At the Library 9/3/26

 

Early Out Hangout: Free Friday Fun at the Washington Public Library

by Jenisa Harris

Early Out Fridays are more fun at the Washington Public Library! Early Out Hangout offers free activities for students in grades K–12 on Fridays when school lets out early. Each week brings something different, giving kids and teens a place to spend their afternoon creating, learning, exploring, and having fun with friends.

September kicks off with Movie Madness on Friday, September 4, from 1:45–3:10 p.m. We’ll be watching How to Train Your Dragon! Students can settle in and enjoy the movie with friends at the library. This event is free and open to students in grades K–12, and no registration is required.

On Friday, September 11, from 1:45–2:45 p.m., Early Out Hangout continues with Craft & Construct. This hands-on program combines creativity, building, and play. Kids can get crafty with art supplies or put their engineering skills to work building with LEGOs. Craft & Construct gives participants the freedom to use their imaginations while practicing creativity and problem-solving. The program is free, open to grades K–12, and no registration is required.

The month wraps up with Maker Mentors on Friday, September 18, from 1:45–2:45 p.m. Maker Mentors connects young people with local professionals who share their careers, skills, and experiences. It gives kids the opportunity to learn from real-world experts, ask questions, explore different careers, and discover new interests.

For September’s Maker Mentors program, Linda Drish will demonstrate the potter’s wheel and introduce participants to the world of ceramics. Kids will get an up-close look at how a potter transforms clay on the wheel while learning more about pottery and the creative process.

Early Out Hangout is free and open to students in grades K–12. Activities and registration requirements may vary from week to week, so families are encouraged to sign up for the Washington Public Library’s newsletter. The newsletter includes upcoming event information, reminders, activity details, and information about whether registration is required.

Sign up for the library newsletter here: https://wowbrary.org/signup.aspx?l=7985

Whether your child loves movies, art, LEGOs, pottery, or simply spending time with friends, there’s something new to discover during Early Out Hangout at the Washington Public Library!

At the Library 8/27/26

A Library Card Hits All the Right Notes

By Marissa Reisen

Every September, libraries across the country celebrate Library Card Sign-Up Month, and your Washington Public Library will be spreading the joy across the community all month long! This year’s theme is “A library card hits all the right notes!” which emphasizes that no matter what your tastes are, you can find something to enjoy at the library. Helping to share that message is Icelandic-Chinese composer, singer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Laufey, who is serving as honorary chair for sign-up month. An avid reader herself, she founded her own book club in 2022. Libraries have celebrated Sign-Up Month since 1987 when then Secretary of Education, William Bennett, stated: “Let’s have a campaign… Every child should obtain a library card and use it”. The American Library Association took the words to heart and worked with the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science to initiate the campaign following receipt of an $85,000 grant from the Reader’s Digest Foundation.

Libraries aren’t just physical books anymore - here are some of the things you can enjoy with your library card:

• BOOKS: (We do like to stick to our roots and have a phenomenal selection of physical books for you to choose from - everything from the new hits to the contemporary classics). But physical books aren’t all! Your library card gets you access to Libby, where you can find even more books in digital form. Have access to an entire library at your fingertips wherever you are!

• Audiobooks: whether you want a digital copy or a book on CD, we’ve got you covered with an amazing selection.

• Kanopy: a streaming service featuring documentaries, movies (old classics and newer releases as well), shows, live music performances and more, all free with your library card! 

• The Make-It Place: your library card opens the door to a world of creativity with everything from a buttonmaker to a laser cutting glow forge and a recording studio. We have classes all month long, so get a library card and come find your new passion!

• The Play-It Space: a fun new area just for the littles in your life. Play, explore, and learn in this beautiful new space!

• We also have DVDs, music CDs, mobile hotspots, and craft kits, all ready for you to check out with your library card.

