andre Agassi and Yoga Have in Common? Answer: Udemy!

Posted in Explore and Discover on May 27, 2021 at 4:30 am

BY DANA MANNINO Lifelong learners and anyone seeking to learn something new will find a fantastic variety of online classes offered through Udemy, the latest addition to our array of digital resources. Udemy is a collection of video classes you view online. You can start a class whenever you want and take as long as […]

What we buy (other than books)

Posted in Explore and Discover on January 6, 2021 at 6:00 am

By Dana Mannino The philosopher Erasmus once said: “When I have a little money, I buy books; and if I have any left, I buy food and clothes.” The Library District buys a lot of books for our 10 libraries (over 34,000 print books and over 10,000 eBooks in 2020 alone). With our budget for […]

Author: Dana Mannino