That novel was Because of Winn-Dixie, which quickly because a best seller, won a Newbery Honor and was made into a feature film. Since then, DiCamillo has written a parade of best-selling and award-winning books: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, The Magician’s Elephant, the Bink & Gollie early chapter book series, the Mercy Watson series and, of course, The Tale of Despereaux, winner of the 2004 Newbery Medal. 

DiCamillo was in Seattle in May promoting the latest in her Bink & Gollie series, Bink & Gollie: Best Friends Forever, co-authored by Alison McGhee and illustrated by Tony Fucile. 

She was also here offering a preview of her September release, Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures, the comics-inspired tale of a squirrel that nearly expires when an unusually powerful vacuum cleaner sucks him up. Thanks to CPR administered by neighbor girl Flora Belle, the squirrel survives … and emerges with SUPER POWERS! (Of a sort. One of my 10-year-old daughter’s favorite lines is, “For heaven’s sake, what kind of superhero types?”) 

Flora Belle, a self-diagnosed cynic, is reminded of the transformation of her favorite comic-book hero, Incandesto, an unassuming janitor who turns into a superhero after falling into an industrial-sized vat of cleaning solution. Parts of the story are told through graphic novel, comics-style illustrations by K.B. Campbell. 

Seattle’s Child talked to DiCamillo about her career, her stories and her advice for young aspiring writers. 

Did you always want to be a writer? Did you always want to be a children’s writer? 

I wanted to be a writer since college. An English professor encouraged me to go to graduate school, and I thought why bother? Why not just write? 

For about a decade after college I worked all kinds of odd jobs while telling myself I was a writer, telling everybody else I was a writer, reading books on writing – and not writing, right? … So, then right before I turned 30 I thought, “Wow, I’m going to have to write something if I want to be a writer.” So I started to write. 

For me, after that long decade of not doing anything and thinking I wanted to do it, what worked for my psyche was to do two pages a day. As soon as the two pages were done I could get up. But before I could go to work, I had to get those two pages done. Very early on in my process, that was the way that I trained my subconscious, and that’s still the way I work. 

At the same time, I got a job in Minneapolis at a book warehouse for a book distributer. I was a picker, and I was assigned to the third floor, which was all kids’ books. I had a pick list, you know, an order form, and I would sort orders, put the books in a shopping cart. 

I entered into that job with a prejudice that I think a lot of adult readers have, which is that kids’ books are not really literature. Then I started to read what I was picking, and the first thing I read was The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis. I loved it. The next was Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson, and that was it. I started reading my way through the warehouse. It was like a free education. 

Where do you get your ideas for books? Maybe you can start with Because of Winn-Dixie. 

So it’s one of the worst winters on record in Minneapolis, which is a considerable statement. I grew up in Florida. I’m also homesick. I love Minnesota but it’s like this winter defies any kind of comprehension; the high for a couple of days was 30 below zero. I don’t have a dog, and I’ve always at least had access to a dog in my life, and I can’t have one. 

So, one night right before I go to sleep, I hear a girl’s voice, with a southern accent, saying, “I have a dog named Winn-Dixie.” When I got up the next morning, I just started with that sentence. I followed that voice because she sounded like she knew what she was talking about. 

What about The Tale of Despereaux? 

Winn-Dixie had just come out. My best friend’s son was 8 years old, and I was visiting them. He had never been that impressed with me, but he was a big reader and all of a sudden here was a book with my name on the spine, so that gave him pause. He asked if he could talk to me privately, and we went to his room. 

He told me he had the idea for a story for me, and I said, “You know, it’s not usually someone else’s idea, it usually something that comes to me, but you can tell it to me.” And he said, “It’s the story of an unlikely hero with exceptionally large ears.” And I said, “What happens to him?” And he said, “I don’t know. That’s why I want you to write the story.” 

He didn’t say a mouse, but large ears … unlikely hero … that’s kind of how it coalesced in my brain. 

Then there’s your upcoming book, Flora and Ulysses, about a squirrel super hero. Why a squirrel? 

A squirrel was expiring on my front steps and I called a friend and I said, “I don’t know what to do. I don’t see any blood, but he looks like he’s dying.” And she says, “Do you have a shovel?” 