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This year, we have partnered with businesses across the community to bring extra incentive to your library card! Your library card will get you even more benefits all month long.

https://www.ala.org/conferencesevents/celebrationweeks/card

https://www.library.illinois.edu/ala/2015/08/24/library-card-sign-up-month/

At the Library 8/20/26

Discover Washington’s Past—Without Going Far

by Cary Ann Siegfried You don’t have to be a serious genealogist to enjoy digging into local history. Maybe you’ve wondered who lived in your house 100 years ago. Maybe you’re trying to identify a relative in an old photograph, find an obituary, learn more about a downtown building, or settle a family debate about something that happened in Washington decades ago.

A good place to start is the Genealogy & Local History page on the Washington Public Library website. We’ve gathered a growing collection of resources there that can help you explore both your family’s history and the history of our community.

Start with the experts: Washington County Genealogical Society

The Washington County Genealogical Society maintains an extensive collection of genealogical and local history materials in the Grayson Archives on the lower level of the Library. The Society and the Library are separate organizations, but having the collection right here in the Library makes it a wonderful resource for local researchers.

The collection includes local family histories, cemetery records and many other materials that you aren’t likely to find through a simple Google search. Some other popular items include old City of Washington City Directories and yearbooks from local high schools.

Not sure where to begin—or researching Washington County from hundreds of miles away? Genealogical Society volunteers can also conduct research for you. The current research fee is $10 per hour, with photocopies available for 25 cents per page, plus postage when needed.

Ancestry at the Library

You may already be familiar with Ancestry, the popular subscription genealogy website. What you may not know is that the Library provides access to Ancestry Library Edition while you are in the Library.

Ancestry Library Edition gives researchers access to many of the same historical records found through a personal Ancestry subscription—including census records, birth, marriage and death records, immigration records, military records, directories and much more.

There are some important differences. Ancestry Library Edition is designed for research in libraries rather than for maintaining your own personal family tree. You won't have all of the personalized features of a regular Ancestry account, and access is available only while you are at the Library. But if your main goal is searching historical records, it can be an incredibly useful resource—and there is no subscription charge to you.

Read the news from decades ago

Want to know what Washington residents were reading in 1935? Looking for a wedding announcement, obituary, business advertisement, high school sports story—or just curious what was happening around town during the year you were born?

The Southeast Iowa Digital Archive provides free online access to digitized newspapers from Washington County and the surrounding area, including many years of the Washington Evening Journal. Because the newspapers are searchable, you can look for a family name, business, address, organization or event and see what turns up.

See Washington through the newspaper photographer’s lens

Newspapers tell our community's story in words, but photographs tell another part of that story.

The Library is currently building the Washington Evening Journal Photo Archive, a digital collection of photographs taken by WEJ photographers. Eventually, the collection will include photographs spanning 1957 through 2004. At the moment, our digitization work has reached 1966, with thousands more negatives still waiting their turn.

These aren't just photographs of major news events. They document everyday community life—schools, businesses, organizations, celebrations, sports, construction, local personalities and ordinary moments that otherwise might have disappeared from view.  While many of these photos were published in the newspaper, others were never published and may have never been seen by anyone other than the photographer.

Try searching for a family name, a business, a school or an organization. You never know who—or what—you might find.

Research the history of a Washington building

Curious about the building where your favorite downtown business is located? Own an older home on Washington's west side?

Our local history page also provides access to research and photographs created as part of historic preservation projects involving the Washington Downtown Historic District and Westside Residential Historic District.

The Downtown Historic District materials include Iowa Site Inventory forms and photographs prepared during a 2011–2012 research, survey and nomination project funded through a Historic Resource Development Program grant from the State Historical Society of Iowa. Buildings are indexed by address, making it easy to look up a particular property.

Similar resources are available for the Westside Residential Historic District, providing a fascinating starting point for homeowners—or anyone interested in Washington's architecture and changing neighborhoods.

