At the Library 9/4/25

Community Calligraphy and Communty Crafternoon

Begin New Season!

by Tammy Valentine

Fall is coming and LeAnn and I are excited to tell you about the new schedule for Community Calligraphy and Crafternoon!

We had so much interest in both programsthat we decided to keep the fun going by having each program one time per month, from September to May. They will continue to be on a Tuesday, but we extended the time, from 2-4pm to 1-4pm, so that people will have more time to work on their projects. This will allow people to work on more complicated projects that take more time. Calligraphy will start from the beginning, with basic strokes videos, so people can get a refresher on them. We will begin each session with the review, which will take less than 1 hour. After the review we will work on specific writing assignments, such as writing a short poem. Each month we will have the review followed by the new assignment. This is a group effort, so all patrons are encouraged to ask for help if needed and also to share their writing practice.

Crafternoon has been lots of fun seeing people work on calligraphy, knitting, sewing, beadwork and embroidery. The structure of Crafternoon is such that patrons can bring their own project to work on in the company of other crafters. What’s new is that we will have mini lessons offered for patrons to try something new. Don’t worry, this is not a requirement. Our first mini lesson will be in the pottery studio making pinch pot pumpkins! Patrons do need to register for the mini lessons so the library staff can plan properly. We also hope to have artist demonstrations on acrylic painting and watercolor painting.

On to my favorite thing in the world, books! If you are a Stephen King fan you probably heard of the new movie based on his novel, The Long Walk. The book was published under King’s pseudonym, Richard Bachman, in 1979 as part of the novel, The Bachman Books. This book also included 3 other novels. Now The Long Walk has been published as a standalone, which means we have it! Calltoday to reserve it!

At the Library 8/28/25

Read & Rant @ Your Washington Public Library

By Alison Greiner

We are excited to announce that we have a new and exciting way to use our recording studio in the Make IT Place! LeAnn and Alison are now doing a Vodcast in addition to our current Podcast. A vodcast is similar to a podcast except that instead of just recording the interview with the audio equipment, we now record this interview with the video equipment.

Our vodcast is entitled "Read and Rant". We invite patrons to "rant" or share their thoughts about a recent book they have read. Sometimes, when we hear the word rant we assume it will be a person responding negatively about something. But a rant can also be positive, too. We want to listen to diverse opinions about the various books people are checking out.

Host LeAnn "reads & rants"
with guest Carol Ray on our new vodcast

Do you love to read? We would love to have volunteers who would like to be a part of our vodcast. Contact us. It's a straightforward process. Just stop in or call the library and let us know you are interested. We will plan a time for the interview and ensure the interviewee knows what to expect. It's so wonderful to hear the variety of books people are interested in, and this is such an excellent opportunity for our patrons to learn more about books they may not have heard about.

At the Library 8/21/25

WPL’s Early-Out Hangout Offers a Wide Variety of Fun

By Jenisa Harris

This summer at the library was jam-packed with so much fun and excitement! We read over 300,000 pages! Families got to meet the snakes and spiders, oh my! Enjoyed the foam zone, created in the MakeIT Place, and so much more! I don't know about you, but it's hard to believe school will start in a few short weeks. The library offers free programming for school-age kids every early out Friday during Early Out Hangout. I've revamped the programs I am offering, and I'm excited to start this September! Each Friday, we will rotate between Movie Madness, Craft and Construct, and Maker Mentor. Here are the programs we will offer in September during our Early Out Hangout:

Join us for Movie Madness Friday, September 5, from 1:45-3:10. This event is free and open to grades K-12th—no registration required. We will be watching the Minecraft Movie.

Join us on Friday, September 12, from 1:45-2:45. Craft & Construct is a fun, hands-on program where kids can use their creativity to build and design! Whether they love crafting with glue and paper or constructing cool creations with LEGOS, there's something for everyone. This group encourages imagination, problem-solving, and play through both art and engineering activities. This event is free and open to grades K-12th—no registration required.

