At the Library 4/2/26

Join Us For an Evening of History

(registration opens April 1st)

By Beth L Swift

114 years later…

Titanic: A Night To Remember (2026)

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND

Step aboard the RMS Titanic for an unforgettable evening of history, elegance and drama.       At Titanic: A Night To Remember, guests will have drawn the name of an actual Titanic passenger after registering.  The evening will unfold based on your person's identity through a specially prepared meal based on your assigned class.  

First-Class guests will indulge in the finest fare while Second Class Passengers enjoy a menu based on the middle class experience.  Third-Class Travelers will partake in a more humble meal representing a simple but satisfying fare of steerage passengers.

Dress the part to fully immerse yourself in the era if you wish.  Engage in period-appropriate conversation and interact with fellow passengers while you step back in time to one of history's most famous voyages.  Perhaps some well-known passengers will be sitting at your assigned table.

From 6:00pm-6:45pm - social hour:

• Be welcomed aboard by the Captain before he goes down with the ship!

• Listen to live, authentic period music led by Randy Swift and his entourage.

• Enjoy some light refreshments

• Mingle with the other passengers

From 6:45pm - 7:00pm - dining room seating:

• find your table

• be seated

• dinner conversation

From 7:00pm - 7:30 - DINNER     

• Welcome

• enjoy your fare

• enjoy dinner conversation

From 7:30pm - 7:45 - Dessert and….

• enjoy a short presentation from Clyde Pearce as he pre
  sents The Iowa Ties to the Titanic

This is a free event, limited to 50 participants. This is an adult-only program.

After registering, please stop at the WPL in person on or after April 1st to draw the name of your Titanic persona(s).  

*This year, you and your partner may draw as a couple!  Please specify at the desk if you are drawing as a couple!

Register at : www.washington.lib.ia.us/events 

See you soon…for a while anyway.

At the Library 3/26/26

 Sharing and Growing Freely @ Your WPL

By LeAnn Kunz

Spring means gardening, and there’s nothing more rewarding than dreaming, planning, and planting as the soil begins to warm. At WPL, we’re here to help you dig in!. Our shelves are full of resources—from planning your plot to starting seeds—that can guide you toward a thriving garden.

Because sharing is at the heart of the public library, we don’t just offer books. We also share seeds to support the community of gardeners (and soon‑to‑be gardeners!) across Washington County.

Our Seed Exchange Library is always accepting donations to share with the community. Each year, we encourage gardeners to plant seeds, grow heathy plants, and then harvest seeds for the following season. As you enjoy your garden, we hope you’ll consider donating some of your harvested seeds to help others grow, too.

Sharing seeds is a wonderful way to support gardening—whether someone is a seasoned grower or just getting started. And harvesting seed is easier than many people think. For example, I plant zinnias every year from seeds I collect myself. By autumn, most of the flower heads dry naturally on the stems. I simply snip them off. I also cut blossoms that haven’t dried yet and let them dehydrate in the sun. All of these go into a dry container that I store in a cool cupboard. In spring (or sometimes earlier), I pull the dried blossoms apart to reveal seeds ready for planting. As long as you harvest mature seeds, dry them well, and store them properly, you can become a regular seed saver. You might even find the process addictive.

With your generosity, our WPL Seed Exchange Library can continue to share seeds throughout Washington County. We welcome store‑bought or home‑harvested seeds, in packets or in bulk, ornamentals or edibles. And while you’re here, you might discover a seed treasure for your own dream garden. Let’s share and grow freely together.

At the Library 03/26/25

Lovely People in Every Library

by Tammy Valentine

Do you know someone special? What is it about them that makes you feel so good when you
meet them? What good deeds occur because of them on a daily basis? Let me share with you
a story.

I help manage the library’s interlibrary loans for our patrons. Patrons request books and I put it
into the system and wait for them to arrive, so I can process the items for patrons to retrieve.
That sounds so procedural, doesn’t it? A couple of weeks ago I got a phone call from a library that had sent us one of their books. When they had gotten it back and processed it they found a bookmark that had mistakenly been left inside it.

The director of the lending library called me to let me know about the bookmark and said she
would return it within our delivery system. I thanked her and when I hung up I started the
search for the patron that had borrowed the book. When I discovered who it was I was so
happy because this particular patron has a lovely sentimental streak, finding joy in small things.
She is so kind to the library staff, “grateful to us for how we spoil her.” She doesn’t understand
that SHE is what makes our job so wonderful. My email to the library director let her know how
happy my patron will be when she has the bookmark returned to her, which “made her day.”
A week or two later, I received the delivery and found this most special bookmark. I got very
excited about being able to return it to our patron, so when came in she came to the library to
pick up her books I told her there was a surprise in the package.

Her message back to me brought tears to my eyes. This particular bookmark had been made
for her by her daughter and it certainly was most special to her. “…please let her know my
appreciation. I had not realized there were beautiful people in other libraries in the state, but I
should have known.”

Lovely people are found everywhere.

At the Library 3/12/26

Plant a Seed, Read:

Summer Reading is Growing at the Library

by Alison Greiner

Summer might still be a few months away, but planning is already in full swing at the Washington Public Library! Jenisa and I are excited to begin preparing for this year’s Summer Reading Program, “Plant a Seed, Read.” The theme celebrates growth, curiosity, and the wonderful things that can happen when young readers plant the seeds of imagination through books.