This is the sweetest friend in my pack of friends, and she was going to come over there and whack him over the head! So somewhere in my twisted psyche I thought, “I want to figure out a way to save this squirrel".” And that’s what happens in Flora and Ulysses. 

Something that surprised me when I went back and started reading children’s books again, was how dark a lot of it was. I mean, they’re dealing with really heavy stuff, and I didn’t remember that. I’m wondering what your thoughts are on what is too much for kids to handle? And, how serious do you think is appropriate for kids’ literature? 

It’s one of my favorite topics, because the first thing I think of is what you said, that you didn’t remember that they were that way. 

I think that as adults we kind of drink the Kool-Aid and forget how intense it is to be a kid, and that everything that’s going on you’re aware of. I think you block that out, particularly when you have kids, because you think that you want to make it safe for them. 

But they’re out there. Any kid who gets on the school bus every day knows just how rough the world is. So, I think that it’s a disservice to lie to kids about the way the world is. 

On the other hand, I’m very much in Katherine Paterson’s camp, that you have a moral obligation to end with hope, at the same time that you tell the truth. 

You’ve written for different age groups. I’m wondering if the story idea comes first or the age group comes first. 

The story. Story/character. And then they tell me what it is, age-group wise. 

Bink & Gollie started as characters that came when Alison [McGee] and I were both in between projects, and she said, “Let’s do something together, because it’s so scary to write alone.” And I said, “I don’t think I can work that way,” and she said, “Come on, it’ll be fun.” And I said, “What’ll we do?” And Alison’s tall, so she said, “We’ll write the story of a tall girl and a short girl.” 

We treated it like a little job. We went over to her office, and we sat there for like 15 minutes. Nothing happens, and I say, “See, I told you, I can’t work this way,” and she’s like, “Sit down.” 

And we sat there until we got the first little story done and then we were kind of hooked. It was so much fun to have someone in the room to kick it back and forth with. 

What about Mercy Watson? 

I turned Mercy in to my agent – the first one – and I said, “Here it is.” And she said, “I don’t know what it is, but I love it.” So she sent it into Candlewick, and my editor said, “I don’t know what this is, but we really like it.” So it’s kind of in some gray area age-wise. 

Do you have your whole story outlined in your head before you start, or does your story develop as you’re writing? 

The latter. I’ve never known what’s going to happen. And that’s the same as writing two pages a day. That’s not right or wrong. I know people who wouldn’t think of writing a novel without having an outline before they start. For me, I wouldn’t write the book if I knew what was going to happen. 

How do you work with illustrators? Do you go and find an illustrator you want to write a book with? 

This is the best kept secret in children’s publishing – that you have nothing to do with it. What I have, contractually, is something called rights of refusal. So not only do I not pick the person, but I don’t talk to the person until everything is done. 

Were you a comics reader as a child? 

I was a Peanuts reader. I was obsessed with Peanuts. My brother and I would go to the library and check out Peanuts anthologies. We loved them, we lived in them, and it shaped a lot of how we looked at the world. 

A lot of mean things happen to Charlie Brown, too, don’t they? 

Those strips are just permeated with existential despair, which is balanced out by Snoopy. There’s Linus and Charlie Brown at one end, and then there’s Snoopy, and then there’s just the utter violence of Lucy van Pelt. 

What advice would you give to a kid who wants to be a writer? 

That’s so funny to me, because you hear that more now, and it just never occurred to me when I was a kid. 

I would say to a kid: Don’t let your parents talk you into being a lawyer, which is what they’re going to do if you have any verbal facility. 

And, read as much as you can. And anybody who wants to be a writer, who’s not thrilled with that assignment, doesn’t really want to be a writer. 

Then, write. It’s a thing that you teach yourself. You can go and get a master’s degree in writing, but ultimately it’s between you and the page. So teach yourself. You teach yourself by reading the people who came before you, and you teach yourself by writing. You learn by doing it.

When her first novel started taking off, Kate DiCamillo’s publisher suggested that it might be time for her to quit her day job – fairly unheard of advice for a first-time author. Good advice, though. 

That novel was Because of Winn-Dixie, which quickly because a best seller, won a Newbery Honor and was made into a feature film. Since then, DiCamillo has written a parade of best-selling and award-winning books: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, The Magician’s Elephant, the Bink & Gollie early chapter book series, the Mercy Watson series and, of course, The Tale of Despereaux, winner of the 2004 Newbery Medal. 