Join us Friday, September 19, from 1:45-2:45. Maker Mentors is an exciting program where local professionals visit the library to share their jobs, skills, and stories. This program gives young makers a chance to learn from real-world experts. It's a great way to explore new careers, ask questions, and get inspired to invent, create, and dream big! Carol Wehr will join us for our first event on September 19 and teach us about bees and her honey farm. This is free and open to grades K-12th—no registration required.

Finally in September, join us for Movie Madness Friday, September 26, from 1:45-3:10. This event is free and open to grades K-12th—no registration required. We will be watching
Moana 2.

I am excited to see you enjoy all the library has to offer this school year!

At the Library 8/14/25

A Big Thank You to Our Summer Reading Program Supporters!

Foam Zone Party in the Park for SRC 2025

by Cary Ann Siegfried

As our Summer Reading Program comes to a close, we want to take a moment to celebrate the amazing community partners who helped make it possible. Thanks to the generous support of corporate sponsors and the Washington Free Public Library Foundation we were able to offer exciting events, fun activities, and great prizes that kept readers of all ages turning pages all summer long. Together, our community read 307,151 pages this summer, far exceeding our goal of 200,000 pages!

Your contributions helped us create a summer filled with learning, laughter, and a love for reading. From sponsoring special performances to providing incentives that motivated our readers, you played an important role in encouraging literacy and building community connections. We appreciate the following businesses and organizations for contributing incentives or making cash donations:

Axis Vision Care

Blank Park Zoo

Earthly Blessings

Engineered Building and Design

Hills Bank

Iowa Bridge & Culvert

Iowa Children’s Museum

Washington Free Public Library Foundation

As always, we especially appreciate our collaboration with the Washington Community School District and the YMCA for helping extend our reach to youth throughout our community! We are so grateful for your commitment to our mission and for investing in our community’s future. Together, we’ve made this summer one to remember—and we can’t wait to do it again next year!

Thank you for believing in the power of reading!

Kids learned how to make balloon animals at SRC 2025

Kids enjoyed Candyland for SRC 2025

Fishing at Marr Park for SRC 2025

Kids got to make pottery for SRC 2025

At the Library 080725

Experiments and Conspiracies Run Wild!

by Carol Ray

MaddAddam by Margaret Atwood is the third book in a highly imaginative dystopian trilogy. Atwood is a wonderful, award winning writer who really loves words. She has created a post-corporate world where experiments and conspiracies have run wild. Various animals are gene-spliced to create such creatures as "pigoons", grown for organ-harvesting, and "wolvogs" , a cross between wolves and dogs. Within this world are places like "AnooYoo", a day spa, and "Scales and Tails", a sort of men's club where women dress as shiny, scaly reptiles, brightly colored flowers, and feathered birds. In this book, all the terrible things have already happened and a unique group of people remain after a cataclysmic pandemic, caused by a classic mad scientist. There is also a group of humanoids, called Crakers, created by this scientist, who also survive. Some of the most wonderful conversations are between the two groups as they try to communicate with each other and teach one of the Crakers to write. The Crakers learn by hearing stories which the other survivors must make up. In this world, food is scarce which forces people to learn new ways of using plants. Most of the human survivors are scientists who escaped the corporations or simply people with good sense and many skills, some of which involve great subterfuge and fortitude.

"MaddAddam " is an on-line underground group whose members take names of extinct animals. Their leader, Adam One, is a mysterious, brilliant organizer. His brother, Zeb, is a sort of master spy and enforcer. In love with Zeb is Toby, a woman who has survived by her wits and has become a leader in the group. She has learned all sorts of natural healing arts as well as how to keep bees.

There is wonderful humor as well as pathos in the book and some very scary villains who are survivors of a blood sport called "Painball". Reading this is an adventure - it becomes harder and harder to put down. ( The first book is Oryx and Crake, the second is After the Flood.)

Be sure to join us at the library for the next Sci Fi Book Club on October 4 at 10 am where we will be discussing Red Rising by Pierce Brown. If you need a copy, see Tammy during August at the WPL to request one via interlibrary loan.

