Tag Archives: Bainbridge Public Library

Library receives new hearing loop system

Contributed photo / David Warren Bob Bosserman, left, chair of facilities for Bainbridge Public Library, and Rick Diaz, assistant installer at Now Hear This!, test the newly installed hearing loop in the library’s Community Room.
Contributed photo / David Warren
Bob Bosserman, left, chair of facilities for Bainbridge Public Library, and Rick Diaz, assistant installer at Now Hear This!, test the newly installed hearing loop in the library’s Community Room.

To help meet a growing need for Bainbridge residents, the Rotary Club of Bainbridge provided a grant for the Bainbridge Public Library to install a hearing loop system in the library’s large and popular Community Room.

“We want to provide good access to our ‘silently disadvantaged’ residents through the new hearing assistive technology,” said Bob Bosserman, facilities committee chair for library’s board of directors, in a news release.

Bosserman said the Community Room is booked an average of 22 days a month.

The system works by using hearing loops that transmit audio from a public address system directly to telecoil-equipped hearing aids and cochlear implants. The telecoil function as an antenna and relays the sounds directly into the ear of someone wearing hearing aids or cochlear implants without background noise or distortion — similar to how Wi-Fi connects people to the Internet.

“We are … eager for word to get out to islanders that there is a new venue on the island where they can be assured their hearing impairment will not be a barrier to enjoying lectures and performances,” said Sarah Morgans, one of the board of directors for Bainbridge Public Library.

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‘Bainbridge Public Library: Built by and for the people of Bainbridge Island’

This week, Bainbridge Islander reporter Tad Sooter delved into the history of the Bainbridge Public Library, which celebrates its 50th birthday on Saturday (Mar. 17), starting at 10 a.m.

BY TAD SOOTER
FOR THE BAINBRIDGE ISLANDER

On an August day in 1960, several thousand islanders flooded the Winslow shipyard’s administration building to support a cause that had kept Bainbridge buzzing that summer.

Inside, crowds perused tables heaped with used household items for sale, as two auctioneers took bids on big ticket items. Notable amid the goods offered that day were two live sheep, a 500 gallons of furnace oil and a generous side of beef. One discerning shopper carried away a stuffed seal.

This was the first-ever Bainbridge Rotary Auction, and it was organized for a single purpose: to help pay for a new public library. The club added nearly $6,000 from that sale to a pot of community money that soon reached $35,000.

On March 17, 1962, the new Kitsap Regional Library branch opened on Madison Avenue, with a building and property furnished entirely through donations. As library supporters look back on 50 years of history this month, they see a legacy created and sustained by members of the community, whose contributions keep the library’s lights on and doors open.

“It speaks to the willingness of people on this island to step forward and build something if they don’t have it,” Bainbridge Public Library volunteer board President Pat Miller said. “There’s a lot of pride in that I think.”

The library will celebrate its anniversary with an open house on Saturday, and 1960s-themed events throughout the spring.
The open house will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the library, 1270 Madison Ave. Visitors can join in activities and view history exhibits illuminating the library’s past.

In a way, the past 50 years are only the latest chapter in the history of Bainbridge libraries.
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North Madison bike lanes and other notes

North-end cyclists rejoice
The long-awaited North Madison Avenue bike lane and pedestrian improvements will begin today, about a month ahead of schedule.

The city plans to construct a paved shoulder along North Madison between Highway 305 and Valley Road.

The work was originally scheduled to begin Feb. 28, but unseasonably warm weather has made conditions ideal for an earlier start. The work will be completed in during the spring.

Road work will also begin today on Manitou Beach Drive. For a bit more on both projects, head over here.

Closed on Sundays
The Bainbridge Public Library was open for its last Sunday this week. Patrons aren’t happy, but the system-wide hours reduction could save Kitsap Regional Libraries $100,000 each year. For more, read this article.

Gospel music on Bainbridge?
The island’s annual Sing Out! gospel sing-along was held on Saturday at Rolling Bay Presbyterian. See photos, video and read the story here.

Kid-tested, (earth) mother-approved
The Seattle Times did a story on an island mom who founded her own baby frame carriers. In true Bainbridge style, the carriers are made with organic cotton and eco-friendly dyes. Read more here.

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Bainbridge library won’t be open on Sundays anymore

UPDATE – Here’s reporter Chris Henry’s story on the Sunday closure.

I just got word that the Bainbridge library will no longer be open on Sundays.

Kitsap Regional Libraries will also close the three other main branches (Sylvan Way, Poulsbo and Port Orchard) on Sundays.

The Bainbridge branch is open from 1 to 5 p.m. on Sundays.

