Mike Maltais, Staff writer
QUAD CITIES – Closed schools are presenting a challenge for teachers and students alike as both sides experiment with ways to stay connected and complete work assignments that would resemble a normally functioning school session.
The Secretary of State’s office has put together a roster of free resources for students, teachers, and parents that cover a range of subjects like history, elections, culture and more drawn from state archives, library, and other sites.
North Central Regional Library has added new online features to bring the library to more users.
Secretary of State
Legacy Washington (sos.wa.gov/legacy) offers oral histories about extraordinary Washingtonians past and present and provides engaging content for students with accompanying lesson plans and contests. Legacy Washington launched a writing, art, and podcast contest in January for students in grades 6-12. The contest is in conjunction with Legacy Washington’s “Ahead of the Curve” exhibit, and asks students to highlight individuals who are ‘ahead of the curve’ in their communities. Contest requirements and more information can be found here. Submissions are due by May 31.
Washington State Elections (sos.wa.gov/elections) provides a guide to teaching elections and conducts a student mock election every year for the general election. Most recently, the division also conducted a mock presidential primary.
Washington State Library (sos.wa.gov/library) provides resources for libraries, students, teachers, and parents all in one place. WSL also offers primary source materials and lesson plans with Primarily Washington, a collaboration between WSL, Legacy Washington, and Washington State Archives.
Washington State Archives’ Digital Archives (sos.wa.gov/archives) offers a treasure trove of historical information about Washington with more than 200 million records online.
The new edition of the Simply Washington booklet (sos.wa.gov/office/simplywashington2014.aspx) highlights state history, resources, culture and more.
The Secretary of State oversees state elections, registration of corporations and charities, and governing the use of the state flag and state seal. The office also manages the state archives and the state library, documents extraordinary stories in Washington’s history through Legacy Washington, oversees the Combined Fund Drive for charitable giving by state employees, and administers the state’s Address Confidentiality Program to help protect survivors of crime.
“Washington has a rich heritage, and all of our students should have an opportunity to learn about our state’s history and culture,” said Secretary of State Kim Wyman. “At the Office of Secretary of State, we value and prioritize education and civic engagement.”
North Central Regional Library
New and expanded services include:
A new eCard for people who live in North Central Washington but cannot currently access a library to get a physical library card. The eCard grants access to all NCRL online resources, including ebooks, audiobooks, digital magazines, streaming services for TV shows, movies, and music, language learning sites, and digital access to newspapers including the New York Times and Seattle Times.
Increased numbers of ebooks, eaudiobooks, music, and movies that can be borrowed or streamed at one time.
Designated times for users to live-chat online or call library staff for answers to questions and help using online resources. Live-chat is available at ncrl.org weekdays from 9-11 a.m. Phone support for online resources is available by calling 509-888-8155 weekdays from 1-3 p.m.
Sharing story time videos, DIY STEM projects, readers advisory, health and wellness information, homeschool ideas, and other online resources.
“We are absolutely committed to continuing to support our communities, even with our facilities closed to the public,” said NCRL Executive Director Barbara Walters. “Our digital resources are always available, and we are continuing to expand these services and make them easier to access for everyone.”
Sign up for the eCard and find online resources at ncrl.org, and check out videos and other information on the North Central Regional Library Facebook and Instagram sites. New content is being posted daily.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here