At the Library 7/31/25

Making IT At The Washington Library

By Beth L Swift Technology Librarian

Pottery Owls created in the Make IT Place

We are just a bit past the one year anniversary of MakeIT Place at the Washington Public Library. It is truly hard to believe this much time has gone by so quickly. Refining procedures has been the focus for all of us here at the library in the past couple of months so we can make this incredible space accessible to Washington County. We have had many questions about what is available and how to access it. I thought now may be a good time to give a summary of how you, too, can utilize the creativity the Make IT Place has to offer.

Some of our spaces and equipment have required classes to take and some only require making an appointment to learn how to use a specific space in order to be “certified”. Being certified is what allows independent access.

The MakeIT Place is for certified adults aged 18 and up. Tween and Teen programs are offered as staff run events. You will notice an increase coming for Tween and Teen programs since we as a staff have become more comfortable in learning our specific spaces and equipment.

Requirements for ALL MakeIT Place access includes;

Adult age
A library card in good standing
Signing a user agreement which outlines procedures, policies and liability

found here;

https://www.washington.lib.ia.us/services/makeit-place

Going through the required certification for EACH of the specific equipment/spaces

Note: the use of the equipment and spaces are FREE.

Cost is for materials only except for the Pottery Studio which includes the cost of the instructor.

The following requires a specific class or classes to obtain certification:

Glowforge Laser Cutter/Engraver

1 FREE Glowforge Laser class offered twice monthly OR by appointment if needed (generally one hour)

Recording Studio

1 FREE Audio 101 class offered twice monthly OR by appointment if needed

(generally two hours)

Pottery Studio (cost varies)

Pottery Wheel - 3 wheel classes (now just $25 for each class!)

Handbuilding - 1 handbuilding class (now just $10 for each class!)

Along with the pottery class, you take 1 additional Glazing class (free)

*After certification, cost of using the studio is only $2.50 per pound of clay

Pottery created in the Pottery Studio

Class fees are payable in-person at the Washington Library.

The following only requires making an appointment to learn how to use the specific equipment:

Cricut

Beginners - classes are available, too!

Button Maker
Sewing/Quilting

Beginners - classes are available, too!

Poster Printer
Laminator
Memory Lab

Digitizing:

photos, negatives, slides, VHS, 8mm reel-to-reel, audio cassette, book scanning, CDs

*Each section of the memory lab requires its own appointment.

Call 319-653-2726 to make an appointment!

3D printing

printers are staff run only! (sorry)

Patrons send a file request on-line to be printed or bring the file in on a thumb drive.

Cost depends on the file/material size.

You can observe your print being printed by appointment but it’s not as exciting as

you may think.

Details, guidelines and videos for all this can be found at:

https://www.washington.lib.ia.us/services/makeit-place

Quick Tours are available every week!

Tuesdays at 5:30pm, Thursdays at Noon or by appointment

You can do this!

Ready.

Set.

MakeIT.

Pouch sewn in the Make IT Place

At the Library 7/24/25

Mometrix Test Preparation Launches at the WPL

by LeAnn Kunz

Are you preparing to complete the NCLEX as you work towards your nursing degree? Perhaps you are taking on a second career as a personal trainer and need to pass the CSCS exam? Or are you a high school student about to take your first round of the ACT or SAT tests? The Washington Public Library is launching a new, free test prep database to help you with that. Mometrix Test Preparation is now available on the library’s website.

The mission of Mometrix is to “educate and empower people to achieve their maximum potential, so they can serve others and provide for themselves and their families.” This database is comprehensive test preparation for 1000+ different standardized exams and the e-library includes study guides, flashcards, and interactive practice test questions. If you prefer, you can also print out the test questions. The database includes a search feature if you do not know the acronym for your test, a video library for visual learners, and a timer to simulate exam situations. In addition, this site has employment resources for those ready to take the next step and look for a job.

To set up your free account, WPL patrons should head to the database link on our website at www.washington.lib.ia.us under the Research & Learn tab and Learning Resources dropdown. You will be asked to provide an email and your own unique password. Then you are able to use this resource anywhere! Soon the links to specific study guides will also be on the library’s catalog of materials to make your discovery of these materials even easier.

The Washington Public Library hopes this new resource will make studying and learning easier for all our patrons and we are excited for you to try it and give us feedback.