Tag Archives: library

WOWI Hand-Over – 12June2023

What a year for WOWI!  Moreover … this Could be “What a year for WOWI coming from my perspective of a busy Spring/Summer 2023!“.  Yeah, too long.  Let’s go with the first one.

Let’s get current with some updates on where WOWI’s been, where it’s at, and where it’s going…
(Settle in — this could be a long one …)

Tom Don bagpipe presentation Scotland speaking
Don playing Scottish smallpipes before Tom presented his book “Walking, Thinking, Drinking Across Scotland” at the Langley Library.

As WOWI fans far and wide are aware, there was a significant change to the podcast earlier this year.  My friend, Tom Trimbath — the estimable Co-Founder, Co-Host, & Episode Planner — decided to move on from the show due to work commitments*.  After nearly four years of producing Writing On Whidbey Island, we met for our last recording at the Coupeville Library in April 2023.  As Tom became our first emeritus co-host, we discussed the future for Tom’s literary creations and for WOWI.
(* Whidbey Island is not free of the gossip network — therefore, to be entirely clear …  Tom left the show for work commitments only.  In the bigger picture I suspect this could be filed under the heading of ‘Personal Life Balance’; I respect this and find challenges with it myself.  There was no conflict between Tom and myself.  We are still friends and keep in touch.  If you hear otherwise, it’s malarkey.)

So what’s that picture of you two about?!?

2023 June 12 - Tom Don WOWI properties Hand-Over cookies sale website
12June2023 – Tom and Don at the Coupeville WA library, holding intense business negotiations for the value of the WOWI website with gluten free cookies — Mmmm …. COOKIES!

The WOWI website and domain name have technically been Tom’s property.  The site was on his hosting space, and he was paying the annual bill for WritingOnWhidbeyIsland.com (for the record, I’m the one who came up with the clever name).  Just in case there ever was any question, Tom felt he needed to ‘sell’ it to me.  On record.  For at least a dollar.  So, in June, Tom and I met again at the Coupeville library (see — everything’s good between us!).  “But WHY?!?”  Because neither of us wanted to deal with ‘money between friends’, we agreed that I would make and present him with a batch of gluten free cookies.  They were Ginger Citrus as I recall.  We also sealed-the-deal with a handshake, as gentlemen.  One of the librarians was also kind enough to help us with some photo evidence.  S0… I am now the ‘sole owner’ of all things Writing On Whidbey Island — the domain name, the website, audio content — everything… ULTIMATE POWER!!!

The Change Came at an Awkward Time

Don Scoby SCUBA diving diver seasonal work
Dive work! I’m in the back, my boss in the foreground … er, forewater

Nothing against Tom — he needed to do what he needed to do — but this hand-over of WOWI came at an awkward time.  (Somehow I’m guessing you already knew that…)  For the past five years I have been performing seasonal work as a SCUBA diver.  These jobs have taken me off island and away from home for weeks at a time.  This is also the beginning of my busy season as a Highland bagpiper in the local Scottish community.  Busy + Busy = BUSY … I’ve done the math!  Typically, Tom would take over all administrative aspects of producing the podcast during these months.  Communications, booking, and writing blog posts.  All I had bandwidth for was showing up to the scheduled session, recording, and getting the finished podcast to Tom for upload.

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Don AKA BiscottiDon AKA BagpiperDon

Tom’s departure left me with a choice — wrap up WOWI or continue?  As the saying goes … The Show Must Go On!  While this podcast is still ‘young’, it has proven to be ‘small-but-powerful’.  Not only has it been getting known as a local entity, we have heard from folks afar.  I feel it is too important to go away — so until I see otherwise, WOWI Must Go On!

Although, considering what would need to happen for this podcast to continue,  it was immediately clear to me that WOWI would need to go on a Spring/Summer 2023 hiatus.

What’s Happened Since — and What’s Yet to Come?