DiCamillo was in Seattle in May promoting the latest in her Bink & Gollie series, Bink & Gollie: Best Friends Forever, co-authored by Alison McGhee and illustrated by Tony Fucile. 

She was also here offering a preview of her September release, Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures, the comics-inspired tale of a squirrel that nearly expires when an unusually powerful vacuum cleaner sucks him up. Thanks to CPR administered by neighbor girl Flora Belle, the squirrel survives … and emerges with SUPER POWERS! (Of a sort. One of my 10-year-old daughter’s favorite lines is, “For heaven’s sake, what kind of superhero types?”) 

Parts of the story are told through graphic novel, comics-style illustrations by K.B. Campbell. 

Seattle’s Child talked to DiCamillo about her career, her stories and her advice for young aspiring writers. 

Did you always want to be a writer? Did you always want to be a children’s writer? 

I wanted to be a writer since college. For about a decade after college I worked all kinds of odd jobs while telling myself I was a writer, telling everybody else I was a writer, reading books on writing – and not writing, right? … So then, right before I turned 30, I thought, “Wow, I’m going to have to write something if I want to be a writer.” So I started to write. 

At the same time, I got a job in Minneapolis at a book warehouse for a book distributer. I was assigned to the third floor, which was all kids’ books. I entered into that job with a prejudice that I think a lot of adult readers have, which is that kids’ books are not really literature. 

Then I started to read the books, and the first thing I read was The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis. I loved it. The next was Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson, and that was it. I started reading my way through the warehouse. It was like a free education. 

Where do you get your ideas for books? Maybe you can start with Because of Winn-Dixie.

So it’s one of the worst winters on record in Minneapolis, which is a considerable statement. I grew up in Florida. I’m also homesick. I don’t have a dog, and I’ve always at least had access to a dog in my life, and I can’t have one. 

So, one night right before I go to sleep, I hear a girl’s voice, with a southern accent, saying, “I have a dog named Winn-Dixie.” When I got up the next morning, I just started with that sentence. I followed that voice because she sounded like she knew what she was talking about. 

What about The Tale of Despereaux? 

Winn-Dixie had just come out. My best friend’s son was 8 years old, and I was visiting them. He had never been that impressed with me, but he was a big reader and all of a sudden here was a book with my name on the spine, so that gave him pause. He asked if he could talk to me privately, and we went to his room. 

He told me he had the idea for a story for me, and I said, “You know, it’s not usually someone else’s idea, it usually something that comes to me, but you can tell it to me.” And he said, “It’s the story of an unlikely hero with exceptionally large ears.” And I said, “What happens to him?” And he said, “I don’t know. That’s why I want you to write the story.” 

He didn’t say a mouse, but large ears … unlikely hero … that’s kind of how it coalesced in my brain. 

Then there’s your upcoming book, Flora and Ulysses, about a squirrel super hero. Why a squirrel? 

A squirrel was expiring on my front steps and I called a friend and I said, “I don’t know what to do. I don’t see any blood, but he looks like he’s dying.” And she says, “Do you have a shovel?” 

This is the sweetest friend in my pack of friends, and she was going to come over there and whack him over the head! So somewhere in my twisted psyche I thought, “I want to figure out a way to save this squirrel.” And that’s what happens in Flora and Ulysses. 

How do you work with illustrators? Do you go and find an illustrator you want to write a book with? 

This is the best kept secret in children’s publishing – that you have nothing to do with it. What I have, contractually, is something called rights of refusal. So not only do I not pick the person, but I don’t talk to the person until everything is done. 

Were you a comics reader as a child? 

I was a Peanuts reader. I was obsessed with Peanuts. My brother and I would go to the library and check out Peanuts anthologies. We loved them, we lived in them, and it shaped a lot of how we looked at the world. 

What advice would you give to a kid who wants to be a writer? 

I would say to a kid: Don’t let your parents talk you into being a lawyer, which is what they’re going to do if you have any verbal facility. 

And, read as much as you can. And anybody who wants to be a writer, who’s not thrilled with that assignment, doesn’t really want to be a writer. 

Then, write. It’s a thing that you teach yourself. You teach yourself by reading the people who came before you, and you teach yourself by writing. You learn by doing it.

Read the full interview with Kate DiCamillo.