Explore Iowa history beyond Washington County

You'll also find a link to the State Historical Society of Iowa, whose collections and online resources can help take your research beyond Washington County. Statewide historical records, photographs, documents and research tools can help fill in the gaps when your family—or your research—takes you elsewhere in Iowa.

What will you discover?

Local history doesn't have to mean writing a family genealogy or doing academic research. Use these resources to:

• Find the newspaper announcement from your grandparents' wedding.

• Learn what businesses once occupied a downtown storefront.

• Research the history of your house.

• Look for photographs of a parent or grandparent when they were young.

• Find out what was happening in Washington on the day you were born.

• Research a local organization, school, church or business.

• Track down an obituary or cemetery record.

• Browse old newspapers simply for the fun of seeing advertisements, prices, fashions and community news from another era.

And sometimes the most interesting discoveries are the ones you weren't looking for in the first place.

Visit the Library's Genealogy & Local History page and start exploring. Washington has more stories to tell—and we're working to make more of them easier to find.

At the Library 8/13/26

 

Boomers Break the Internet—On Purpose This Time

by Beth Swift, Tech Librarian

WASHINGTON, IOWA — Reports that technology belongs exclusively to younger generations have been officially debunked after millions of older adults were spotted using smartphones, streaming television, joining video calls, and sending messages containing more emojis than their grandchildren.

Experts confirm that “boomers” are not technologically helpless. Many helped introduce personal computers into workplaces, adapted from rotary phones to smartphones, and survived decades of printer error messages without throwing the printer out of a window.

“The idea that older people can’t use technology is ridiculous,” said one 72-year-old tablet owner while simultaneously checking the weather, ordering groceries, and ignoring a family group chat.

Technology skills are not determined by age. They are developed through access, practice, patience, and occasionally asking, “Where did the button go after the update?”

Cybersecurity warnings also apply to everyone. Scammers target people of all ages with fake delivery notices, romance schemes, urgent bank messages, phony job offers, and suspicious links promising free prizes or concert tickets.

Before clicking, pause and check the sender. Never share passwords, verification codes, any personal or financial information with someone who contacts you unexpectedly. Remember: if a message says “ACT NOW!” in seven different fonts, perhaps do not act now.

Need a Little Tech Help? Ask the Library!

Have a new iPad, Kindle, or device that seems to have a mind of its own? Want help setting up an email account or learning how to use library resources such as Libby, Kanopy, Mango, or Mometrix? Curious about MakeIT Place and what you can create in this fabulous space?

The Washington Public Library offers walk-in times on Tuesdays from 4pm-6pm and Thursdays from 10am to Noon. Individual technology-help appointments are also available upon request for these questions and more.

Library staff are happy to help with general technology questions, but they cannot assist with private or sensitive matters such as banking, taxes, Social Security, medical records, legal forms, or anything involving personal financial information.

Basically, if it requires your password, your bank account, or a deep breath before clicking “submit,” library staff may need to step back.

Individual appointments are available by calling 319-653-2726.

Technology is for all ages. Somewhere right now, a teenager is teaching a grandparent how to use an app while the grandparent explains how to restart the Wi-Fi.

At the Library 8/6/26

 Third Annual Community
Fiber Art Project Begins!

by LeAnn Kunz

The Washington Public Library is excited to announce the third annual Community Fiber Art project for 2027.  After the joyful success of Hoopla in 2025 and the magical Bubbleverse, currently exhibited in the skylight shaft of the library, it is time for a new creative adventure. These projects have been so enriching and fun for all the fiber artists in our community and a joy for everyone who visits the library! Now you can be a part of this new project.

The concept and title of the 2027 project is Art of the Imagination Squared. Knit, crochet, weave, or sew squares of any size and contribute to this exhibit. All ages can participate and we are now collecting squares through January 15, 2027. These mini pieces of art will be joined together and installed by volunteers as one giant art piece in the skylight shaft of the library during Fiber Arts February 2027. In addition, we are also planning on using some the squares for an artistic recovering of a wingback chair. This chair was generously donated by Ann and Dana Conklin. If you attend an upcoming Sticks & Strings meeting, you can help with attaching the squares and watch the chair be transformed in real time. This one‑of‑a‑kind fiber‑covered chair will also be displayed during Fiber Arts February and later auctioned to support library programming. 