Since
Sarah McCarthy Allen McCarthy-Allen author writer Shadow Mage
Sarah

To continue Writing On Whidbey Island, I would need to find at least one new co-host.  Taking Tom’s suggestion during our last recording session, I felt it would be good to recruit a small team of co-host personalities — and to better balance bringing some women into the lineup.  After a short search, contacting past guests I most enjoyed, I got lucky and THREE STELLAR INDIVIDUALS Soon Said YES!

Lauren Flake beach Ebey's Landing
Lauren

Lauren, Sarah, and Daniel will be coming on the show during the coming months.  I met with Sarah and Lauren in June and August and recorded two WOWI sessions.  One episodes questions the use of Artificial Intelligence in the creative process, the other about taking the active step of retreating for the sake of writing.  Those should be posted within the next few weeks.  The ‘official’ re-debut of Writing On Whidbey Island looks to happen with a September or October session — hopefully featuring the four of us!

Also, if you’re reading this blog post after mid-September 2023 — then the website has been moved to my webhost, re-launched, and given numerous updates.  One more thing for the future of WOWI is falling into place!

What’s Yet to Come…
Daniel Edward More, Poet
Daniel

During the last three years Tom and I identified improvements we wanted to make to the show — however we never had the time to implement them.  I intend to faze these in along with several several others I have seen as being in the best interest and creative direction of Writing On Whidbey Island.

I am in the process of finding a podcast platform for our sessions.  This should help reach a wider audience and bring enjoyment to a greater body of listeners.  In the meantime, the most recent episodes will be featured directly on the site.  And, since I only have so much hosting space, as a new podcast goes up … the oldest will get take down.

In the coming months look for other additions to Writing On Whidbey Island.  I plan to get some original music to introduce and close each episode, along with establishing various social media profiles.  How about some official WOWI merch to help support the show — travel stickers, T-shirts, travel cups — what would you like to see?  Contact us!

Enjoy ~ Don

Our Libraries Our Librarians – An Interview With Betsy Arand

Finally, back to talking to people in person! Betsy Arand, the Managing Librarian at the Freeland Library, was nice enough to be our first interviewee as the restrictions are relaxed. It was a treat for the three of us to sit around for that hour or so – 3-D! While it is easy to make fun of something that seems so simple now, it was proof that there’s more to life than a 2-D screen. Body language conveys things that can’t be part of a podcast, but it changes the conversation. We humans respond differently when we see someone else’s response. 

Freeland Library – part of the Sno-Isle Library System

We mostly talked about life as a librarian, particularly during a crisis. As Betsy said (paraphrased); “Managing a library during a pandemic was not part of the library school curriculum.” Adaptability on display, by necessity.

The good news is that almost all of the library services are available again, though with adjustments in the interim. About the only thing not available are the public presentations in the various Sno-Isle Library System meeting rooms, like the well-equipped one at Betsy’s library in Freeland. 

That’s where we met. Our live and in-person interviews are conducted in ways so the background ambiance is included. Don’t be surprised if it’s quieter than usual this time. Though there was that one visitor who picked the wrong door as an entrance; but that’s understandable.

Our conversation lasted about an hour, which is too little time to hear the stories and insights she’s accumulated from decades of service. Listen in and enjoy. And, if you have any questions, well, there’s a librarian for that.

Betsy Arand, Managing Librarian at Sno-Isle Libraries (Freeland)

Writing on Whidbey Island (WOWI) episode 25 – Betsy Arand, librarian


Attached is the information for authors and the top circulating titles, as provided by Betsy Arand

