At The Library 5/1/25

 Early Out Fun at Your WPL

Lego Club at Early Out Fridays

by Mia Schrock

The weather is finally warming up, and summer vacation is almost here—but not quite yet! We’ve still got a few more weeks of school, which means a few more chances to join us for our early-out programs at the library.

Every early-out Friday, we offer fun, free activities for kids in Kindergarten through 12th grade. It’s the perfect way to relax, create, or connect after a short school day!

Here’s what you might find waiting for you on a Friday afternoon:

• Tinker Lab – Dive into hands-on experiments and creative projects.

• LEGO Club – Build something amazing and let your imagination soar.

• Movie Madness – Kick back and enjoy a great movie with friends.

And that’s not all! We also host Pokémon Trading once a month on a Tuesday, open to the same age group (K–12). It’s a fun way to swap cards, meet fellow fans, and see what treasures others have in their collections. This month’s Pokémon Trading event is happening on Tuesday, May 13th—don’t miss it!

Be sure to check out our calendar, available in the library or on our website, for even more exciting programs for kids and teens. Plus, our MakeIt Space offers endless creative opportunities!

As school winds down, the library is still the place to be. Come hang out with us on early-out days—you never know what you’ll discover! And don’t forget—Summer Reading kicks off soon! Stay tuned for details!

Lego Wall in the Make IT Place

At the Library 4/24/25

Join us in the WPL Memory Lab!

by Cary Ann Siegfried

Mark Keedy talks to patrons about his project in the WPL Make IT Place

    Are some of your most precious memories of friends and family stored in plastic totes or

cardboard boxes in your basement or attic? And are these memories printed on photographic

paper that’s quickly aging or recorded on a VHS tape that has already exceeded its expected

lifespan? Maybe the pictures from your family vacations are only on slides or 8mm tape and you don’t actually have a slide or film projector anymore? The Washington Public Library Memory Lab can help!

    The Library’s Memory Lab is part of the MakeIT Place located in the lower level of the Library. The Memory Lab is a collection of equipment that can be used for converting different kinds of recordings (video and audio), pictures and documents to digital files that can be stored on a USB drive or SD card. Equipment includes an Epson Expression 13000XL flatbed scanner, a Ricoh ScanSnap SV600 overhead scanner, as well as various peripherals and software programs for digitizing video from DVD, VHS and 8mm film formats and sound from cassette tapes. To learn more about the Memory Lab equipment you can take a look at the Library’s MakeIT Place Memory Lab page. If you want more of a “hands-on” experience feel free to attend one of the Library’s quick MakeIT Place tours on Tuesdays at 5:30 or Thursdays at noon.

Most days when you visit the Memory Lab you’ll meet Mark Keedy, our volunteer Memory Lab

“expert.” Mark is a former resident of Washington and was employed as a photographer for the Washington Evening Journal (WEJ) back in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. What started out as a moment of idle curiosity about whatever happened to the film from the days he was taking pictures for the WEJ has turned into a mission to digitize the WEJ film and negatives from 1957 to about 2004. These 50,000 or so images were fortunately safely stored (after being rescued by Mike Zahs) in the University of Iowa Library Special Collections department and are being loaned a bit at a time to WPL for digitization and cataloging.

    

    Mark’s ongoing work can be seen on the Washington Public Library Memory Lab Facebook and Instagram pages and eventually will be uploaded to Fortepan Iowa photo archive, as well as appearing in the U of I Special Collections catalog. You can see images already loaded onto Fortepan Iowa from Washington County on the Library’s web page (choose Local Photos from Washington County from the Research & Learn menu). If you’re interested in helping Mark with his work, either digitizing or researching the old photos, please fill out a volunteer application and become a Memory Lab Assistant.

    Ready to get started preserving YOUR memories? You can call the library to schedule a brief overview of the equipment you’d like to use, or make an online reservation from the Memory Lab page. The first time you visit, a library staff member or volunteer will give you a brief overview of the equipment and you can get started on your work. Keep in mind that materials that are copyrighted may not be duplicated, so that old VHS tape of The Little Mermaid or cassette tape of the Best of the 70’s isn’t a candidate for digitization!

