The Library Levy renewal passed with 76 percent voter approval in August, with the promise of extended operating hours, seismic retrofits on Carnegie buildings, and the elimination of late fines, among several other benefits. So what happens next? The Seattle Public Library is working on the details involved to implement the new levy, but here … Continued

We know you value The Seattle Public Library and understand the difference it makes in communities across the city. This fall, you can help keep the Library strong into 2020 and beyond. Keep an eye on your mailbox and email for opportunities throughout the fall to double your impact with several matching offers. Right now, … Continued

Elementary students look up to older kids in awe. So what happens when the Library creates a program for teens and young students to learn together? We found out when we met high school student Christina and 9-year-old Madeline. Christina was reading “Strega Nona and the Twins” to Madeline at the Columbia Branch. Strega Nona … Continued

You may not be able to fully appreciate the depth of The Seattle Public Library’s Special Collections until you see it for yourself. That’s partly the inspiration behind the Cabinet of Curiosities now presented to the public on Level 10 of the Central Library, next to the Seattle Room. The Library possesses thousands of rare … Continued

When Seattle’s population exploded at the turn of the 20th century, in the wake of the Klondike Gold Rush, subdivisions were platted, and streets were built at a furious clip. As the resident count swelled from 43,000 in 1890 to 237,000 in 1910, city leaders realized that they needed to build a parks system in … Continued

Carolyn Fairbanks of Madison Park opened her Library account six years ago upon moving to Seattle with a stop at the Central Library. “I’ve since never set foot in one,” she says. Yet she’s an avid Library patron, evangelizing its collection among her fellow bridge players. Fairbanks calls herself a “virtual user,” relying on the … Continued

When 30-year-old pregnant mother of four, Charleena Lyles, was fatally shot by police in her North Seattle apartment in 2017 during a reported mental health crisis, Library staff sought to explore ways to help her community. The apartment complex where she lived, managed by the nonprofit Solid Ground, supplies permanent housing to people who previously … Continued

Jed Fowler says you don’t need to be a brainiac to volunteer at Homework Help. As a longtime Homework Helper, he says his role consists of “part cheerleader, part coach, part road block diagnostics. “Sometimes it’s about the homework, sometimes it’s about the helping,” he says. Homework Help is an after-school drop-in program for K-12 … Continued

Anyone living in Seattle 30 years ago or earlier will remember Frederick & Nelson, the retail institution whose flagship department store in Seattle once served as one-stop shopping and a cultural hub. From its tearoom to its beauty salon to its nursery to the annual photos with Santa Claus, Frederick & Nelson was a commercial … Continued