Explore and Discover

Journey of a Citizen Scientist: Finding Meaningful & Helpful Interactions with Nature

Posted on April 26, 2023 at 6:00 am

By Savannah Stewart For the past few years, I’ve been working on connecting more with my environment—not just in a meditative sense, although I have been doing that as well. I’ve been focusing on doing things that are impactful to our community and that get me outside more. A couple years ago, I stumbled across […]

New Stay Sharp Kits Include Supportive Activities to Help Reduce Memory Loss

Posted on April 12, 2023 at 6:00 am

We recently added Stay Sharp Kits to our collection. Stay Sharp Kits are designed to be used with individuals who are experiencing memory loss or other cognitive issues related to dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and other memory disorders. They’re also great for anyone who wants to improve their short-term memory and overall mental speed. Each k […]

Helpful Spring Gardening Programs, Informative Books & the Latest from the Master Gardeners

Posted on April 11, 2023 at 6:00 am

By Crystal Miller Spring is upon us and that means there’s a new crop of gardening programs on offer at our libraries, fresh gardening books on our shelves, and seed libraries to visit. Our long-time community partner, the WSU Extension Spokane County Master Gardeners, has been presenting gardening programs and hosting a plant clinic at […]

Ways to Connect with Poems & Celebrate National Poetry Month this April

Posted on April 5, 2023 at 6:00 am

By Melissa Rhoades Since 1996, April has been designated as National Poetry Month to recognize and honor this long-lived and varied artform. Poems can be emotional expressions, political statements, a spiritual practice, a way to convey narrative, a whimsical play with language, and many other things. Likewise, poems can fulfill specific rhythms, s […]

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

Posted 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 […]

Inclusivity, Awareness & Literacy: Sensory Storytime & Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month

Posted on March 2, 2023 at 4:30 am

March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month and prompts us to consider our level of awareness, what is and isn’t in place in our community for inclusion of all people of all abilities, and what we can do as individuals and as a community to be open to and inclusive of everyone. In this guest blog, learn about Sensory Storytime and browse […]

15 Minutes of Community Science Can Make a World of Difference

Posted on February 2, 2023 at 7:00 am

When you hear someone say that that something is “for the birds,” they mean it is foolish and not to be taken too seriously. This month, the Great Backyard Bird Count on February 17–20 invites everyone to do something for the birds that isn’t foolish, is in fact helpful, and could be quite fascinating... […]

Year in Review: Our Libraries in 2022

Posted on December 28, 2022 at 6:00 am

By Jane Baker It will come as no surprise that the library has books. Fiction and nonfiction, picture books and weighty tomes, fantasy adventures and practical how-to guides, our shelves are filled with so many reading options. What may be a surprise is all the ways in which our libraries are more than books. Here […]

9 Guidelines for Writing Book Reviews & How to Add Yours to Our Catalog

Posted on November 22, 2022 at 6:00 am

By Andrea Brumbaugh Not all personal book reviews are created equal. If you have spent any time on Goodreads, you’ve most likely seen some that simply state, “I hated it,” or “I loved it.” If these readers are writing the review for themselves so that they can look back later and see how they felt […]

The Great Thanksgiving Listen: Discover the Uplifting Effect of Family Stories & Memories

Posted on November 9, 2022 at 6:00 am

By Melissa Rhoades & Dana Mannino Would you like this year’s Thanksgiving celebration to make your guests feel uplifted, connected, and hopeful? If so, you can participate in The Great Thanksgiving Listen, created by StoryCorps. Each Thanksgiving, StoryCorps encourages us to sit down with an elder, mentor, family member, friend, or someone we […]