WCCLS: News & Events

Website maintenance Thursday night (5/17)

2012-05-16T14:20:00.000-07:00

Starting at 9:00 pm on Thursday, May 17th, the WCCLS website will be down for a few hours. This is due to regularly scheduled maintenance work. You will still be able to access the WCCLS catalog, online accounts, and Library2Go.

Thank you for your patience! If you have any questions, please contact us at webmaster@wccls.org.

How to place a hold on a specific issue or year of an item

2012-05-11T18:06:00.000-07:00

When searching for items that come in a series or are available in a number or years, such as magazines or travel books, you will notice that to place a hold, you need to choose a specific year or issue that you want to request. Here's how to do it...

Let's say we're looking for a Fodor's guide to London.

When we find it in the catalog and go to place a request, we get a message saying that we need to select and request a specific issue.

To do this, scroll down the list and select the issue that you're after. Look for the hand/book icon and click on that to request the specific title.

Once you've clicked on that icon, you'll go through the usual steps that happen when you place a request.

We hope this helps you make sure you get what you need in the catalog! If you have questions about placing requests or using the catalog, the librarian at your local WCCLS library will be happy to help.

New e-newsletter for Forest Grove readers

2012-05-11T15:38:00.001-07:00

The staff at the Forest Grove City Library have launched a monthly e-newsletter, Grove Reads, full of staff reading recommendations and information on upcoming library events. Take a look!

You can sign up to have this newsletter delivered to your email inbox here. Look for Forest Grove on the list, check the box, and then scroll to the bottom to enter your email address and submit.

We're looking forward to seeing the reading suggestions and events that Forest Grove staff are offering!

While you're at the online sign-up page, take a look at the other great newsletters available. Hundreds of people already subscribe to get new book lists in the areas of fiction, nonfiction, mystery, business, science, and more. These newsletters make it easy to place a hold - each book has a link directly to the WCCLS catalog. Enjoy good reading suggestions coming right to your inbox!

How to clear the cache in your internet browser

2012-05-10T16:30:00.000-07:00

Since we upgraded our catalog and online accounts earlier in the week, you may still be getting messages that the catalog and accounts are down when you try to visit. This is because the cache in your browser needs to be cleared. Once that happens, you should be able to access the catalog and online accounts without trouble.

Below are directions for clearing the cache for Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Chrome.

Internet Explorer 9 (PDF)

For Internet Explorer users - sometimes clearing your cache in the normal way isn't enough - you may still get this page instead of the catalog. For you we recommend pressing these keys together: <Ctrl> <Shift> <P>. This opens another browser window in Private mode. Visit the catalog or your account - it should work like normal. When you close this window, you'll find you can access the catalog as usual again.

Firefox 7 (PDF)
Chrome (PDF)

OCAC Library starts summer hours next week

2012-05-10T09:46:00.000-07:00

The OCAC (Oregon College of Art and Craft) Library begins its summer hours on Tuesday, May 15th. The library will be open Tuesday through Thursday, 12 pm to 3 pm. This will be in effect until the fall. If you request materials that are held at OCAC, they may take longer to get to your pickup library, due to this change in hours.

Update - password for your online account

2012-05-09T09:18:00.001-07:00

If you had a password that included a non-alphanumeric character (that is, special characters like @, #, &, or !) before we upgraded our system yesterday, you will no longer be able to log in to your account.

To access your account, please contact your local WCCLS library and let them know your password needs to be reset. Once your password is reset, you'll be able to log in to your account and change the password to something else. All passwords must be alphanumeric. This means only numbers and letters (both uppercase and lowercase) will be allowed in your new password.

Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause! If you have any questions about your account, please contact your local WCCLS member library. Find a list of all the WCCLS member libraries at wccls.org/your_libraries.

To change your password, log into your account. Then click on the Change Password heading.
Check the Change Password box and enter the current password (the one library staff gave you, if it was reset), and then enter your new password twice. Click on Save to save the changes.

Banks Library closed for renovations

2012-05-08T14:37:00.002-07:00

The Banks Public Library is closed for renovation. They will open in 3 to 4 weeks, and we will let you know when there is a firm date that the library will re-open.

