WSU Everett joins TEDxSnoIsleLibraries partners in serving community

When Sno-Isle Libraries officials considered getting into TEDx, a key criteria was that the effort must be community-focused.

“The TEDx model allows us to both serve and partner with our communities,” said Sno-Isle Libraries Executive Director Jonalyn Woolf-Ivory. “These events are significant undertakings and we knew we’d need help. We are honored by the response from the creative and innovative organizations who have joined us.”

For the inaugural TEDxSnoIsleLibraries in 2015, 22 businesses and agencies joined Sno-Isle Libraries and the Sno-Isle Libraries Foundation to bring forth 23 innovative and interesting community members with, as the TED mantra says, “Ideas Worth Spreading.”

“What we’ve found is that there are a lot of people who want to create connected communities and TEDxSnoIsleLibraries provides a venue for engagement,” said Ken Harvey, Sno-Isle Libraries Communications Director and TEDxSnoIsleLibraries licensee.

For the 2016 event, 12 more partners joined the original group bringing the total to 34 business and agencies contributing more than $120,000 in financial and in-kind support.

While tickets are sold out for the live audience presentation, the whole event can be viewed remotely in Jackson Center/Wilderness Room from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Paul Pitre, chancellor for WSU North Puget Sound at Everett, said, “Partnering with Sno-Isle Libraries makes sense for us. The TEDxSnoIsleLibraries event and WSU are both focused on the people and ideas that come from the communities we serve.”

That a library district would provide the catalyst for such an event is innovative. Sno-Isle Libraries received a 2016 Innovator award from the Urban Libraries Council, an organization for the nation’s largest public library systems.

Woolf-Ivory said TEDxSnoIsleLibraries may be innovative, but not out of step with the library district and values, purpose, core services and strategic focus.

“It’s critical to the purpose and values of the library district to make this event free for everyone, ensuring free and equal access to information and ideas,” Woolf-Ivory said. “Because at its essence, TEDx is a library without walls providing ideas worth spreading.”

For more information

• Susan Hempstead, Sno-Isle Libraries Strategic Relations Manager, 360-651-7013, shempstead@sno-isle.org
• Jim Hills, Sno-Isle Libraries Public Information Manager, 360-651-7050, jhills@sno-isle.org