Carol M. Rockhill, MD, PhD, and Ian M. Kodish, MD, PhD, child and adolescent psychiatrists at Seattle Children’s Hospital, say first and foremost, we need to relearn the way we view mental health.

Being mentally healthy doesn’t mean a child will never experience times or days when they feel sad, anxious or upset. Mental health is being free from symptoms of significant mental illness, symptoms that disrupt a child’s normal life. Rockhill explains that it’s normal to experience some degree of mental health symptoms, whether it’s anxiety, depression or distractibility.

“Part of the goal of Mental Health Awareness Month is to decrease the stigma that only a minority of people are affected by mental illness. It’s a ubiquitous problem, one that all of us have susceptibility to,” says Rockhill.

Talk to your kids about their emotions

It starts with interaction and conversation.

Parents play a pivotal role in a child’s mental health. “Parents are often the most in tune with the emotional tone of a child,” says Kodish. “Kids express their emotions much more through their behaviors, and may have a poor understanding of their own emotional states.”

Because mental health issues are more common than we often acknowledge, “parents need to have an ongoing conversation with children: learn how to be in tune with a child, experience life with them and understand when something isn’t going right in their life,” says Rockhill.

It’s important for parents to recognize when there is a problem and address the issue, without judgement. Don’t be afraid to ask how a child felt about a certain situation or event that occurred at school or at home. Asking a child if they’re feeling sad or down may open up conversation, which can lead to a better understanding of their emotions.

Tips for improving mental health

Kodish and Rockhill explain that the same basics principles that promote good physical health are also important for kids’ mental health: adequate sleep, regular exercise and open lines of communication with trusted adults.

In addition, says Kodish, parents should provide regular opportunities for connecting and making sure they’re modeling good priorities for emotional health through their own behavior. Parents should also be comfortable setting limits that nurture a sense of resilience and responsibility and try to reinforce behaviors that show good awareness of a child’s needs and the needs of others. For instance, some families benefit from a visual schedule of activities through the week, which should include not only choices directed by children, but also expectations of their responsibilities. This can highlight the role that all family members play in supporting each other, provide a consistent opportunity for parents to connect with their kids over enjoyable activities and convey the importance of making time for activities that  enhance connectedness and quality of life.

Parents should also help children develop skills for filling unscheduled time, limiting screen time to 1- 2 hours per day, advises Rockhill.

For teens, set a curfew, have open conversations about drugs and alcohol and let them know they are welcome to call home without punishment if they are in a situation where other people are participating in unsafe activities and they don’t want to participate.

How to know when something is “off”

Mental health issues can be hard to identify because they can vary so much, depending on a child’s age or mental illness. “It may be hard for a parent to determine whether a child is just going through a phase, where they’re just sad or stressed, as opposed to when it crosses the line to a clinical level,” says Rockhill.  When in doubt, seeking the consultation of a trusted professional such as a primary care provider is recommended.

There are, however, certain warning signs parents can look out for in children, signs that can help parents identify when they need additional help.

“When kids begin to withdraw, reject formerly supportive means of help, or exhibit a significant change in their interests or functioning, these signs may warrant attention,” says Kodish. But identifying when something isn’t normal can be a challenge, says Rockhill. “I have treated kids who have had psychotic symptoms such as hearing things that others don’t hear for years, but thought it was normal because they didn’t realize that other people don’t have similar experiences. That’s why having an ongoing conversation that includes asking about your child’s experiences is so important.” If a parent feels like something is “off” with their child, they shouldn’t hesitate to contact a primary care provider. Often, “primary care doctors are the first line of treatment for psychiatric management,” says Kodish.

Warning signs in children and teens:

• Increased difficulty regulating emotions
• Often appearing sad
• Avoidance of normal activities, like going to school or participating in sports
• Difficulty complying with the demands of school – sitting or obeying a teacher
• Difficulty making or sustaining friends
• Being distracted by something that is hard to identify – paying attention to something manifested in the child’s own head
• Avoidance of eating, significant loss of weight
• Erratic behavior, such as anger outbursts in a child who has not had anger issues previously

Even though May is Mental Health Awareness Month, Rockhill and Kodish advise parents to check in on a regular basis with their kids. Having a month dedicated to raising awareness for mental health is wonderful, says Rockhill, but it’s a conversation that shouldn’t end come June 1.