The book drop at Banks is now closed, meaning that library items will need to be returned to another WCCLS member library.

If you have holds that you have set to pick up at Banks, those holds are being made inactive until May 30th. If you would like to re-activate your holds and pick them up at another WCCLS library, contact that library for assistance.

Find a list of all WCCLS member libraries at wccls.org/your_libraries.

WCCLS catalog and online accounts upgraded and active

2012-05-07T15:54:00.002-07:00

The WCCLS catalog and online accounts are now available. We were able to get services up and running ahead of schedule and we thank you for your patience while our systems were down for an upgrade.

Look for more details to come, but for now, you can see a summary of the changes to the catalog and online accounts here (PDF).

If you click on links to the catalog and still get an alert about downtime, please clear your browser's cache and visit the page again. That should resolve the issue.

Thanks again for your patience! If you have any questions about your account or searching the catalog, please contact your local WCCLS library for assistance.

Cornelius Library closed May 7th

2012-04-30T09:00:00.000-07:00

The Cornelius Library will be closed on Monday, May 7th. They will have normal hours of operation on Sunday May 6th, and will resume their usual schedule on Tuesday, May 8th.

Children's Day Fiesta at the Cornelius Library

2012-04-25T10:00:00.000-07:00

The Cornelius Library, in partnership with Centro Cultural, presents the Cornelius Children's Day Fiesta on Saturday, April 28th from 11 am to 4 pm. Events will be held at the Echo Shaw Elementary School at 10th and Linden. There will be a parade at 11:15 featuring 80 horses and rodeo cowboys, and more fun, free children's events all day.

You can also enter the Cornelius Library's 100 Years, 100 Words writers' challenge. Youth aged 18 and younger are encouraged to submit a creative story with exactly 100 words, in English or Spanish. All submissions will be displayed at the Cornelius Library, with some entries being shared on the library's Facebook page. Enter the contest online, at the library, or stop by the Friends of the Library's booth on Children's Day.

New categories for online resources

2012-04-24T18:00:00.000-07:00

If you visit WCCLS' online resources page today, you'll notice that the list of categories down the left-hand side of the page is significantly shorter. Librarians have improved the categories to make it easier to find the resource you need.

If you aren't sure which category your favorite online resource is in, just click on the View All link at the top-left of the page to see an alphabetical listing of all the online resources WCCLS offers.

Questions about how to use the online resources available through WCCLS? Contact your local librarian, who will be happy to assist you.

Oregon Book Award winners announced for 2012

2012-04-24T13:00:00.001-07:00

The winners of the 2012 Oregon Book Awards were announced last night in Portland. Here's a list of the winning titles, with links to the WCCLS catalog.

	Calvin Coconut: Hero of Hawaii By Graham Salisbury Winner of the Eloise Jarvis McGraw Award for Children's Literature
	Wildwing By Emily Whitman Winner of the Leslie Bradshaw Award for Young Adult Literature
	Imperial Japan at Its Zenith: the Wartime Celebration of the Empire's 2,600th Anniversary By Kenneth J. Ruoff Winner of the Frances Fuller Victor Award for General Nonfiction
	The Shape of the Eye: Down Syndrome, Family, and the Stories We Inherit By George Estreich Winner of the Sarah Winnemucca Award for Creative Nonfiction
	Curses and Wishes: Poems By Carl Adamshick Winner of the Stafford/Hall Award for Poetry
	The Sisters Brothers By Patrick deWitt Winner of the Ken Kesey Award for Fiction
	Footnotes in Gaza By Joe Sacco Winner of the Pacific Northwest College of Art Graphic Literature Award
	The Chronology of Water: a Memoir By Lidia Yuknavitch Winner of the Readers Choice Award

Congratulations to all of the winners! See all of the finalists for the 2012 awards here, and see all of the past finalists here.

Are you an ebook borrower? The Pew Center wants to hear from you

2012-04-24T09:58:00.001-07:00

The Pew Internet and American Life Project is doing a nation-wide study on the rise of ebooks and how this affects Americans and their libraries. As a part of this project, the Pew Center would like to hear from all of you Library2Go users (that is, ebook borrowers) out there.