Recently, we had the opportunity to attend the Summer Reading Club Summit at the Coralville Public Library. The event was led by the State Library of Iowa and brought together children’s librarians from across our region. It was a wonderful morning filled with ideas, collaboration, and inspiration.

One of the highlights was hearing from a speaker from the Iowa State Extension Office, who shared ways local extension offices can partner with libraries. They offer creative program ideas, hands-on activities, and even curriculum support that can help make summer programs even more engaging for kids and families. We’re excited about the possibilities this partnership could bring to our library programs.

Another valuable part of the summit was the chance to connect with other children’s librarians from around our area. It’s always energizing to share ideas, talk about what works in our communities, and learn new ways to make summer reading fun and meaningful for families.

Jenisa and I truly love what we do, and the Summer Reading Program is our favorite time of year. Watching kids discover new books, participate in activities, and celebrate reading all summer long is one of the most rewarding parts of our work.

Registration for the Summer Reading Program will open in May, but until then we will be busy planning programs, gathering materials, and preparing for a fantastic summer at the library.

If you’d like to learn more, keep an eye out for us at this year’s Kidz Fest in Central Park, where we’ll have a table and share information about all the exciting things coming up.

We can’t wait to grow, read, and learn together this summer!

At the Library 3/5/26

 Blind Date With a Book Results Are In!

by Jenisa Harris

The results are in! Did your “Blind Date with a Book” sweep you off your feet? Was it love at

first sight or a total dud? Well, the results are in.

These books will sweep you off your feet:

“Tom Lake”, by Ann Patchet the reader said, “I really enjoyed this book because it was written

by one of my favorite authors! “

“All I Ever Wanted”, by Emily Giffin the patron said, “I enjoyed this book because it kept my

interest and I looked forward to reading it every day.”

“Part of Your World”, by Abby Jimenez, the reader said, “I love, love, loved this book!”

“The Maid” by Nita Proser, the patron said “I loved the shocking ending. It was really

unexpected!”

“Big Little Lies”, by Liane Moriarty, the reader said, “This book was easy to read and very

entertaining!”

“The First Ladies”, by Marie Benedict, the patron said, “I really enjoy historical fiction, so I loved

this book!”

“In Five Years”, by Rebecca Serle, the patron said, “I loved this book because there was

romance and mystery. I loved the twist at the end. I didn’t see it coming.”

These were only a few of the books that swept our readers off their feet! If you didn’t get a

chance to participate in “Blind Date with a Book,” it’s never too late to take a chance on one of

these books. You can decide for yourself if the book will sweep you off your feet or is a total

dud.

At the Library 2/26/26

 

Original 1908 WPL Books Now on Display

By Marissa Reisen

If you’ve wandered up to the second level of the Washington Public Library recently, you may have noticed some new shelving that we have been filling with some rather old books. These books are part of the original Scofield collection that was gifted to the library in 1908!

Hiram Scofield was the eldest of 5 children, born and raised in Saratoga County, New York. He and his brothers relocated to Washington County in 1858, where he practiced law in partnership with Antis H. Patterson until 1861. During the Civil War, he served as a member of Company H, Second Iowa Volunteer Infantry, the first regiment to leave Iowa in service. He rose through the ranks, becoming a Brigadier General before completing his service in 1866. Upon returning to Iowa, he continued practicing law with his brother, William. He also served the community and was involved with many local organizations, including membership as a trustee of Washington’s Chilcote Library. Hiram’s brother, Dr. Darius Scofield was a driving force behind the establishment of a library in Washington, and also contributed volumes from his personal collection to the library. William Scofield and his wife donated books to the collection as well.

Scofield was an avid reader and his personal collection was estimated to contain 18,000 - 20,000 books. When he passed, his collection was reported to be the largest private library in the state of Iowa (possibly the largest collection west of the Mississippi River), and a portion of this collection was donated to the Washington Public Library. The Wellman-Scofield Library also received a portion of the collection, as did the Vassar and Wellesley College libraries. Now, some of the books that remain from that collection and have previously been tucked away in storage will be proudly displayed in the new shelves gracing the second floor. These books will be noncirculating, but will be available for viewing upon request.

 The 200+ books that the library owns have been mostly in storage for the last several decades since the library hasn’t had the ability to both display AND protect them from damage. The new special collections shelving that allows for their display was funded  through the City of Washington’s municipal grant from the Washington County Riverboat Foundation. Watch for a Washington Free Public Library Foundation event in the near future where you’ll hear more about this collection and what it contains!

 Information from:

“History of Washington County: From the First White Settlement to 1908” by Howard Burrell (volumes 1 and 2)

https://www.washington.lib.ia.us/about/library-history

At the Library 2/19/26

 Collecting Ideas, Creating Experiences, Connecting People!

by Cary Ann Siegfried

Every public library in Iowa is required to maintain a current strategic plan that guides decision-making and sets priorities for a three- to five-year period. These plans help ensure that library services reflect community needs while providing a clear framework for growth and future development.

Over the past several months, the Washington Free Public Library Board of Trustees and library staff reviewed our previous three-year plan and gathered community input through a public survey. The feedback we received helped us better understand what matters most to our community and where the library can have the greatest impact.

Using this input, we developed three new strategic goals along with specific objectives and projects designed to move the plan forward. This new strategic plan will guide our work from January 2026 through June 2029, organized into three planning years to help us focus, evaluate progress, and adapt as needed.

We’re excited about the direction this plan sets and look forward to continuing to grow alongside our community.

You find find the plan on our website HERE.