Additional Resources:

• Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine Resources
• Warning Signs of Depression in Teens

Snohomish County:

• Snohomish County Crisis Line: 425-258-4357 or 800-584-3578

Pierce County:

• Pierce County Crisis Line: 800-576-7764 or 253-396-5180

Statewide Resources:

• Alcohol Drug Help Line: 206-722-3700 or 800-562-1240
• Alcohol Drug Teen Line: 206-722-4222 or 877-345-8336: teens can talk to another teen about drug and alcohol use

To learn more about health issues from Seattle Children's Hospital, visit On the Pulse.

Prior to the law, AP computer science, often one of the most difficult classes offered, did not count as a math or science credit. Instead it counted as an elective. By granting the course academic credit, the bill aims to encourage more students to take the course and many more schools to offer it. Currently, only 35 of the state’s 622 high schools offer AP computer science. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Drew Hansen, Rep. Cyrus Habib, Rep. Roger Freeman, and Rep. Chad Magendanz, passed the Legislature with nearly unanimous support.

"I applaud the Legislature and Governor Inslee for ensuring our students will be able to compete for the jobs of today and tomorrow,” said Brad Smith, executive vice president and general counsel of Microsoft and a founding board member of Washington STEM, a statewide nonprofit advancing excellence, equity and innovation in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education. “This is a step forward to help close the skills gap in Washington, and a move that will make our state a national STEM leader. Every young person in our state should have the chance to learn computer science; it’s the new language of opportunity.”

“Technology companies like Amazon and Microsoft, just a few miles from where I live, want to hire local kids from Washington state schools like me,” said Bishal Acharya a senior and AP computer science student at Rainier Beach High School in Seattle. “If more students took computer science they would understand the opportunities it can lead to. Now that House Bill 1472 is law more students will be encouraged to enroll in computer science classes across the state.”

A recent study conducted for the Washington Roundtable by the Boston Consulting Group found that there are 25,000 unfilled jobs in Washington because the state’s residents don’t have the right skills. That number could grow to 50,000 by 2017, with 90 percent of the jobs in STEM and healthcare fields. A recent poll by Washington STEM found that 77 percent of Washington state voters believed that computer science should count as a math or science credit rather than an elective course; 92 percent agree the next generation of Washingtonians will have more opportunities if they have STEM skills.

Investment dollars will ensure that every student in the Central Pathway of Seattle Public Schools receives a minimum of two hours per week of arts education programming, as well as support the purchase of instruments and other art supplies for classrooms. The Central Pathway, which consists of schools in and around Seattle's Central District, was chosen due to strong existing partnerships with community-based arts education organizations. The eventual goal of the program is to expand each year until all SPS students receive two hours per week of arts education programming by 2020. 

This investment was made possible by higher-than-expected admission tax revenue, primarily due to the new cultural facilities Chihuly Garden & Glass at Seattle Center and the Great Wheel on the waterfront. 

"This investment will allow us to deepen our existing partnership with Seattle Public Schools to improve access to arts education for all students in our community," said Mayor McGinn. "Arts education has been consistently shown to improve educational outcomes, increase attendance rates and decrease discipline rates." 

Studies have found that Seattle students do not have consistent access to arts education, and access can be predicted based on ethnicity, English-language-learner status or free-and-reduced-lunch status. 

This investment builds on the ongoing partnership between the City of Seattle and SPS, now called The Creative Advantage. In 2011 the city and SPS received a Wallace Foundation planning grant of $1 million, which provided for the creation of a comprehensive K-12 arts plan that ensures that every student will receive 120 minutes of arts instruction per week. The city's investment kick-starts the implementation phase of The Creative Advantage. 

"Our community has spent the last two years developing and writing this plan, and the time is now to make it a reality," said Superintendent Jose Banda. "Our first investment area is the Central Pathway." 

"Furthering our work in arts education is the most important thing I can do in this job," said newly appointed Director Randy Engstrom, Office of Arts & Culture. "This initiative will change the way nearly 50,000 of our city's young citizens engage with their community and think about the world. This investment is a major turning point."

The amount of the "stretch" depends on the size of the stretch pool and how much is raised in total donations on GiveBIG day. For example, if a nonprofit organization receives three percent of the total donations during GiveBIG, then it will receive three percent of the stretch pool, which is $800,000 this year.

