News Release
Release Date: May 7, 2013
Contact: Dan Howard
   (509) 663-1117 extension 122
   dhoward@ncrl.org

Rural Libraries Offer Gateway to Higher Education

If you live in Brewster, but want to take a class from Harvard University, you don’t need to move to Massachusetts. Just visit the North Central Regional Library’s website at www.ncrl.org to find hundreds of free courses available from universities across the United States. Don’t have a computer? No problem! You can use the library’s computers free of charge.

Not long ago, educational opportunities for people living in rural areas were limited to art school correspondence courses advertised on matchbook covers. Higher education was not easily available to people living in communities lacking colleges, universities, trade, and technical schools. The internet has changed all of that, bringing high quality education from the city to the country and everywhere in between.

This is the dawning of the age of the MOOC - Massive Open Online Courses. Unlike traditional online courses, MOOCs are usually free, don’t provide credit, and enroll  thousands of students from all over the world. Three big MOOC websites dominate: Coursera, UDACITY, and edX. Another online learning site, the Khan Academy, has received a lot of attention in the press, including a segment on the CBS news program “60 Minutes.”

Coursera has many partners, including the University of Washington, Princeton, and Duke, and offers 350 courses to 3.4 million students in subjects such as computer science, business, humanities, and engineering. UDACITY offers courses on computer science and engineering and recently announced a partnership with San Jose State University to offer college credit for some courses. For just $150 each, you can get transferable credit for four classes: College Algebra, Introduction to Psychology, Elementary Statistics, and Introduction to Programming. edX is run out of Harvard and M.I.T., providing courses in disciplines such as chemistry, computer science, and public health. The Khan Academy is a nonprofit with a goal of bringing free world-class education to anyone anywhere. It features over 3,000 You Tube videos used to tutor students in math, science, and other subjects.

The North Central Regional Library’s website, www.ncrl.org, is the perfect gateway to free online education sources. Click on the “Research and Homework” tab and you’ll find more than a dozen links to sources of free online education, from Harvard Open Courses to the Wenatchee Internet Academy. Library cardholders can get free online tutoring from “HelpNow!” and free language instruction from “Mango Languages.”

North Central Regional Library Executive Director Dan Howard is an enthusiastic MOOC student. “I love the writing class I’m taking from Coursera. My professor from Ohio State University is a great teacher. He’s upbeat and very encouraging. I’ve talked with other students from as far away as Sri Lanka and as close as British Columbia. This has been an amazing experience and I’ve learned a lot.” No more excuses. With MOOCs, you don’t have to leave Pateros to get the Ivy League education you have always deserved.

Please join Jonathan Evison for a free public reading of his new novel "The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving", at the Wenatchee Public Library, Thursday May 30th, 7:00 - 9:00 pm.

This is a heartwarming story of a caretaker and a 19 year old disabled man that travel across America.

Jonathan Evison's previous novels are "All About Lulu" and "West of Here."

Last May Jonathan visited Wenatchee Public Library. I am sure those of you that attended that presentation will agree with me that he is a delightful speaker.

All three novels are available to check out from  the Wenatchee Public Library.

For Immediate Release

September 21, 2012

New Camille Wade Children’s Library project under way at the Wenatchee Public Library

Wenatchee, Wash. -- Construction on the new Camille Wade Children’s Library began on Monday, September 17^th. The project will result in an expanded, modern, and beautiful children’s area on the lower level of the Wenatchee Public Library located at 310 Douglas Street in Wenatchee. The project will expand the children’s area to approximately 4,000 square feet and will feature apple trees with built in bookshelves and seating, a large storytime area, an expanded collection, a new restroom, and graphics that evoke Wenatchee’s orchards and mountains. Paul R. Coppick’s architecture firm DOH Associates designed the new area with Gail Britt acting as lead architect. Another Wenatchee firm, Whitebird Construction Company, which President Randy Zielinski named after a popular song by preforming artists “It’s a Beautiful Day,” is the project’s general contractor. The library’s ancient elevator will be replaced as part of the project, welcome news to parents with strollers and people with physical disabilities. The new children’s library is scheduled to be complete by December 31, 2012. Work on the elevator is scheduled for November 26, 2012 through January 31, 2013. The new children’s library is made possible due to a generous donation from James Wade, President of Columbia Fruit Packing located in Wenatchee. Mr. Wade’s gift is in honor of his wife, Camille Jones Wade, who passed away in December 2011. Ms. Wade was a loving wife and mother, a world traveler, and a member of one of Wenatchee’s oldest book clubs, the Zetetic Book Club. The Friends of the Wenatchee Public Library donated $6,000.00 to the project. Library employees were overwhelmed when they learned Mr. Wade stepped forward to fund this new children’s library. “I am deeply moved by James Wade’s incredible gift. We couldn’t have done this without him. Kids and parents will benefit from this amazing new children’s library for years to come. We will honor James and Camille Wade by being excellent stewards of these funds,” said Dean Marney, Executive Director for the North Central Regional Library.