 

At the Library

Washington Public Library's Wowbrary Newsletter Keeps Patrons Informed

By Beth L Swift 

    The Washington Public Library is making it easier than ever for locals to stay connected with all things library through its Wowbrary Newsletter. Delivered directly to your inbox every Tuesday, the newsletter keeps readers up to date on upcoming events, new book arrivals, and exciting library services 2 weeks at a time. Previously known as Constant Contact, the newsletter has become an indispensable tool for patrons seeking information on library happenings.  Patrons who were already subscribed to the previous newsletter are automatically subscribed to the newer and more updated Wowbrary newsletter.   

    Each edition is packed with details about upcoming programs, including book clubs, children's events, educational workshops, and MakeIT Place programming. Readers also get an exclusive look at the newest titles available for checkout. Some of the popular books circulating this month include I Am Yoga by Susan Verde, Some Of Us Are Looking by Carlene O’Connor, Invisible: A Graphic Novel by Christina Diaz Gonzalez and El Recluso (The Inmate) by Frieda McFadden, offering something for readers of all interests.

    For those interested in diving deeper into any of these updates or getting personalized recommendations, the library encourages patrons to reach out. You can contact the Washington Public Library at (319) 653-2726 or email them at reference@washington.lib.ia.us.

    If you haven’t signed up yet, it’s easy to receive the Wowbrary Newsletter directly to your inbox every Tuesday. Visit the library's WPL Website to subscribe and stay informed about all the fantastic opportunities and resources Washington Public Library offers.

At the Library 4/10/25

 The WPL Website
Has All the Information You Need

by LeAnn Kunz

    I am always surprised when patrons tell me they have not yet explored our website at www.washington.lib.ia.us. It is basically Grand Central Station when you are planning to board and ride the library train! Almost every question you need answered is on our website. Do we have a particular book or author? Check our website. When is the next noontime concert? Check our website. Can I learn how to use the sewing machines in the Make IT Place? Check our website.

    I have spent many years working on and maintaining our website, including transferring the entire site to an updated platform a few years ago. It was a lot of work, but quite satisfying knowing all the valuable information it contains for our community. If you start your journey on the front page you will see in the top right corner an orange box entitled "Search Catalog". Clicking on that takes you immediately to the entire WPL catalog of materials, both physical and digital. If you are like me, you can wile away hours looking for new books by favorite authors. While you are in Catalogland you can also see a list of the newest materials added within the last week and the top checkouts! 

    Next you might want to travel to the left side of the front page where  our schedule of all the program and events at the Washington Public Library is located. Click on the event you are interested in and you will see further details and sometimes a registration form. We also have colorful posters of upcoming events constantly scrolling across the page. In addition, the front page has links to Princh, our remote printing service. Here you can upload your document from anywhere, even from the comfort of your home, and have it sent to our printer. Then stop by to pick it up! Moving on you should cruise on over to two other popular links on the opening page which includes the Bridges link, our available e-books and audiobooks. Simply use the free Libby app to read or listen to materials in that collection. The other link is for exploring our Make IT Place. Clicking on that will take you on a trek through all the details on our Make IT Place and how you can learn to use our machinery, whether it be the laser engraver, cricut, memory lab, laminator, 3-D printers, or sewing machines. 

    Finally if you roam towards the bottom of the page you will see the newest book covers chugging across in a trail. You will also be able to visit our "Tell Us Your Story" podcast by clicking on the big red box on the left. Alison and I host a monthly interview with community members and our podcast is the archive for all of these wonderful stories. In turn you can head on over to the "At the Library" blog by clicking on the big blue box on the right. Each week the staff rotates writing a blog post on what is going on at the WPL. You are able to be aware of all the latest WPL news with one click of the mouse. 

    Plus, the front page is only the beginning of your excursion through our website! At the top of the front page you will see tabs of many more explorations you can take with drop-downs of side trips! The "Research & Learn" tab will lead you learning a new language through the Mango database or going back in time with the Fortepan Washington photos. "Read, Listen, & Watch" will take you to our Kanopy movie streaming service or how to get your child enrolled in the  "1000 Books Before Kindergarten" program. "Using the Library" will carry you to scheduling the use of a meeting room for your service group or teach you how to use the Interlibrary Loan service. Finally, the "About the Library" tab will give you access to read about the library staff, the library board and its agendas and minutes, our strategic plan and annual report, library history, etc. The website really is your starting point to all Libraryland has to offer you! So head on over today to www.washington.lib.ia.us and start your WPL journey.