At the Library 11/6/25

Discover the Weekly Scoop from the Washington Public Library

By

Beth Swift, Technology Librarian

The Washington Public Library (WPL) has made it easier than ever to stay connected with what’s happening in your library and what’s new on the shelves — thanks to the weekly newsletter published through Wowbrary.

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What is Wowbrary and why subscribe?

Wowbrary is a free weekly email newsletter that highlights new arrivals — books, movies, music — at your library. For WPL patrons, subscribing to Wowbrary offers these benefits:

• Be the first to know: Get a regular roundup of what’s newly added to the WPL collection — titles you may not yet have noticed. (Southeast Iowa Union)
  
  

• Save time: Instead of checking the catalog or browsing in the library, your inbox brings the updates to you.
  
  

• Reserve quickly: When you see something you like, you can place a hold right away — and beat the rush.
  
  

• Stay engaged: The newsletter often highlights upcoming programs and services at WPL — giving you more than just new titles. (Southeast Iowa Union)
  
  

• Tailored for readers: The format is designed to be easy to scan, featuring covers, mini-descriptions, links to reviews or catalog holds.
  
  

In short: subscribing means you’ll never miss what’s new or interesting at the library — whether you’re a casual reader or a dedicated library enthusiast.

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How to sign up   

Getting started is simple:

1. Visit the Wowbrary sign-up page for your library — you’ll find it at the Wowbrary website: “Sign up for your free weekly email about the newest books, movies, and music at the Washington Public Library.” (wowbrary.org)
   
   

2. Enter your email address (and confirm it). Then you’ll receive an activation email.
   
   

3. Click the activation link in the email to confirm your subscription.
   
   

4. Once confirmed, you’ll receive the newsletter weekly — delivered right to your inbox.
   
   

Also, you can visit the WPL website (look for a newsletter or “What’s New” section) to access the sign-up link and sometimes past issues or sample newsletters. (washington.lib.ia.us)

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A few important notes (and tips)

• The email arrives once a week (often on the same weekday each week) so you can expect a regular cadence. For example: The Southeast Iowa Union article noted the WPL newsletter landing every Tuesday. (Southeast Iowa Union)
  
  

• Check your spam or junk folder — Since it’s an automatic send-out from the library’s newsletter system, sometimes the email may land in spam. If you don’t see it in your inbox each week, make sure to add the sending address to your “safe list” or mark the message as “Not spam”.

If you were subscribed to the WPL newsletter in the past through constant contact, you were automatically switched to Wowbrary!  However, it may have gone to your spam folder. Make sure to check your spam folder and add the address to your “safe list” or mark the message as “Not spam”.

• If you change email addresses, you’ll want to update your subscription to continue receiving the newsletter.
  
  

• If you ever decide you no longer want to receive it, you can unsubscribe (typically via a link in the newsletter).
  
  

• Even if you don’t subscribe, you can still visit the library’s website to see what’s new. Subscribing just means it comes to you every week — one click away.
  
  

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Summary

Subscribing to Wowbrary via the Washington Public Library is a smart move for anyone who wants to stay in the loop. You’ll get weekly alerts about new titles, library programs, and services — delivered straight to your inbox. To sign up, simply visit the Wowbrary website or the library’s website, enter your email, confirm your subscription — and you’re set. Just remember to keep an eye on your spam folder and mark the newsletter as “safe” so you don’t miss a thing.  Let us know if you have any questions or need help! Call 319-653-2726 and someone will be glad to help you!

