Lower Elwha Klallam Tribal Library

The Library is open to the public and ready to serve your information needs!

Monday, April 18, 2022

Exciting Things Are Happening at the Library this Month!

Thanks to a grant from the Washington State Library and funded through the American Rescue Plan Act, we’ve been able to go on quite the shopping spree over the last few weeks. The Library has received nearly 200 books so far (with more on the way) and over 20 new DVDs including some popular movies. We’ve also been able to upgrade our library software so that you can now search our catalog from anywhere any time! This is called an Online Patron Access Catalog, also called an OPAC, and serves as a searchable database of the Library’s collection which you can access online.

Using our new Web OPAC, you can not only search our collection, but also places holds on materials you wish to check out, renew materials you already have checked out, and review materials you have checked out and what their due dates are. This is the first time in a long time our collection will be searchable from outside the Library, and we are very excited to be able to get the opportunity to provide this new service to you! To access our new website, navigate to www.15339.rmwebopac.com or to www.elwha.org/departments/elwha-library where you can find a link to the site. Please note that in order to manage your account through the Web OPAC, you will need to come in or contact us to set up an online account. As always, email Jason.morris@elwha.org or call 360-452-8471 ex. 7431 to contact us.

In addition to the new Web OPAC, we’ve also received numerous new books in the last couple of weeks. All of them are exciting new additions to the collection, but among the more exciting of them include:

·         The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story by Nicole Hannah-Jones, a reframing of US history through the lens of the slave trade and its repercussions down through history          

·         Five Little Indians by Michelle Good (Cree), which recently won the CBC’s Canada Reads book competition

·         Life in the City of Dirty Water by Clayton Thomas-Müller (Cree), which was also shortlisted for Canada Reads

·         The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen by Sean Sherman (Oglala Lakota Sioux), “a rich education and delectable introduction to modern indigenous cuisine of the Dakota and Minnesota territories, with a vision and approach to food that travels well beyond those borders”

And so many others, too many to list here. You can find our new books and DVDs on our new website listed under New Items, and as always, you are welcome to come by for a visit to check out the new materials for yourself!

Elder Book Delivery

We are considering starting a new program at the Library which would deliver books to Tribal Elders weekly or as often as necessary. Participants in the program would select books (either through the Library’s web catalog or by contacting us directly) to be delivered to their home and books will be picked up as well when finished. We are currently assessing the feasibility of such a program and would like to hear your feedback to understand how much demand exists for the program. If this sounds like a program you would be interested in participating in, please contact Jason with any feedback you might have. You can visit us during our business hours, Mon-Fri 8am-4pm, call at 360-452-8471 extension 7431, or email jason.morris@elwha.org or jessica.egnew@elwha.org. We look forward to hearing from you!