Throughout GiveBIG, donors will be chosen at random throughout the day to have additional funds given to the charity that received their donation. Golden Tickets are worth $1,000, with additional prizes awarded randomly for both nonprofits and donors: nonprofits will be eligible to win roundtrip airline tickets courtesy of Alaska Airlines, and donors will also be eligible to win Starbucks gift cards worth $100.

To learn more about GiveBIG and to participate, visit www.seattlefoundation.org.

An exciting and eclectic group of Seattle celebrities, including a chef, break dancer and athletes from the Seattle Sounders, Husky Football and Rat City Roller Girls teams (see the full list of readers here), read aloud the first books they remember falling in love with. The voice of the Sounders, Ross Fletcher, will host the event. 

Limited tickets are available at www.firstbook.org/seattle for $25 for adults and $10 for children. Proceeds will provide new books for local children from low-income families through First Book-Seattle. The $25 ticket provides 10 new books to children who need them.

Founded in November 2011, First Book-Seattle is the newest chapter in First Book’s national network. First Book-Seattle’s advisory board is comprised of volunteers from all sectors of the community, and works to distribute new books to children through already-established community-based organizations and Title I schools in King County.

Anna Banana Freeze, performer/instructor/creator with Massive Monkees, will be reading Elephants Cannot Dance by Mo Willems.

Singers of any age, voice type and ability are invited to join in the sing-along. If you prefer to come prepared, register in advance and receive a link to the music (scores, pronunciation guide and recorded excerpts). As well, people are encouraged to share their best and most creative rendition of Brünnhilde’s famous “Hojotoho” war cry. Celebrity judges, including Seattle Opera General Director Speight Jenkins, will award prizes for best costume and best “Hojotoho.”

“What fun we’ll have celebrating the human voice, and the wild characters of our signature work, Wagner’s Ring, on the composer’s bicentennial,” says Sue Elliott, director of education at Seattle Opera. “Everyone is welcome, from those who’ve never before sung a note in public to professional singers.”

Admission to the event is free, and there will be cake donated by donated by New Renaissance Cakes. The celebration begins at 7 p.m. and goes until 8:30 p.m. May 22 also marks the date that single tickets to individual Ring opera performances go on sale to the public. The Ring runs Aug. 4 through 25. 

To learn more about the sing-along, email education@seattleopera.org.

Photo credit: Kids dressed as “god doubles” for the final scene of Das Rheingold. Photo by Alan Alabastro.

The nation’s highest honor conferred on museums and libraries for service to the community, the medal celebrates institutions that make a difference for individuals, families and communities. Neel Parikh, executive director of the Pierce County Library System, and community member Jo Cruz, an avid Pierce County library user, accepted the medal.  

"Families, child care professionals and our Pierce County Library System are team players in this community," said Cruz, a child care professional. "It is reassuring to know that the success of our children is supported by passionate people concerned about the future of our little ones." 

“Museums and libraries serve as centers for lifelong learning and as cornerstones for our communities,” said Hildreth. "Pierce County Library System is conducting their own research and implementing authentic solutions to lead the way in early literacy, to support diverse constituencies, and to create meaningful partnerships. We are very proud to name Pierce County Library System one of this year’s National Medal for Museum and Library Service winners."

This year’s 10 honorees exemplify the nation’s great diversity of libraries and museums and include a science center, children’s museum, music museum, art museum, cultural museum, public libraries and county library systems, hailing from seven states.  

“I want to congratulate the Pierce County Library System for winning the National Medal for Museum and Library Service,” said U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (Wash.). “The Pierce County Library System is one of just 10 national winners of this award this year, which is a testament to its leadership in promoting early literacy and learning in Washington state. These libraries are also hubs for the community with resources for job seekers and small business owners, and unique programs for military families and children with special needs. Thank you to the library system’s leadership and staff for the hard work in earning this significant award.”

Medal winners are selected from nationwide nominations of institutions that demonstrate innovative approaches to public service, exceeding the expected levels of community outreach. Later this year, StoryCorps – a national nonprofit dedicated to recording, preserving, and sharing the stories of Americans – will visit Pierce County Library System to document stories from the community. 

To learn more about the 2013 National Medal for Museum and Library Service winners, visit www.imls.gov/medals.