Contact:                    

Dan Howard, Director of Public Services

509-663-1117 x122
dhoward@ncrl.org

News Release:

LIBRARY ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT AND APPOINTS NEW DIRECTOR

The Board of Trustees of the North Central Regional Library has announced the retirement of Dean Marney at the end of December 2012.   In a unanimous vote they have appointed Dan Howard as the new Director of the largest library system in the state.

Dean has been with the North Central Regional Library for 35 years. “I am so fortunate.   What an extraordinary thing to be able to work for the communities I love promoting my passion for reading and lifelong learning.   I’ve worked for the strongest and most visionary Board of Trustees ever and with the most dedicated staff of Librarians in the world.   It doesn’t get better than that.”

Dean recently passed the ACE Personal Trainer exam and will be training individuals and teaching yoga classes at the WRAC in Wenatchee.  

Dan Howard is the current Director of Public Services, heading up the 28 Branches of the library system and the Mail Order program.   He will become the fourth Director in the history of the library district.  Dan has a BA in History and a MLS from the University of Washington.   As Dean said, “Dan knows this area and the people who live here.   He loves this part of state and this library.   He is passionate about the role we play in helping kids reach their educational goals and helping adults to be lifelong learners.  He is also the best-read person I know!  The library is in very good hands.”

Contact:

Dean Marney, Director

663-1117 x121

dmarney@ncrl.org

May 11, 2012

News Release:

APPEAL DEADLINE PASSES

The deadline passed Thursday, May 10, for filing an appeal to the Federal Court Ruling in favor of the North Central Regional Library and their internet filtering policy.  After almost 6 years, the case, Bradburn et al v. North Central Regional Library, is over.   

The Washington State Supreme Court and the Federal District Court had both ruled in favor of the library and their filtering policy.

Director Dean Marney said, "It is great to move forward. We have a commitment to provide the best for our 28 communities and our policies reflect that.  Our libraries are sanctuaries where incredibly good things happen. That is worth fighting for.  We did the right thing."

Contacts:

509-663-1117 x121
dmarney@ncrl.org

Tom Adams, Attorney
Karr, Tuttle, and Campbell
1201 Third Avenue, Suite 2900
Seattle, WA  98101
206-223-1313
tadams@karrtuttle.com

RURAL LIBRARY WINS PORN BATTLE AGAINST SEATTLE ACLU

For the full text of the order and opinion click here.

Judge Edward F. Shea, Eastern Washington Federal District Court, ruled today in favor of the North Central Regional Library in Bradburn et al v. NCRL. The case was brought against the rural eastern Washington library district by the ACLU of Seattle, demanding the library remove their internet filter.

The ruling followed a decision handed down from the Washington State Supreme Court in May, 2010. The Supreme Court found that the North Central Regional Library, the largest library district in the State of Washington, did not violate Article 1, Section 5 of the Washington State Constitution with its policy of filtering the internet.

The North Central Regional Library's 28 branches use an internet filter to meet federal requirements and make collection decisions about internet content. The library filters the internet narrowly, but does filter pornography and gambling categories. The library's mission is "To promote reading and lifelong learning."

Director Dean Marney said, "Taxpayers are the winners in this case. Libraries should never be forced to use public funds to provide access to child pornography or to become illegal casinos. Libraries should be sanctuaries for people of all ages."

Dan Howard, Director of Public Services for 28 branch libraries, the Mail Order Library, and a mobile library that goes to rural schools in the 5 county district, said, "What we are doing works. It is fair and equitable and the courts have affirmed that it is constitutional. Our staff goes overboard to provide our patrons the materials and information they want and need. We build community with everything we do."

Contacts:

Tom Adams, Attorney
Karr, Tuttle, Campbell
Seattle, WA 98101
206-223-1313

Dean Marney, Executive Director
NCRL
509-663-1117 x121
dmarney@ncrl.org
www.ncrl.org

Dan Howard, Director of Public Services
NCRL
509-663-1117 x122
dhoward@ncrl.org
www.ncrl.org

The North Central Regional Library (NCRL) has received a $10,000.00 donation from the “Plumb, Level, & Square Fund” to support public library service in Cashmere and Leavenworth. The Seattle based “Plumb, Level, & Square Fund” contributed this significant gift in honor of Dorothy McNeil and her son Tim. Dorothy McNeil was a committed library user and supporter. A firm believer that libraries are a gateway to another world, she supported children’s programs at public libraries throughout her life.  Tim McNeil was a gifted carpenter and graduate of the University of Washington. He recognized the many advantages he had been given and worked throughout his life to help others. “Plumb, Level, & Square Fund” founder Robert L. McNeil and director Deborah McNeil made this donation to NCRL in recognition of the enjoyable years that the McNeil family lived in Cashmere and Leavenworth. NCRL Executive Director Dean Marney said, “We are deeply moved by this gift to the Cashmere and Leavenworth Libraries. Dorothy and Tim are people I would have loved to have known. We will honor them both by being excellent stewards of these funds.”

http://www.king5.com/video?id=138613789&sec=548792