The decision to cut Sunday hours was made by the KRL board on Tuesday evening. The board said the cuts were necessary to balance the library system’s budget. KRL’s most recent levy was rejected by voters.

See the KRL press release below.
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A robot, some chickens and Dino Rossi

Here’s a rundown of the last week’s news:

Gardening greats: The Bainbridge Public Library’s unsung heroes, the Friday Tidys, have been hard at work for over a decade. With their members aging, the Tidys are now seeking some young (or not-so-young) blood to keep the garden-grooming project going. Read more HERE.

Public pod: Winslow’s newest piece of city-funded public art was unveiled on Saturday. Dozens of attendees at the unveiling praised it. Online commentators have (so far) panned it. Head over HERE and share your thoughts about “Pod.”

Hen homes: The island’s finest chicken coops were on display Saturday for the second-annual Tour de Coop. Read about it HERE and take my virtual tour HERE.

Robot randonneur: A retired engineer wanted the ideal tandem bicycle riding partner. So he built one. “Joules” the robot bike-rider never complains and never slacks off, but he can easily get carried away (and potentially brake the speed limit on most island roads). Read the story, see the photo gallery and watch the video HERE.

Dino drop-in: Two-time Republican gubernatorial candidate and current U.S. Senate candidate Dino Rossi stopped by Bainbridge to say, among other things, that the next ballot he’ll appear on will not carry the ‘baggage’ of more divisive, higher-profile Republican candidates. And that, he said, could give him the edge over incumbent Democrat Patty Murray. Read more HERE.

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The Living Library returns to Bainbridge

The Bainbridge Public Library’s Living Library event returns on Saturday.

Here’s the event listing:

The Bainbridge Public Library invites you to “check out a new point of view” through a one-on-one conversation with someone who may hold a little-known viewpoint or may be of a different culture or lifestyle.

“Living Books” are available for thirty minute conversations in the library meeting room on Saturday, March 6 from 1-4 p.m.

You can read my Oct. 2008 story about the island’s first Living Library here.

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Islanders have calm, considerate discussion about health care reform

Sunday’s panel discussion on health care reform at the Bainbridge public library “was free of the furious outbursts seen at some town-hall events,” reports Derek Sheppard in yesterday’s Sun.

Instead, questions from the audience included “whether tort reform would significantly reduce costs, how care might be rationed, how good care can be encouraged instead of more tests, and how reform can pass with such a politically divided country and political interests corrupted by money,” Sheppard wrote.

For the full story, click here.

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Living Library returns on Sunday

The Bainbridge Public Library is sponsoring a second “Living Library” event on Sunday.

Based on a program that’s been offered in over 25 countries, participants – or “readers” – chose from flesh-and-blood “books” representing groups that are often stereotyped, misunderstood or hold controversial viewpoints.

During October’s inaugural event, over 50 readers sat down conversations with an atheist, a quadriplegic, a female police officer, an Eagle Harbor liveaboard and over a dozen other living “books.” Several books from the October event will also be on hand on Sunday.

Some of the new books at the Sunday event, which will this time be held at the Bainbridge High School library, will include an epileptic, an anarchist, a cancer sufferer and a German who lived in Nazi Germany.

“The book and reader adjourn to a quiet area in the library for a one-on-one conversation of up to 30 minutes,” Bainbridge Public Library Branch Manager Rebecca Judd said. “During that time, there is an opportunity for quiet conversation, questions, stories and, hopefully, a sense of common ground.”

Sunday’s Living Library event is scheduled from 1 to 4 p.m. in the high school’s new 200 Building library. Call (206) 842-4162 for more information.

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Bainbridge breathes life into the “Living Library”

When Aileen Griffey had finished with her library book, she didn’t close its cover or drop it in the return slot. She shook its hand, wished its family well and thanked it for a glimpse into what it’s like to be a Muslim living in America.

Griffey, “the reader,” and Younes Merbouhi, “the book,” were participants in Bainbridge Public Library’s Living Library event on Saturday. As one of about 50 readers who attended the event, Griffey chose from 17 flesh-and-blood titles representing groups that are often stereotyped, misunderstood or hold controversial viewpoints.

Before selecting Merbouhi and his family, which also joined in the discussion, Griffey perused a selection of living books representing a quadriplegic, a female cop, a Libertarian, a white South African, an atheist, the mother of a lesbian and an Eagle Harbor liveaboard.

Once a librarian matches a reader with book, they sit down for half-hour conversations at tables scattered throughout the library.

“This gives people a more diverse perspective,” said Danish anti-violence activist Ronni Abergel, who founded the Living Library program and was on-hand for the Bainbridge event. “Many people have perceptions about certain people based only on the media, but they’ve never sat down one, never really talked with one. Once they do, it stretches their boundaries.”

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