If you'd like to help with this important research project, please take the project's 15 minute anonymous survey. The survey closes May 18th. The results of the project will be released as a report this summer.

To read the project's latest report on the rise of e-reading, click here.

WCCLS catalog and accounts are available - here's how to access them again

2012-04-20T09:54:00.000-07:00

Our catalog and online accounts are back up and working. If you got this message instead of the WCCLS catalog on online accounts, here's what you need to do to connect.

Your internet browser is storing a cached version of this page, instead of directing you to the WCCLS catalog. To fix this, you need to clear the cache on your browser. We have supplied instructions for different internet browsers here:

Internet Explorer 9 (PDF)

For Internet Explorer users - sometimes clearing your cache in the normal way isn't enough - you may still get this page instead of the catalog. For you we recommend pressing these keys together: <Ctrl> <Shift> <P>. This opens another browser window in Private mode. Visit the catalog or your account - it should work like normal. When you close this window, you'll find you can access the catalog as usual again.

Firefox 7 (PDF)

Chrome (PDF)

If you use an older browser, you may want to consider updating it. Otherwise, we can supply you with instructions for an older version of the browser, or for a browser not listed here - just send us an email at webmaster@wccls.org and we'll be pleased to assist you.

Early literacy workshops at the Beaverton Library

2012-04-19T11:42:00.000-07:00

The Children’s staff at the Beaverton City Library invites parents and children to participate in a free workshop series to help parent and caregivers “Make Every Day a Reading Day.” The six workshops engage infants, toddlers and preschoolers in fun activities, while practicing vital early literacy skills children need before they start learning to read. Parents will come away from each session with new book sharing ideas, tips for helping your child learn, and a free book.

“Make Every Day a Reading Day” Workshop Sessions
Registration is required and opens one month prior to each session. Sign up for sessions by calling 503-350-3600 or stopping by the Children’s Reference Desk at the Beaverton Library.

Early Literacy Play for Babies
Thursday, April 26, 6:30-7:15 p.m. or Friday, April 27, 11-11:45 a.m.

Parents or caregivers and their infants under one year are welcome to this workshop, no mobile toddlers please. Get an overview of infant development and the relationship of milestones to early literacy skills. Join in sensory play with books and rhymes to build positive experiences with reading.

Fun with Science and Math
Monday, April 30, 6:30-7:15 p.m. or Tuesday, May 1, 11 a.m.-noon.

Open to children ages 2 to 5 years with a parent. Join your kids as they use early literacy skills to do hands-on science and math activities.

Fun with Letters
Tuesday, May 8, 1-2 p.m. or 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Open to children ages 2 to 5 years with a parent. Try some fun alphabet activities that demonstrate letter shapes and sounds.

Fun with Words Wednesday, May 16, 6:30-7:30 p.m. or Thursday, May 17, 11 a.m. - noon.

Open to children ages 2 to 5 years with a parent. This workshop introduces fun ways to help children build a strong vocabulary as you go about your day.

Early Brain Development
Thursday, May 24, 7-8:30 p.m.

This is a parents-only workshop that provides hands-on learning to demonstrate how reading to children and engaging in early literacy activities supports brain development. The workshop offers participants strategies for building healthy brains along with safety tips for brain injury prevention. Children’s staff will share activities and book suggestions for infants to 8 years.

Fingerplay Fun at your Washington County libraries

2012-04-18T08:02:00.002-07:00

Our children's librarians love helping kids get ready to read. This April, WCCLS is celebrating the Week of the Young Child by handing out free copies of their brand-new Fingerplay Fun rhyme booklet. These little books contain dozens of fun and infectious nursery rhymes that are designed to encourage movement, language and literacy development. As an added bonus, WCCLS has filmed a number of their librarians performing the rhymes. To view these fun and helpful videos, visit wccls.org/rhymes (for rhymes in English) or wccls.org/rimas (for rhymes in Spanish).

To get your free copy of the booklet (while supplies last), simply stop by any WCCLS member library during or after Week of the Young Child (April 22-28). Booklets are available in both English and Spanish.