Sno-Isle Resources for Authors
  • Inter-Library Loan (ILL)
    • This service was suspended during the pandemic and will start again on August 2
    • Use to request books published more than a year ago
    • Also used to request periodical articles not available in a library database
    • New ILL system should reduce wait times to 2-4 weeks (previous requests took up to 8 weeks)
    • A new feature: customers can create an account to receive regular notifications about the progress of their ILL request
  • Local Author collection in Sno-Isle Libraries
    • Local authors can have their books added to the Sno-Isle Libraries catalog
    • Eligibility requirements
      • An author needs to live in Island or Snohomish County <or>
      • Have ties to area that are evident in their book
    • Local authors donate one or two copies at a community library in the Sno-Isle Libraries system
    • Final decision whether an author’s work is appropriate for the Local Author collection is made by librarians in the Collection Services department
    • If an author’s book is available in eBook format in Kobo or Smashbooks, Sno-Isle Libraries is able to purchase it through our eBook vendor
  • Databases
    • Use library databases for research
    • Available under the Online Resources tab at top of library’s website
    • Databases are searchable by Age, Format or Subject
      • Some of the Subject categories: Current Events, History & Culture, Science
      • Examples of use:
        • Use the Chicago Tribune Historical database to research the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893 for a novel set in that time period or location
        • Use the Birds of the World database from Cornell University to do research for a novel that includes birdwatching
Top Circulating Books and DVDs at the Freeland Library
  • What books are Freeland library customers checking out? These are the top three fiction and non-fiction books checked out during the same time period before the pandemic closure, when the library was providing contact-free holds pickup only, and after the main library building was fully re-opened.
    • Top June 2019 Fiction – before pandemic closure
      • Overstory by Richard Powers
      • Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
      • The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
    • Top June 2019 Non-Fiction – before pandemic closure
      • The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
      • Unforgettable Canada by George Fischer
      • Furious Hours: murder, fraud, and the last trial of Harper Lee by Cep Casey
  •  Top June 2020 Fiction – contact-free holds pickup
    • Olive, again by Elizabeth Strout
    • Redhead by the Side of the Road by Anne Tyler
    • The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel
  • Top June 2020 Non-Fiction – contact-free holds pickup
    • A Pilgrimage to Eternity by Timothy Egan
    • Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor by Layla Saad
    • Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Kimmerer
  • Top June 2021 Fiction – main library building re-opened
    • The Law of Innocence by Michael Connelly
    • The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
    • All the Devils Are Here by Louise Penny
  • Top June 2021 Non-Fiction – main library building re-opened
    • Facing the Mountain: a True Story of Japanese American Heroes in World War II by Daniel James Brown
    • Caste: the Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson
    • Nomadland: Surviving American in the Twenty-first Century by Jessica Bruder
  • What DVDs are popular with Freeland customers? These are the top five DVDs that checked out most often before the library closed due to the pandemic, when the library was providing contact-free holds pickup only, and after the main library building was fully re-opened.
    • Top June 2019 (before pandemic closure)
      • Bohemian Rhapsody
      • Ocean’s Eight
      • Tiny: a Story about Living Small
      • Humor Me
      • Take Shelter
    • June 2020 (contact-free holds pickup)
      • Little Women
      • A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
      • Star Wars IX, the Rise of Skywalker
      • Knives Out
      • Jumanji: the Next Level
    • 2021 (main library building re-opened)
      • Minari
      • Mulan
      • News of the World
      • The Father
      • Coda

Our Libraries Our Librarians – An Interview With Vicky Welfare

Say Yay! for our local libraries and the librarians who make them much more than buildings with books. Whidbey Island is fortunate enough to have five branches of the Sno-Isle Library system: Oak Harbor, Coupeville, Freeland, Langley, and Clinton. Some day we may manage to interview someone from each, and we started with Langley Library’s Vicky Welfare.

Langley WA Washington LibraryAs most writers know, librarians do more than sort books on shelves. That’s been especially apparent during the current crisis because they’ve managed to keep the system operating. An impressive accomplishment. Their current restrictions have ironically highlighted some of the things they’ve always done that don’t require visiting the buildings, like research. With a bit of creativity and adaptation, they’ve also found ways for people to access books, movies, educational content, and generally helping people however they can. (They’ve even left the wi-fi on, which is how we’ve managed to record and upload some of these podcasts. The right parking space helps. Just remember to turn off your headlights if you’re there for a while – inside joke.)