At the Library 10/24/25

 

Who Is It? : the WPL presents photos from the Memory Lab Project Ridiculous Day, 1957, names unknown By Mark Keedy   The Memory Lab at the Washington Public Library Make-It Space will host a casual gathering to help identify people, places and events in photos scanned from old Washington Evening Journal film. The session is the first of many planned to help add details to unpublished photos from the collection now being archived. Mark Keedy, a former Evening Journal intern photographer and writer, heads up a project to preserve images from 1957 to 2004, and will lead the “Who Is It?” session on a big screen in the Make IT Place in the lower level of the Library on Wednesday, Oct. 29, from 2-3:30 pm. “We’ve scanned and identified thousands of images so far,” says Keedy. “But we’ve also found interesting photos that were never published, and some published photos that include people who were not identified in the original captions.” The captions, he says, are gleaned from the Journal Archive found on the web at seiowa.advantage-preservation.com. “The site has been tremendously useful, but we’d like to fill in some of the blanks,” he added, “and we’ve already found that community input is a valuable resource.” Librarian LeAnn Kunz will help facilitate the session, and says the format is expected to be casual and fun. “We’ve seen photos that no one except the original photographers ever saw,” she said, “and learning more about them is delightful.” She said that participants will see some of the behind-the-scenes work that goes into the project. The discussion may include ideas on how volunteers can contribute to the project. No pre-registration is needed, but seating may be limited to about 30 people. Kunz also notes that most of the equipment being used for the Evening Journal project is available to adult library patrons with a brief introduction to the process. The Memory Lab is used for creating digital files of photos, film negatives and slides, and also has equipment available for transferring home movies and videos to computer files. In addition, there are specialized devices for scanning books and audio tapes.  Tours of the Memory Lab and other resources of the Make-It Space are available on request. You can also follow the Washington Public Library Memory Lab Facebook page to see some of fabulous photos being digitized.

At the Library 10/23/25

Come Be Creative @ Community Clubs!

by Tammy Valentine

    The fall season seems to be a very creative time for everyone, but especially for the library.

Today during our Community Calligraphy session, we shared our tips and tricks while 

practicing our own calligraphy. Linda gave us a few tips that we can all use. She said to relax, 

breathe, and enjoy the process. She also said to not worry about mistakes and to not always 

point out the mistakes, as nobody will notice anyway. One thing she does differently is that 

she practices on the couch, all curled up, as opposed to sitting flat-footed at a table. Her 

words gave us all good feelings that we can practice in our own way, imperfectly but happily. 

The assignment for our next session is to write out a poem by Robert Frost, Nothing Gold 

Can Stay. It is short and sweet and perfect for calligraphy. 

    Later this month, our Community Crafternoon session meets on October 28 at 1 pm.  We

will be having a mini-lesson with Julie Mangold on Junk Journaling. We are

very excited to have Julie returning to once again teach us how to create junk journals.

We will have newcomers to junk journaling along with others who love to create

journals of all kinds. Some of us will even be incorporating what we have learned in

our Calligraphy class. So, no matter where you are in journaling, join us to create something 

unique to you. Register for the mini-lesson online www.washington.lib.ia.us or just show up 

with your own projects. Sharing is the best part of these meetings.

    On November 18, we will combine our Community Calligraphy and Crafternoon sessions to 

accommodate busy holiday schedules. We will use our junk journals to add some beautiful 

writing in the form of the poems we copied. We will also use our junk journals to give bullet 

point journaling a try! You are welcome to attend with your own projects or to join the mini- 

lesson. Come and be creative with us!

At the Library 10/16/25

 

Language Conversation Group at the WPL

 

By Alison Greiner

Do you enjoy learning other languages?  Are you interested in meeting new people? If so, you may want to check out the latest group starting up this month at the library.  This group is a basic conversation group in English and Spanish.  We hope it will allow Spanish and English speakers to learn some basic conversational skills in the language they don't speak.   Many times, we may know basic phrases in the other language but still find it hard to go beyond. This group will be the perfect place to feel comfortable asking questions and trying out some new phrases, while being supported by others who are also learning.  

We will spend some time talking with each other and meeting the others in the group.  Next, we will work on various scenarios that would be helpful to know, such as how to order a pizza, how to call out a child from school, how to call a repair person for home repairs, and others. As we get to know each other and the needs of the group, it will be interesting to see what other ways we can utilize this group as a helpful tool for all.

This group is open to anyone and will meet upstairs in the Nicola-Stoufer meeting room on each Thursday at 5 pm.  There is no need to register, and if you cannot make every meetup, that is fine.  Please call us at the library or stop by if you have any questions.  We hope to see you there!