Research has shown that talking, singing, sharing books and playing are all important activities that can help children become successful readers. In particular, fingerplays and rhymes are wonderful literacy builders because they encourage all of these activities and feature words and concepts that lead to conversations. Above all, they are built around a love of books and play. For more information on helping kids get ready to read, please visit our early literacy information page.

WCCLS will be donating copies of Fingerplay Fun to every child enrolled with the Washington County Head Start and Washington County Healthy Start - Healthy Families programs. This project was made possible through the generous funding of the Oregon State Library’s Ready to Read program.

Libraries reaching out to the Latino community - how you can help

2012-04-17T16:34:00.001-07:00

There is a state-wide library project underway to reach out to the Latino community to learn more about how they use their cell phones to find information and entertainment, what information they look for and where, what is missing or hard to find, and what other information they would like to have available via their cell phone. The project is called Díganos (Tell Us) and we'd like you to help if you can.

What is the purpose of the project? Oregon libraries would like to expand the ways in which information and library services are provided to the Latino community.

How can you help? If you are Latino, please take the survey! The project will benefit from your feedback. Everyone can help spread the word about this project, sharing the information with Latinos in their community.

Where is the survey? Find the survey (in English and in Spanish) online here: http://diganos.wordpress.com/surveys/

Want to learn more? To keep up with how this outreach effort is proceeding please read the project blog at http://diganos.wordpress.com.

Thanks for your help in spreading the word about this important project for Oregon libraries!

Sustainability Fair, Garden Home Community Library, 4/17, 4-7pm

2012-04-13T18:04:00.001-07:00

On Tuesday, 4/17, 4-7pm, at Garden Home Community Library's Sustainability Fair, peruse booths with information on living sustainably. Learn more about recycling (including where to recycle batteries of all shapes and sizes), gardening, sustainable remodels, rainwater harvesting, regional travel options, organic baby food, and more. Recycled crafts to keep the kids entertained while you peruse the booths. Door prizes!

Exhibitors include but not limited to:

Friends of Trees
Regional Green Building Hotline
Happy Baby Food
Safe Routes to School
Interstate All Battery Center (battery recycling!)
Metro Regional Travel Planning Options
Portland Pollution Prevention
PGE
Tualatin Valley Water District
Washington County Recycling
Master Gardeners
and more!

Site Maintenance 9pm-12am, 4/12/2012

2012-04-12T17:09:00.000-07:00

From 9pm to midnight tonight, we'll be doing server maintenance, so if you're browsing the WCCLS catalog or logging in to renew materials or check your account, expect service interruptions (odd-looking screens) during that time.

Library2Go users may have to log in more than once and may see "Invalid Account" errors. Disregard the errors during maintenance time as they may just mean Library2Go's servers can't talk to ours for the moment. Try again Friday. If you have questions or concerns, drop us a line at webmaster@wccls.org.

Thanks for your patience.

Tax help at Washington County libraries

2012-04-04T16:00:00.000-07:00

Tax Day is rapidly approaching! Visit wccls.org/taxhelp to see which libraries have forms available. You'll also see a link to find out where AARP volunteers are available to assist you in filing your taxes this year. Good luck!

Garden Home Library hosts Oregon Poet Laureate Paulann Petersen

2012-04-04T09:00:00.000-07:00

The Garden Home Community Library Book Group will celebrate National Poetry Month with a poetry discussion and workshop with Paulann Petersen.

Paulann Petersen

Attendees will have the opportunity to share a poem that touches them, and then Paulann Petersen will lead the group in a workshop. For inspiration, you may like to read Good Poems, edited by Garrison Keillor.

The discussion and workshop is open to everyone. It will take place at the Garden Home Community Library on Tuesday, April 10th from 7:00 - 8:30 pm.

April is Fair Housing Month

2012-04-03T09:00:00.000-07:00

National Fair Housing Month celebrates the passage of the Fair Housing Act of 1968, which prohibited discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, and familial status in the sale or rental of housing. This Act was subsequently amended and revised by legislation in 1974 and 1988 to produce what is the Fair Housing Law of the United States.

The image to the right is of President Lyndon Johnson signing the Civil Rights Act of 1968, Title VIII, also known as the Fair Housing Act. Learn more and see the full image.