Vicky shared a bit of her story, including a good idea for a bit of musical history; something for us to look forward to. We also talked about what the library can do for writers before, during, and after the writing of a manuscript, then a book, then a product. Click on the links below. Listen in. And, if you have questions and want answers, ask a librarian; that’s something they excel at.

(By the way, Vicky was kind enough to host one of our, Don and Tom presentations about Modern Self-Publishing. This video gives a glimpse of the presentation space we talk about in the podcast.)

Writing on Whidbey Island (WOWI) Episode 15 – Vicky Welfare, librarian

Seeing Into The Past …

This could have the title or subtitle of …

The Rifle, The Fishing Rod, and The Mic Stand

… but I digress.

I called this post “Seeing Into The Past” because it’s an addendum to my previous post, “Seeing Into The Future …“.  Something I meant to include in that last post is what happened on the way to the session.

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Coupeville library

Often enough, parking can be a pest in Coupeville.  The historic area — where Tom and I were — is not all that large, so the trick for many of us is to use the library parking lot.  I hopped out of my truck and started walking across the parking lot.  Under my arm I had some DVDs to drop off at the library, one of my mic stands, and a lunch-box sized utility case I use for my portable recording gear.

giphyNot but a moment later a fellow called across the parking lot to me.  “Did-ya catch anything?”  I quickly cycled through the list of things I might have caught but couldn’t come up with anything.  I gave back a confused “… What?”, hoping to find out his intention.  “Did-ya catch any FISH?”  Then my mind went to “… When and where would I have caught any fish?!?” — quickly followed by “When was the last time I went fishing???”  And then it occurred to me what was going on.  I held up my tripod boom-mic horizontally and clarified to the man, “Microphone stand.”

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Various rifles taken off the streets by the Seattle Police Department

Now that all was right in the world, I moved on to the library doors where I ran into Tom.  Later that day he was scheduled to present one of his various engaging topics, speaking on how Whidbey Island is changing from a financial perspective — he had just loaded in.

We said our hellos and started walking toward Meg’s Kingerfisher Bookstore to record the podcast.  Along the way I began telling him about the fishing-pole / mic-stand confusion that had just taken place in the parking long.  We shared a chuckle around this and then I told Tom some of my mic-stand-confusion history.

home_security_targetsI commonly say that I half-grew-up on Whidbey Island.  This is the truncated way of expressing that I grew up in what used to be part of north Seattle; my family frequently visited my grandparents, and I was here so often I understood this as my other home*.  My last four abodes before moving full-time to Whidbey were apartments in Shoreline.  I play Highland bagpipes, and practicing my instrument in apartments in America tends to be IMPOSSIBLE!  My strategy was to check with local churches to see if I might use their space when it was otherwise unoccupied — in exchange I offered to perform for certain church services.  Two churches took me up on this and the relationship proved to be mutually beneficial.  In other words, I got practice space and they got a guy who called the cops on a few thieves.  Lovely, huh?  It’s one of myriad things do not miss about living in Seattle.
(*Beyond that I’m not getting into the proprietary thing that exists here on the island about whos-who and whats-what with how long you have/n’t lived on the island and blah-blah-blah — I could be from far worse places, and let’s leave it at that.)

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Full semi-automatic scary-black tripod mic-stand

The recording equipment I use for making WOWI is gear I gathered for my existence as a musician.  One day, as I was walking to a church I used right on the Seattle / Shoreline city lines, I was stopped by a cop.  I was en route to the church with my pipe case and recording gear when he parked in their driveway and came toward me.  The long & short of it is that apparently some concerned citizen called the police about someone fitting my description walking around with a rifle.  Suffice to say, I think my mic stand is pretty decent quality but I am yet to learn what caliber it is.

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“And this … this is my BOOM STAND!!!

In the Seattle-area apparently mic-stand = rifle.

On Whidbey Island … mic-stand = fishing pole.

Eh… I can live with that!


Tom’s author page on Amazon

Don’s author page on Amazon