Each year, our community fiber art project bring together beginners, experts, families, friends, and curious visitors. We hope this year’s theme — imagination that is multiplied and squared — feels accessible, inspiring, and fun for everyone who loves fiber arts.

Make a square. Make the magic happen.

At the Library 7/30/26

 Adult Summer Reading 2026 a Success!

by Tammy Valentine

Our adult summer reading challenge has been very popular, as you can see by all the names on the poster. As of today, July 23rd , we have a total of 198,149 pages read, so we are not far from out 220,000-page goal.

I am enjoying seeing the excitement of people whoare participating in this challenge. There is something great to be a part of a big goal knowing everyone is pitching in to help the group succeed. This challenge has shown me how much people love to read and talk about the books they have enjoyed. To celebrate our achievement join me on Monday, August 3 rd at 6pm in the Nicola-Stoufer meeting room to find out whoread the most pages and chat about those favorite titles.

Another way to share in the love of books is to check out our Facebook group, WPL’s Online Book Chat No Shelf Control. This is a fun way to discuss books without having to schedule another thing on your already-too-busy calendar. I know I have gotten some of the best tips on books from the online book chat groups.

And let’s not forget Libby, your digital library! I joke that Libby is my best friend because I “talk” to her every single day. The Libby app has become a constant companion while doing dishes, cleaning, or anything that I find tedious. Libby perks up my life! If you don’t know about Libby just contact me at the library and I can get you set up to enjoy books no matter what you’re doing.

With all of the excitement over the summer reading challenge I decided to do another challenge. I will be having a winter reading challenge that will include a group reading goals and individual reading goals. Of course, having no goal is always an option. The true purpose is to enjoy reading and being a part of the program. I am thinking of including word games, word puzzles, matching titles to authors, all things books! If you have any ideas just let me know. Summer isn’t finished yet so grab a book, put your feet up, and enjoy!

At the Library 7/16/26

 

Graphic Novels Flying Off the Shelves!

By Jenisa Harris

Walk through the library's youth section, and you'll likely notice one thing: graphic novels are flying off the shelves! From superheroes and fantasy adventures to realistic fiction and laugh-out-loud humor, graphic novels have become one of the most popular formats for young readers.

But why are they so drawn to them?

Graphic novels combine engaging artwork with compelling storytelling, creating an immersive reading experience that appeals to a wide range of readers. The illustrations help bring characters and emotions to life, making stories easier to visualize and connect with. Even reluctant readers often find themselves eager to turn "just one more page."

Parents sometimes worry that graphic novels aren't "real reading," but research tells a different story. Graphic novels require readers to interpret text, images, facial expressions, page layouts, and visual clues all at the same time. This strengthens comprehension, critical thinking, vocabulary, and visual literacy skills. Many graphic novels also tackle complex themes such as friendship, identity, courage, family, and resilience in age-appropriate ways.

 Graphic novels also offer something incredibly important: choice. Whether they're interested in sports, fantasy, mystery, history, manga, or nonfiction, there's a graphic novel that matches their interests. When children are excited about what they're reading, they're more likely to read longer, read more often, and develop a lifelong love of books.

Graphic novels can also serve as a bridge to other types of reading. Many young readers who discover a favorite graphic novel series go on to explore chapter books by the same author or books with similar themes. Building confidence through enjoyable reading experiences helps readers become more willing to try new genres and formats.

At the Washington Free Public Library, our tween graphic novel collection continues to grow with new titles and popular series arriving throughout the year. Whether your child is an avid reader or just beginning to discover the joy of books, graphic novels are a fantastic way to encourage reading and spark imagination.

Stop by the library and explore our collection—you might just discover your next favorite book!