Most agree discrimination in housing is much subtler today than in decades past, but it does persist. Every April, the nation celebrates the strides we've made, and the work that remains to be done. In honor of Fair Housing Month, we, in partnership with the Office of Community Development, are highlighting a selection of books for adults, teens and children that highlight issues of fair housing and discrimination.

The Office of Community Development is sharing lists of fiction and nonfiction books that deal with issues related to fair housing. See these titles in the WCCLS catalog:

They have also compiled a list of films that relate to the topic of fair housing. Titles that are in the WCCLS catalog are linked.

Brick by Brick: A Civil Rights Story - A 2007 film documentary directed and produced by Bill Kavanagh details the long-running Yonkers housing drama.
A Raisin in the Sun (film)
A Raisin in the Sun (TV movie)
Ghosts of Mississippi
Lost (Season 5, Episode 13)
To Kill a Mockingbird

Fair Housing Month 2012

For a more comprehensive list of titles relating to the issue of fair housing, visit the Fair Housing Council of Oregon's website. If you are interested in a title that is not in a WCCLS member library, you can use our interlibrary loan service to borrow it.

April showers bring the Honey Dewdrops to Cedar Mill

2012-04-02T09:04:00.001-07:00

"...fresh, homegrown music...deeply rooted in tradition"

On Thursday, April 5 at 7:00 pm, the Honey Dewdrops will perform at the Cedar Mill Library

Hailing from the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Charlottesville, VA, the Honey Dewdrops are Laura Wortman and Kagey Parrish. Together, writing and singing in the veins of folk and old country music, Laura and Kagey have been touring the country over the past 4 years and have appeared on "A Prairie Home Companion," gained Folk Radio notoriety with a #1 album and have shared the stage with musical greats such as Carolina Chocolate Drops, Mary Gauthier, and Matt Flinner Trio.

The Honey Dewdrops combine a high lonesome duet harmony vocal style with contagious energy, soulful new songs and a fresh angle. The result, with guitars, a banjo and a mandolin, is a sound that welcomes you in like a dear old friend. Warm and honest, the Dewdrops fill up a room with sound and spirit.

The Honey Dewdrops will perform this free concert in the Cedar Mill Library's upstairs community room.

To get a preview of the concert, check out this clip on YouTube:

Hearing Voices Storytelling Festival begins in two weeks

2012-03-31T10:00:00.000-07:00

The Hearing Voices storytelling extravaganza begins in two weeks, on April 7th. We have a great festival planned and hope you can join us for the fun.

We have four talented tellers joining us this year and one of them, Portland's own Habiba Addo, recently returned from a visit to her home country of Ghana, and shared with us some wonderful photographs from her trip. She will be sharing stories from Africa and of the African Diaspora with festival audiences April 7th through April 14th.

Happy kids in Ghana

See all of the performances listed at the Hearing Voices Storytelling Festival website. The other storytellers we are looking forward to hearing from are Tim Tingle, Leslie Slape, and Kirk Waller.

Festival performances will be held at venues across Washington County, with the festival finale being held at the Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club.

Assistive listening devices (ALD) and sign language interpreters can be scheduled at no cost for a festival event. It is important to allow as much lead-time as possible to obtain these services. Please call 503-846-3222 no less than 3 business days prior to the event.

The WCCLS festival is supported in part by grants from the Regional Arts and Culture Council and each of the local Friends of the Library organizations representing WCCLS member libraries, with additional in-kind services provided by Pamplin MediaGroup, Courtyard by Marriott, ProGraphics Services, Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club, Glenn & Viola Walters Cultural Arts Center, Recology, and the Portland Storytellers’ Guild.

Auto Repair Reference Center and NoveList back up

2012-03-30T09:31:00.000-07:00

Earlier in the week we reported that NoveList and Auto Repair Reference Center were down. They are now both up and running this morning. Thank you for your patience!

Auto Repair Reference Center is a great resource. Free with your library card, you can access repair and technical information for vehicles from 1954 to present.

This includes repair drawing and step-by-step photos, wiring diagrams, vehicle specs and maintenance schedules, and service bulletins and recalls.

Next time you're looking for repair and maintenance information for your vehicle, give AARC a try. If you have a question about using AARC, contact your local librarian, who will be happy to help!